Is Jesus really God?

“Jesus is just alright with me. Jesus is just alright, oh yeah.” Even if you don’t recognise the lyrics from this song from the Doobie Brothers, chances are you can identify with the sentiment. Most people, regardless of their religious background, see Jesus as a positive figure.  

However, Christians believe that Jesus was more than just a good man or a great teacher. They say Jesus was, and is, God incarnate, both fully human and fully God. As a man, Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions and experiences, yet as God, he lived a life free from personal sin. Christians believe Jesus defeated sin and death through his resurrection.

So, is Jesus God? 

Perhaps the best place to start is with a simple question: Was Jesus a real person? While some claim Jesus is a legend, most historians reject this idea. Multiple outside sources support Jesus’s existence. Roman historian Tacitus referred to Jesus and his execution by Pontius Pilate. Pliny the Younger, the Roman governor of Bithynia, wrote about early Christians singing hymns to Christ “as to a god”. The historical evidence overwhelmingly supports the reality of Jesus’s life and death. 

Who do they say he is?

To gain insight into who Jesus was, we can look at the names and titles his contemporaries used to describe him. The Greek term kyrios, meaning ‘Lord’ was used to translate Adonai in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Applying the title Adonai to anyone other than God was considered blasphemy by first-century Jews. Yet kyrios is used multiple times to refer to Jesus in the New Testament. Similarly, the Greek word theos, meaning “God,” is usually reserved for God the Father, but seven biblical passages explicitly refer to Jesus using this word. Jesus was also called King of kings, Lord of lords, our great God, and our Lord and Saviour. 

Jesus asserted that he was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. He equated himself with God by declaring: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Even more shocking for his Jewish audience, Jesus referred to himself by God’s personal name, “I AM.” In a single verse, Jesus summarized it all: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) 

These statements enraged the Jewish leaders, who fully understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. They accused him of blasphemy and attempted to stone him. When Jesus was on trial before the Jewish high priest, he affirmed that he was ”the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One” (Mark 14:61). The high priest tore his clothes and condemned Jesus as worthy of death for blasphemy. 

But here’s something even wilder: Jesus also behaved like he was God. He walked on water (Matthew 14), calmed storms (Mark 4) and raised the dead (Luke 7). When Jesus was in Capernaum, he healed a paralysed man who was lowered through the roof. Jesus looked at the man and said: “your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20). The religious leaders were outraged, and ”began thinking to themselves, ’Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” (v21). Jesus then healed the man, demonstrating his authority to forgive sins on earth. 

The Gospel of John records Jesus saying: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (14:13). Jesus was saying that we can pray to him. Yet, prayer is addressed to God alone. Multiple times in the Gospels, people worshipped Jesus, and he accepted it.  

The resurrection hinge 

The entirety of Christianity hinges on Jesus’ resurrection. As the Bible says: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). 

Now resurrection is humanly impossible, right? Yet, theologian William Lane Craig cites four historical facts that support the truth of the resurrection story: Jesus’ burial, the empty tomb, the fact that multiple people claimed to see Jesus alive after Roman execution, and the origin of his followers’ belief in his resurrection. 

Jesus died publicly, crucified by professional executioners. His body was placed in a tomb, sealed by a large stone and put under armed guard. Three days later, the tomb was found to be empty. Then, more than 500 people claimed to have seen Jesus alive (see 1 Corinthians 15:6).  

The disciples didn’t expect the resurrection. They were confused, scared and sad after Jesus’s death. But they were confident enough after seeing him that they were willing to face death rather than renounce their faith. 

Liar, lunatic, or Lord 

Jesus’s claims and actions lead us to three possible conclusions: He was a liar, a lunatic or the Lord. In Mere Christianity, CS Lewis argued that a man who was merely a man and said the things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be ”a lunatic…or the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”

The evidence suggests that Jesus wasn’t a liar or a lunatic. He uttered some of the most profound statements ever recorded, and his wisdom has passed the test of time. His followers were prepared to suffer torture and death for their belief in him – and still do today in many parts of the world. That’s hard evidence to ignore. 

Want to know more about how to follow Jesus? Find out more here

Bruce Miller’s latest book, The 7 Big Questions: Searching for God, truth, and purpose (Global Outreach Media) is available now