Jesus Claims to be God

 

Jesus proved that He was God, in several ways:

 

  1. He said that He was God
  2. He accepted worship
  3. He proved that He had the authority to forgive sin

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born I am!” John 8:58

Jesus Claims to be God
There is no doubt that Jesus claimed equality with God the Father. John 10:30

  • John 8:23 – “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
  • John 10:36 – “I am the Son of God.”
  • John 10:33 – “Then the Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’”
  • John 8:58 – “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Here Jesus takes the name of God of the Old Testament. The unbelieving Jewish leaders who heard Him say this understood that He was claiming to be God and regarded it as blasphemy.

Jesus Accepted Worship

  • Exodus 20:1-5 – “And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.”

In many instances Jesus accepted worship, showing that He is God;

  • A healed leper worshiped Jesus – Matthew 8:2
  • A ruler knelt before Jesus – Matthew 9:18
  • After Jesus calmed the storm those in the boat worshiped Him – Matthew 14:33
  • The disciples worshiped Jesus after His resurrection – Matthew 28:17
  • Thomas worshiped the resurrected Christ – John 20:28
  • Mother of James and John worshiped Jesus – Matthew 20:20
  • Jesus affirms that only God should be worshiped and served – Matthew 4:10
  • Scripture tells us that even the angels of God worship Jesus – Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels worship him.’”

Jesus’ Authority to forgive Sin

  • Matthew 9:6 – “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
  • atthew 9:1-8 – The paralytic on the mat

The scribes were right about one thing, the fact that only God can forgive sin, Isaiah 43:25.
However they were wrong about Jesus, because He is God. In fact, the divine ability Jesus
demonstrated by reading their thoughts was evidence of His omniscience. He knew what
was in the heart of the sick man and He knew what was in the minds of the scribes and
Pharisees because He is God.

If all that Jesus said was, “Your sins be forgiven,” those watching would have never known
that He actually did that. That is why He said, “rise up and walk.” And by healing the
paralytic, they would conclude that Jesus had forgiven his sins. Jesus was demonstrating His healing power as proof of His power to forgive sin.  Additionally, omniscience is displayed – Jesus knew the thoughts of the scribes.