Five Proofs That Jesus Was God

Five Proofs That Jesus Was God

Many people, including professing Christians, deny the existence of the Trinity, the concept that there is one God existent in three Persons. We know the topic well– we often hear it preached in our churches. In church, we sing the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” which contains the line, “God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity!” But we’re often at a loss to explain the Trinity to others, especially those in pseudo-Christian religions who deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Five proofs…

1. John’s Vision in the Book of Revelation
When the apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos, he wrote the Book of Revelation, consisting of revelatory visions he had received from the Lord. In Revelation 1:17-18, John wrote, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.'”

Centuries earlier, the prophet Isaiah had recorded his experience with the Lord– “‘Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.”‘” (Isaiah 44:6) Since only God is the First and the Last (also known as the Alpha and the Omega from Revelation 21:6), there is only one conclusion. Jesus was God.

2. The Prophecy of Jesus’ Birth
In Isaiah 9:6, a prophecy of Jesus’ birth was given. It says, “‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'” This passage tells us several things: that a Child would be Born; He would be a Son; the government would be upon His shoulder; and He would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. The Hebrew name for God here is “El,”– God’s name.

3. “They Will Look on Me…”
Another prophecy of the Messiah is given to us in Zechariah 12:10: “‘And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.'”

Looking ahead to the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of this prophecy in these points: The Holy Spirit was poured out upon several people (Acts 2:4), and the prophecy tells us that the people would look on those whom they pierced. Considering that the events of Acts 2 happened in Jerusalem after the crucifixion, and that the prophecy refers to those in Jerusalem, we see another affirmation. But who was the One who was pierced– God refers to Himself as having been pierced. Another conclusion that Jesus was God.

4. God Knows All Things
In 1 John 3:20, we find this: “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” So we see the proof here that our God is omniscient– He is all knowing. Now we go to John 21, the well-known scene when the Lord Jesus restores Peter after Peter’s denials of Him. A piece of the conversation is as follows: “He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ and he said to Him, ‘Lord, you know all things; You know that I love You.'” Peter made this affirmation, that Jesus knew all things. Now if God knows all things, and Jesus knew all things, then what is the conclusion? Jesus was God.

5. The Perfect Sacrificial Lamb
Finally, we look at the depravity of mankind. Romans 3:10 says this: “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one…’ Romans 3:23 gives further details by saying that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This means that every person has sinned– you, I, everyone. But has God sinned? Of course not, because He is righteous and holy. An important attribute of Jesus Christ is given to us in Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” If Jesus were an ordinary Man, He would have sinned just like everyone else. But it says in Hebrews that He was without sin. Therefore, what can we conclude? Jesus was not mere man– He was, indeed, God.