# Is Jesus God? Where Jesus Claimed to Be God

> Yes. Jesus is truly God and truly human. He forgave sins, applied God’s name and honor to himself, and received the words “My LORD and my God,” which is why the church confesses him as God the Son.

- Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-jesus-god
- Religions: Christianity, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter-day Saints
- Denominations: none
- Beliefs: Atheism
- Tags: jesus, trinity, christology
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul))


Yes. Jesus is God the Son, truly God and truly human, one with the Father in being and distinct from the Father in person. The Gospels do not record the sentence “I am God, worship me.” They record claims that his hearers treated as claims to be God: forgiving sins, “I am,” “I and my Father are one,” and the answer “My Lord and my God.”

## Key points

- [Mark 2:5–7](/bible/mark/2/5) [(2)](#ref-2): Jesus forgives sins, and the scribes say, “who can forgive sins but God only?”
- [Mark 14:62–64](/bible/mark/14/62): Jesus answers “I am” to “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” and the council calls it blasphemy.
- [John 8:58–59](/bible/john/8/58) [(1)](#ref-1): “Before Abraham was, I am.” They take up stones. [Exodus 3:14](/bible/exodus/3/14) [(4)](#ref-4) is God’s “I AM.”
- [John 10:30–33](/bible/john/10/30): “I and my Father are one.” The charge is blasphemy, “thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
- [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28): Thomas says, “My LORD and my God.”
- [Philippians 2:6–11](/bible/philippians/2) [(5)](#ref-5): he was “in the form of God” and equal with God, then took the form of a servant.
- [The deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) maps how Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, and atheists hear this confession. This page stays on the passages.

## Forgiving sins

[Mark 2:5–7](/bible/mark/2/5), King James Version:

> When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

The scribes’ sentence is the point. In their law, the one sinned against is the one who forgives. Jesus then heals the man “that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.” He does not correct the scribes by saying that a prophet may announce God’s pardon in God’s place. He treats the forgiveness as his to give. The same pattern is in [Luke 7:48–49](/bible/luke/7/48), where the guests ask, “Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

## “Before Abraham was, I am”

[John 8:58](/bible/john/8/58):

> Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

[Exodus 3:14](/bible/exodus/3/14): “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Jesus’ line is not “I existed before Abraham,” in the past tense the King James uses for Abraham (“was”). It is a present “I am,” set against Abraham’s coming to be. [John 8:59](/bible/john/8/59) says they took up stones. Stoning is the response to blasphemy, which [Leviticus 24:16](/bible/leviticus/24/16) prescribes for the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD.

The [New World Translation of John 8:58](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/8/#v43008058) [(10)](#ref-10) reads, “before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” That rendering removes the present “I am” and the echo of Exodus 3:14. The crowd’s stones, in the next verse, fit the claim the King James prints. Jehovah’s Witnesses identify Jesus as a creature, which [Is Jesus the creator or a creature?](/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-the-creator-or-a-creature) and [John 1 and the Word](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word) answer from their own translation.

## “I and my Father are one”

[John 10:30–33](/bible/john/10/30):

> I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

“One” here is not a vague closeness of affection only. The hearers say he has made himself God, and they name that blasphemy. Earlier in the same Gospel, [John 5:17–18](/bible/john/5/17) says they sought to kill him because he “said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” [John 5:23](/bible/john/5/23) says the purpose is “that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.” Equal honor is not the honor given to a messenger.

## The council, and Thomas

[Mark 14:61–64](/bible/mark/14/61):

> Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

The question is whether he is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. The answer is “I am,” plus Daniel’s picture of the Son of man at the right hand of power. The high priest tears his clothes and calls the answer blasphemy, worthy of death. A claim to be a mere messianic king was not, by itself, the blasphemy that required torn clothes. Sharing God’s throne was.

After the resurrection, [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28): “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.” Jesus does not refuse the words. [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) had already said, “the Word was God.” Others speak the same way. [Hebrews 1:8](/bible/hebrews/1/8) [(6)](#ref-6): “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” [Titus 2:13](/bible/titus/2/13) [(7)](#ref-7) looks for “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” [Matthew 14:33](/bible/matthew/14/33) says the disciples in the boat “worshipped him.”

## Philippians 2

[Philippians 2:6–8](/bible/philippians/2):

> Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The King James “thought it not robbery” is the translator’s way of saying he did not treat equality with God as something he had to seize. The sentence starts from “the form of God” and equality with God, then describes the human life and the cross. [Philippians 2:9–11](/bible/philippians/2/9) says God gave him the name above every name, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,” which is the honor [Isaiah 45:23](/bible/isaiah/45/23) gives to God alone, and “that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The bowing is to Jesus. The glory is the Father’s, because the Son is not a second god.

## Are God and Jesus the same?

They are one God. They are not one person. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is that confession: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one being, not three gods and not one person taking turns. Jesus prays to the Father. [Matthew 26:39](/bible/matthew/26/39): “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” A prayer requires a person who speaks and a person who hears. That is why “Jesus is God” does not mean “Jesus is the Father.” [If Jesus is God, why did he pray?](/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray) stays on that question.

[Acts 7:59](/bible/acts/7/59) [(8)](#ref-8): “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Stephen prays to the Lord Jesus. Christians pray to the Father through the Son, and they also call on the Son, as Stephen does.

## What the neighbors say

Muslims honor Jesus as messiah and refuse divine sonship. [Qur’an 5:72](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) [(9)](#ref-9), Saheeh International: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’” [Qur’an 4:171](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) says he “was but a messenger of Allāh” and “do not say, ‘Three.’” Christians agree that Jesus is not the Father, and that God, Jesus, and Mary are not three gods. [Can God have a son?](/islam/can-god-have-a-son) and [Does Jesus do what only God does?](/islam/does-jesus-do-what-only-god-does) answer the Qur’an’s charge with the Gospel’s claims.

Jehovah’s Witnesses call Jesus the greatest of God’s creatures and refuse the title Almighty God. Their translation of John 8:58 is quoted above. Latter-day Saints call Jesus divine and mean it, and they teach three separate beings, which [Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?](/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching) quotes from their Gospel Topics page. [Are Mormons Christians?](/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) compares that teaching with the creed.

[Matthew 4:7](/bible/matthew/4/7) is sometimes offered as a place where Jesus calls himself God. The verse says, “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” He is refusing Satan’s dare and quoting Deuteronomy. The sentence identifies God, whom Jesus will not test. It is not the “I am” of John 8:58. The passages that carry the claim are the ones listed above, not this refusal.

## Frequently asked questions

### Did Jesus really say he was God?

He did not leave the formula “I am God, worship me.” He did say “Before Abraham was, I am,” “I and my Father are one,” and “I am” before the high priest, and he forgave sins in his own name. His hearers called those words blasphemy. Thomas called him Lord and God, and Jesus accepted it.

### Where in the Bible does it say Jesus is God?

[John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1), [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28), [Hebrews 1:8](/bible/hebrews/1/8), and [Titus 2:13](/bible/titus/2/13) use the word God of him. [John 5:18](/bible/john/5/18) says his calling God his Father was heard as “making himself equal with God.” [Philippians 2:6](/bible/philippians/2/6) says he was in the form of God.

### Is Jesus calling himself God in Matthew 4?

No. [Matthew 4:7](/bible/matthew/4/7) is Jesus quoting “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” against Satan’s challenge. The deity passages are John 8, John 10, Mark 2, Mark 14, and John 20.

### If Jesus and God are the same, why did Jesus pray?

Because the Son is not the Father. He prays to the Father as a distinct person. Christians do not confess one person wearing two masks. [If Jesus is God, why did he pray?](/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray) quotes the prayers and the same Gospel’s claims.

### Do I pray to God or to Jesus?

Both belong to the one God. The pattern in the letters is prayer to the Father in Jesus’ name. [Acts 7:59](/bible/acts/7/59) also shows Stephen calling on the Lord Jesus. Refusing to honor the Son is the thing [John 5:23](/bible/john/5/23) says dishonors the Father.

## Keep reading

- [The Islamic dilemma](/islam/the-islamic-dilemma)
- [The deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ)
- [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity)
- [If Jesus is God, why did he pray?](/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray)
- [John 1 and the Word](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word)
- [Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?](/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching)
- [Was Jesus a real person?](/christianity/did-jesus-exist)
- [Why don’t Jews believe Jesus is the Messiah?](/judaism/why-dont-jews-believe-jesus-is-the-messiah)
- [What is Christian Science?](/christian-science/what-is-christian-science)
- [What do Unitarians believe?](/unitarian-universalism/what-do-unitarians-believe)

## Passages quoted on this page

### Philippians 2:6–11

King James Version.

> [2:6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [2:7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [2:8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [2:9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [2:10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [2:11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

### Luke 7:48

King James Version.

> And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

### John 8:59

King James Version.

> Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

### Leviticus 24:16

King James Version.

> And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.

### John 8:58

New World Translation (2013).

[Open on jw.org](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/8/#v43008058)

> Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

### John 5:17

King James Version.

> But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

### John 5:23

King James Version.

> That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

### Mark 14:61

King James Version.

> But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

### John 1:1

King James Version.

> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

### Hebrews 1:8

King James Version.

> But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

### Titus 2:13

King James Version.

> Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

### Matthew 14:33

King James Version.

> Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

### Philippians 2:9

King James Version.

> Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

### Isaiah 45:23

King James Version.

> I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

### Matthew 26:39

King James Version.

> And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

### Qur’an 5:72

Saheeh International.

[Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72)

> They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.

### Qur’an 4:171

Saheeh International.

[Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/4/171)

> O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.

### John 5:18

King James Version.

> Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

### Philippians 2:5–11

King James Version.

> [2:5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [2:6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [2:7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [2:8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [2:9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [2:10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [2:11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

## Sources
Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site.

1. [Gospel of John, 1:1; 5:17–23; 8:58–59; 10:30–33; 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version
2. [Gospel of Mark, 2:5–7; 14:61–64](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/2). King James Version
3. [Gospel of Matthew, 4:7; 14:33](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/4/7). King James Version
4. [Exodus, 3:14](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/3/14). King James Version
5. [Letter to the Philippians, 2:5–11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/philippians/2). King James Version
6. [Letter to the Hebrews, 1:8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/8). King James Version
7. [Letter to Titus, 2:13](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/titus/2/13). King James Version
8. [Acts of the Apostles, 7:59](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/7/59). King James Version
9. [Qur'an, 4:171; 5:72](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. Words in square brackets are part of that translation.)
10. [New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, John 8:58](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/8/#v43008058) (New World Translation (2013), Study Edition, as published on jw.org.)
11. [Gospel Topics, Godhead](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead?lang=eng) (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The sentences on three separate beings are quoted in the Godhead article linked from this page.)

## See also
- [The Deity of Christ: Is Jesus God?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/deity-of-christ) — Yes. Christians confess that Jesus is truly God and truly human. The passages are in Is Jesus God?; this page maps how Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, and atheists hear that confession.
- [The Trinity](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/the-trinity) — Christians confess that the one God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: not three gods, and not one person taking turns.
- [Does the Trinity Depend on 1 John 5:7?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/does-the-trinity-depend-on-1-john-5-7) — The sentence about the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost in the King James Version of 1 John 5:7 was added later. The Trinity does not rest on it.
- [My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/my-god-my-god-why-have-you-forsaken-me) — Jesus was praying Psalm 22. The cry is the opening of a psalm in which God hears the sufferer, and it belongs to the Son bearing sin, not to a split inside God or to a crucifixion that never happened.
- [The resurrection of Jesus](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) — The Christian claim that Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised, and the main ways that claim is doubted.

## History
[View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/is-jesus-god.md)