IS JESUS TRULY GOD?

The Shroud of Turin

The Holy Catholic Church’s infallible teaching on Christ’s divinity is one of the most fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It is upon this foundation that the church has been built, and upon which a number of other vital doctrines take their stand. Ever since the church’s inception, almost 2000 years ago, it has been attacked by various heresies that have sought to destroy it by rejecting this truth — Jesus Christ is God. The resurrected heresies of Adoptionism – Arianism in the modern age claimed that the sacred Scriptures never spoke of Christ’s divine nature and that the earliest Christians believed that Jesus was only a man. They, thereby, argued that it was not until the fourth century that the deity of Christ was imposed upon the Universal Church by the Roman Emperor Constantine I through the Ecumenical Council of Nicea I. But, is Christ Jesus really God? Let the sacred Scripture speak then.

⚫ The Pre-Existence of Christ

Before the world was created, the Lord has already existed. It is very clear in the following verses:

John 17:5: “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

NOTE: If Jesus did not pre-exist His physical birth, then how could He say that He already had the glory before the world came to exist?

John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

NOTE: If Jesus did not pre-exist His physical birth, then how could He say that the Father loved Him before the world came to exist?

John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.'”

NOTE: Jesus said that He already existed before Abraham. How could that be if Abraham was born 2000 years ago before Christ? Well, there should be no doubt, He said so.

John 1:15: “John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'”

NOTE: John the Baptist was six months older than his cousin, Jesus, but John himself testified that Christ had existed before him. How? It is only possible if Jesus is truly God.

If Christ has already existed even before the world was, then Who was He at that time?

Revelation 19:13: “And he was clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God.”

John 1:1-4: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

NOTE: Christ was indeed the living Word of God (cf. John 1) Who was in the bosom of the Father (cf. John 1:18), was made flesh and dwelt among His people (cf. John 1:14). Thus, all “beheld His glory, the glory as of the only One to come from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Again, the Scripture was very clear on this: He was not created but begotten — as He is called the only begotten Son of God (cf. John 3:16). Why begotten? Because He came from the bosom of the Father (cf. John 1:18). This is proven by John (3:13) — “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.” Did Jesus originate from the earth? No. The Scripture is very clear. He came from heaven (cf. John 3:13), from the bosom of the Father (cf. John 1:18). Who was He? “[…] the Word was God” (John 1:1).

⚫ Christ’s Presence in the Old Testament

If Jesus has already existed even before the world was, then it follows that He was also present in the Old Testament, wasn’t He? Take a look on the following biblical proof texts:

Genesis 16:7-14: “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert […] She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.'”

NOTE that the “Angel of the LORD” was a title that stood for His office, but it did not describe His nature. The Hebrew word for “angel” (mal’ak) had the basic idea of one who was “sent,” a “messenger.” Of the 214 usages of the Hebrew term used for “angel,” about one-third of them refer to what is labeled by theologians as a “Christophany,” a temporary or pre-incarnate appearances of Christ in the Old Testament. It is certain, however, that this special Angel of the Lord is divine.

God appeared to Moses in the burning bush on Mount Horeb.

Other instances of Jesus’ appearances in the Old Testament can be seen representatively in Genesis 22:11, 15, where it was the Angel of the Lord Who spoke from heaven to Abraham when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and stopped him from proceeding. Again, it was the Angel of the Lord Who appeared to Moses in the flame of fire in Exodus 3:2. Throughout the dialogue at that burning bush, it was also declared that He was no one less than “I AM WHO AM,” Who spoke at that time, causing Moses to hide his face from Him (Exodus 3:6). It was also the same Angel of the Lord who appeared to the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:2-25), mother of Samson, whom she reported to her husband was indeed a “Man of God” that had appeared to her. When Manoah asked for the “Angel of the Lord” to also appear to him as He had appeared to his wife, the Angel repeated the appearances and His conversations to him, after which He ascended in the flame of the altar (Judges 13:20), implying the sacrifice was in worship of the Lord Himself! Moreover, this “Angel” is regarded as a “Redeemer,” Who saves Israel from evil (Isaiah 63:9).

Below are the other appearances of God in the Old Testament:

Genesis 18:1-3: “Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, ‘My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.’”

Genesis 32:24-25, 28-30: “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him […] And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked, saying, ‘Tell me Your name, I pray.’ And He said, ‘Why is it that you ask about My name?’ And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’”

Daniel 3:24-25: “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, ‘Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said unto the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the SON OF GOD.'”

NOTE that many theologians refer to the appearances of God in these passages, and others like them, as “theophanies” (Greek: theos = “God” + phaino = “appear”) or “Christophanies.” So these words mean “appearances of God” and “appearances of Christ,” respectively.

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the Son of God in the Fiery Furnace

Remember that “no one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). The “God” in this verse refers to the Father. So if that is the case, who was, then, the God seen in the Old Testament? Certainly, it was not the Father but the Lord Jesus Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

Other verses below proved the existence of Christ as mentioned by the Old Testament Patriarchs. In the following biblical passages, God existed in dual Persons: God the Father and God the Son.

Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”

NOTE: In this verse, the Lord was talking to the Lord. Who is the Lord Who sits at the right Hand of the Father? No doubt, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 45:7: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

NOTE: God, in this verse, anointed God. Who is that God? Indeed, Jesus Christ.

Hosea 1:7: “Yet I [God] will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen.”

NOTE: In this verse, the speaker is God and He said that He would save Israel by the Lord, their God. It is very clear, indeed, that Jesus Christ, the Savior of Israel, is God.

Genesis 19:24: “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens.”

NOTE: Here is very clear that there existed two distinct Persons: the Lord Who rained fire from the Lord in heaven.

Zechariah 1:8-9: “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me.’”

NOTE: The Lord of hosts was sent by the Lord of hosts. Who is the other Lord of hosts? Is it not Jesus Christ?

Malachi 3:1: “‘Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ Says the Lord of hosts.”

NOTE: God sent His messenger, the Lord, who would come to His temple. Who was that Lord? None other than Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 30:4: “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?”

NOTE: Proverb (30:4) is very clear that the Son of God ascended from heaven and descended to earth in the Old Testament. This is a proof that Jesus Christ indeed appeared before men before His incarnation to a permanent flesh.

Psalm 2:7-8: “The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

NOTE: In the verse, God gave the nations to His begotten (not created) Son.

Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

NOTE: The passage says that from God would come a Ruler Who is eternal, of old, from everlasting. Who is that Ruler? He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

⚫ The Lordship of Christ

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel understood very much that the Lord is the everlasting God.

Isaiah 40:28: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

NOTE: The English term “Lord” was used to replace the Hebrew tetragrammaton “YHVH” which is considered a sacred Name of God Himself as revealed to Moses in Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3:6). Thus, it is written: “YHVH is the everlasting God.“

In the New Testament, Paul reemphasized that there is only one Lord as there is only one God:

Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Yet, on his other epistle, Paul taught that Jesus Christ is Lord:

Philippians 2:11: “[…] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Well, does this passage contradict the other? Of course Not. There remains one Lord as there remains one God. The Greek term translated to the English word “Lord” is κύριος (Kyrios), a title given to God as Ruler of the universe. Thus, the Father and the Son are one Lord and one God but not one Person (cf. John 10:30).

The Greek word kyrios (pronounced KEER-ee-oss) is used of human “lords” in the Greek language (1 Peter 3:6). But this Greek word was also the translation of the Hebrew word for Yahweh. The Septuagint translates Yahweh with the Greek word kurios 6,156 times, which is roughly 90% of the time. Therefore, whenever the New Testament authors refer to Jesus as “Lord,” they are using the same word that Jewish translators used for Yahweh in the Old Testament. Though, sometimes, they combined these two terms for a full effect: “My kyrios and my theos!” (John 20:28).

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (455), it clearly states: “The title ‘Lord’ indicates divine sovereignty. To confess or invoke Jesus as Lord is to believe in his divinity. ‘No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit'” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

⚫ The Latria of Christ

No angel or man who was godly ever accepted worship from men even when they were mistaken. A good example of this is when Paul was in Athens (Acts 14:12) and the people cried out they are gods, they responded resoundly, “we are men like yourselves.”

In Psalm 81:9, it reads: “Thou shalt not worship any strange god.” God says in Exodus 34:14: “For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” When the devil tempted Jesus in Matthew 4:9, the devil said to Him, “’All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’“

These verses above clearly shows it is only God should be worshipped and praised and no other. If that is so, then why did Jesus accept worship?

The Child Jesus was worshipped by the Magi after He was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:11: “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”

Matthew 14:33:“And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

Matthew 28:9-10: “And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.”

Matthew 28:16-17: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”

Luke 24:51:“While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”

John 9:37-38:“Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”

Hebrews 1:6: “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”

Revelation 22:3: “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

NOTE: By accepting worship, Jesus never contradicted what the Father has commanded — to only worship God and no other. Why? Because Christ Himself is God, worthy of worship, praise and service. Notice further that when the people worshipped Him, He did not rebuke them for He knew Who He is.

⚫ The Direct Identification of Christ as God

For those anti-Catholics who continued to reject the divinity of Christ after all the verses presented above, then let the Holy Bible further testify on this matter:

John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [en archēēn ho logos, kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon, kai theos ēn ho logos]. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

NOTE: John the Apostle undoubtedly knew how the Stoic philosophers of around 300BC had used the word “Logos,” (that is, identifying with “God”) and he too used the term in that manner. He identifies Jesus as the incarnation of the Logos (cf. John 1:14), through which all things are made. He further identifies the Logos as divine (Theos ). It is very clear: the Logos is not an expression, attribute or a mere quality of God but a Person Who was made flesh, and dwelt among His people (cf. John 1:1-14). On the other hand, for those who reject the divinity of Christ rendered θεος ην ο λογος as “the Word was a god” expressing the Word in a subordinate sense but notice the order of the words in the original Greek: θεος ην ο λογος (theos ēn ho logos) which can be literally translated as “God was the Word” and even Martin Luther, the primary figure of the Protestant Reformation, rendered it in his German translation as “Gott war das wort.” Therefore, the New World Translation (NWT) got it wrong.

John 5:18: “For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

NOTE: The Jews understood literally what Jesus claimed to be — God — that is why they tried to kill Him for blasphemy.

John 10:30-33: “‘I and the Father are one.’ The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.'”

NOTE: This clear enough. The verse explains itself (see John 5:18).

John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.'”

NOTE: Jesus Christ Himself claimed to be the I AM Who existed before Abraham. And Who is this I AM? In Exodus 3:14, it reads: “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” In John 8:24, it reads: “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”

Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

NOTE: This verse is a confirmation on the prologue of the Gospel according to John. Jesus in the beginning was the Word Who was God (cf. John 1:1), but was made flesh and dwelt among His people (cf. John 1:14). But His divinity was not taken away from Him when He came to flesh; for He remains the Lord (κύριος) Who is worthy to be worshipped and praised.

John 20:28: “Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'”

NOTE: Thomas the Apostle here was not shocked like what the heretics argued but he indeed showed his belief for the divinity of Christ. He acclaimed Jesus to be his Lord and God after seeing his Master’s wounds. That is an act of faith.

Colossians 2:9: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”

NOTE: This is a very significant verse as Paul himself testified to the divinity of Christ. This has been affirmed by John, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 1:7). Again, Jesus did not originate from the earth but from heaven (cf. John 1:18, 3;13).

Acts 3:16: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”

NOTE: Jesus is referred to be the Author of Life. If He is not God, how can He be the Author of Life? Author is the appropriate or accurate English translation of the Greek word ἀρχηγός (archégos), which means “someone who originates, causes or initiates something.” Remember, God is the source of life, as it is written in Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Matthew 1:22-23: “And all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said though the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us.'”

NOTE: The birth of Christ was foretold by the great prophet Isaiah (7:14), “Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”. This is affirmed by Paul the Apostle in 1 Timothy 3:16, which reads: “God was manifest in the flesh.”

Isaiah 9:6: “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.”

NOTE: This is the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the birth of Jesus the Immanuel (God with us). Jesus is indeed God in the flesh.

Luke 2:11: “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

NOTE: In the Old Testament, it is very clear that God is the only Savior and there is no other. In Isaiah 43:11, it reads: “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.” But how come is Christ also a Savior? Well, it won’t be a contradiction if Christ is God. See also Jeremiah 3:23, Hosea 13:4.

Revelation 1:8, 22:13, 16: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty […] I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last […] I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.”

NOTE: God, in the Old Testament, called Himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. In Isaiah 44:6, it reads: “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.'” It is very clear, God said that He is the Alpha and Omega and there is no other. But how about Christ? Again, it won’t contradict the verse if Christ is God. See also Isaiah 41:4.

Hebrews 1:8-9: “But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.'”

NOTE: In this verse, God the Father called His Son, God. Concerning the other interpretations of the anti-Catholics that the proper translation of the verse from the original Greek is “God is your throne […]” Of course, that is not true. Remember that this verse was in referrence to Psalm 45:6-7 which was originally written in Hebrew. To say “God is your throne” doesn’t make sense. What does it mean to say, “But to which of the angels did he say, God is your throne.” What would that mean? Is God Jesus’ throne? God alone is on His throne, and He isn’t a throne for anyone else.

1 Timothy 6:14-16: “Our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

NOTE: This verse presents Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lords of lords. God is referred to as the King of all the earth and the Lords of lords. In Psalm 47:2, it reads: “For the LORD Most High is awesome; he is a great King over all the earth.” God is the only King of kings for He has an everlasting kingdom (cf. Psalm 145:13) and Christ, too, has an everlasting kingdom (cf. 2 Peter 1:11). Christ is God, the King of kings. In Deuteronomy 10:17: “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.” See also Revelation 17:14.

Colossians 1:16: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

NOTE: In the Old Testament, God created the world all by Himself alone. In Isaiah 44:24, it reads: “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.” But how come that Paul said the world was created through Jesus Christ? Simply because there is only one God Who created everything. The Son is the second Person of God. The Father and the Son are one God.

Acts 7:59-60: “And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And having said this, he fell asleep.”

NOTE: Stephen prayed to Jesus to receive His Spirit. If Christ is not God, how can He receive Stephen’s spirit?

John 10:28: “Jesus said, ‘And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.“

NOTE: If Jesus Christ isn’t eternal, then how does He have the power to give eternal life? Remember, only God is eternal, no beginning and no end. In Psalm 48:14, it reads: “For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.” In Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” See? Is there any room for doubt that Christ is truly God?

Matthew 28:19: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

NOTE: If Jesus is not God, then why did He place Himself equal with the Father in the baptism formula? Notice that the Son shares to the Name of the Father. Why? John 10:30: “Jesus says, ‘I and my Father are one.'” Jesus further emphasized in John 14:9: “[…] he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15).

Matthew 18:20, 28:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them […] lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

NOTE: How could this be possible if Jesus is not God? God is omnipresent. In Jeremiah 23:24, it reads: “‘Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares the LORD.” See also Proverbs 15:3, 1 Kings 8:27, Psalms 139:7-10, Isaiah 66:1, Job 34:21.

John 21:17: “The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.'”

NOTE: Does Jesus know all things? YES. Is God omniscient? YES. In 1 Samuel 2:3, it reads: “Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” Thus, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:5).

Mark 2:5-11: “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? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”

NOTE: Jesus Christ is God, because only God can forgive sins. It’s true that He took on the form of a man for thirty-three years on this earth, but He was still God. He was God manifest in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). Consider Jeremiah 31:4: “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

John 10:17-18: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

NOTE: Jesus had the power over His own life and death. When He died, He willingly gave up His own spirit (Luke 23:46). According to His own words in Revelation 1:18, Jesus Christ has “the keys of hell and of death.” How could He possibly have such power if He is not God?

2 Peter 1:1: “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Titus 2:13: “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

NOTE: Jesus the Lord is directly called God and Savior.

Jesus Christ not just a mere man, He is more than that. Yes. He is true man and He is also true God (CCC 469). He is the way, the truth, and the life (cf. John 14:6). He is the bread that came down from heaven (cf. John 6:35). He is the vine to Whom all should be attached; apart from Him, one can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). He is the good Shepherd (cf. John 10:11). He is the head of the Church, His Body (cf. Colossians 1:18), His beloved Spouse (cf. Ephesians 5:23) purchased by His own blood (cf. Acts 20:28). And most importantly, in Matthew 19:28, Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus is indeed the God the Son Who is distinct from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He sits on the right hand of the Father in the highest heavens (cf. Hebrew 1:8). Be reminded of this: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen, Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelations 22:20-21).

Those who deny the divinity of Christ are not true Christians.

Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords – the Alpha and the Omega.

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