Did Jesus say "I am God"?
One main difference between what Muslims believe about Jesus versus what the Bible teaches is Christ’s divinity. The Quran claims that Jesus is not divine, He is just a prophet of Allah.
The Quran refuses Jesus' divinity and rejects His crucifixion, the two things that are game changers when it comes to salvation and restoring our relationship with God.
So, did Jesus claim to be God?
Where did Jesus say “I am God”
in the Bible?
“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.’ The Jews said to Him, ‘Now we know that You have a demon Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’” John 8:51-58
In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says:
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York: Macmillan, 1960) 56.)
Did Jesus ever say in the Bible “I am God?” Muslims often ask this question. Let’s search the Bible to find out what Jesus said about Himself and what God the Father reveals about Jesus in His Word.
Jesus’ relationship with
God the Father
Jesus repeatedly talked about His relationship with God the Father in the four Gospels. He identified Himself as being one with the Father. Here are two main truths Jesus has revealed to us.
He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father
In John 14:9-10, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, had asked Jesus to show him the Father for confirmation of His divinity. Read what Jesus said to Philip:
“Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”
Jesus and the Father are one
In John chapter 10, the Jews came to Jesus and asked Him “How long will You keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Jesus’ response was “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me... I and the Father are one” (John 10:25, 30). Later in that same exchange, Jesus confirmed to them “the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10:38).
What did Jesus reveal about Himself?
He is the only way to the Father
At the Last Supper, Christ was telling His disciples about His upcoming death. When Thomas, looking for comfort and direction, said to Jesus “‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me’” (John 14:5–6).
He is the Son of God
In Mark chapter 14 when Christ was on trial before the high priests, they questioned Him, “‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Also, in Luke chapter 22 they asked Him, “‘Are You the Son of God, then?’ And He said to them, ‘Yes, I am.’”
What did God the Father reveal
about Jesus?
Jesus is the Son
In Matthew 3:16-17, Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Also, in Mark 9:7, in the transfiguration story, God announced clearly: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”
Jesus is the Mighty God
God inspired Isaiah to prophesy that the promised Messiah would not be a mere human being but rather would be God himself. We read in Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus is God
Throughout His ministry, Jesus proves He is God by doing what the True God can do.
Jesus controls nature
In the four Gospels, we read how Jesus stilled a raging storm of wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee. He turned water into wine, fed 5,000 people from five loaves and two fish, gave a grieving widow back her only son by raising him from the dead, and brought to life the dead daughter of a shattered father. To an old friend He said, “Lazarus, come forth!” and dramatically raised him from the dead (John 11:43).
Jesus demonstrates the Creator’s power over sickness and disease
He caused the lame to walk, the dumb to speak, and the blind to see.
Jesus rose from the dead
The most important biblical authentication of Jesus’ claim to deity was His resurrection from the Dead. Jesus predicted five times that He would die, and that three days later He would rise from the dead and appear to the disciples. “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Matthew 16:21).
Jesus received worship as God
The Bible insists in more than five hundred passages that worship should be given to God alone. Yet, Jesus receives worship in several places in the Bible. The Persian Magi seek to worship Him (Matthew 2:2, 11). The disciples worship Him (Matthew 14:33, 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 20:28). God tells the angels to worship the Son (Hebrews 1:6). Heavenly beings and those gathered in heaven worship “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12-14).
Jesus grants eternal life
Jesus shows that He is God by granting eternal life; the life which God Himself has, to all who believe in Him. Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:25-26).
Jesus forgives sin
Only God can forgive sin and yet we read that Jesus forgave sins. Therefore, Jesus is God. In the story of the paralyzed man, in Luke chapter 5, when Jesus saw the faith of the man’s friends, He said to the man:
“‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?’ But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts?’ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic ‘I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen remarkable things today’” (Luke 5:20-26).
This is all biblical proof that Jesus is God. If you are a Muslim, we encourage you to read the Bible and pray and ask God to open your heart up to this truth. If you are a believer, boldly go and share the Good News of Jesus!
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