The claim can be understood in at least two ways:
- Jesus is by nature divine.
- Jesus is also himself God.
Let's examine each definition separately.
Jesus is by nature divine.
We're saying Jesus is more than human. He was unlike human beings in that he came from another origin. Dogs and cats we say are animals. That's their nature. Trees and flowers are plants. That's their nature. Mark and Kathy are humans. That's their nature. Jesus is God. That's his nature, and we call that nature divine.The Bible helps us understand this claim when it says, "Jesus, the son of God." Just as an earthly father and mother give birth to an earthly child, God gives birth to a divine Son. That doesn't make him the same person but does give the offspring the same nature.
Jesus is also himself God.
This claim is that Jesus is the same as God. They are both divine by nature, but this definition goes a step farther by saying the two are the same person. God is Jesus. Jesus is God. There isn't an offspring to speak of.The Bible helps us understand this claim when Jesus says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." And again, "I and the Father are one."
What does the Bible teach?
Are you open enough to accept both claims may be true? The Bible seems to teach that Jesus is indeed divine, having the same nature as God AND the Bible teaches that Jesus is actually God.Can both claims be true? Yes! Jesus in his earthly life seemed to be directly connected to the divine world when he performed countless miracles, signs, and wonders. He defied natural laws by walking on water, moving through walls, and bringing people back from the dead. He claimed He was from another world. He said His father was God. He spoke to the devil and demons and they obeyed. Whatever a divine being could do, Jesus did.
Jesus also claimed to be God in the flesh. He made this claim one time in front of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, and they took up stones to stone him (John 10:30-33). Why? Because in saying that He was God made him guilty of blasphemy. What is blasphemy? Simply claiming to be God!
Jesus also forgave sins (Mark 2:5-10) which is something only God can do.
Jesus also called himself "I am," a name God called Himself when Moses was told to confront Pharaoh in Egypt (John 8:58).
Apostle Peter writes, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3)
Apostle Paul writes, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him." (Colossians 1:9)There are so many more passages both in the Old Testament and the New Testament to verify Jesus' claims to divinity and also to be God in human flesh. Bottom line is Jesus was both God's son and God.
