The Bible tells us that Jesus is God incarnate (God in the form of a human); He is God and Son, eternally one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He, and He alone, can forgive our sins and give us the salvation we all desperately need.
The writer of Hebrews explains how "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3
Most people believe that Jesus lived, was a good teacher, a very spiritual man, and even a prophet, but they deny that He is God. A diluted Jesus is not the real Jesus. We must be careful to believe in the Jesus that He Himself declared He was.
Here are seven declarations and actions of Jesus that show us who He believed He was and continues to be:
1. Jesus said He was God
Matthew 26:63-65 "But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to Him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say', Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand fo the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven'. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,'He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.' "
John 8:58-59 " 'I tell you the truth,'Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."
John 10:30-33 " 'I and the Father are one.' Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?' 'We are not stoning You for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man, claim to be God.' "
John 14:8-9 "Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' Jesus andswered: 'Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
2. Jesus said He came from heaven
John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me."
John 16:28 "I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
3. Jesus said He was sinless
John 8:46 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe Me?"
4. Jesus forgave sin
Mark 2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' "
Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' "
5. Jesus said He was the only way to heaven
John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' "
John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.' "
6. Jesus accepted worship as God
Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
John 9:38 Then the man said, 'Lord Jesus, I believe,' and he worshiped Him.
7. Jesus performed miracles including resurrection
Matthew 4:23 "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."
Matthew 17:18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Luke 8:49-50, 52-55 "While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. 'Your daughter is dead,' he said. 'Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.'...Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. 'Stop wailing,' Jesus said. 'She is not dead but asleep.' They laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But He took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat."
John 11:43-44 "When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.' "
Luke 24:5-8 "In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He [Jesus] is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered His words.' "
Conclusion
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
C. S. Lewis, a professor of English literature at Cambridge University and former agnostic, spoke to this truth in his book Mere Christianity.
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. 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 the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (Lewis, MC'52, 40, 41)
The writer of Hebrews explains how "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3
Most people believe that Jesus lived, was a good teacher, a very spiritual man, and even a prophet, but they deny that He is God. A diluted Jesus is not the real Jesus. We must be careful to believe in the Jesus that He Himself declared He was.
Here are seven declarations and actions of Jesus that show us who He believed He was and continues to be:
1. Jesus said He was God
Matthew 26:63-65 "But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to Him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say', Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand fo the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven'. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,'He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.' "
John 8:58-59 " 'I tell you the truth,'Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."
John 10:30-33 " 'I and the Father are one.' Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?' 'We are not stoning You for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man, claim to be God.' "
John 14:8-9 "Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' Jesus andswered: 'Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
2. Jesus said He came from heaven
John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me."
John 16:28 "I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
3. Jesus said He was sinless
John 8:46 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe Me?"
4. Jesus forgave sin
Mark 2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' "
Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' "
5. Jesus said He was the only way to heaven
John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' "
John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.' "
6. Jesus accepted worship as God
Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
John 9:38 Then the man said, 'Lord Jesus, I believe,' and he worshiped Him.
7. Jesus performed miracles including resurrection
Matthew 4:23 "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."
Matthew 17:18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Luke 8:49-50, 52-55 "While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. 'Your daughter is dead,' he said. 'Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.'...Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. 'Stop wailing,' Jesus said. 'She is not dead but asleep.' They laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But He took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat."
John 11:43-44 "When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.' "
Luke 24:5-8 "In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He [Jesus] is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered His words.' "
Conclusion
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
C. S. Lewis, a professor of English literature at Cambridge University and former agnostic, spoke to this truth in his book Mere Christianity.
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. 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 the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (Lewis, MC'52, 40, 41)