Table of Contents
Did Jesus Say, “I Am God Worship Me”?
Muslim apologetics, in an effort to attack the divinity of Christ, ask Christians the question: Where did Jesus say, “I am God worship me”? They claim since these exact words are not found in the Bible, then Jesus is not God. But the same reasoning can be used with Muslims to which they can’t give an answer when Christians ask them: Where did Jesus say I am only a prophet don’t worship me?” Thus, we can see that demanding exact words is absurd.
The real question that should be asked is: Where and how did Jesus say I am God? There are clear and obvious statements in the Bible that God the Father declares about Himself. So, if Jesus claimed the same facts and supported His claims by divine actions, then we have to conclude that Jesus claimed to be God. Let’s look at some of these statements:
1-I Am the First and the Last
God said in the Old Testament in Isaiah 44:6, “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.”
The Quran sura 57: 3 stated, “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.”
Jesus said in Revelation 1:17-18, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
2-Who Can Forgive Sin?
God said in the Old Testament in Psalms 51:4, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil In Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.”
Sura 3:135 stated, “And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah ? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.”
Jesus said in Mark 2:5-12 , “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
3-Who Is Our Final Judge?
God in the Old Testament said in Joel 3:11-13, “Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great.”
Sura 22:56 stated, “[All] sovereignty that Day is for Allah ; He will judge between them. So they who believed and did righteous deeds will be in the Gardens of Pleasure.”
Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-32, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”
4-Who Is the Truth?
God in the Old Testament said in Psalms 31:5, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”
Sura 22:6, “That is because Allah is the Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent.”
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
5-Who Raises the Dead?
God said in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 2:6, “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.”
Sura 22:7, “And [that they may know] that the Hour is coming – no doubt about it – and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves.”
Jesus said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”
6-Does God Share His Glory with Another?
God said in the Old Testament in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.”
Sura 57:1, “Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Jesus said in John 17:5, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
More Bible References
Jesus said He is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
Jesus said the Father called Him Lord (Matthew 22:41-45).
Jesus claimed Omnipresence – a quality of God alone (Matthew 18:20).
Jesus said all authority is His (Matthew 28:18).
Jesus said all things that the Father has are His (John 16:15).
Jesus claimed preexistence (John 8:58).
Jesus said He is the life giver (John 5:21-23).
Jesus accepted worship that is due only to God (Matthew 2:11; Mathew 14:33; John 9:38; Matthew 28:17; Luke 24:52). And when Thomas said to Jesus, “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28), the Savior didn’t forbid him.
Conclusion
Jesus said, I am the First and the Last; He forgave sins; He will judge the world at the end of time; He is the truth; He will resurrect the dead at the Day of the Resurrection and the Father will glorify Him. These are not the claims of a human being or a prophet they are claims only God can make. Therefore, Christians believe that Jesus is God the Son.
Christ is the only Person known to history who has claimed divinity and yet accounted sane by the human race. The founders of other religious systems such as Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and Hinduism did not claim to be God incarnate. Christ spoke and lived as a Being whose dwelling place was eternity.
No other man on earth did what Christ did. He healed all sickness (Luke 5:15-26), fed thousands of people (Luke 9:12-17), had authority over nature (Luke 8:22-25), cast out demons (Luke 4:33-37), raised the dead (Luke 7:11-16), lived a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22), sacrificed His life for humanity (1 John 3:16), and then was resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
