Did Jesus really call himself God? Does it really matter? These are not new questions. They have been around since the time of Jesus Himself. To answer these questions, the Bible clearly proclaims the reality of the Trinity. It is true that the word, “trinity” never appears in the Bible, but this is because the word was created to explain the reality of God as the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I will discuss what the Bible says below.
I am a pastor and I would love to help you one-on-one on call, zoom, text, or person if you are close enough. I have read the Bible six times and am working on my seventh and have a 94-hour master’s degree in divinity. I would be happy to help in any way I can, just send me a message. johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com. There also is a sermon that relates to this topic, if you are interested in watching it please click here.
Did Jesus Claim to be God?
In the Bible, the clearest proclamation of the trinity comes in John 1. The first few verses, while difficult to read because it has a lot of different theological words, clearly presents Jesus as being God. There are religions that claim to be Christian but have changed the Bible. For example one of the major religions that do this use the New World Bible.
It is documented that the people who translated the New World Bible, the only official version for these people did NOT know Greek or Hebrew, the original languages of the Bible. These are documented from a court of law from a lawsuit against the people who translated this version. Atheists, Christians, Jews, etc., all agree that this is not a translation of the Bible and is full of errors. The people who translated this version did not even attend college; one did for two years but dropped out.
Now, there is no shame in not going to college but if you want to translate a 2000-page book from ancient languages it would not make sense to only have a high school education. Now back on the topic, Jesus was killed for blasphemy. Jesus’ crucifixion happened because He made Himself equal to God. This is documented in Pagan, Jewish, and Christian sources. Furthermore, many other verses in the Bible portray Jesus as God. I was just documenting the two most common and strong evidence that Jesus is God in the Bible.
Why Does it Matter if Jesus is God?
It matters because if you do not believe in God and accept his free gift of salvation, you cannot go to heaven. You can read more about going to heaven here. The Bible says that whoever believes in Jesus as the Son of God will be saved. (If you want to read more about who Jesus is, click here). However, the Bible also says that demons believe but are not saved. Clearly, this belief is not simply an intellectual belief but a belief that means that the person puts their trust in God.
When you put your trust in God and accept His gift of salvation you will then have eternal life with God. Without putting your trust in Jesus as the Son of God you cannot be saved. If you believe that Jesus was a great guy, a good prophet, or even follow His commands but do not believe that He is God, you will not go to heaven. Knowing that Jesus is God is foundational to being saved.
How Does a Person Accept Jesus as God?
You may believe that being a Christian is easy and that once you accept Jesus everything in your life will be easy and nice. This could not be farther from the truth. The Bible says that you will be hated and persecuted if you believe in God. This is because it is offensive to this world to believe that there is a heaven and hell and not everyone is foundationally a good person. All you have to do is put your trust in God to save you from sin.
If you put your trust in Jesus as God and understand that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you will be saved. All the actions you do that come after this salvation is great but cannot save you. No actions you can do, no matter how great, can save you from sin. Only the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross can save you from sin. If you accept this free salvation from God, you will be saved. Read on for more answers to your questions, “Did Jesus really call himself God? Does it really matter?”
How Does the Church Help us in this Process?
Good works are important in the life of a Christian. As I said, these will not bring salvation, but they do help bring glory to God. When you love God and love people you will bless everyone around you. The works that are done will show that we thank God for what He has done for us. It is impossible not to do good works and to love others after you have been saved. This is because the Holy Spirit is now inside of you and encourages you to act in love. If you believe you have been saved but lie, cheat, steal, cuss, or otherwise sin without remorse you are either not saved or you are ignoring the Holy Spirit inside of you.
The Bible says that if we are saved we will “pick up our cross daily”. This means that we will live a life of sacrifice towards others. We are to humble ourselves and to love others above ourselves. One of the main functions of the Church is to help you do this. The Church of God was made to encourage people to live a life worthy of God. Here at SteepleLess Church, we would love to help you with anything related to Christianity, just send us a message.
What Should My First steps be in Christianity?
Your first step after you have been saved should be baptism. In the Bible, baptism is almost exclusively something that is done immediately after salvation. After this, the best thing would be to tell your family and friends what has been done in your life. Christians are called to share the love of God so that everyone will be saved. Living in a community of believers will help you to strengthen your faith and live the life God has called you to.
God loves you deeply and I would love to help you with any questions you have about Christianity. SteepleLess Church would love to be a place for you to hear about God too. You can connect with me anytime at johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com. God bless.
Joining a church would be a great idea because this is the main way that Christians can encourage each other. Without being part of a community of believers in a church will stunt your Christian growth. Reading the Bible, praying, serving others are all things that Christians are called to do. These will be a large part of your life because we all need help to serve others. Click here to connect with us!
If you would like to accept the free gift of salvation that God offers through Jesus Christ, please watch the short video. Click here.
