The question of whether Jesus Christ is truly God has divided Christians for centuries. While orthodox Christianity has consistently affirmed Jesus is both fully God and fully man, Unitarian theology argues Jesus, though special, is merely a created being—not the eternal God Himself. This isn’t merely an academic debate. The stakes couldn’t be higher: if Jesus isn’t God, Christian worship is idolatrous, and our salvation rests on a foundation of sand.

 

IS JESUS YAHWEH? SCRIPTURE’S DIRECT TESTIMONY

The Bible doesn’t leave us guessing about Jesus’ divine identity. From the opening verses of John’s Gospel to the final chapters of Revelation, Scripture repeatedly identifies Jesus with Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel.

John 1:1 delivers the most straightforward declaration: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Greek text is unambiguous literally means “God was the Word.” When Thomas encountered the risen Christ, he didn’t merely acknowledge Jesus as a great teacher or even a divine messenger. His confession was unmistakable: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Paul echoes this divine identification throughout his letters. In Titus 2:13, he writes of “our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,” using a grammatical construction that identifies Jesus as both God and Saviour. Romans 9:5 declares that Christ is “God over all, blessed forever.” These aren’t casual references or metaphorical descriptions—they’re deliberate theological statements about Jesus’ divine nature.

Is Jesus Yahweh? The Old Testament prophecies confirm this identity. Isaiah 9:6 prophesies the coming child will be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father.” When Jeremiah 23:6 speaks of the coming righteous Branch being called “The LORD Our Righteousness,” it applies the sacred covenant name of God directly to the Messiah.

 

JESUS CLAIMS DIVINE AUTHORITY

Jesus didn’t merely accept divine titles—He claimed divine prerogatives that belong to God alone. When a paralysed man was brought to him, Jesus’ first words weren’t about physical healing but spiritual forgiveness: “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The religious leaders immediately recognised the implications: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). Jesus had claimed an authority that belongs exclusively to Yahweh.

Perhaps most dramatically, in John 8:58, Jesus declared, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The Greek phrase ego eimi directly echoes God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “I AM WHO I AM.” The Jewish leaders understood exactly what Jesus was claiming—they immediately picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy (John 8:59).

Jesus also claimed authority to create and sustain all things (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17), to judge the world (John 5:22), and to give eternal life (John 10:28). These aren’t the claims of a mere man or even an exalted angel—they’re the prerogatives of deity itself.

 

IS JESUS YAHWEH? THE WORSHIP TEST

Nothing reveals Jesus’ true identity more clearly than the worship He receives throughout Scripture. If Jesus were merely a created being, accepting worship would be the gravest form of idolatry. Yet Jesus consistently receives and accepts worship.

After walking on water, the disciples “worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God'” (Matthew 14:33). Following his resurrection, the women “took hold of his feet and worshiped him” (Matthew 28:9). The formerly blind man “worshiped him” (John 9:38). In each case, Jesus accepts what belongs to God alone.

Hebrews 1:6 commands, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Revelation 5:8-14 depicts all creation—angels, elders, and every creature—worshiping the Lamb with the same worship given to the Father. This isn’t merely honour or respect; it’s the worship (Greek: proskuneo) Scripture reserves for God alone.

 

OLD TESTAMENT FOUNDATIONS

The New Testament’s identification of Jesus with Yahweh builds on Old Testament foundations. The mysterious “Angel of the LORD” who appears throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is consistently identified as God Himself. In Genesis 16:7-13, Hagar encounters this Angel who speaks as God and receives worship. Exodus 3:2-6 describes Moses meeting this Angel in the burning bush, yet the text identifies him as “the LORD” (Yahweh).

The New Testament reveals these Old Testament theophanies were appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4 identifies Christ as the Rock who accompanied Israel in the wilderness. John 12:41 tells us Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory when he beheld the LORD in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-5).

 

ADDRESSING UNITARIAN OBJECTIONS

Unitarians raise several objections to Christ’s divinity, but each dissolves under careful biblical examination.

• “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28), the Unitarians say, seems to suggest Jesus’ inferiority to the Father. However, this statement must be understood within the context of Christ’s incarnation. Philippians 2:6-8 describes how Christ, “though he was in the form of God,” voluntarily “emptied himself” and “humbled himself” by taking human nature. The Father’s “greatness” here refers to Christ’s voluntary subordination in His earthly ministry, not an inferiority of nature.
• When Jesus says “My God and your God” (John 20:17), He speaks as the incarnate Son addressing the Father. This reflects the distinction between the eternal relationships within the Trinity and Christ’s relationship to the Father in his human nature.
• Passages emphasising Christ’s humanity (1 Timothy 2:5) don’t negate His divinity. Orthodox Christianity has always affirmed Jesus is both fully God and fully man—the doctrine of the hypostatic union. Christ needed to be fully human to represent us and fully divine to save us.
• Colossians 1:15 calls Christ “the firstborn of all creation,” which Unitarians interpret as meaning Jesus was the first created being. However, “firstborn” (Greek: prototokos) in biblical usage signifies pre-eminence and inheritance rights, not temporal priority. Psalm 89:27 calls David God’s “firstborn” despite being Jesse’s youngest son. The context of Colossians 1:16-17 makes clear that Christ is the Creator, not a creature.

 

IS JESUS YAHWEH? THE EARLY CHRISTIAN WITNESS

Did the first Christians really worship Jesus as God? The historical evidence is overwhelming. Paul’s letters, written within decades of Christ’s death, routinely apply divine titles and attributes to Jesus. Early Christian hymns embedded in the New Testament (Philippians 2:6-11, Colossians 1:15-20) celebrate Christ’s divine nature.

Matthew 28:19 records Jesus commanding baptism “in the name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—a distinctly Trinitarian formula. 2 Corinthians 13:14 offers a Trinitarian benediction placing Christ on equal footing with the Father.

External sources confirm this early Christian practice. Around 112 AD, Pliny the Younger wrote to Emperor Trajan that Christians “sing hymns to Christ as to a god.” Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD) describes clearly Trinitarian worship practices. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD) refers to “Jesus Christ our God.”

The Jewish opposition provides additional evidence. If Jesus hadn’t claimed divinity, why did Jewish leaders consistently charge him with blasphemy for “making himself equal with God” (John 5:18) and declaring that “you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33)?

 

THE TRINITY IN SCRIPTURE

Scripture presents us with a beautiful mystery: three Persons who’re each fully God, yet there is only one God. The Father is God (Ephesians 4:6), the Son is God (as demonstrated above), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Yet Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1 Corinthians 8:4 affirm there is only one God.

This isn’t mathematical contradiction but theological precision. God exists as one essence in three distinct Persons. Matthew 28:19 doesn’t command baptism in the names (plural) but in the name (singular) of the three Persons, indicating their essential unity.

 

IS JESUS YAHWEH? THE BIBLE’S VERDICT

Scripture’s witness is clear and consistent: Jesus Christ is Yahweh incarnate. He bears the divine name, exercises divine prerogatives, receives divine worship, and claims divine authority. The earliest Christians understood the truth and worshiped Him.

Unitarian interpretations require us to read foreign meanings into straightforward biblical texts. When we allow Scripture to speak for itself, the evidence for Christ’s full divinity is overwhelming.

This isn’t merely a theological curiosity. Only if Jesus is truly God can He save us from our sins. Only if he is Yahweh Himself can our worship of Him be legitimate. The question “Is Jesus Yahweh?” isn’t just about biblical interpretation—it’s about the very foundation of our faith.

 

IS JESUS YAHWEH? RELATED FAQs

Can one be Christian and yet deny Jesus is God? Historic Christianity has consistently held belief in Christ’s divinity is essential to orthodox faith. The Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and virtually all major Christian confessions affirm Jesus as “true God and true man.” While individuals who deny Christ’s divinity may claim the Christian name, they place themselves outside the bounds of biblical orthodoxy. The New Testament makes clear confessing Jesus as Lord—recognising His divine nature—is fundamental to saving faith (Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:3).

• What do contemporary Reformed scholars say about Jesus’ divinity? Leading Reformed theologians today unanimously affirm Christ’s full divinity as essential to the gospel. James White argues denial of the Trinity undermines the very foundation of salvation, while Michael Horton emphasises only a divine Christ can accomplish the infinite work of redemption. John MacArthur has written extensively on how Christ’s divinity is woven throughout Scripture, and RC Sproul consistently taught the deity of Christ is non-negotiable for biblical Christianity. These scholars see Christ’s divinity not as a peripheral doctrine but as the heartbeat of the Christian faith.
• Why didn’t Jesus explicitly say “I am God” in the Gospels? Jesus’ approach was more subtle but equally clear to His Jewish audience. Direct claims like “I am God” would have likely led to immediate stoning and ended His ministry prematurely. Instead, Jesus made divine claims that were unmistakable to those familiar with Scripture: calling Himself “I AM” (the divine name), accepting worship, forgiving sins, and claiming to be one with the Father. His Jewish contemporaries clearly understood these claims as assertions of divinity, which is why they repeatedly charged him with blasphemy.
• How do we reconcile Jesus’ divine nature with passages showing Him learning, growing, or being tempted? The doctrine of the Incarnation teaches Jesus has two natures: fully divine and fully human, united in one Person. In his human nature, Jesus experienced genuine human limitations—he grew in wisdom, felt hunger, and was tempted. In his divine nature, he remained omniscient, omnipotent, and sinless. This isn’t a contradiction but the mystery of the Incarnation: the eternal Son of God took on a complete human nature without ceasing to be God. Each nature acts according to its properties while remaining united in the one Person of Christ.

What’s the difference between Arianism and modern Unitarianism? Arianism, condemned at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), taught Jesus was the highest created being but not eternal God. Modern Unitarianism encompasses various views but generally denies the Trinity and Christ’s divinity, often viewing Jesus as a great moral teacher or prophet. While both reject orthodox Trinitarian doctrine, Arianism at least acknowledged Jesus’ unique, exalted status as God’s first creation. Contemporary Unitarianism often reduces Jesus to merely human status, making it even further removed from biblical teaching than ancient Arianism.

 

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