Also see:
Muslims do not believe that Jesus was God. They use mainly two arguments:
- The Bible was changed.
- Jesus never said: “I am God”
The burden of proof lies with them to proof that the Bible was changed. Also, whether the Bible was changed or not, it disproves Islam – see Die Islam dilemma.
Regarding the claim that Jesus never said: “I am God”. It does not matter whether He said it or not. It is very clear that He believed that He was the Son of God. No other prophet in the Bible would have acted and responded in the way Jesus did.
This made CS Lewis say:
“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 madman 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 with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
If the verses below does not convince you of what Jesus thought of Himself, nothing will.
Jesus himself
John 1:1-14
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) He was in the beginning with God.
(3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
(5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Matthew 1:23
(23) “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
(3)And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” (4)But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (5)Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (7)Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matthew 11:2-6
(2)Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples (3)and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (4)And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: (5)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (6)And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Matthew 11:25-30
(25)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (26)yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (27)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (28)Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29)Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30)For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 14:33
(33)And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Take note that Jesus did not correct them saying that they should not call him God.
Matthew 16:13–20
(13)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (14)And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (15)He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (16)Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (17)And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (18)And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (19)I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (20)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Matthew 26:63–65
(63)But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (64)Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (65)Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
Matthew 28:18–20
(18)And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (19)Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20)teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 3:11–12
(11) And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
(12) And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 8:27–30
(29) And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 14:61–62
(61) Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
(62) And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Luke 4:16–21
(18) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…
(21) And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 5:20–24
(21) “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
(24) “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”
Luke 10:17–20
(18) And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Luke 22:70
(70) So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.”
John 1:1–3
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:49–51
(49) Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
(51) “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 4:25–26
(26) Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
John 5:23
(23) that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
John 6:29, 35, 38
(29) “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
(35) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life…”
(38) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
John 8:58
(58) Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
John 9:35–39
(38) He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 10:30–33
(30) I and the Father are one.”
(31) The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.
(32) Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?”
(33) The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
John 10:36–42
(36) “do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”
John 11:25–27
(25) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life…”
(27) “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
John 14:6–31
(6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…”
(9) “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 15:1–2
(1) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”
John 18:37
(37) Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”
John 19:7–8
(7) “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
(8) When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.
John 20:28
(28) Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Others
Colossians 1:15–20
(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
(16) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…
(17) And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(18) And he is the head of the body, the church…
(19) For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 2:9
(9) For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
Philippians 2:5–11
(6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
(7) but emptied himself…
(9) Therefore God has highly exalted him…
(11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Hebrews 1:1–8
(3) He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…
(6) “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
(8) But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”
Titus 2:13
(13) waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:5
(5) …from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
2 Peter 1:1
(1) …by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:17–18
(17) “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
(18) and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore…”
Revelation 22:13
(13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Old Testament
Isaiah 9:6
(6) For to us a child is born… and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.