Before Abraham Was, I AM: The Deity of Christ
Before Abraham Was, I AM
The Deity of Christ
7 minute read
The Statement of Faith
We believe that Jesus Christ is fully and truly God—the Second Person of the eternal Trinity, equal with the Father and the Spirit in essence, power, and glory. His deity is not a later invention but is clearly taught in Scripture, affirmed by the earliest Christians, and confessed by Jesus Himself. The one through whom all things were made entered His own creation to save us.
How Did We Get Here?
The claim is audacious: a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth is God Almighty.
Many modern people assume this belief developed gradually—that Jesus was just a teacher whose followers, influenced by Greek philosophy, eventually elevated Him to divine status. But the historical evidence tells a different story.
The earliest Christian documents—Paul's letters, written within 20-25 years of the crucifixion—already present Jesus as the divine Lord worthy of worship. The creedal formula in Philippians 2:6-11, likely pre-Pauline, declares that Jesus was "in very nature God" before He emptied Himself. First-century monotheistic Jews—people who recited "the LORD our God, the LORD is one" daily—were worshiping Jesus as Lord.
This didn't happen because Greek pagans infiltrated the church. It happened because Jesus made claims and did things that forced the conclusion: this man is more than a man.
The question is not whether we're comfortable with this claim. The question is whether it's true. If Jesus is God, everything changes. If He's not, Christianity collapses.
What the Bible Says
Jesus' Own Claims
"'Very truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'"
— John 8:58
The Jews picked up stones to kill Him. Why? Because "I AM" is God's name from Exodus 3:14. Jesus wasn't saying He existed before Abraham (impressive but not necessarily divine). He was claiming the divine name—eternal self-existence. His audience understood perfectly.
"I and the Father are one."
— John 10:30
Again, they picked up stones—"for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God" (v. 33). The claim is unmistakable; the response confirms how it was heard.
"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
— John 14:9
Jesus doesn't say, "I'll tell you about God" or "I'll point you to God." He says, "See me, see the Father." He is the visible image of the invisible God.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
— Matthew 28:18
Not some authority. All authority. In heaven and on earth. Only God has such unlimited dominion. Jesus claims it as His own.
Jesus Accepted Worship
"Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed.'"
— John 20:28-29
Thomas makes the highest confession a Jew could make—and Jesus accepts it without correction. Compare this to Peter in Acts 10:26 ("Stand up... I am only a man myself") or the angel in Revelation 19:10 ("Don't do that! Worship God!"). Only God may receive worship; Jesus receives it.
"Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'"
— Matthew 14:33
After walking on water, Jesus accepts worship from His disciples. No rebuke. No correction. Because He is who they're coming to realize He is.
The Apostles' Testimony
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
— John 1:1-3
John's prologue makes the deity of Christ explicit: the Word was God, and the Word became flesh in Jesus. There's no evolution from human to divine here—John starts with preexistent deity.
"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."
— Hebrews 1:3
Not a reflection but the radiance. Not a copy but the exact representation. And He sustains all things—the present-tense activity of the Creator God.
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."
— Colossians 2:9
Not a part of God. Not a spark of divinity. The fullness of the Deity—all that God is—in bodily form.
"But about the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.'"
— Hebrews 1:8
The Father addresses the Son as "God." The divine nature of the Son is affirmed by the Father Himself.
Old Testament Prophecy Fulfilled
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
— Isaiah 9:6
The coming child will be called "Mighty God" and "Everlasting Father." These are divine titles applied to a human child. The prophecy anticipates the incarnation: God will come as a baby.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah... out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
— Micah 5:2
The one born in Bethlehem has origins "from ancient times"—literally, "from the days of eternity." The Messiah is not a mere human arising in history; He comes from eternity.
How It Fits the Full Narrative
The eternal Son was active in creation. "Through him all things were made" (John 1:3). "By him all things were created" (Colossians 1:16). The one who walked in Galilee is the one who spoke the universe into existence. This is not a late development; Genesis 1 says "Let us make mankind in our image"—plurality within the divine unity.
Old Testament theophanies foreshadowed the incarnation. The Angel of the LORD who received worship, who spoke as God, who bore the divine name—early Christian interpreters saw these as appearances of the preincarnate Son. The Commander of the LORD's army who accepted Joshua's worship (Joshua 5:14-15) was more than a creature.
Jesus fulfills what only God can do. Only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7)—Jesus forgives. Only God can control nature—Jesus stills storms. Only God can raise the dead—Jesus does, including Himself. Only God deserves worship—Jesus receives it. His actions testify to His nature.
The resurrection vindicated His claims. If Jesus were a blasphemer, God would not raise Him. The resurrection is the Father's "Yes" to everything Jesus claimed. "Declared to be the Son of God with power... by his resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).
He reigns now as divine Lord. Jesus didn't lay aside deity after the ascension. He sits at the Father's right hand—the position of equal authority. "All authority in heaven and on earth" remains His. He will return as "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
Why This Matters
Our salvation depends on it. Only God can bear the infinite weight of sin. Only God can offer infinite atonement. If Jesus is merely human—even the best human—His death is just a martyrdom, not a sacrifice that reconciles the world. The deity of Christ is the ground of our forgiveness.
Our worship is at stake. Christians worship Jesus. If He's not God, we're idolaters. The early church, steeped in monotheism, worshiped Him anyway—because they knew who He was. Legitimate worship requires a legitimate object.
Our knowledge of God depends on it. "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son... has made him known" (John 1:18). If Jesus isn't truly God, He can't truly reveal God. He would be a messenger, not the message; a pointer, not the destination.
Our hope is secured. A human savior could fail. A divine Savior cannot. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Those are either the words of a madman or the words of God. If the latter, our future is sure.
How to Communicate This
Let Jesus speak for Himself. The strongest evidence is Jesus' own claims and actions. Don't argue abstractly—show the texts. Let people reckon with what Jesus actually said and did. The claims are there; ignoring them requires effort.
Address the "good teacher" dodge. C.S. Lewis famously argued: Jesus claimed to be God. If that's false, He's either a liar (who deceived millions) or a lunatic (who believed His own delusion). A merely good teacher who claimed to be God is not an option. Lewis's trilemma presses the issue: Lord, liar, or lunatic?
Show the early, Jewish roots. The deity of Christ wasn't invented by later Gentile Christians. The earliest evidence—Pauline letters, pre-Pauline creeds—shows monotheistic Jews worshiping Jesus. This demands explanation. Something happened to convince them.
Connect to personal encounter. Historical arguments matter, but ultimately people meet Jesus, not arguments. Point to Christ Himself. Invite people to read the Gospels and see who they find.
Defending Against Critics
Objection: "The deity of Christ was invented at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD."
Response: Nicaea didn't invent Christ's deity; it defended it against Arius, who taught that Christ was a created being. The council affirmed what the church had always believed. The pre-Nicene evidence is overwhelming: Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD), Irenaeus (c. 180 AD), Tertullian (c. 200 AD), and others all affirm Christ's deity. The New Testament itself—written in the first century—explicitly calls Jesus God.
Objection: "Jesus never claimed to be God."
Response: He claimed the divine name (John 8:58). He claimed equality with the Father (John 10:30). He claimed universal authority (Matthew 28:18). He accepted worship (John 20:28). He forgave sins (Mark 2:5). His enemies understood His claims as blasphemy. Either they all misunderstood Him, or He really was claiming what they thought.
Objection: "Jesus is 'a god' but not Almighty God." (Jehovah's Witness position)
Response: John 1:1 in Greek says "the Word was God" (theos ēn ho logos). The Jehovah's Witness translation ("a god") violates Greek grammar and creates polytheism—something even they claim to reject. Moreover, Isaiah 44:6 says, "Besides me there is no God." If Jesus is "a god," then either Isaiah is wrong, or Jesus is THE God. The Bible doesn't allow for lesser gods.
Objection: "The Quran says Jesus was just a prophet—why believe the Bible over the Quran?"
Response: The Quran was written 600 years after Jesus lived, by someone who never met Him, in a different language and culture. The New Testament was written by eyewitnesses or their close associates, within decades of the events, by Jews who had every reason to resist deifying a man. The earlier, eyewitness sources should be preferred. Moreover, even the Quran affirms the virgin birth and calls Jesus "the Word of God"—attributes hard to reconcile with mere prophethood.
Objection: "Mark's Gospel, the earliest, doesn't present Jesus as God."
Response: Mark opens: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Jesus forgives sins—a divine prerogative His critics recognize (Mark 2:7). He commands nature, demons, and death. At His trial, He claims to be the Son of Man who will sit at God's right hand (Mark 14:62)—causing the high priest to tear his robes in horror. Mark presents a divine Jesus implicitly and explicitly.
Going Deeper
Key passages to study:
- Isaiah 9:6 – Mighty God, Everlasting Father
- John 1:1-18 – The Word was God
- John 8:48-59 – Before Abraham was, I AM
- John 10:22-39 – I and the Father are one
- John 20:24-29 – My Lord and my God
- Colossians 1:15-20 – The supremacy of Christ
- Philippians 2:5-11 – In very nature God
- Hebrews 1:1-14 – Superior to angels
- Revelation 1:8, 17-18 – The First and the Last
Questions for reflection:
- How would I respond to someone who says Jesus was just a good teacher?
- Does my worship reflect that I'm addressing God Himself, not merely a prophet or example?
- What difference does Jesus' deity make in my daily trust and prayer?