Bible Reading: John 10:26-33 KJV
- John 10:30 KJV
Most "Christian" cults will readily say that Jesus is the Son of God, but will stop short of saying that Jesus is God. One of the defining attributes of a cult is that they deny the deity of Jesus - simply put, they do not believe that Jesus is God.
Simon Peter stated that Jesus was the Son of God, "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16 KJV), Jesus then acknowledged Peter's statement "...Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17 KJV)
Simon Peter stated that Jesus was the Son of God, "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16 KJV), Jesus then acknowledged Peter's statement "...Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17 KJV)
However, the best evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, comes from God Himself. God spoke at Jesus’ baptism. “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 KJV), and again in Luke 9:35, "And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him."
As for being God, some nay-sayers say that Jesus never claimed that He is God. Albeit, Jesus never said the words "I am God," but He let it be known that indeed He is God.
In John 10:30 KJV, Jesus said, "I and my Father are one." The Jews knew that he was declaring himself to be God. In the very next verse, John 10:31 KJV, it is stated that, "...the Jews took up stones again to stone him." If there was any doubt what the Jews were thinking, they spelled it out in John 10:33 KJV, when Jesus asked them for which of His works were they stoning Him, and they replied, "...For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
Jesus' followers believed that He is God. John wrote in John 1:1 KJV, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word is Jesus. Then in John 1:14 KJV, John wrote, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." The disciple Thomas referred to Jesus in John 20:28 KJV as, "...My Lord and my God" and Jesus did not correct him.
Finally, God declares Jesus as God in Hebrews 1:8 KJV, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” Jesus is indeed God.
