It is common these days to see people posing a question to Christians on social media and even in debates with the question always in one same manner. The question usually comes from Atheists, Jews, Muslims and even heretic Christians. They wonder why we see Jesus as God and worship him.

So they ask "Show me Where Jesus said "I am God worship me?" in those exact words.

You might become confused at this moment if you are not smart. Yes, you know you can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said such in those exact words, so you might be quick to quote some classical verses that show Jesus Christ is God.

Well, the person asking that question has been trained in such a way that no matter the amount of verses you quote, he won't believe you unless you show him where Jesus said "I am God worship me" in those exact words. Now he has boxed you in the "exact words" corner. The only way you can get out is to pull him into the corner to make him see how stupid it is dealing with exact words. I bet you, he will be the one to open the door for the both of you to leave the corner once he realises how stupid it is. How do you do that? You flip the question back at him. You say...

"I'll be willing to show where Jesus said 'I am God worship me' in those exact words only if you can show me where he said 'I am only a prophet, do not worship me' in those exact same words. At that moment, he will start to realise the error of requesting for exact same words. To stamp it on him, if he's a Muslim that believes according to the Quran that Jesus was born of a virgin, then ask him to show you in the Quran or Bible where Jesus said "I am born of a virgin" in those exact same words. If he can't, then it means his belief that Jesus was born of a virgin is false.

The idea behind the above is to ensure you are not dealing with exact words. If the Jew, atheist, Muslim or heretic Christian can't show you anywhere in the Bible or Quran or any book where Jesus said these exact words "I am only a prophet, do not worship me" or "I am born of a virgin", then it means he shouldn't require of you to show him where Jesus said the exact same words "I am God worship me".

Once you have passed that, you can now ask a more reasonable question.

WHERE AND HOW DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE GOD?

According to the Jews, Christians and Muslims, there are certain claims only God can make. All 3 religious beliefs hold the same view about God in that regard. That is why I am going to use the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran to see if Jesus made claims that only God can make.

1. Who is the "First and the Last"?

Let's start by quoting the Quran

Sura 57:3
He is the FIRST and the LAST, and the Outward (His signs appear on all His creatures) and the Inward (Hidden). And He is the All-Knower of everything.

Now let's read from the Old Testament

Isaiah 44:6
New International Version
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the FIRST and I am the LAST; apart from me there is no God.

Since both the Quran and the Bible agree that God is the First and the Last, should a prophet refer to himself as such? But that is what Jesus Christ did in the verse below.

Revelations 1:17-18
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the FIRST and the LAST. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Can you tell us what Jesus meant when he took a title that can only be applied to God and applied it to himself? If he wasn't claiming to be God, then what was he doing?

2. Who can forgive sins?

Jews, christians and Muslims all believers that it is only God that can forgive sins. We see that in the Quran verse below

Sura (3:135) These are the ones who, when they commit any indecency and wrong against themselves, instantly remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - for who will forgive sins save Allah? - and who do not wilfully persist in the wrong they did.

Now, if it is only God that can forgive sins, should a mere Prophet claim to forgive sins also? In the Bible verse below, we see the religious leaders startled when Jesus forgave the sins of a crippled man. They were startled cos they knew it is only God that can do such, so they said he was blaspheming. Jesus made it clear to them that a mere human can open his mouth to say I forgive you of your sin, but only a God can forgive you and restore what your sin deprived you of.

Mark 2:5-12
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

You see Jesus forgave sins, something the Quran says only God has the authority to do. Isn't this Jesus showing that he is God?

3. Who is our final judge?

Old Testament

Joel 3:12
"Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.

More

Psalm 9:7-8
The LORD reigns forever; 7
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness 8
and judges the peoples with equity.

Quran
22:56) On that Day all sovereignty shall be Allah's and He will judge among them. Then those who believed and acted righteously shall be in Gardens of Bliss.
(22:57) A humiliating chastisement awaits those who disbelieved and denied Our Signs.

If both the Bible and the Quran agree that God is the final judge of humans, should a mere prophet claim to be the final judge? That is what Jesus Christ did in the verse below. He made it clear that he will be the one to judge.

Matthew 25:31-32
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

They will soon be here.

how does this sound to you yourself?




foolishness from the cradle.... only God can deliver you...

4. Who is "The Truth"?

King David referred to God as TRUTH.

Psalm 31:5
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of TRUTH.[/b

The Quran also affirms God to be the TRUTH. As a matter of fact, that is one of the 99 names of Allah.

[b]Sura 22:6
That is because Allah, He is the TRUTH, and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things.

Now, knowing fully well that God is referred to as the TRUTH, would a prophet sent by the same God also ascribe that to himself? That is what Jesus did in the verse below.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

At this point, don't you find it strange that Jesus keeps applying the names of God to himself?

5. Who raises the dead?

The Bible and the Quran both agree that God is the only one who raises the dead.

1 Samuel 2:6
"The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.

In the Quran...

Sura 22:7
: And [know, O man] that the Last Hour is bound to come, beyond any doubt, and that God will [indeed] resurrect all who are in their graves.

Since God is the one to resurrect the dead on the day of resurrection, would we expect a mere prophet to make the same claim of resurrecting the dead? But that is what Jesus did in the verse below.

John 5:25-29 New International Version (NIV)
Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

Jesus even called himself the resurrection and the life

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

If Jesus was only a prophet, wouldn't this be blasphemy? How come he proved it by resurrecting Lazarus

interesting

6. Does God share his glory?

Quran

Sura 57:1
All that is in the heavens and the earth extols the glory of Allah.1 He is the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.

In the old testament, we see God saying He will not give His Glory to another.

Isaiah 42:7
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.

Clearly, no Prophet will say he will be glorified with God let alone say he had glory with God before the world was created. But that is what Jesus said.

John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Is this the sort of thing prophets say?

WHY DO WE WORSHIP JESUS?

We worship him not only cos he showed us that he is God, but cos he also said that we should honor him just as we honor his Father and that everything that belong to the Father are his. Is that what prophets say?

John 16:15
ALL THAT BELONGS TO THE FATHER IS MINE. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

More

John 5:21-23
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
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.

We give him praise and worship since that is one of the ways we honor the Father.

His statements in the verse above show that he demanded worship. That's why his followers worshipped him on numerous occasions.

Mathew 2:11, Mathew 14:33, John 9:38, Mathew 28:17, Luke 24:52

His disciple Thomas even addressed him as My Lord and my God

John 20:28
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

So, where did Jesus say "I am God worship me"?

As we have seen, he has called himself the forgiver of sins, the resurrection, the truth, the final judge, the one who has glory with God and demanded we honor him the same way we honor the Father.

These are not the claims of a man, not even the claims of a mighty prophet. These are the claims only God can make. And this is why Christians believe that Jesus is God and worship him.

Next week, I will show you How God can die. Stay tuned.

BRO, YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL...I PRAY, THE DOUBTERS WILL STOP DISBELIEVING AND START BELIEVING, FOR THEIR GOOD AND WELLBEING...GLORY TO MY JESUS NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN!

lalasticlala please move this to front page so as to educate my Christian brothers.

Thank you

africansunite:
how does this sound to you yourself?




foolishness from the cradle.... only God can deliver you...

Can you point out what you find absurd in the post?

If the 24 elders in heaven and angels worship him , who are we not to worship him.

Revelation 5:7-9,14 KJV
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. [8] And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. [9] And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; [14] And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

The thing is,both those that are FOR and AGAINST the fact that jesus is god have their biblical backings..

Uyi168:
The thing is,both those that are FOR and AGAINST the fact that jesus is god have their biblical backings..

Those that are against have biblical backings that are totally flawed.

nice and brilliant write up.

@lalasticlala @OAM4J @seun @mynd44

What is the use of moving Christian threads to front page on Sunday's when you can't move this one there but would rather move threads like "why Elsie you go to church late today?".

of what use are those to Christians when this particular thread is something that will educate them and arm them with the knowledge of their religion?

LifestyleTonite:
nice and brilliant write up.

lalasticlala OAM4J @seun mynd44

What is the use of moving Christian threads to front page on Sunday's when you can't move this one there but would rather move threads like "why Elsie you go to church late today?".

of what use are those to Christians when this particular thread is something that will educate them and arm them with the knowledge of their religion?

I noticed as well.

They even have an Antichrist thread on front-page

Nairaland why Na?

why don't you move importNt Christian threads to front page on Sunday's but would rather move the irrelevant ones?

Why is this not on front page?

Read and learn

true2god

alBHAGDADI:
Those that are against have biblical backings that are totally flawed.

It's a mystery.
Is Jesus actually God Himself? Or a representation of God as you and I?

alBHAGDADI:
Read and learn

true2god

You always surprise me with your ignorance

So inspiring..

pressplay411:


It's a mystery.
Is Jesus actually God Himself? Or a representation of God as you and I?

He was God made manifest in flesh. How possible is that?

As possible as God speaking from a burning bush to Moses. As possible as God's power residing in the Ark of the Covenant which inflicted diseases on the Philistines after they stole it.

alBHAGDADI:
He was God made manifest in flesh. How possible is that?

As possible as God speaking from a burning bush to Moses. As possible as God's power residing in the Ark of the Covenant which inflicted diseases on the Philistines after they stole it.

Those were specific and temporary manifestations. Now we're saying as Jesus He abandoned his Godly responsibilities to manifest in human form for over 30 years?
While God was existing in the world as Jesus who was ruling over the Heavens?
But I believe like all things religious it's simply faith bound defying sense and reason.

pressplay411:


Those were specific and temporary manifestations. Now we're saying as Jesus He abandoned his Godly responsibilities to manifest in human form for over 30 years?
While God was existing in the world as Jesus who was ruling over the Heavens?
But I believe like all things religious it's simply faith bound defying sense and reason.

I don't think you understand what I meant by God making Himself manifest in flesh.

To make you understand, I'll have to flip the question back at you.

Who was ruling the universe when God entered the burning bush to speak to Moses?

If you can't answer the question then it means you don't know how powerful the creator of heaven and earth is.

The 24 elders worshiped Jesus.

After the ressurection, the disciples worshiped Jesus.

Well done.

The gospel is foolishness to the Greek (the thinkers)

It is a stumbling block to the Religious (ie the Jews... Mosaic Law and then gospel. They stumble)

To those who are saved,


The gospel is the power and wisdom of God.

Son is father. It the wisdom and the power of God.

If Jesus Christ is God then why did he made this statement on the cross "My father My father why art thou forsaken me "

please I need answers this is the verse in the bible am really not understanding

incredible2017:
If Jesus Christ is God then why did he made this statement on the cross "My father My father why art thou forsaken me "

please I need answers this is the verse in the bible am really not understanding

The child of a lion is a lion.
The child of a human is human.


The child of God is God.



How many times are we going to say this?

Jesus is the manifestation of God in the Physical.

He referred to the Unseen, Invincible and Almighty God .

He is HIS physical form. He is God.

I understand it so easily. Without stress, without bias, without an iota of doubt.

Why they don't see it as I do beats my imagination.

The holy Spirit helps in this case. If you don't have him, you will never understand Spiritual things.

Jesus said,. I have a lot of things to tell you.but you can't bear them now

. When the Spirit comes, he will guide you in all truth and teach you. He said this to his disciples.

I guess that's why something that is this clear is still vague to a lot of people.


Foolishness is the gospel to the thinkers.according to the scriptures.

I cannot help you or anyone else beyond this.

Everyone just keep opening threads upon threads on the same subject matter.

If you don't understand,

I pray that God will give you understanding.

incredible2017:
If Jesus Christ is God then why did he made this statement on the cross "My father My father why art thou forsaken me "

please I need answers this is the verse in the bible am really not understanding

When Jesus was crucified, he took upon himself the whole sins of mankind. God hates sin, so imagine how He felt when Jesus bore the sins of the world. It made Him forsake Jesus at that moment. Jesus was God made manifest in the flesh. The Sins which Jesus took upon Himself made God to forsake His manifestation at that moment. That manifestation had to cry back to the source which later resurrected him.

pressplay411:


It's a mystery.
Is Jesus actually God Himself? Or a representation of God as you and I?

Jesus is not a representation of God but God Himself as The Word of God!

This doesn't mean Jesus is the entire God Himself.

Why most people do confuse the term of God for Jesus is because they don't understand it's about NATURE.

alBHAGDADI:
Read and learn

true2god

I dey feel you bro. Thumbs up! I will bookmark it for future reference.

Amen

Originakalokalo:



The child of a lion is a lion.
The child of a human is human.


The child of God is God.



How many times are we going to say this?

Jesus is the manifestation of God in the Physical.

He referred to the Unseen, Invincible and Almighty God .

He is HIS physical form. He is God.

I understand it so easily. Without stress, without bias, without an iota of doubt.

Why they don't see it as I do beats my imagination.

The holy Spirit helps in this case. If you don't have him, you will never understand Spiritual things.

Jesus said,. I have a lot of things to tell you.but you can't bear them now

. When the Spirit comes, he will guide you in all truth and teach you. He said this to his disciples.

I guess that's why something that is this clear is still vague to a lot of people.


Foolishness is the gospel to the thinkers.according to the scriptures.

I cannot help you or anyone else beyond this.

Everyone just keep opening threads upon threads on the same subject matter.

If you don't understand,

I pray that God will give you understanding.

You forgot to add this: The son of man is man.
Are you a child of God or Satan?

alBHAGDADI:


When Jesus was crucified, he took upon himself the whole sins of mankind. God hates sin, so imagine how He felt when Jesus bore the sins of the world. It made Him forsake Jesus at that moment. Jesus was God made manifest in the flesh. The Sins which Jesus took upon Himself made God to forsake His manifestation at that moment. That manifestation had to cry back to the source which later resurrected him.

Rather Jesus forsake himself since he's God.The sins which God took upon himself made Jesus to forsake his manifestation at the moment. It's still the same thing with yours abi? Since both Jesus and god are the same. Òpònú.

Emusan:


Jesus is not a representation of God but God Himself as The Word of God!

This doesn't mean Jesus is the entire God Himself.

Why most people do confuse the term of God for Jesus is because they don't understand it's about NATURE.

Did you hear yourself at all? You said Jesus is not a representation of God BUT GOD HIMSELF, and you are now saying JESUS IS NOT THE ENTIRE GID HIMSELF. Read what youwrite again and tell me if you made any sense.

If you say Jesus is part of God, now tell me God consist of how many parts?