John 8:58 - Claims the holiest of names, God's name, as himself (ref. Ex 3:14)
John 10:30, 14:11 - Says he is equal to (and same as) God
Matthew 9:2; 28:18 - Claimed to have God's authority to do what only God can do (Ref. Ps. 130:3-4)[See #1A]
Mark 10:17 + John 8:46; 10:11 - Jesus said "no one is good except God alone" then says "I am the good Shepard" after pointing out he is sinless.
John 4:25-26 + Matthew 16:15-17 - The most unique figure in history, The Christ, The Anointed One, the Messiah of God, sent by God, in perfect unity with God, to do only what God alone can do: Jesus explicitly states "I am he." He pointed out that the OT prophecies of the coming Son of God, is talking about him (John 5:39)
If people heard all about you, but don't believe you are the "you" they heard about, how do you explain to them that you are that person that they were told about? YOU would communicate something like "I am [your name]<...> That person and I are the same (are one)<...> That person is me (in me)<...> I am that person you have been hearing about." That's what Jesus was/is telling everyone:
"Before Abraham was born, 'I AM'<...>
I and the Father are one <...>
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me<...>
they [OT Scripture] that bear witness about me"
- Jesus
Jesus raised people from the dead (Luke 7:11-18; Matthew 9:18-26; John 11:1-46); raised himself from the dead (Luke 24:5-8)
Jesus controlled the weather (Matthew 8:23-27)
Jesus healed bodily disfigurements (Luke 13:10-17; 22:50-51), deformities (Matthew 12:10-13), birth defects (John 5:1-9), and serious, obvious (Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-4 ), diseases (Luke 8:43-48); from distances too (Matthew 8:5-13; 15:22-28); Jesus created a healthy aged eye from Mud (John 9:1-38); persons with leprosy (Mark 1:40-45; Luke 17:11-19); paralyzed persons (Matthew 9:1-8); persons who were blind (Matthew 9:27-31; 20:30-34 ; Mark 8:22-26); person who is deaf and never learned to talk (Mark 7:31-37)
Jesus controlled the elements: water into wine (John 2:1-11) and walk on water (Mark 6:45-56); food (Matthew 14:15-21; 15:32-39); Plants (Matthew 21:18-19, Mark 11:12-14 ); money out of nothing (Matthew 17:24-27)
Jesus commands creatures: directed fish into fishing nets (Luke 5:1-11; John 21:1-14)
Jesus commanded angels and demons obey (Mark 1:23-28; Matthew 8:28-34; 12:22)
Jesus has knowledge of the future (Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 21:5-38 ), could hear people's thoughts (Matthew 9:4; Mark 2:8-11).
Jesus' foretold and miraculous virgin birth (Isaiah 7:13-14)
Jesus' sinless life, the only person to ever be sinless and not it accredited to them but sinless in his own being and essence (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22)
Jesus empty tomb and post-crucifixion actual and physical appearances (Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12, 36-53; John 20:1-10, 19-25; Acts 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:5-8)
Jesus' physical ascension into heaven (Acts 1:1–12)
Jesus exercised all righteous authority and all divine power, of God, over all creation and lived a perfect sinless, just, and holy existence - the same as God.
Isaiah 9:6 - "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"
Isaiah 7:14 - aside from it being a divine miraculous virgin birth, his name "Immanuel" literally means: "God with us" (Matt. 1:23)
Daniel 7:13-14 - The divine prophesied "One like a son of man" whom Jesus claimed to be (Mt 16:27–28, 24:30; Lk 21:27; Ac 7:56; Re 1:7, 13, 14:14)
John The Apostle - John 1:1-3, 14 - John stated this as his witness that Jesus was Almighty God and Creator in the flesh (Ref. Gen 1)
Luke the Evangelist - Acts 20:28 - God purchased the church with "his own blood"
Thomas the Apostle - John 20:28 - literally said: "my Lord and my God"
Peter the Apostle - 2 Peter 1:1 - literally said: "our God and savior Jesus Christ"
Author of the Book of Hebrews - Hebrews 1:8, 8 - states that Jesus is "the exact imprint of his [God] nature"; and Literally quotes Ps. 45:6-7 and puts Jesus as the subject and context of it when he says: "but to the Son: Your throne, God..."
Paul the Apostle - Titus 2:13 - "the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus"
Paul the Apostle - Colossians 1:15; 2:9-10 - "He is the image of the invisible God..." and "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form"
They all worshiped Him and He did not rebuke being worshiped - Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38
Ignatius of Antioch (105AD), a disciple of the Apostle John stated this: "God Himself was manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life" He later states "Continue in intimate union with Jesus Christ our God" and "I pray for your happiness forever in our God, Jesus Christ".
Justin Martyr (150AD) stated this: "The Father of the universe has a Son. And He, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God".
Irenaeus of Lyons (185AD) stated "He indicates in clear terms that He is God, and that His advent was in Bethlehem… God, then, was made man, and the Lord Himself save us". And "He is God for the name Emmanuel indicates this".
Hippolytus (203AD) stated this: "The Logos alone of this One is from God Himself. For that reason also, He is God. Being of the substance of God. In contrast, the world was made from nothing. Therefore, it is not God".
Tertullian (213AD) even declared "For the very church itself--properly and principally--the Spirit Himself, in whom is the Trinity [trinitas], of the One Divinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit".
Origen (228AD) stated "Saving baptism was not complete except by the authority of the most excellent Trinity of them all. That is, it is made complete by naming the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this, we join the name of the Holy Spirit to the Unbegotten God (the Father) and to His Only-Begotten Son".
John 10:33 - The jews understood Jesus was claiming he was God (Validating #1).
Matthew 9:3 (and John 10:33, 19:7) - Sought to kill Jesus for Leviticus 24:16 blasphemy, claiming the divine nature, "of God" (Validating #1)
John 8:52 + Matthew 12:24; Luke 11:14-26 - The Jews admit he had supernatural powers, but fail to correctly perceive why (Validating #1A)
The Quran (Surah 4:157-158; Al-Nasa’i, Al-Kubra, 6:489) and Talmud (Sanhedrin 43) agree that Jesus' body was not in the tomb after burial and was never found; supporting the resurrection and ascension. (Validating #1A(1) and (10) and (11))
The Quran (Quran 3:36 - footnote 2; Surah 2:253, Yusuf Ali) and Jewish Talmud (Sanhedrin 43; Sanhedrin 107b) agree Jesus was more than a teacher and religious leader - he had supernatural powers - Sanhedrin 43: "On the eve of the Passover Yeshu (Jewish for Jesus) was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery...". The hadith states that Jesus was the only person who was sinless: "In a ḥadîth collected by Bukhâri and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) says, “Every child is touched by Satan when they are born—and they cry because of this contact—except Jesus and his mother.” Even Surah 2:253 (Yusuf Ali) states: "to Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit." and in Sanhedrin 107b – "The master said: Jesus the Nazarene practiced magic" (Validating #1A)
The Quran (5:116, Yusif Ali), Muhammad, wrote that Christians were saying that Jesus should be worshiped. So, to address that, Muhammad added a comment in the Quran to address it, believing that Jesus shouldn't be worshiped; but still validating what Christianity was teaching in his time (Validating #3(8))
Pliny the Younger - (61-113AD; ~65 years after Jesus) a Roman non-christian wrote a letter to emperor Trajan and mentioned some things about Christianity. He states: “They (the Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god." (Validating #3(8))
Lucian of Samosata - (120-180AD; ~115 years after Jesus) was a satirist and Roman comedian who very negative and sarcastically critical of Christians. He wrote several books and in a negative since, affirms Christianity. He states: "The Christians. . . worship a man to this day... their lawgiver [taught] they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take on faith" (Validating #3(8))
Jesus claimed THE name and THE title of God alone, הָיָה that he is EQUAL to God, had has God's authority and power; therefore, directly claimed to be God. But He didn't just "claim" it, he provided evidence of it by USING the very same powers of God exerting control and authority over creation.
The prophecies about the coming Messiah, the Son of God, born into the world, divinely of God, who is called by Isaiah literally "Mighty God." Who is "like the son of man" and will rule forever. Given the name that literally means 'God with us.'
John, Luke, Thomas, Peter, Paul, and the author of Hebrews all explicitly identify him as God and all worshiped him (even recorded in the Gospel of Matthew).
The disciples of the Apostles and their disciples long before Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, during Roman persecution, explicitly identify him as God and all worshiped him.
The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was claiming (See #5 Unintentional Support <...>(1) and (2)) and even can't seem to explain without admitting his divinity, where he get's his powers from to do all the miraculous things he did, that he admit seeing/knowing him do. (See #5 Unintentional Support <...>(3) and (5))
To try and explain the fact that Jesus' body was not in the tomb and was never found again, Judaism and Islam both draw from later 3rd century gnostic views. Even in the 1st century, the Jews tried to ensure that nothing happened to his body, but admit, something did. (See #5 Unintentional Support <...>(4))
Islam is forced to admit in the Quran that Jesus had supernatural powers, Christians worshiped him, and his body was never found in the tomb, or at all, after the crucifixion event (See #5 Unintentional Support <...>(4) through (6)).
Non-Muslim, non-Jew, and non-Christian Roman historians and writers admit that Jesus was worshiped like God, long before the Council of Nicaea (See #5 Unintentional Support <...>(7) and (8)).
To oppose and deny that Jesus claimed to be God would be in direct contradiction to biblical facts, extra-biblical historical record, known Roman historical record, and the unintentional supportive historical accounts in Judaism and Islam. Thus, a modern assertion that Jesus did not claim to be God is an irrational and illogical conclusion not supported by objective historical data.
For objections, go to: https://sites.google.com/view/first-importance/jesus-is-god