An opponent of Christianity once told me, "Jesus never said He was God!"

I could have responded, "Wanna bet?", but chose to follow up our brief discussion with a letter documenting the truth of the matter.

I always liked what noted deep-thinking author/lecturer C.S. Lewis once wrote. The paraphrase goes like this: "Either Jesus is in fact God, or He was an idiot because He claimed to be God."

That's making it clear, C.S.!

Many times in the Bible, Jesus Christ claims to be one with the Father, and therefore God.

His disciples support that position over and over in their writings.

Old Testament writers also point out that the promised Messiah would be God.

In fact, the whole New Testament is based upon the thought that there is essential unity between Jesus Christ and the covenant God of Israel.

Matthew 1:23 states, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

John 1:1-3:14 state, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made... 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."

John 1:18 states, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."

John 20:27-28 state, "Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."

Philippians 2:5-8 state, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Colossians 1:15-16 state, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible..."

When the Apostle Paul says that Christ is the firstborn over all creation, he does not mean that Christ is the first created being.

He goes on to explain that Jesus Christ created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Jesus Christ could not create Himself.

The idea among various cults that Christ is the first created being is an impossible absurdity.

Colossians 2:8-10 state, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power."

1 Timothy 1:16-17 state, "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Timothy 2:3-4 state, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

1 Timothy 3:16 states, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

1 Timothy 6:14-16 states, "...the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: To whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."

Titus 1:3 states, "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour."

Titus 2:10 states, "...showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

Titus 2:13 states, "Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ".

Hebrews 1:1-3 state,"God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Hebrews 1:8 states, "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."

Jude 25 states, "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen."

Isaiah 7:14 states, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Immanuel literally means "God with us.")

Isaiah 9:6 states, "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. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end..."

Jeremiah 23:5-6 state, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness." Christ's name in Hebrew is YHWH Tsidkenu, Jehovah Our Righteousness.

Micah 5:2 states, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Christ has always existed because He is not a created being; He is God Almighty who has existed from everlasting.

Malachi 3:1-2 state, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap."

God's temple is Christ's temple. Christ comes as an all-powerful judge.

Psalm 45:1,6-7 state, "I speak of the things which I have made touching the king... Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee..."

The Hebrew word translated "anointed" is the verb form of the noun "Messiah."

Psalm 110:1-3 state, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power..."

The Lord (Jehovah) will subdue all Christ's enemies. Yet Christ's rod and Christ's power will subdue all enemies. Christ's rule and power are clearly equal to God's.

Revelation 21:6-7 state, "And He (Jesus Christ) said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

John 8:57-59 state, "Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.' Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple..."

John 5:17-26 state, "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.' Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will... For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself'".

John 10:28-39 state, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.

"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?'

"The Jews answered him, saying, 'For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.'

"Jesus answered them, 'If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: That ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.' Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand."

Mark 2:5-11 state, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?...' (Jesus) said unto them, 'But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, [he saith to the sick of the palsy,] I say unto thee, arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house'" (cf. Luke 5:20-24).

The scribes' theology was correct: "Who can forgive sins but God only?"

Jesus didn't disagree with their conclusion; rather, through the miraculous healing He proved that He in fact was God and had the authority to forgive sins.

The Spirit-inspired writers of the New Testament applied Old Testament passages which specifically refer God-Jehovah to Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus must be God-Jehovah.