When we talk about God, we usually have in mind our heavenly Father. However, the word, “God”, refers to the divine nature. We are human, but He is God. We have the nature of man. He has the nature of deity. Strong defines God as “the infinite and perfect Spirit in whom all things have their source, support, and end.” Is Jesus God?
Encountering Jesus after His resurrection, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28). Was he mistaken? Is Jesus really God? Apparently so, for John opened his gospel with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). Who is the Word? We know the Word existed before creation – that He was with God in the beginning (vs. 2). And, we know that the Word was God. The text goes on to tell us that all things were created through the Word (vs. 3). But, who is the Word? John answers the question, saying, “And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (vs. 14). The Word was God. Who is the Word? Jesus is the Word. Therefore, Jesus is God. He is that infinite and perfect Spirit in whom all things have their source, support and end.
While Jesus is God, we must not confuse Him with the Father or the Holy Spirit. There are three distinct personalities in the Godhead: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. All three are infinite and eternal. Upon these three persons of the Godhead all things are dependent for source, support, and existence.
The fact that Jesus is God speaks to His divine authority. Prior to His ascension, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28:18). Jesus is more than just a man who died for a just cause. He is the second person of the Godhead who came to earth to die for our sins. He will come again and judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31). We must make earnest preparation for His return.
— Glen Elliott —