How To Use Scripture To Prove Jesus’ Divinity
- Dr. J. S. Nadoli
- May 5
- 7 min read
“He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.”
C. S. Lewis
Welcome back! I’m glad you’re here. Today, we’re going to use the person, nature, and work of “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit 3:12) to prove to the world Jesus is more than a good man, a wise teacher, or a caring friend—although He is all that—He is far more. Lewis’ now famous trilemma has been around since at least the 17th century. But we know it as the “liar, lunatic, or Lord” argument proving Jesus is God, made famous by the onetime atheist turned believer during his wartime broadcast titled Christian Behavior (1943).
Today, we already know Jesus was a real man, so we’ll focus on proving His deity. Starting with the Old Testament, we’ll establish there’s only one God. Meaning Jesus is who He says He is, or He isn’t anything at all.
Next, I’ll show you how His self-existent immutability, an attribute only God possesses, makes Christ God incarnate.
Then we’ll investigate how both His disciples and angels acknowledge His deity using titles reserved for God only. I’ll show you how the resurrection proves Jesus is God and what Paul has to say about it.
At the end, each of us must answer the question: Who was Jesus? Man, God, or both? I’ll show you why it matters and how you can prove it for yourself and to the people you love. We’ll close with a question only you can answer.
Here’s What We’ll Be Covering:
Ready? Let’s get started:
Name and Titles
In Deuteronomy, Moses uses the covenantal name LORD to show God’s unique divine essence. It’s God alone who saves (Deut 4:35). In his historical account of the Apostles' actions in the world, Luke reflects Moses’ sentiment by showing Jesus as the one who acts on behalf of His people (Acts 4:12).
God declares, in Isaiah 43:10-11, to His chosen prophet, “You may know I Am He; there is no other; before Me there is no Savior.” The LORD uses His name “I Am” to assert His divinity, and there is no Savior beside Me to show the Father and Son are the same.
In John’s gospel, we hear Jesus exclaim the same thing when He uses the “I Am,” laying claim to the same divine attribute of His Father, the one and only God and Savior (John 8:24, 28, 58; 13:9).
Infinite Attributes
Remaining in John’s Gospel, Jesus shares in Himself the same eternal life and authority as the Father because They are one (John 5:26).
What the Old Testament prophet Isaiah teaches foretells the attributes the coming Messiah possesses, identifying Him as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the everlasting Father (Isa 9:6).
The writer of Hebrews shows the attributes Jesus shares with God when he describes the Savior as one without parentage, genealogy, or a beginning/ending of life, a priest forever (Heb 7:3).
He is called the all-knowing one (John 2:24-25) who shares attributes only the Father possesses like holiness (Acts 3:14), love (1 John 4:8), righteousness (Acts 10:42), mercy/grace (Titus 3:45) and truthfulness (John 14:6). We cannot deny Jesus and God are one and the same.
God Alone
Since God created everything alone, and Christ made all things alone, and He made everything, this establishes Jesus as God alone (John 1:3, 10). They are one creator in a plurality of unity which we know as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the undivided creator.
The Trinitarian God instructs Moses in this way: “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen 1:26). God, the Source (1 Cor 8:6), God the Son/Agent (John 1:3), and God the Holy Spirit/Sustainer (Gen1:2).
The best way for us to explain this is to show that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, maintaining three distinct persons who create the universe alone.
Disciples
In disbelief, the disciples witnessed Jesus walking toward them on the lake while the wind battered their small boat with waves. After watching Him pull Peter from beneath the waves, the men rise to worship Jesus and proclaim, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matt 14:33).
The exemplar of humility accepted their recognition of His deity with no hesitation or denial. Christ’s demonstration of His power over nature and His refusal to rebuke their worship proves His divinity.
Job tells us it is God alone who created the heavens and walks across waves in the sea (Job 9:8). While Matthew's story does not say if the disciples recalled Job’s description of God, it's certain that at least some men in the boat that day knew it.
For contrast, in Acts 14 Luke tells us Paul and Barnabas rush into a crowd, tearing their clothes, shouting not to worship them, but worship the “living God” Jesus Christ only (Acts 14:14-15).
Angels
Upon witnessing the multitude of celebratory shouting in heaven after Babylon’s destruction, John collapses at the angel’s feet to worship him. God’s angel rebukes John, saying he too serves together with all who believe Jesus’ testimony.
The angel tells John to worship God the Spirit who testifies to Jesus’ deity (Rev 19:10). Ensuring the point does not get lost among the Canan’s closing events, John restates his encounter with the angel, this time in his own words, making sure we don’t interpret it as a prophetic vision or dream.
John wants us to know he witnessed these things in person (Rev 22:8-9). Some seventeen chapters earlier the angel shows John in a vision the living beings and elders falling to worship both God and the Lamb together proving they are the same deity (Rev 5:13-14).
In his gospel, John records doubting Thomas’ reaction after the Lord appears to him behind locked doors. We know the story; Jesus tells him to stop doubting after Thomas puts his fingers and hand into Christ’s wounds, Thomas exclaims, “My Lord, my God (John 20:28).
Divinity Affirmed
Jesus affirms His divinity through statements He makes about His life, death, and resurrection. He links His power with the power many attribute to God alone. Jesus tells us, it is He alone who determines the outcome of His life and no other; we understand Christ possesses power over life and death.
While Jesus is fully man like we are, He is unlike us at the same time. The Lord is fully God. One difference between us and Jesus is we fall prey to persecution; Jesus chooses it to save us. Many believe they would lay their life down for another; most of us won’t if faced with that choice (John 10:18).
Jesus didn’t fall into an unavoidable situation and then made the best of it. He created the situation to save us. Only God can do that. Christ is not a passive victim; He asserts His absolute power to control time and events like His birth, death, and resurrection.
Only the omnipotent authority of God can do that (Deut 32:29). Let that sink in. Christ’s divinity blesses us.
Good Teacher or God Incarnate
Before I go any further, I want to thank all of you who are still reading. I understand how hard it is to absorb a lot of this stuff. You’re not alone. I was there once too. Today, as I’m sure you noticed, I’m better at understanding it than I’m at explaining it.
So anyway, let’s go back to the beginning and briefly look at an argument against Jesus’ divinity. There is no doubt Jesus is a good teacher; but that’s where many lose their way.
What Lewis is trying to say in Mere Christianity with his liar, lunatic, Lord trilemma is that the precepts and principles Jesus exemplifies have never been attained by any mortal man.
Therefore, Jesus is divine. He is more than a good teacher; He is the only divine teacher.
21st century evil-doers mock, scoff, and ridicule us for suggesting we should avoid self-indulgence, consider wise council, or not sit with the wicked (2 Peter 3:3-4; Pro 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12; Ps 1:1).
What’s the Difference?
Other than the neighborhood you end up living in, there really is no difference at all.
Those people God allows to see Him for who He is, their “great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Tit, 2:13) proclaim His divinity publicly (Matt 10:32).
They live eternally with Him in heaven in the mansions He builds for them. Those who don’t; live eternally with their father in the pit of burning sulfur tormented forever (Rev 20:14-15).
So, ya see, we all live forever just in different neighborhoods.
What Say You?
So here we are together at the end of another post. That sounds ominous, right?! I’ll work on it for the next one, I promise. Anyway, thanks again for reading. I want to hear what all of you have to say about this.
Has anything you’ve read here resonated with you? Has it helped you plan your own defense of Christ’s divinity? Did it make your heart sing? If it did, tell me why in the comments.
If it didn’t, tell me that too. I want to hear your story. How did you come to know Jesus and God are one? And if you have questions, leave them below too. We’ll figure it out together so everyone can read and join in.
I promise I’ll reply to every comment you leave. Let’s grow together and build a strong community of believers who:
Love People | Do Kind Things | Teach Truth
What's your go to verse refuting the "Jesus was a good man" arguement?