Is Jesus God?

Short answer

Yes. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is fully God, the eternal Word who became a man, and also fully human. He is not the Father, but one of the three Persons of the one God.

The Bible does not treat this question as a side issue. From its first chapter to its last, the Gospel of John in particular is written to show who Jesus is. Several passages of the New Testament answer the question directly, and they all point the same way.

The Word was God

John opens his Gospel by echoing the first words of Genesis.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James Version (1769)

Albert Barnes notes that “in the beginning” here means before creation, so the Word did not begin to exist when the world did. John Wesley adds that the Word existed without any beginning. William MacDonald points out that verse 3 says everything was made through Him, so He cannot be a created being: He is the Creator.

The New Geneva Study Bible also deals with a common objection. Some say the line should read “a god”, but the commentary explains that this misunderstands New Testament Greek, and that John never speaks of God as one among many gods. The same note observes that “the Word was with God” shows a distinction between Persons within the one God. John then tells us who this Word is.

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 1:14 · King James Version (1769)

Thomas calls Jesus “my God”

After the resurrection, the doubting disciple Thomas met the risen Lord and said something no one had said before.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
John 20:28 · King James Version (1769)

Barnes gives several reasons why this cannot be a mere cry of surprise. Thomas spoke directly to Jesus, and Jesus did not rebuke him. A devout man would never accept such words unless they were true, and Jesus went on to commend Thomas for believing. John Wesley says Thomas confessed the Godhead of Christ more plainly than anyone before him. John MacArthur calls it the greatest confession a person can make and the high point of the Gospel’s stated purpose (John 20:31).

Paul says the same

The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Colossae, put it in one sentence.

For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:9 · King James Version (1769)

MacDonald notes how Paul piles up emphasis here, calling it one of the clearest verses on Christ’s deity. MacArthur adds that Paul stresses both sides of the truth: Jesus has all the nature and attributes of God, and He has them “bodily”, as a real human being. The Lopukhin commentary explains that the false teachers saw Christ as one of several divine beings, while Paul says that God Himself dwells in Him, not only divine qualities.

Paul writes the same to Titus about the day Christ returns, calling Jesus “our great God and Saviour” (Titus 2:13). MacArthur calls this a clear reference to His deity, and the Geneva Bible notes say Christ is here most plainly called the mighty God. Wesley puts it sharply: Christ is not a lesser god beside a great one, but the great God Himself.

One with the Father, yet not the Father

Jesus Himself spoke this way.

I and my Father are one.
John 10:30 · King James Version (1769)

His listeners understood Him at once: they said that He, a man, was making Himself God (John 10:33). Yet the verse does not say Jesus is the Father. John Gill stresses that the Father and the Son are distinct Persons, one in nature, essence and power. Wesley notes that the word “are” shows more than one Person, and the word “one” shows a single nature. The New Geneva Study Bible puts it the same way: they are not identical persons, but Persons one in essence.

That is the heart of the Trinity: one God in three Persons. Jesus is truly God and truly man, the Son who stepped into our world.

What this means

If Jesus is God, then the cross is not a human martyr’s death but God Himself dealing with our sin, and His promises are as sure as God’s own word. It also means that He is worthy of the same worship we give to God. Thomas’s words of faith are an invitation to every reader to say them too.