Expert: Tom Smith - 4/17/2004

Question
where in the bible does it mention that God and Jesus are the same person?

Answer
There is so much in the Bible that shows that Jesus is God that one cold wriote one or more books and still possibly not cover it all. I will provide a lengthy response and try to cover some of the key points, as I say, it is impossible to cover everything.

Old Testament
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In the book of Isaiah, we read:

Isa 44:6-7
6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do?
NKJV

Let's take this one part at a time, because there is so much in this verse:

6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,

Let's see what scripture has to say about the identities of the King of Israel and the Lord:

King of Israel: The King of Israel? Scripture does not record this as a reference to God other than here. King of Israel refers only to the historical kings of Israel and to Jesus Christ himself.

The Lord: The Lord refers to God, as shown at the end of the line. So this says that God is the King of Israel. None of the ordinary human kings of Israel are God, so this can only have one of two meanings - either Jesus is God, or that God the Father is proclaiming himself as King of Israel, even though it would not be consistent with the rest of scripture.

The next line goes on to say “And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts”. Clearly, this is speaking of a different person or second person because of the phrase "and His Redeemer".

Who is the Redeemer? That is Jesus. I think that we all can agree that the Redeemer is Jesus.

Who is the Lord of Hosts, according to scripture?

1 Sam 17:45-46
But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
NKJV

This is only one example, but scripture only records the Lord of Hosts to be God. Thus the Redeemer is the Lord of Hosts (God), or in fact since the Redeemer is Jesus, this verse says that Jesus (Redeemer) is God (Lord of Hosts).

Let's read on further:

'I am the First and I am the Last;

First thing to note in this phrase is that we have two persons speaking with one voice, and as a single person. God and Jesus say together, in the singular, "I am the First and the Last.".

Now we have God saying that he is the first and the last. This phrase “The first and the Last” is found four other places in scripture, all in the book of Revelation, for example:

Rev 1:10-11
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,"
NKJV

In all 4 times in the book of Revelation, this phrase is spoken by Jesus. This confirms the fact that Jehovah and Jesus are one and the same.

Now, we are near the end of this passage. The last line is:

Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do?
NKJV

Now, remember above where it said "and" and appeared to be speaking of two persons? Now these two persons again speak as one and say, "...besides me there is no God". We see Jesus and God represented in this verse, and in three different ways these verses tell us that Jesus is God, and then at the end, the two speak with one voice and proclaim themselves to be the one true God.

Earlier in Isaiah, we have another indication of the identity of the Messiah:

Isa 9:6
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
NKJV

Jehovah's Witnesses and some other groups/religions try to get around this one by showing that unlike many other parts of scripture, this verse says that Jesus is “Mighty God” not “Almighty God”. There are two problems with this approach:

1)If you have Almighty God, you have 2 gods, not one and the Bible clearly says that there is only one God.
2)The second problem is that the term “Mighty God” is indeed used in scripture to refer to Jehovah:

Jer 32:17-18
18 You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them--the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
NKJV

Isa 10:21-23
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord GOD of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.
NKJV

Gen 49:24
24 But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
NKJV

It is interesting to note that the term “Mighty God” is used in scripture 4 times, 3 times clearly referring to Jehovah, and the fourth is prophetic of Jesus. This Therefore this is a clear reference equating Jesus with God.

Isaiah continues to present the Messiah as God, and indeed presented in the trinity in chapter 48:

In Isaiah 48:16,we read:

Isa 48:16
16 "Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me."
NKJV

Note that it is a third person who is speaking, since the Lord God, and His spirit, identified as two separate persons, sent the third person.

Going on to the next verse, we see more about this third person:

Isa 48:17

17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
"I am the LORD your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
NKJV

He is the Redeemer (Jesus), and he the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and is God. It is interesting to note that in verse 17, when he says "I am the Lord", the word Lord is “Jehovah” in the original language, therefore this third person is Jehovah, our Redeemer. Here you have Jesus claiming to be Jehovah God and explaining the trinity in two short verses.

This agrees with this additional verse from Isaiah,

Isa 49:26
All flesh shall know
That I, the LORD, am your Savior,
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."
NKJV

where the Saviour, The Redeemer and Lord are all shown as one and the same. And here again, the word “Lord” is “Jehovah” in the original language, so the Saviour and Redeemer are one and the same God, Jehovah.

This is repeated yet again in Is 60:

Isa 60:16
You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
NKJV

Let's move on to a couple of other passages in the Old Testament, which show Jesus to be God.

Micah 5:2 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.

Note that the word “everlasting” comes from the Hebrew word 'owlam' which means eternity. This is the same word used to describe God, and his righteousness.

Zech 12:10
10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
NKJV

Note that the speaker in this case as identified in Zech 12:1 is the God:

Zech 12:1
12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
NKJV

Note that the word “Lord” here in Hebrew is the word “Jehovah” who says that He was pierced. When was Jehovah pierced? When Jesus was crucified.

New Testament
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There are also a number of references in the NT, which clearly speak of Jesus being God, for instance scripture says that the Messiah would be born of a Virgin, and He would be called Immanuel, which means God with us. (see Matthew 1:23)

John 1:1
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NKJV

John 20:27-29
27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
NKJV

Heb 1:1-8
1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:
"You are My Son,Today I have begotten You"?

And again:

"I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son"?
6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
"Let all the angels of God worship Him."
7 And of the angels He says:
"Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
8 But to the Son He says:
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
NKJV

There are several things of interest in this passage:

- God is speaking
- Jesus is the brightness of his glory and the express image of God
- His son is not an angel
- Jesus is the Son of God
- God the Father refers to Jesus as God in vs 8.
- All the angels are to worship Jesus (and worship belongs solely to God - see Rev 22:8-9 where the angel tells John to worship God)

Rev 22:8-9
8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."
NKJV

Jesus tells us that we are to worship (proskuneo) God only. Yet scripture tells us to worship (proskuneo) Jesus in Hebrews 1:6.

There is much more which could be added here, time permitting, but as said before, an entire book could be written solely on the evidence in scripture that Jesus is God.

I hope that this helps.