Why do Christians believe Jesus is God?

Christians believe that Jesus was fully human, but also that God was present in him in a unique way. They believe that Jesus is God the Son, who entered human life so that people could know what God is like.

This belief did not arise only from later tradition. It grew from what Jesus said and did, and from what his earliest followers believed they had experienced.

The way Jesus spoke about himself

Jesus spoke about having a unique relationship with God the Father. He also claimed that seeing and knowing him revealed something of God himself.

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

John 14:9

The authority Jesus claimed

Jesus did things that his Jewish listeners believed belonged to God, including forgiving sins and speaking with authority over religious law, nature, illness and death.

His actions led some people to trust him and others to believe that his claims went too far.

The resurrection

Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead. His followers understood the resurrection as God’s confirmation of who Jesus was and of the truth of his message.

The belief of his earliest followers

The first Christians worshipped Jesus, prayed in his name and described him using language associated with God. They did this despite coming from a Jewish faith that strongly rejected the worship of anyone other than God.

Christians do not believe that Jesus is a second, separate god. They believe in one God known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This belief is called the Trinity.

The Trinity can be difficult to understand, and Christians do not claim that God can be reduced to a simple explanation. It is their way of expressing the belief that the Father is God, Jesus the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God, while God remains one.

You do not need to accept this conclusion before you have explored it. You might begin by reading the Gospels and asking whether the words, actions and character of Jesus support the belief his followers came to hold.

It is reasonable to take time with this question. You are free to consider the evidence carefully and decide what you believe Jesus reveals about God.