Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

Did Jesus Claim to be God?  Absolutely he did! 

Jesus claimed to be God directly, so much so that it provoked an extreme reaction among the religious leaders of His day, who regarded Him with suspicion and said He was only a man. Direct claims:

1.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father [God] except through me." John 14:6b. That is the easiest-to-understand statement attesting to the deity of Jesus, but with a little context, three more verses are still clear statements by Jesus about being God.
2.  "But he remained silent and made no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:61-62.  The context: In Daniel 7:13-14: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 7:13. Also, look at the religious leader's response in the next two verses in Mark 14:63-64a: And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy [That is, claiming to be God]. What is your decision?” The high priest tore his garments due to Jesus' words and said outright that by saying that, Jesus claimed to be God. 
3. In John 10:24, "So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Jesus responded with a speech, and at the end of the speech, told the crowd, "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30).  How did the Jews respond? They picked up rocks to stone Him (John 10:31) and after Jesus asked, "“I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:32-33)
4. Jesus also had an argument with the Jews, where he said, "‘Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death" (John 8:51). The Jews responded angrily that Abraham and all the prophets died (John 8:52-53).  To which Jesus responds at the end of his speech, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, 'I am.'” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:56-69)  I AM is the name God gives Moses to convince him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:13-14).  Thus, when Jesus invokes the name I AM, Jesus was claiming to be God. 

And now here are four indirect examples of Jesus acknowledging He is God, without saying it outright: 

1. When a paralyzed man was brought before Him, Jesus said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Mark 2:5.  The scribes who were watching were quick to respond that "Only God can forgive sins." Mark 2:6-7
2. Jesus said he has the power to raise the dead something only God can do.  John 5:25 
3. There were several times that people knelt before Jesus in a position of worship, and Jesus accepted their worship.  (1) a leaper who was healed (Matthew 8:2), (2) a ruler whose son was healed (Matthew 9:18), (3) a Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:22-25), (4) the mother of Jesus' disciples James and John (Matthew 20:20), and a man who was possessed by a demon (Mark 5:2-6) Similarly, Thomas outright says "My Lord and My God" when Jesus returns, resurrected.  (John 20:28  A group of Samaritans from the town of Sychar called him "the Savior of the world," (John 4:42) a clear reference to his deity. 
4. Finally, two demon-possessed men ask to Jesus when he encounters them, "And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the appointed time?"  Matthew 8:29.  Even the Demons acknowledge his deity. 

So what do we do with this information? Here is another truth: God loves you as he loves me. Maybe you’ve never accepted God.   “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.  We all have sinned and done wrongs in God’s eyes.  It is through salvation from Jesus we are saved from sin.  God is always there to accept you if you repent from your sins.  If you feel led, pray this prayer to receive Jesus and help from God:

Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself only. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life; I give it to you. From this day forward, help me to live every day for you and in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please let me or a Christian that you know personally about your prayer.  It’s important to remember that God will not fix your problems but can help you through them. God gives us free will to decide how to live.  You don’t have to accept Christ or pray or do anything for God, it is your choice. But I encourage you to choose Jesus.

Special Thanks to Compelling Truth for much of the evidence shown in this blog post.  Also, check out Robert Clifton Robertson's article. where he responds to atheist theologian Bart Erhman's statements about the deity of Jesus.