Where does the Bible say Jesus is God? Let’s take a look at John 8:58, where Jesus says:
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
John 8:58
Jesus makes two claims:
- Jesus claims to have existed before Abraham lived
- Jesus claims to be God, calling himself the I am
What does it mean that Jesus says “I am”?
The Lord speaks to Moses through the burning bush and says to him:
God said to Moses, "I am who I am." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I am has sent me to you.'"
Exodus 3:14
The movie The Ten Commandments recreates this scene:
When Jesus says “I am” He is making a claim that He is God. Furthermore, Jesus knows the Jews he was speaking with understand this claim. How do they respond? They see it as blasphemy and pick up stones to kill him as commanded in Leviticus 24:16:
So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
John 8:59
Does Jesus claim to be God? Yes, in John 8:58. How do we know? In John 8:59 the Jews respond to the statement such that they believe Jesus is making a blasphemous claim to be God.