Short answer
No. In the four New Testament Gospels, Jesus never says "I am God", and he never says "worship me". He calls himself "a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God". When a man called him good, he answered that none is good but God (﷾). He said "my Father is greater than I", and that he could do nothing of himself. When Satan asked to be worshipped, he said God (﷾) alone is to be worshipped. A scribe, a teacher of the Law of Moses, said that God (﷾) is one, with none beside Him. Jesus told him he was not far from the kingdom of God (﷾). Islam says the same as Jesus: God (﷾) is One, and Jesus is His servant and messenger.
Full explanation
What the earliest Gospels record
Mark, which most scholars take to be the earliest Gospel, has no saying in which Jesus calls himself God. Bart Ehrman, a historian of the early church, points out that in Matthew, Mark and Luke he never does. The sayings about being one with the Father, or about existing before Abraham, appear only in John. John is the last Gospel to be written.
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
Argues that in Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus never calls himself God, and that the sayings Christians read as claims to be God appear only in John, the last of the four Gospels to be written.
What Jesus says he is
Jesus calls himself "a man" who speaks what he heard from God (﷾). He says he can do nothing of himself. He seeks the will of the One who sent him. He says the Father is greater than he is. In prayer he calls the Father "the only true God". He says that the day of judgment is known to no one, not even the Son, but only the Father.
“But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.”
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
“Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
Whom Jesus says to worship
Satan asks Jesus to worship him. Jesus answers with the Law of Moses: worship God (﷾), and serve Him only. Asked for the first commandment, he gives the creed Moses gave Israel, that God (﷾) is one. The scribe repeats it back: "there is one God; and there is none other but he". Jesus tells him he is not far from the kingdom of God (﷾). Jesus never adds a Son or a Spirit to that creed.
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:”
“And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.”
None good but God (﷾), in every Bible
Jesus refuses even to be called good in God's (﷾) place. Modern versions word the saying differently in Matthew, following other manuscripts. But every version keeps the question and its answer in Mark and Luke: none is good but God (﷾).
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”
“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The New International Version renders Jesus' reply in Matthew as "Why do you ask me about what is good?", and the NASB, ESV and New World Translation word it the same way or nearly so, following a different set of Greek manuscripts from the King James Version. The same versions keep "Why do you call me good?" in Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19.
| Verse | Jesus' words |
|---|---|
| John 8:40 | He calls himself “a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God”. |
| John 14:28 | “My Father is greater than I.” |
| Mark 13:32 | No one knows the day or the hour of the end, “neither the Son, but the Father”. |
| Mark 10:18 | “There is none good but one, that is, God.” |
| Matthew 4:10 | Worship God (﷾), “and him only shalt thou serve”. |
| John 17:3 | In prayer he calls the Father “the only true God”. |
In the four Gospels Jesus never says “I am God”, and he never says “worship me”.
Paul keeps God (﷾) and Jesus apart
Encyclopaedia Britannica states that neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament. (The Trinity is the belief that God is three persons in one.) Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, keeps God (﷾) and Jesus apart in his creed: one God (﷾), the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 is a verse Christians quote. Modern versions render it "our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ". The King James Version reads "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ", which names God and the Saviour separately. The verse Christians quote from Paul, Romans 9:5, is answered below.
States that neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, and that the doctrine developed gradually over several centuries, reaching the settled formula of one essence in three persons only in the 4th century.
“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
The verses Christians rely on
Christians point to two sayings in John. In John 10:30 Jesus says he and the Father are one. In John 8:58 he says "Before Abraham was, I am". They read the first as a claim to share God's (﷾) nature. They read the second as taking God's (﷾) name. Both are answered verse by verse below.
“I and my Father are one.”
“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Following Jesus means taking him at his word
The Gospels give us Jesus' own words about himself. He never says "I am God", and he never says "worship me". He tells Satan, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". He calls himself a prophet: "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country". He speaks of himself as one sent: "Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent". The creed of Nicaea is a statement of belief written by church bishops in 325. It puts at its centre a title he never claimed: "true God of true God". Christians honour Jesus and say they follow him. Muslims hold that following him means believing what he said about himself. In the Qur'an he says it himself: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet".
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
“And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
The creed opens: "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible". The council confessed the Son as begotten of the Father, true God of true God, and "of one substance" (homoousios) with the Father, and condemned those who said there was a time when he was not.
“He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;”
What the Qur'an says about Jesus
The Qur'an records Jesus' first words, spoken in the cradle: "I am indeed a servant of Allah". It calls him a messenger like those before him. It gives a plain reason he is not divine: he and his mother needed food. It describes God (﷾) as One, who neither begets nor is begotten.
“He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;”
“Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!”
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
Verse by verse
John 10:30 — Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 30
“I and my Father are one.”
Cited for
Christians read "one" as one in nature: Jesus shares the being of God.
The response
In John 17:22 Jesus prays that his followers "may be one, even as we are one", with the same Greek word. Nobody reads that as making the disciples God. In the verse just before John 10:30 he says the Father "is greater than all". The oneness is of purpose.
Where it lands — The same Gospel uses the same word for the disciples, so this verse does not show that Jesus is God.
John 10:33 — Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 33
“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
Cited for
His hearers took up stones because he made himself God, so he must have claimed it.
The response
That is his opponents' charge, not his words, and Jesus does not accept it. He points out that scripture calls the judges "gods". He says that what he claimed was to be "the Son of God", sent by the Father. Luke calls Adam "the son of God", and God (﷾) calls Israel "my son, even my firstborn".
Where it lands — When he was accused of making himself God, Jesus corrected the charge: he claimed to be God's Son, a title the Bible gives to many.
John 8:58 — Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 58
“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Cited for
"I am" is God's own name from Exodus 3:14, so Jesus was claiming to be God.
The response
"I am" (Greek ego eimi) is an everyday phrase: the man born blind says the same words of himself in John 9:9. In the Septuagint, the old Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, God (﷾) says "I am the One who is". The name He tells Moses to give is "the One who is" (ho on). Jesus does not use that name. Where Jesus says "I am he" on its own, he explains it himself in John 8:28. He says: "then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me". In the same conversation Jesus had already called himself "a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God". As for "before Abraham was", God (﷾) tells Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee". A prophet can exist in God's (﷾) knowledge and plan long before he is born. His hearers took up stones, but that shows what they thought, not what he claimed. In John 10, when they take up stones again and say he makes himself God, he corrects that charge.
Where it lands — In the same chapter Jesus defines his "I am he" as one who does nothing of himself and speaks as the Father taught him. He also calls himself a man.
John 20:28 — Gospel of John, chapter 20, verse 28
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
Cited for
Thomas calls the risen Jesus "My Lord and my God", and Jesus accepts it.
The response
In the same chapter Jesus tells Mary, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God". John then says why he wrote: "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God", not that he is God. Jesus' reply to Thomas blesses those who believe without seeing; it does not take up the title. The Bible also calls Moses "a god to Pharaoh" and the judges "gods".
Where it lands — John draws no conclusion that Jesus is God from Thomas's words; he states his purpose as belief in the Christ, the Son of God.
John 1:1 — Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Cited for
John calls the Word God, and the Word became flesh as Jesus.
The response
These are John's words, not Jesus'. The Greek has "the God" (ton theon) for the One the Word was with. For the Word it has plain "theos", without the word "the". Moffatt and Goodspeed, two twentieth-century Bible translators, translated it "divine". The same Gospel's Jesus calls the Father "the only true God" (17:3).
Where it lands — The verse is the evangelist's, not a saying of Jesus, and its Greek does not require "God" in the full sense.
Romans 9:5 — Epistle to the Romans, chapter 9, verse 5
“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
Cited for
The King James Version has Paul call Christ "God blessed for ever".
The response
The earliest Greek manuscripts have little or no punctuation. Where the translator puts the stop decides whether "God blessed for ever" describes Christ or is a separate praise of God (﷾). Two modern Bibles, the Revised Standard Version and the New English Bible, end the sentence at Christ. They read the rest as a blessing of God (﷾). Paul's settled creed is "one God, the Father" and "one Lord Jesus Christ".
Where it lands — The verse calls Christ God only if the translator punctuates it that way, and Paul's creed keeps God (﷾) and Christ apart.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Jesus is God the Son, of one being with the Father. John's Gospel shows him claiming it, and the church's creeds, which are statements of belief, define it.
In John 10:30 Jesus says he and the Father are one. Christians read this as a claim to share the divine nature.
Rebuttal
In John 17:22 Jesus prays that his followers "may be one, even as we are one", with the same Greek word. Nobody reads that as making them God. And the verse before says the Father "is greater than all". Accused of making himself God, Jesus pointed to the judges called "gods", and said he had claimed to be the Son of God.
In John 8:58 Jesus says "Before Abraham was, I am". Christians read this as taking the divine name of Exodus 3:14.
Rebuttal
"I am" is an everyday phrase: the man born blind says the same Greek words of himself in John 9:9. In the Greek Old Testament, the name God gives Moses is ho on, "the One who is", and Jesus does not say it. Jesus explains his own "I am he" in John 8:28: "I do nothing of myself". "Before Abraham was" can mean in God's (﷾) plan. God (﷾) told Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee".
Christians say that the creeds add no title Jesus did not claim. They state what the Gospels already show him to be.
Rebuttal
The words "true God of true God" are the council's, written in 325. In the Gospels Jesus calls himself "a man" who told the truth he heard from God (﷾). He tells Satan, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". A creed states a conclusion; it does not quote him.
The Islamic perspective
Jesus was a mighty messenger of God (﷾) and never claimed to be God. His own words in the Gospels agree with the Qur'an. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned his own followers against the over-praise that turned Jesus into a god.
Jesus calls himself "a man" who told the truth he heard from God (﷾).
Jesus separates himself from God (﷾) when he is called good. Every Bible keeps this saying, in Mark and in Luke.
Jesus says he can do nothing of himself and that the Father is greater than he is.
Jesus says he does not know the hour of judgment; only the Father knows it.
Jesus tells Satan that God (﷾) alone is to be worshipped and served.
A scribe confesses one God (﷾), with none other beside Him. Jesus tells him he is not far from the kingdom of God (﷾).
In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus never calls himself God. The sayings Christians read as open claims to divinity, such as John 10:30 and 8:58, are in John.
Jesus called himself a prophet and one sent. The creeds put a title he never claimed above the one he did claim.
The Qur'an teaches that Jesus was a servant and messenger of Allah (﷾), not God.
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) told Muslims not to over-praise him as Christians had over-praised Jesus. He told them to call him the servant of Allah (﷾) and His Messenger.