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Argument ID: PHY-DS06

Argument: Jesus is Divine, the Son of God

Argument:
(P₁) Jesus identified himself as one with God [HIS-IS28]
(P₂) Jesus was of sound mind when claiming to be God [HIS-IS28]
(P₃) Eyewitnesses attested to the divinity of Jesus [HIS-IS26]
(C) Therefore, Jesus is divine

Summary: It is difficult for some people to comprehend that Jesus, while being fully human, could be fully divine. Throughout his ministry, Jesus exhibited the attributes of God evidenced by his divine knowledge, divine presence and divine power. Based on standard psychological assessment methods, Jesus was found to be mentally healthy. His behavior was marked by rational thinking, not delusions. Finally, hundreds of people attested to Jesus' divinity by witnessing his authoritative teaching, many miracles, and fulfillment of prophecies. Based on these claims, the most reasonable conclusion is that Jesus is divine, the Son of God.

Description: Among world religions, Christianity is the only religion where its leader claims to be God incarnate. For some, the notion of Jesus being divine is outrageous. How can a human being possess divine attributes and claim to be God? How can someone be both fully human and fully divine at the same time?

This argument was espoused by the apostle Paul. In his Epistle to the Colossians, he states that Jesus is the exact image of God.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ... ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. (Colossians 1:15-19)

The divinity of Jesus is the central tenet of the Christian faith. According to Paul, if Jesus were an imposter, the Christian faith would be a hoax (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).

The argument of Jesus' divinity is well substantiated by the following claims.

• First and foremost, Jesus' divinity is predicated on the argument that the Bible is the accurate and trustworthy revelation of God [PHY-DS04]. This argument is based on a wide range of scholarship and the systematic application of biblical criticism.
• Jesus identified himself as one with God [HIS-EV29]. Throughout the gospels, the titles of Son of Man, Son of God and Messiah were ascribed to Jesus 100+ times. His self-identify was clearly and consistently declared.
• Jesus was fully human and at the same time fully divine. He demonstrated his divinity by living in a manner consistent with the character of God [HIS-EV32]. He exhibited the attributes of God. These attributes include his divine knowledge (omnipresence), divine presence (omnipresence), and divine power (omnipotence).
• Jesus was of sound mind when claiming to be God [HIS-IS28]. Based on standard psychological assessment methods, Jesus is found to be mentally healthy. He did not exhibit any tendencies of self-fixation, isolation or delusions. His behavior was marked by self-control and rational thinking.
• Jesus was accompanied by an intimate group of disciples. This group of disciples lived with Jesus day in, day out for three years. They were eyewitnesses to all that transpired during Jesus' ministry [HIS-IS26]. As eyewitnesses they attested to the divinity of Jesus based on his authoritative teaching, many miracles, and fulfillment of prophecies [HIS-IS29]. Many others who encounter Jesus were eyewitnesses [HIS-IS30].
• Jesus' life and ministry was such an extraordinary event in history that his divinity was mentioned by numerous secular, extra-biblical writers [HIS-IS24].

Based on this preponderance of evidence, we conclude that Jesus is divine. He is in fact the Son of God.