As a Christian who found the light of Christ after years as an Imam and Islamic leader, I have dedicated myself to understanding the profound truths of the Gospel. One of the most transformative aspects of my journey has been coming to grips with Jesus Christ’s divine identity, which He explicitly revealed to His Apostles during His earthly ministry. In this article, I will explore the key encounters where Jesus Christ unequivocally declared Himself to be God to His closest disciples, showing how these moments affirm His divine mission and the foundation of Christianity.
1. Peter’s Confession of Christ’s Divinity
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explicitly confirms His divine nature in a dialogue with the Apostle Peter. After asking His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16, KJV). Jesus responds, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17, KJV).
Here, Christ affirms Peter’s revelation and confirms His divine sonship. By acknowledging Peter’s confession as divinely inspired, Jesus unmistakably identifies Himself as God’s Son—a role inseparable from His divine essence.
2. Thomas’s Declaration: ‘My Lord and My God’
The Apostle Thomas is famously skeptical of the resurrection until he encounters the risen Christ. In John 20:27-28, Jesus invites Thomas to touch His wounds, leading Thomas to exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus neither rebukes Thomas nor corrects him; instead, He affirms his faith, saying, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29, KJV).
This moment is crucial. Thomas directly addresses Jesus as God, and Jesus does not deny it. Instead, He acknowledges Thomas’s declaration as a true recognition of His divine identity.
3. The Great Commission: Jesus Declares All Authority
In Matthew 28:18-20, the risen Christ proclaims to His Apostles, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18-19, KJV).
By placing Himself in the Trinitarian formula, Jesus explicitly identifies as God alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit. This statement underscores His divine authority and eternal nature, confirming to His Apostles that He is not merely a prophet or teacher but the incarnate God.
4. ‘I Am’ Statements in the Gospel of John
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus repeatedly uses the phrase “I am” to describe Himself, echoing God’s self-identification in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM WHO I AM”). Two instances stand out in His interactions with the Apostles:
- John 8:58: Speaking to a group that includes His followers, Jesus declares, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This statement causes outrage among the Jews because it is a clear claim to divinity, identifying Himself as the eternal God who spoke to Moses.
- John 14:6-7: Jesus tells Thomas and the other Apostles, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” Here, Jesus explicitly links Himself to the Father, affirming His divine nature.
5. The Transfiguration: Divine Glory Revealed
One of the most awe-inspiring moments in the Gospels is the Transfiguration, where Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain and reveals His divine glory. Matthew 17:2-5 describes Jesus’s face shining like the sun and His clothes becoming white as light. A voice from heaven declares, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
This event leaves no doubt for these three Apostles that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God. The divine voice from heaven directly corroborates Jesus’s identity.
Conclusion
Throughout His ministry, Jesus Christ revealed His divinity to His Apostles in both words and actions. From Peter’s confession to Thomas’s declaration, from the Great Commission to the Transfiguration, these moments show that Jesus was not ambiguous about His identity. He is God, the Word made flesh, who dwelled among us to redeem humanity.
As a former Muslim who once rejected Christ’s divinity, I now stand as a witness to the power of these truths. They resonate not only as theological affirmations but as transformative realities that can bring light to any soul willing to receive them.
Citations
- The Holy Bible, King James Version.
- Wright, N.T. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. HarperOne, 2011.
- Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity. Eerdmans, 2008.
- Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Volume 1 & 2. Baker Academic, 2003.
- Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. Eerdmans, 1991.
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