It is common these days to see people posing a question to Christians on social media and even in debates with the question always in one same manner. The question usually comes from Atheists, Jews, Muslims and even heretic Christians. They wonder why we see Jesus as God and worship him.
So they ask "Show me Where Jesus said "I am God worship me?" in those exact words.
You might become confused at this moment if you are not smart. Yes, you know you can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said such in those exact words, so you might be quick to quote some classical verses that show Jesus Christ is God.
Well, the person asking that question has been trained in such a way that no matter the amount of verses you quote, he won't believe you unless you show him where Jesus said "I am God worship me" in those exact words. Now he has boxed you in the "exact words" corner. The only way you can get out is to pull him into the corner to make him see how stupid it is dealing with exact words. I bet you, he will be the one to open the door for the both of you to leave the corner once he realises how stupid it is. How do you do that? You flip the question back at him. You say...
"I'll be willing to show where Jesus said 'I am God worship me' in those exact words only if you can show me where he said 'I am only a prophet, do not worship me' in those exact same words. At that moment, he will start to realise the error of requesting for exact same words. To stamp it on him, if he's a Muslim that believes according to the Quran that Jesus was born of a virgin, then ask him to show you in the Quran or Bible where Jesus said "I am born of a virgin" in those exact same words. If he can't, then it means his belief that Jesus was born of a virgin is false.
The idea behind the above is to ensure you are not dealing with exact words. If the Jew, atheist, Muslim or heretic Christian can't show you anywhere in the Bible or Quran or any book where Jesus said these exact words "I am only a prophet, do not worship me" or "I am born of a virgin", then it means he shouldn't require of you to show him where Jesus said the exact same words "I am God worship me".
Once you have passed that, you can now ask a more reasonable question.
WHERE AND HOW DID JESUS CLAIM TO BE GOD?
According to the Jews, Christians and Muslims, there are certain claims only God can make. All 3 religious beliefs hold the same view about God in that regard. That is why I am going to use the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran to see if Jesus made claims that only God can make.
1. Who is the "First and the Last"?
Let's start by quoting the Quran
Sura 57:3
He is the FIRST and the LAST, and the Outward (His signs appear on all His creatures) and the Inward (Hidden). And He is the All-Knower of everything.
Now let's read from the Old Testament
Isaiah 44:6
New International Version
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the FIRST and I am the LAST; apart from me there is no God.
Since both the Quran and the Bible agree that God is the First and the Last, should a prophet refer to himself as such? But that is what Jesus Christ did in the verse below.
Revelations 1:17-18
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the FIRST and the LAST. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Can you tell us what Jesus meant when he took a title that can only be applied to God and applied it to himself? If he wasn't claiming to be God, then what was he doing?
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