Is Jesus God If He Has a God? by Kermit Zarley
(AKA Servetus the Evangelical)
Most Christians believe Jesus is God because that is what the institutional church has
taught. And it has asserted that if anyone does not believe Jesus is God, that person is not
a genuine Christian. But the Bible never supports this assertion.
For example, the Bible states repeatedly that Jesus had a God, he prayed to his God,
and he worshiped his God. Since the Bible constantly proclaims that there is numerically
only one God, Jesus having a God is prime evidence that he was not God.
The New Testament (NT) evidence that Jesus had a God is in the Gospel of John, the
Apostle Paul’s letters, and the book of Revelation. And in most of this sacred writ, it is
Jesus himself who is quoted as saying he has a God—the Father.
The first NT evidence that Jesus had a God and that he worshipped his God appears
in the narrative about Jesus encountering the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4.7-
26). Now, the Samaritans were half Jew and half Gentile, and they worshiped the God of
the Bible. But they disputed with Jews about the proper place on earth to worship God.
They claimed it was their Mount Gerizim, and Jews claimed it was their Temple Mount
at Jerusalem. When Jesus revealed to the woman that he was a prophet, she posed this
question about the proper place of worship. Jesus replied by saying of the Samaritans,
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from
the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is
spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (vv. 22-24). When
Jesus said, “we worship what we know,” he included himself among the true worshipers
of God. And notice that he called God “the Father.”
Jesus also revealed that he had a God ... only minutes after his
resurrection. Mary Magdalene—one of Jesus’ disciples from whom he exorcised seven
demons—came early that morning to Jesus’ tomb and discovered it empty (John 20.1-
18). She ran and told two of Jesus’ disciples, one being the Apostle Simon Peter. They
ran to the tomb, discovered it empty, and departed. Mary then returned to the tomb and
apparently became the first disciple who literally saw and conversed with the risen Jesus.
We read, “Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the
Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, “I ascend to my Father and your Father,
and my God and your God”’” (v. 17). So, the risen Jesus clearly called the Father
“My God.” ...
Five times the Apostle Paul writes unequivocally about God the Father being the
God of the Lord Jesus Christ. These texts are as follow:
Six times the book of Revelation describes Jesus Christ as having a God, who is none
other than God the Father. These passages are as follows:
The Old Testament (OT) states that the Messiah has a God. First, while Jesus hung on
the cross he quoted Psalm 22.1 and applied it to himself by crying out,
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27.46; Mark 15.34).
Second, Isaiah foretold much about a righteous Servant of Yahweh (Isaiah Chs. 42—53), whom the Apostle Peter implied was Jesus (Acts 3.13; 4.27, 30). Isaiah represented this Servant as saying, “the justice due to me is with the LORD [=Yahweh], and my reward with my God…. For I am honored in the sight of YAHWEH, and my God is my strength” (Isaiah 49.4-5). Third, Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in “Bethlehem” and become “ruler in Israel” in “the name of YAHWEH his God” (Micah 5.2, 4).
So, fifteen times the Bible declares unequivocally that Jesus had a God, whom he
designated as “the/My Father.” Yet the Bible never conversely states that the Father has a
God, much less that he is the man Jesus Christ. One would expect this if the institutional
church has been right about its doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one essence existing in
three separate and distinct, co-equal and co-eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Johannine Jesus said, “the Father is greater than I” (John
14.28), so that they cannot be co-equal; he identified the Father as “the one and only
God” (5.44); and he prayed to the Father, calling him “the only true God” (17.3).
With such overwhelming evidence that God the Father is the God of Jesus Christ, it
is biblically incorrect to identify Jesus as God and morally irresponsible for the church
to not accept people as genuine Christians only because they do not believe Jesus is God.
Paul clearly states, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9). ...
The above article was taken from:
Is Jesus God If He Has a God?
Some editing has been done on each article.
(AKA Servetus the Evangelical)
Most Christians believe Jesus is God because that is what the institutional church has
taught. And it has asserted that if anyone does not believe Jesus is God, that person is not
a genuine Christian. But the Bible never supports this assertion.
For example, the Bible states repeatedly that Jesus had a God, he prayed to his God,
and he worshiped his God. Since the Bible constantly proclaims that there is numerically
only one God, Jesus having a God is prime evidence that he was not God.
The New Testament (NT) evidence that Jesus had a God is in the Gospel of John, the
Apostle Paul’s letters, and the book of Revelation. And in most of this sacred writ, it is
Jesus himself who is quoted as saying he has a God—the Father.
The first NT evidence that Jesus had a God and that he worshipped his God appears
in the narrative about Jesus encountering the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4.7-
26). Now, the Samaritans were half Jew and half Gentile, and they worshiped the God of
the Bible. But they disputed with Jews about the proper place on earth to worship God.
They claimed it was their Mount Gerizim, and Jews claimed it was their Temple Mount
at Jerusalem. When Jesus revealed to the woman that he was a prophet, she posed this
question about the proper place of worship. Jesus replied by saying of the Samaritans,
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from
the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is
spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (vv. 22-24). When
Jesus said, “we worship what we know,” he included himself among the true worshipers
of God. And notice that he called God “the Father.”
Jesus also revealed that he had a God ... only minutes after his
resurrection. Mary Magdalene—one of Jesus’ disciples from whom he exorcised seven
demons—came early that morning to Jesus’ tomb and discovered it empty (John 20.1-
18). She ran and told two of Jesus’ disciples, one being the Apostle Simon Peter. They
ran to the tomb, discovered it empty, and departed. Mary then returned to the tomb and
apparently became the first disciple who literally saw and conversed with the risen Jesus.
We read, “Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the
Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, “I ascend to my Father and your Father,
and my God and your God”’” (v. 17). So, the risen Jesus clearly called the Father
“My God.” ...
Five times the Apostle Paul writes unequivocally about God the Father being the
God of the Lord Jesus Christ. These texts are as follow:
- “glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15.6).
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 1.3).
- “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11.31).
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1.3).
- “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” (Ephesians 1.17).
Six times the book of Revelation describes Jesus Christ as having a God, who is none
other than God the Father. These passages are as follows:
- Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1.6).
- Jesus said, “I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God” (3.2).
- Jesus said, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God (3.12).
- Jesus added, “and I will write on him the name of my God” (3.12).
- Jesus added, “and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem” (3.12).
- Jesus added, “which comes down out of heaven from my God” (3.12).
The Old Testament (OT) states that the Messiah has a God. First, while Jesus hung on
the cross he quoted Psalm 22.1 and applied it to himself by crying out,
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27.46; Mark 15.34).
Second, Isaiah foretold much about a righteous Servant of Yahweh (Isaiah Chs. 42—53), whom the Apostle Peter implied was Jesus (Acts 3.13; 4.27, 30). Isaiah represented this Servant as saying, “the justice due to me is with the LORD [=Yahweh], and my reward with my God…. For I am honored in the sight of YAHWEH, and my God is my strength” (Isaiah 49.4-5). Third, Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in “Bethlehem” and become “ruler in Israel” in “the name of YAHWEH his God” (Micah 5.2, 4).
So, fifteen times the Bible declares unequivocally that Jesus had a God, whom he
designated as “the/My Father.” Yet the Bible never conversely states that the Father has a
God, much less that he is the man Jesus Christ. One would expect this if the institutional
church has been right about its doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one essence existing in
three separate and distinct, co-equal and co-eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Johannine Jesus said, “the Father is greater than I” (John
14.28), so that they cannot be co-equal; he identified the Father as “the one and only
God” (5.44); and he prayed to the Father, calling him “the only true God” (17.3).
With such overwhelming evidence that God the Father is the God of Jesus Christ, it
is biblically incorrect to identify Jesus as God and morally irresponsible for the church
to not accept people as genuine Christians only because they do not believe Jesus is God.
Paul clearly states, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9). ...
The above article was taken from:
Is Jesus God If He Has a God?
Some editing has been done on each article.
