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Effective Verses to Show that Jesus IS Jehovah

NT authors frequently used OT passages that referred to Jehovah in reference to the Son.  

            ·        Isaiah 6:1 with John 12:37-41.

      ·        Psalm 102:25-27 with Hebrews 1:10 (also: Isa. 8:12-13 with 1 Peter 3:14-15; Isa. 45:23 with Phil. 2:10; Joel 2:32                        with  Rom. 10:13).

John 1:1

John 1:1a indicates that the Word was eternal: en archē ēn ho logos, “In [the] beginning was the Word. . . .” The Greek verb ēn, “was” is an imperfect tense, which indicates that the Word was always existing (cf. Phil. 2:6: hos en morphē theou huparchōn, lit., “[Christ Jesus] who in nature God subsisting”). 

At John 1:1b (lit., "the Word was with the God"), the eternal Word is said to be distinct (pros, "with") from His Father. Then, at John 1:1c, John literally writes: "God was the Word" (theos ēn ho logos). Note that the Apostle John places theos ("God") in the *emphatic position* (i.e., at the beginning of the clause) and theos is anarthrous (i.e., without the article ["the"]). 

Thus, John clearly indicates here that (a) the eternal Word was "God" in the fullest sense (hence, he places theos ["God"] in emphatic position) and (b) John purposely presents theos as anarthrous, that is, he does not include the article ("the") before theos as in John 1:1b (speaking of the Father). Hence, theos is *qualitative* pointing to the Word's nature as fully God, not His identity. Qualitative nouns refer to description, not identification (cf. John 1:14; 4:24; 1 John 1:5). For if John had written: "The God was the Word" (ho theos ēn ho logos) he would have then indicated that the Word was the same God (same Person or identity) as "God" in John 1:1b--the Father! 

Thus, John precludes an indefinite rendering ("a god" as in the NWT) by places theos in the empathic position and safeguards against modalism (Oneness theology) that asserts Jesus is the Father.

 In conclusion: John 1:1 teaches that (a) the Word is eternal (1:1a:  “In [the] beginning was [ēn] the Word), (b) the Word is eternally distinct from the Father (1:1b: the Word was with [pros] God), and (c) as to the Word's essential nature, He is God in the fullest sense (1:1c: lit., "God [theos] was the Word"). 

For more details on John 1:1 and an analysis of the Watchtower's indefinite rendering of theos in John 1:1c ("a god" NWT), see  John 1:1.          

Jesus is called “The God” (o qeoj, ho theos):

John 20:28 Thomas said to Jesus (direct address): ho kurios mou kai ho theos mou, lit. “the Lord of me and the God of me” (see the WT’s own Greek interlinear called: The Kingdom Interlinear Translation).

Titus 2:13: “The great God and Savior”: tou megalou theou kai sōtēros hēmōn Christou Iēsou, lit. “the great God and Savior of us Christ Jesus.” Note: in 2 Peter 1:1 is the same grammatical construction (i.e., article-noun-kai-noun): tou theou hēmōn kai sōtēros Iēsou Christou, lit. “the God of us and Savior Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Peter 1:11; 2:20; 3:2, 18; 2 Thess. 1:12; see Gk.). See here for more details on Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1.

Hebrews 1:8: “But of the Son He [the Father] says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD IS FOREVER AND EVER. . . .” (ho thronos sou ho theos, lit. “the throne of you the God”).

Jesus’ Absolute claim to BE
the “I Am” (egw eimi, egō eimi):

These would be Mark 6:50; John 8:24; 8:28; 8:58; 13:19 (cf. Isa. 43:10; LXX); 18:5; 18:6; and 18:8.

*Why is it important to know and teach that Jesus IS God?: Besides that of John 4:24; 17:3 and 1 John 2:23, Jesus declares in John 8:24:

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am He [egō eimi], you will die in your sins [note: “He” is not in the Gk.]. See Jesus Christ: The Eternal Egw Eimi, egō eimi, "I Am" for expanded details on the "I Am" affirmations made by Jesus.    

*See also: John 1:18; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:9 (theotētos); Heb. 1:3; 1 John 5:20; Rev. 5:13-14 [The Trinity: One God revealed in three distinct coequal, coeternal, coexistent Persons].