Whether God and Jesus are the same person cuts to the core of one of Christianity’s most essential doctrines: the Trinity.
The Trinity asserts that there is one God manifested in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal.
While the Bible affirms Jesus is the Son of God and part of the Trinity, how does that play out in the relationship between Jesus and God the Father? This leads us to the next question, whether God and Jesus are the same person.
The short answer to this question is no.
But let me shed more light so you can understand why this answer is no.
Is Jesus God?
The concept of God and Jesus being the same person aligns with a theological perspective known as modalism. According to this belief, there is indeed one God, but He does not exist eternally in three distinct persons as traditionally understood in the doctrine of the Trinity.
Instead, modalism claims that God reveals Himself in different ways or modes at various times. In the Old Testament, he functions as God the Father. In the New Testament, he incarnates as Jesus; in the present, he operates as the Holy Spirit. However, upon closer examination of scripture, this interpretation poses challenges in reconciling it with what has been revealed in God’s Word.
The difficulty arises when considering the numerous instances in the Bible and Jesus’ own teachings that emphasize the distinction between God and Jesus. This distinction is not one of deity but one of role and identity. To assert that Jesus and God are the same person under modalism requires you to disregard these explicit references. We cannot reconcile modalism with the scriptural revelations that maintain the distinctiveness of Jesus and God within the context of the Trinity.
Let’s consider a few scriptures highlighting the difference.
Differences Between God and Jesus in Scripture
In various passages throughout the Bible, Jesus continually emphasizes his relationship with the Father. For example, he speaks of fulfilling the Father’s will and following his commands. These expressions of intimacy and relationship reinforce the idea that Jesus and the Father are not the same person. Here are four scriptures to highlight.
God and Jesus present at the beginning
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2)
In the first verse of John’s gospel, we learn something important about Jesus - that he is the Word of God. These verses tell us three essential things about who Jesus is. First, he is the Word. Second, he was with God. And third, he is God. So, in the beginning, Jesus (the Word) was there with God (the Father). John wanted to clarify that God and Jesus are not the same person, but there was a distinction between the two.
If God and Jesus were the same person, John’s writing would not make much sense, and John wouldn’t need to say all this. He could have just stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.” But he deliberately emphasizes that Jesus was with God, showing they are distinct from each other, not the same person. This truth is critical in understanding the relationship between God the Father and Jesus. Furthermore, it sets the foundation for understanding the Trinity.
Jesus praying before he raised Lazarus
“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’” (John 11:41-42)
The story in John 11 recounts how Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. Before performing this amazing miracle, Jesus prayed to God, whom he called Father. This wasn’t the only time Jesus prayed to the Father. There were several instances recorded in the Bible where he did this. Before raising Lazarus, Jesus says a prayer where he says to God, “You heard me. You always hear me, and you sent me.” If God and Jesus are the same person, this prayer might confuse the listener and the reader.
It also would not make sense. Jesus would be praying to himself, saying things like “You heard me” and “You sent me,” which wouldn’t be logical. However, the fact he prayed this way helps us understand that God and Jesus are not the same person. By praying, Jesus doesn’t deny who he is. These prayers of Jesus help us see that he acknowledges the distinct roles between the Father and himself.
Jesus returning to the Father
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:28)
This verse further highlights the contrast between Jesus and the Father. Jesus clearly states that he came from the Father and is returning to him. For this statement to have any meaning, there must be a distinction between Jesus and the Father. They cannot be the same person. Otherwise, it would imply that Jesus came from himself and is returning to himself, which doesn’t make sense.
Differences Between Jesus and the Holy Spirit in Scripture
Dealing with the question about Jesus and God also means we have to consider whether the Bible indicates that Jesus and the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, are distinct.
Jesus promising to send the Holy Spirit
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)
The final verses to highlight show not only the distinction between God and Jesus the Father. These also highlight the distinction between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There is a difference between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Considering everything written in the gospels and the very words of Jesus, we must conclude that Jesus and God are connected but not precisely the same person. Some might still have questions about the deity of Christ. However, for those who follow the Biblical view of Jesus, the conclusion is clear: Jesus is God, but in some mysterious way, God and Jesus are distinct, not the exact same person.
Conclusion
The evidence from various biblical passages, including Jesus’ prayers and statements, unmistakably reveals that God and Jesus are not the same person. The distinct roles and interactions between Jesus and the Father emphasize their separate identities within the Trinity. To suggest otherwise would lead to illogical and contradictory interpretations, where Jesus prays to himself and speaks of returning to himself. The doctrine of the Trinity may not be the easiest to comprehend fully, but it is clear from scripture that God has revealed himself as one God in three persons.
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