Jesus Christ made claims about his identity that have implications for everyone. No other figure in history made claims like his.
As we examine these claims, one question matters most: did Jesus back them up? Did his actions demonstrate the authority his words claimed?
His life gives us plenty to weigh. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, calmed storms, and raised the dead – supernatural signs that pointed to a message meant for all mankind.
He is widely regarded as the greatest moral teacher history has produced. His ethical teaching has never been surpassed. He delivered an uncompromising call to salvation, and those who encountered him rarely stayed neutral – they followed him, or they were offended by him. He lived a perfect, unblemished life, and he is the only person in recorded history said to have risen from the dead, never to die again.
This makes Jesus unique. Whatever we make of him, his life deserves serious investigation. If we accept that his life was extraordinary, it follows that the claims he made about himself deserve the same attention. A man who lives as he did earns the right to be heard.
It would be strange to hear of someone who authenticates his message in ways unmatched in history, who has drawn millions of followers across two millennia, many of whom died for him, and then simply shrug it off.
So who did Jesus claim to be? Here are some of his own statements about his identity, in no particular order.
The “I AM” claims
John’s gospel records seven “I AM” statements. Together they build a single picture: Jesus as the only way to salvation. The wording changes each time, but the message doesn’t – life comes through following him, and nowhere else.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NIV, emphasis added)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV, emphasis added)
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep… I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:7, 9 NIV, emphasis added)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me– (John 10:11, 14 NIV, emphasis added)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; (John 11:25 NIV, emphasis added)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV, emphasis added)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. … I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1, 5 NIV, emphasis added)
Jesus is claiming to be the only way of salvation. Either that’s true, or it’s false – there’s no middle ground. And these statements rule out any other path to eternal life. Bread of life. Light of the world. Good shepherd. Door of the sheep. Resurrection and life. Way, truth and life. True vine. None of these titles can be shared. Jesus claims every one of them for himself alone.
The claims to be God
One of Jesus’ most provocative statements also comes from John’s gospel:
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:58-59 NIV, emphasis added)
This comes at the end of a heated exchange with the Pharisees, in which Jesus claims the divine name given to Moses:
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. (Exodus 3:14-15 NIV)
The Pharisees’ reaction tells you how they understood it. Picking up stones was the response to blasphemy, they knew exactly what Jesus was claiming.
He makes the same claim again a little later in John’s gospel:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:27-33 NIV)
Both statements were understood, at the time, as a claim to deity, confirmed by how furiously the Pharisees reacted. It’s often the reactions around Jesus that reveal the true weight of what he said.
The claim to be Creator of the World
Jesus makes a direct claim to this in Revelation:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NIV)
Similar claims appear in Revelation 1:11, 1:17, 21:6, 22:13 and 22:16 – all made by Jesus, since it’s Jesus who appears to John in this vision (Revelation 1:1-2). He’s claiming to be the source of everything that exists. Paul confirms this in Colossians:
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:16-18 NIV)
Jesus claims to be the creator of everything and that his own existence has no beginning and no end.
The claim to hold all power in heaven and earth
Here, Jesus claims total authority. A position that, if true, cannot be shared with anyone else in history. He also claims the right to command all nations:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)
If we take this seriously, it’s worth studying what Jesus asks of those who follow him throughout the gospels.
The claim to forgive sins
This is one of Jesus’s most divisive claims. The Jewish leaders of his day understood, correctly, that only God can forgive sin:
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:48-49 NIV)
He makes the same claim in Mark 2:3-12, where the crowd’s reaction spells out exactly what’s at stake:
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7 NIV)
The claim to be the judge
Jesus also claims the authority to judge:
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:22-27 NIV)
Paul confirms this in his letter to the Corinthians:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV)
Other claims
Jesus also makes a number of claims indirectly:
- He is the Son of God (John 9:35-37). At his baptism and his transfiguration, God himself declared it and Jesus never corrected it (Matthew 3:17, 17:5).
- He is the Messiah (Matthew 26:63-66; John 4:25-26). The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you–I am he.” (John 4:25-26 NIV)
- We are to love him more than our closest family (Matthew 10:32-37).
- He will return in glory with the angels to reward people for their deeds (Matthew 16:27).
- He accepts worship, and in doing so, accepts the claim to be God (Matthew 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38).
How will you respond?
This is far from a complete survey of Jesus’s claims. But it’s enough to show he was no ordinary man. If these claims are false, there are only two explanations: he was lying, or he was deluded.
Yet he backed them up – with signs, with wonders, and ultimately by defeating death itself. His followers backed him too, giving up everything and often facing execution for it. Would you die for a lie?
Some say Jesus was simply a good man, or a prophet. But no mere prophet makes claims like these – he was a prophet, and far more. And no good man lies about who he is. Either Jesus was good and his claims are true, or he wasn’t good at all. You can’t have it both ways.
So: how will you respond?
Jesus gave us plenty of evidence, and he lived a life that matched every claim he made. Who else has lived a perfect life, performed miracles, risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven – all witnessed by hundreds, if not thousands, of people? The fact that many of those witnesses went on to face torture and death for their testimony says something about how convinced they were.
Sitting on the fence isn’t really an option. You can reject his claims and do nothing. You can accept them as true and still do nothing, but that would be strange. If someone warned you your house was on fire and you believed them, would you stay inside? Accepting the claims of Jesus and doing nothing is both an insult to him and a foolish risk to yourself.
The third option is to accept his claims and respond in faith. Visit our How to be saved page to find out what that looks like.
The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he.’ (John 4:25-26 NIV)