The Need to Believe Jesus Is God

Below is my response to a friend who suggested that in John 14:6, Jesus May have meant to say, “I am. The way, the truth, and the life.” He uses the Hebrew word “hayah” which, as a verb, can mean “was,” “am,” or “is,” depending upon the context in which it is used. He used it erroneously and concluded that Jesus “was” created in water according to Gen. 1:2. That’s a very strange interpretation. Here’s my response:

Good afternoon (my friend), Jesus’ words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” in John 14:1 makes more sense as a complete sentence. It’s consistent with all the other “I am” statements Jesus made in John’s gospel (John 6:35; 8:22; 9:5; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5).

Using the Hebrew word “hayah” outside its use in various biblical contexts results in false teaching.

Jesus is God as much as the Father is God (John 1:1; Colossians 1:19; 2:9). As the eternal Co-Creator of “all things” (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17), Jesus could not have been “born through water,” except in the womb of His virgin mother, Mary, when she conceived Him by the Holy Spirit as she was told by the angel Gabriel:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Thus, Christ became man in the flesh (incarnation) and given the name Jesus. Gabriel told Mary’s husband, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20-21). Those are profound accounts of the incarnation of Christ. That is, God becoming man. Otherwise, Christ would not have risen from the dead and salvation would be impossible (1 Cor. 15:13-19). If “hayah” is interpreted in a way that understands Jesus Christ as being less than equal to God the Father, then another person needs to be sought for salvation. “Houston, we have a problem.”

Blessings!