Jesus Has A God
The relationship between Jesus and God the Father is a central theme in Christian theology. While the divinity of Jesus is a cornerstone of faith for many, certain passages in the Bible describe a dynamic where Jesus himself refers to God. This article will explore those scriptures, examining the words of Jesus and his apostles to better understand this aspect of their relationship.
The Testimony of Jesus
Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke of God as his Father and, on occasion, as his God. This is most evident in his prayers and direct statements.
Jesus' Direct Statements
Jesus distinguished himself from God in several direct statements.
So He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” — Matthew 19:17 (NKJV)
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing... How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.” — John 5:19,44-45 (ESV)
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge.” — John 8:49-50 (ESV)
Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that He is your God. — John 8:54 (KJV)
After his resurrection, Jesus made a clear distinction between his Father and God, and ours.
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” — John 20:17 (ESV)
Later, in Revelation, Jesus continues to refer to the Father as “my God.”
The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. — Revelation 3:12 (ESV)
The speaker identifies himself as “the first and the last” and “the living one” who died and lives for evermore. This identifies the speaker as Jesus and supports reading Revelation 3:12 as Jesus’ words.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” — Revelation 1:17-19 (ESV)
Jesus' Prayers
Jesus’ prayers also show his relationship with the Father. He prayed to God, showing dependence and communion.
And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. — Luke 6:12 (KJV)
And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” — John 11:41 (ESV)
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as You have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (commissioned or sent on a mission).” — John 17:1-3 (NKJV)
Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane records his submission to the Father’s will.
And he (Jesus) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt... He (Jesus) went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. — Matthew 26:39,42 (KJV)
Jesus also indicated that he could pray to his Father for angelic intervention.
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? — Matthew 26:53 (KJV)
These passages show a consistent pattern of Jesus communicating with his Father as a distinct being to whom he prayed.
Jesus Was Baptised
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.” — Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)
Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” — Acts 19:4 (NKJV)
However:
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. — Mark 1:9 (NKJV)
The Testimony of the Apostles
The apostles, who learned directly from Jesus, continued this understanding in their own writings and sermons. They consistently referred to the Father as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The Apostle Paul
Paul presents God as Christ’s head:
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God — 1 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul frequently used the phrasing "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" in his letters to the early churches:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places... — Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)
...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him... — Ephesians 1:17 (NKJV)
...that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Romans 15:6 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort... — 2 Corinthians 1:3 (ESV)
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. — 2 Corinthians 11:31 (KJV)
Paul's consistent terminology across different letters emphasizes that the early church understood the Father to be the God of Jesus.
The Apostle Peter
Peter began his first epistle with a similar declaration.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... — 1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
In one of his first sermons after Jesus’ ascension, Peter identifies Jesus as God’s servant.
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. — Acts 3:13 (ESV)
The Apostle John
The Apostle John, in the opening of his Revelation, also presents this same view.
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and Who was and Who is to come... and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness... who... made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. — Revelation 1:4-6 (ESV)
This shows that "Him who is and Who was and Who is to come"" is distinct from "Jesus Christ" and is "his God".
This shows a unified understanding among the apostles, who all described the Father as the God of Jesus Christ.
A Common Objection
Some cite Paul’s statement that his apostleship came “not from men nor through man” as evidence that Jesus was not human.
Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead)... — Galatians 1:1 (NKJV)
In context, Paul contrasts his commission with human appointment. He says that his authority came directly through Jesus Christ and God the Father, rather than from a human institution. Other translations make this sense explicit.
Paul, an apostle (not commissioned and sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ. The Messiah. And God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)... — Galatians 1:1 (AMP)
Conclusion
The passages considered here present Jesus as referring to the Father as his God in direct statements and prayers. The apostles’ testimony, Jesus’ baptism, and the response to a common objection provide further evidence for this reading.