Is Jesus God?

Jehovah God himself leaves no doubt about the identity of his Son. Matthew's Gospel account relates that after Jesus was baptized, "there was a voice from the heavens that said: "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved. ' " (Matthew 3:16, 17) Yet, some religious people say that Jesus is God. Others say that God is a Trinity. According to this teaching, "the Father is God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet, there are not three Gods, but one God." It is held that the three are "co-eternal and co-equal." (The Catholic Encyclopedia) are such views correct?

Concerning Jehovah, the inspired Scriptures say: "Even from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God." (Psalm 90:2) He is "the King of eternity"-without beginning or end. ( 1Timothy 1:17) Jesus, on the other hand, is "the firstborn of all creation," "the beginning of the creation by God." (Colossians 1:13-15; Revelation 3:14) Referring to God as his Father, Jesus said: "The Father is greater than I am." (John 14:28) Jesus also explained that there were some things neither he nor the angels knew but that were known only by God. (Mark 13:32) Moreover, Jesus prayed to his Father, saying: "Let, not my will, but yours take place." (Luke 22:42) To whom was he praying if not to a Personage superior to him? And it was God who resurrected Jesus from death, not Jesus himself. -Acts 2:32.

Scripturally,then, Jehovah is God Almighty, and Jesus is his Son. The two of them were not equal before Jesus came to the earth or during his earthly life; nor did Jesus become equal to his Father after being resurrected to heaven. ( 1 Corinthians 11:3; 15:28) As we have seen, the so-called third person of the Trinity, the holy spirit, is not a person. Rather, it is a force that God uses to accomplish whatever he wishes. The Trinity, then, is not a Scriptural teaching. "Jehovah our God is one Jehovah," says the Bible. -Deuteronomy 6:4.

Next time: Get To Know God Better

Watchtower, 2002