Bible verses that allegedly deny Jesus' divinity

We believe Jesus Christ is TRUE GOD and TRUE MAN

1. Hosea 11:9 and Numbers 23:19- God is not a man

Let us take a look at Hosea 11:9 carefully, or should I say, let us post the entire text of Hosea 11:9

Hosea 11:9, “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.”

What is being referred to there is God is not like any human being who is easily angered. It doesn’t say there that God cannot become a man. The same applies in Numbers 23:19. Let us read it:

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

In this verse, Balaam doesn’t say God cannot become man, but rather, He is not man that He should lie, and nor the son of man that He should repent or change His mind. Sometimes, we always think that God is as strict as man, but that's not how we should view Him. Even though our views of Him is quite different, it doesn't change the fact that God IS God, all merciful. That is the proper way of exegeting Hosea 11:9 and Numbers 23:19.

The parable of the prodigal son is one way of understanding Hosea 11:9 and Numbers 23:19

2. Ezekiel 28:2- You are not God, but only a man

To understand this passage better, let us read the context of Ezekiel 28:2, starting from v.1, here’s what it says:

Ezekiel 28:1-2, “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:”

The question: Is it Jesus being referred to there? In the light of the context itself, it refers to the Prince of Tyrus who is known to be Satan himself, basing it from vv.13-15, here’s what it says:

Ezekiel 28:13-15, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Therefore, in the light of that context, it is the Prince of Tyre who is being rebuked by God here, not Jesus Christ Himself.

Ezekiel 28:13, "You were perfect in all your ways until iniquity was found in you"

3. John 8:40- A man telling the truth from God

Of course, we don’t deny Jesus is indeed a man. However, the verse needs to be finished. Let us read the whole text of John 8:40

John 8:40, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.”

In the light of that text, it totally debunks those who say Jesus is only human like the INC of Manalo. Here, Jesus mentions the sentence, “This did not Abraham” which proves His preexistence. What did Abraham do which the Jews didn’t do to Christ? Let us read John 8:56

John 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” 

The Jews reacted to this statement in v.57

John 8:57, ”Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”

How come a mere man claimed to have seen Abraham who lived approximately 4000 years before him? Jesus here affirms His divinity:

John 8:58, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Jesus attributes the Tetragammaton to Himself, making Him equal with God in Exodus 3:14. That is why the Jews wanted Him dead:

John 8:59, ”Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

"Before Abraham was born, I AM" (Jn. 8:58). Jesus claims to be Yahweh (The LORD God) who existed before Abraham

4. John 17:3- That they may know You (The Father) as the only true God

Of course we know the Father is the only true God. But try to finish the verse in John 17:3, here’s what it says:

John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

It doesn’t say, “The Father is the only true God AND NOT Jesus Christ whom He sent”. In fact, that is a conjunctive statement, with the coordinating conjunction, “and”. But if we start the reading from John 17:1,5, and 24, it will affirm Jesus’ divinity. Here goes:

John 17:1,5, 24, “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:…And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was……Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

See? The prayer of Jesus alone in John 17 proves His divinity and His preexistence with the Father. Later, in St. John’s first epistle, Jesus is called the true God. Let us read 1 John 5:20

1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Jesus praying to the Father for His disciples

St. John says that Jesus Christ who revealed the Father, "is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20)

5. John 20:17, "I am going to Him who is My Father and your Father. My God and your God"

To understand this passage better, we need to look at the text itself, in John 20:17 from the King James Version of the Holy Scriptures:

John 20:17, "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

In this passage alone, Jesus is affirming His Sonship as distinct from ours to Mary Magdalene. In John 3:16, Jesus calls Himself to Nicodemus as, "The only begotten Son" and also in John's Prologue in John 1, Christ is called, "The begotten of the Father". So here, His divinity is still affirmed because He, as the "monogenes theos" or only begotten God in Greek possess the very nature of the Father (John 10:30). But He also calls the Father, "My God" as proof that He really is a man and that He does not seek to glorify Himself but the Father who sent Him. That is found in John 8:54 and here's what it says:

John 8:54, "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:"

But later in Hebrews 1:8 when the Son is fully glorified, thus we hear the Father speak about His Son:

Hebrews 1:8, "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."

The Resurrection of Jesus is proof of His divinity

The Father says to the Son: "Your throne O God is forever and ever!" (Hebrews 1:8)

6. Acts 2:36- God made Jesus Lord and Christ

Jesus was made Lord and Christ, not because He was not Lord and Christ to begin with. In fact, when He was born, He was already Lord and Christ. Let us read Luke 2:11, here’s what it says:

Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

But the real meaning is this: Jesus was already manifested to Israel as the Lord and Christ, but the Jews didn’t realize it, resulting in crucifying Him. Let us read 1 Corinthians 2:8

1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

St. Peter proclaimed that in his first sermon. Let us read Acts 2:34-35, here’s what it says:

Acts 2:34-35, “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.”

In the Old Testament, Jesus is David’s Lord sitting at the right hand of the Lord God (The Father). This is not a promotion from humanity to deity, but rather, an affirmation of Jesus’ deity.

The angels announced that Jesus IS Christ the Lord, yet the Jews didn't see it

If the Jews saw that Jesus IS Christ the Lord, they would not have killed Him on the cross

7. Acts 5:31- God made Jesus Prince and Savior

Jesus was made Prince and Savior not because He was not Prince and Savior to start with. Remember, the prophet Isaiah spoke about Jesus once about being the Prince:

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us, a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and a government will be upon His shoulders. His Name will be called, “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace”

About Jesus being the Savior, the angel said about Him:

Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”

Rather, Jesus was made to be Prince and Savior in a sense that He was revealed as such. Again, this is not a promotion from humanity do deity, but rather, a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Old Testament which Jews failed to see.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Prince of Peace

Jesus (to us): "Peace is what I leave you, it is My own peace I give you. I do not give it as the world does"

(John 14:27)

8. 1 Corinthians 15:28- The Son will submit to the Father

What is the purpose of this? "So that God will be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28). It doesn't mean that the Son is inferior to the Father. It only means that everything in this world ends with the Father and the Son since He Himself said, "All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine" (John 17:10). In the beginning, everything begins with the Father and the Son as it is written in John 1:1

John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"

At the end of all things, everything will end with the Father and the Son since they are both the Alpha and the Omega.

The Father: Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

The Son (Jesus): And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (Revelation 1:17)

The kingdoms of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and  ever! (Revelation 11:15)