4. Comparing God and Jesus: What Does Scripture Say About Their Defining Characteristics?

If Jesus is God, why does Scripture repeatedly describe God and Jesus in ways that appear incompatible with one another?

God does not contradict Himself or who He reveals Himself to be. Scripture says that God does not change, cannot be tempted, knows everything, needs nothing, is invisible, and is the God whom others worship.

Yet Scripture says that Jesus grew and learned, was tempted, did not know everything, depended upon God, was visible, worshipped God, prayed to God, obeyed God, received authority from God, and called this God his God.

The traditional Christian answer is that these statements concern Jesus’ human nature rather than his divine nature. According to the doctrine commonly called the hypostatic union, Jesus is one person possessing both a fully divine nature and a fully human nature. Statements describing weakness, limitation, suffering, temptation, or death are therefore attributed to his humanity, while his divine nature remains fully God (Council of Chalcedon).

I want to represent that explanation fairly.

But I also think we need to ask a prior question:

Does Scripture itself tell us to understand Jesus this way?

The Bible never explicitly says, “Jesus has two natures.” It never says that Jesus knows something according to one nature while not knowing it according to another, that he can be tempted according to one nature while being unable to be tempted according to another, or that his human nature died while his divine nature remained immortal.

Those formulations arose as much later theological explanations intended to reconcile different biblical passages (Ayres; Council of Chalcedon).

Before beginning with that explanation, I think we should first place the biblical descriptions of God and Jesus beside one another and allow the cumulative pattern to speak for itself.

Why Logic Matters

Romans 1:20–21 says:

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

Paul explicitly says that creation reveals something about God.

Creation is also profoundly rational and orderly. Mathematics, physical laws, cause and effect, and the intelligibility of the universe depend upon consistency. Two plus two does not sometimes equal four and sometimes equal five in the same respect.

This does not mean everything about God must be simple or completely comprehensible. God is infinitely greater than us.

But incomprehensibility is not the same thing as contradiction, and mystery is not the same thing as logical incoherence.

If an interpretation of Scripture repeatedly requires us to say that someone both possesses and does not possess the same defining characteristic, we should at least ask whether the difficulty lies not in God, but in our interpretation.

For example:

How can God be unable to be tempted while Jesus truly was tempted?

How can God know everything while Jesus does not know something?

How can God inherently possess all power while Jesus says he can do nothing from himself?

How can God be the One worshipped while Jesus himself worships God?

How can God have no God while Jesus repeatedly says that he has a God?

These are not insignificant questions. Nor do I think they should automatically be dismissed by calling them mysteries.

Before appealing to mystery, we should determine whether Scripture itself requires the apparently contradictory conclusion in the first place.

First: What Does Scripture Say God Is Like?

Thousands—even tens of thousands—of books have been written about who God is. I cannot begin to cover everything Scripture says about Him here.

Instead, I want to identify some of the primary characteristics and descriptions of God found throughout the Bible. There is infinitely more that could be said, but I believe these passages provide a solid biblical foundation for asking the question at the heart of this study:

Who is God?

That foundation matters enormously before we ask whether Jesus is God.

Scripture describes God in the following ways:

- God is Spirit. John 4:24- God is Light. 1 John 1:5- God is Love. 1 John 4:8, 16- God is immortal—He cannot die. 1 Timothy 6:16- God is the Creator of the whole world. Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1- God is our inheritance. Psalm 16:5; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 1:11–14- God is our Refuge. Psalm 46:1- God is our Dwelling Place. Psalm 90:1- God is our Rock. Psalm 18:2- God is our Husband. Isaiah 54:5–8- God is our Shepherd. Psalm 23- God is our Protector and Shelter. Psalm 91- God is our Very Present Help. Psalm 46:1- God shows no favoritism. Romans 2:11- God is the ultimate King. Psalm 10:16- God is the spring of living water. Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 17:13; compare John 7:37–39 concerning the Holy Spirit- God satisfies. Psalm 107:9; Psalm 16; Psalm 34; Matthew 5:6- God is great. Psalm 95:3- God is awesome. Deuteronomy 7:21- God is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. Revelation 1:8- God gives salvation through His Son, Jesus. John 3:16- God is self-existing. Exodus 3:14; John 5:26- God is transcendent. Isaiah 55:8–9- God is self-sufficient and needs nothing from creation. Acts 17:24–25- God is eternal. Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17- God is good. Psalm 100:5- God is just. Deuteronomy 32:4- God is the ultimate Judge. Isaiah 33:22- God does not change. Malachi 3:6- God is infinite. Psalm 147:5- God is omnipresent—present everywhere. Psalm 139:7–12- God is wise. Romans 16:27- God is holy. Isaiah 6:3- God is faithful and true. Exodus 34:6–7; Numbers 23:19; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Titus 1:2- God is omniscient—He knows everything. 1 John 3:20- God is merciful. Psalm 103:8- God is gracious. Psalm 103:8; Lamentations 3:22–23- God is sovereign. Psalm 103:19- God is Father. Matthew 6:9- God is personal. Matthew 6:9- God is jealous. Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 6:15- God is patient. Romans 2:4- God is glorious. Psalm 19:1- God gives peace. Philippians 4:7- God is wrathful against sin. Romans 1:18- God is invisible. 1 Timothy 1:17- God is limitless. Psalm 147:5- God is omnipotent—all-powerful and dependent upon no outside source of power. Jeremiah 32:17- God is mysterious beyond complete human comprehension. Romans 11:33- God rules over all. Psalm 47:2; Daniel 4:17- God is forgiving. 1 John 1:9- The Father and Holy Spirit are one God, Yahweh. Deuteronomy 6:4; Acts 5:3–4- God is not a man or “son of man.” Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9

Of these characteristics, several are especially important when Jesus is compared with God.

Scripture presents God as Spirit, immortal, the source of living water, self-sufficient, omnipresent, omniscient, invisible, omnipotent, and not a man or son of man.

Yet Scripture does not describe Jesus in these same ways.

Jesus describes himself after his resurrection as having “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39).

The living water is identified with the Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39).

Jesus repeatedly depends upon God rather than existing independently of Him (John 5:19, 30).

Scripture never describes Jesus as omnipresent.

Jesus explicitly says there is something he does not know (Mark 13:32).

Jesus is visible, whereas God is repeatedly described as invisible.

Jesus receives power and authority from God rather than possessing all power independently (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:22).

And Jesus is repeatedly identified as a man, whereas Scripture explicitly distinguishes God from man.

Already, this raises a significant question:

How can Jesus be Yahweh, the God revealed throughout Scripture, if defining characteristics Scripture assigns to God do not belong to Jesus?

The Particularly Important Question of Immortality

Immortality deserves special attention because Scripture tells us that something changed concerning Jesus.

Romans 6:9 says:

“Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him.”

Notice the temporal language.

Christ “dies no more.”

Death “no more” has dominion over him.

Jesus truly died. But after God raised him from the dead, death no longer had dominion over him.

Paul describes God differently:

God “alone has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16).

God does not pass from mortality into immortality.

God does not conquer death by first dying and then being raised from death.

Immortality belongs intrinsically to who God is.

That distinction seems extraordinarily important to me.

Historic Christian orthodoxy answers this through the two-natures doctrine: Christ truly died according to his humanity while remaining immortal according to his deity (Council of Chalcedon).

Again, I understand that perspective. I was taught that my whole life.

But Scripture itself speaks much more straightforwardly:

Jesus died.

God raised Jesus from the dead.

Jesus now dies no more.

God is immortal.

If immortality belongs intrinsically to God’s being, how can the person who actually died be that immortal God?

If the answer requires dividing what happened to Jesus between two different natures, then I think that distinction needs to be demonstrated from Scripture rather than assumed beforehand from a theological formulation centuries after Jesus ascended (Council of Chalcedon).

23 Significant Biblical Contrasts Between God and Jesus

The issue extends far beyond immortality.

When Scripture’s descriptions of God and Jesus are placed side by side, I see at least 23 significant contrasts.

#	God	Jesus
1	God is Spirit and is not a man. John 4:24; Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9	Jesus is repeatedly called a man and describes himself as having flesh and bones. Acts 2:22; John 8:40; Luke 24:39
2	God cannot be tempted by evil. James 1:13	Jesus was tempted, including through suffering. Matthew 4:1–11; Hebrews 2:17–18; 4:15
3	God knows everything. 1 John 3:20	Jesus explicitly says he does not know the day or hour of his return. Mark 13:32
4	God is the One whom His people worship.	Jesus worships and prays to God and identifies himself with those who worship Him. John 4:21–24
5	God does not change. Malachi 3:6	Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and learned obedience. Luke 2:52; Hebrews 5:8
6	God does not need to be brought to completion through suffering.	Jesus was made perfect—brought to completion—through suffering. Hebrews 2:10; 5:8–9
7	God ultimately serves no higher being; creation serves Him.	Jesus is God's servant and High Priest, serving God. Hebrews 2:17–18; Acts 3:13
8	God is self-sufficient and omnipotent. He does not need another source to empower or anoint Him. Acts 17:24–25	Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power and says he can do nothing from himself. Acts 10:38; John 5:19, 30
9	God is the Creator and source of creation.	Jesus is called the “beginning of God’s creation” and “firstborn of all creation,” language whose interpretation must be examined carefully and I believe ultimately point to Jesus as a created being, not the Creator. Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15 Note: I address all passages that could potentially be understood as identifying Jesus as Creator later in this section. In my reading, when those passages are considered carefully in context, the biblical evidence points instead to Jesus as a created human being through whom God works. I cannot address every relevant passage adequately in a brief note here, so I will return to this question in detail later.
10	God fears no higher being.	Jesus possesses the fear of Yahweh through the Spirit. Isaiah 11:1–3
11	Scripture does not say God died for the sins of humanity. God is not the Lamb who died.	Jesus, the Lamb of God and human mediator, died for the world. Romans 5:15–17; 1 Timothy 2:5
12	God ultimately reigns over all and becomes “all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:28	Jesus eventually hands the Kingdom to God and is himself subjected to God. 1 Corinthians 15:24–28
13	Yahweh is the one God; Scripture never presents Him as having a God over Him.	Jesus repeatedly speaks of “my God” and identifies his God as the same God his followers have. John 20:17; Revelation 3:12
14	God is invisible. 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16	Jesus is visible and is called the image of the invisible God. Colossians 1:15
15	God’s will is His own sovereign will.	Jesus distinguishes his will from God’s will and submits his will to God. Luke 22:42
16	God’s people are His inheritance.	Jesus is an heir of God, together with believers. Romans 8:17
17	God is supreme over all.	Jesus says, “The Father is greater than I.” John 14:28
18	God belongs to no higher being and has no head over Him.	Jesus belongs to God, and God is Christ’s head. 1 Corinthians 3:23; 11:3
19	God inherently possesses authority to judge as the Judge of all.	Jesus is given authority to judge by God. John 5:22–27
20	God possesses life inherently.	Jesus says that the Father granted the Son to have life in himself. John 5:26
21	God is omnipresent. Psalm 139:7–12	Scripture never describes Jesus as inherently omnipresent; Jesus is consistently depicted as a person who can be located somewhere.
22	Yahweh is King forever. Psalm 10:16	Scripture says God made Jesus both Lord and Christ. Acts 2:36
23	God is eternally holy and without sin.	As I argue elsewhere, Jesus became perfect and purified; by that point Scripture could say of him, “in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). See my later article in this section for the full biblical argument.

These are not merely different titles given to two persons who otherwise possess identical defining attributes.

They concern the very characteristics by which Scripture tells us what God is like.

But God and Jesus Also Share Important Titles and Functions

The evidence should not be presented one-sidedly.

God and Jesus certainly share important titles, roles, and functions.

Both are called Savior.

Both are called Lord.

Both are described as Shepherd.

Both are associated with kingship and judgment.

Both forgive sins.

Both are glorified.

Both can be spiritually present with believers.

Both bear titles such as First and Last, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords in biblical contexts (Isaiah 44:6; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 1:17–18; 17:14; 19:16).

That evidence must be taken seriously.

But shared titles and functions do not necessarily establish shared identity.

Scripture repeatedly gives God’s representatives authority and roles that ultimately originate with God.

Believers themselves will judge the world with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:2).

Believers are glorified (Romans 8:29–30).

The Greek word proskuneō, often translated “worship,” can be used toward exalted human beings (Matthew 18:26; Revelation 3:9; BDAG 882).

The disciples are given authority concerning forgiveness of sins (John 20:23).

Elisha raised the dead, and Jesus says his followers will perform great works.

So the crucial question is not simply:

Does Jesus ever do something God does?

Nor is it simply:

Does Jesus ever possess a title God possesses?

The deeper question is:

Does Jesus possess the defining characteristics of the God whom Scripture says he represents?

When I compare those descriptions, I believe the answer is no.

Even the titles and functions Jesus shares with God are repeatedly presented as things that come from God.

God sent Jesus.

God anointed Jesus.

God empowered Jesus.

God raised Jesus.

God exalted Jesus.

God gave Jesus authority.

God made Jesus Lord and Christ.

This distinction matters.

Jesus Is Also Repeatedly Compared With Humanity

It is important to compare Jesus not only with God, but with Christians.

Jesus is greater than Christians in his God-given role as Messiah, Savior, Lord, head of the Church, and appointed King. That should not be minimized.

But Scripture also presents Jesus as the one into whose image believers are ultimately being transformed.

Christians become his brothers and sisters.

Christians are fellow heirs with him.

Christians are glorified with him.

Christians are conformed to his image.

Christians will reign with him.

The cumulative pattern is therefore striking:

Jesus is radically exalted above Christians in role and authority, yet Scripture repeatedly describes him in categories that belong to humanity rather than in the unique attributes Scripture assigns to God.

I examine this comparison more fully in my article comparing Jesus and Christians: [3. The Similarities and Differences between Jesus and Christians ](/post/2-the-similarities-and-differences-between-jesus-and-christians).

What About “God the Son”?

Another basic question deserves consideration.

If Jesus is God, why does Scripture never plainly call him “God the Son”?

The phrase does not occur anywhere in Scripture.

That fact by itself does not settle Jesus’ identity. A theological concept could theoretically be present without Scripture using the exact terminology that later Christians developed.

But the distinction is still significant.

Scripture repeatedly calls Jesus the Son of God.

It repeatedly distinguishes Jesus from God.

Jesus himself calls God his God and Father.

And Scripture never reverses the title and calls Jesus “God the Son.”

Furthermore, “son of God” does not mean “God” in Scripture. Other human beings are called sons or children of God (Luke 3:38; Matthew 5:9; Romans 8:14).

Jesus is the supreme Son, Messiah, and image of God, but I do not think we should begin with the later title “God the Son” and then read that title backward into Scripture.

We should begin with the titles Scripture actually gives him and ask what those titles mean.

Mystery or Contradiction?

There is an important difference between a mystery and a contradiction.

A mystery is something we do not completely understand.

A contradiction says that something is both true and not true at the same time and in the same respect.

Calling something a mystery does not by itself resolve a contradiction.

So as we consider these comparisons, I do not think the first question should be:

Can later theology devise a way to reconcile all of these statements with Jesus being God?

The more fundamental question is:

What conclusion would we naturally reach from these passages if we had never been taught beforehand that Jesus was God?

I believe their cumulative testimony is remarkably consistent.

Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus is God’s Messiah.

Jesus is God’s image and representative.

Jesus is God’s appointed Lord, King, Judge, Savior, High Priest, and mediator.

Jesus is exalted above every other human being.

But Jesus is not the God who sent him, empowered him, taught him, raised him, exalted him, gave him authority, made him Lord, placed everything under him, and whom Jesus himself worships and calls “my God.”

Conclusion

None of this means that every passage concerning Jesus is simple.

There are verses Christians have understood for centuries as teaching that Jesus is God, and I intend to examine those passages carefully and in their contexts. I do not want to dismiss them, explain them away, or pretend that the question is easier than it is.

But I also do not think we should begin with a handful of disputed passages while overlooking the much broader biblical descriptions of God and Jesus.

So this is where I want to begin:

Who does Scripture say God is?

And then:

How does Scripture describe Jesus?

When I compare those descriptions, I do not find two descriptions of the same being.

I find God and the man He sent.

God sent Jesus.

God anointed Jesus.

God empowered Jesus.

God taught Jesus.

God raised Jesus.

God exalted Jesus.

God gave Jesus authority.

God made Jesus Lord and Christ.

And Jesus, in response, loved God, obeyed God, prayed to God, worshipped God, served God, and called Him “my God.”

For that reason, I believe the cumulative biblical evidence creates a substantial challenge to the doctrine that Jesus is God.

How can Jesus be God if Scripture repeatedly distinguishes him from God in characteristics fundamental to who God is—and if Scripture never tells us that most of those distinctions eventually disappear?

Later in this study, I will examine whether that conclusion continues to hold when the passages most commonly used to identify Jesus as God are considered in their full biblical context.