Jesus Christ Possesses the Authority of God

 The authority of God in Jesus is seen in Christ taking upon Himself the right to be worshiped. He also claimed authority to resurrect Himself, and He spoke with an awesome authority, as God Himself. 

 Received Worship

 Few subjects are spoken of in Scripture with more clarity than the subject of worship. Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize that God alone should receive worship. Jesus told Satan, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only' ' (Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8). No man or angel was ever to receive worship (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:20;  22:8, o). God would not give his "glory to another (Isaiah 42-8). 

The New Testament uses one word primarily for worship, the Greek word proskuneo. it is the word Jesus used in telling Satan to worship God alone; it is used more than any other word in describing worship of God (John 4:24; Revelation 5:14; 7:11; 11:16; etc.). 

After Jesus healed a man, the person exclaimed,  " 'Lord I believe! ' And he worshiped (past tense form of proskuneo) Him "  (John 9:38). The same Greek word is used in Matthew 14:33, when the disciples worshiped Jesus after seeing Him walk on water.  Another time the disciples, seeing Jesus after the resurrection, "came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped him ' (Matthew 28:9). Thus, before and after the resurrection, Jesus received worship In ail of those instances, the same Jesus who had rebuked Satan for tempting Him to worship wrongly did not recoil in horror because ''Only God is to be worshiped.' ' Instead, He received the worship as His due. 

In Hebrews 1:6 the angels of God are told to worship (proskuneo) Jesus. In Revelation 5:8-14, a whole section of praise and worship is devoted to Jesus the "Lamb"  and to God. In a powerful passage, Paul stated that at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven and earth will bow (implying worship) and confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians . The Son of God was worshiped through numerous acts in the New2:10,11) Testament as He became the object of faith, hope,  and adoration. 

The united testimony of the New Testament church and, indeed, of the church throughout all centuries, is that worship is due to the Triune God.  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

 Had Authority to Resurrect Himself

 Even while Jesus was subject to death as a man,  He claimed the power and authority to resurrect Himself, a power only God could have. Some people might ask, ' 'If Jesus Christ is God, how could He resurrect Himself? In John 2:19 Jesus said, Destroy this temple [referring to his body – v. 21], and in three days I will raise it up " Concerning His life He said,  ' 'I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again (John 10:18). 

 Spoke as God

 Not only did Jesus claim the names, titles, and attributes of God, receive worship, and claim the authority to resurrect Himself, but He also spoke things that only God could rightfully speak. Once when the Pharisees had sent officers to arrest Him,  the officers returned empty-handed. When asked why they had not arrested Him all they could reply was, ''Never did a man speak the way this man speaks"  (John 7:46). It was true. 

It is difficult to read the Gospel narratives without being struck by Jesus' divine authority. He called people to Himself, asking them to follow Him even to the extent of laying down their lives. He spoke with a personal authority unique in the experience of His audience. Other teachers of His day, the scribes and Pharisees, quoted the law and the prophets to substantiate their points. Jesus said «Truly, truly, I sag .. ' ' Events affirmed His authority. Demons fled at His word. Wind and sea stilled at His command.  The dead rose, the crippled walked, the blind saw.  C. S. Lewis wrote, 

 A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool,  you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.1 

Scriptural Glossary of Names, Titles,  and Attributes Demonstrating That Jesus and Yahweh Are One

"There is one God" – 1 Corinthians 8:6

 Description             As Used of God                     As Used of Jesus