The New Testament presents Jesus to be a person different from God.

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1. Jesus considered himself a person different from God

This section lists passages which show that Jesus considered himself a person different from God. Jesus also claimed that he was "sent by God," a claim which furthers the same belief. No detailed analysis is done – it is not necessary since the texts speak for themselves if read without Trinitarian-colored glasses on. When we read them with unbiased eyes, keeping pre-formed beliefs aside, not reading into them Trinitarian understanding, but taking them as they are, and taking their meaning to be what a simple, unbiased person would take, it is amazing how easily and clearly they show that Jesus considered himself to be a person different from God. Trinitarians may argue that Jesus was God and lived as a man and these passages show how Jesus lived as a man, but that would only be by reading into the texts Trinitarian concepts developed later on; the texts themselves don’t show it.

This is all the more important since these words were spoken mostly for simple people with Jewish backgrounds. When we speak with the intention of being understood clearly, we use words keeping the background of the hearers in mind. If there is any possibility of misunderstanding because of a particular background of the hearer, we take extra care and build into our words and sentences this particularity, to frame our words in such a manner that the misunderstanding would be averted. Jesus was no exception to this rule. He spoke clearly with the intention of being understood. Most of these words were uttered to Jews. The strict monotheism of the Jews, their strong belief in the oneness of God, would have predisposed them to interpret these statements in only one way – that Jesus was a person different from God. If Jesus considered himself a part of the Godhead, and wanted to communicate it clearly, then he would have had to make extra efforts to overcome this particularity and natural tendency of the Jews. He never did anything of that kind. He never equated himself with God. He always addressed "God" as another person, not just the "Father". Others too spoke of him as a person other than God, and he never corrected them, implicitly acknowledging that they were right in that understanding. These instances too, are listed under this section.

The words were spoken to Jews who were strict monotheists, strongly believed in the Unity of God, and were mainly simple, uneducated folk. No way would they have understood Jesus’ words to mean that he was claiming divinity for himself. They would have understood them in only one way – that Jesus considered himself a man, and man only. Deliberately ignored in these lists are texts which are used to support the Trinitarian position because they will be examined thoroughly and in detail in a later section.

a) Passages in the gospels showing that Jesus was a person different from God:

Mat 3:16	As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
Mat 4:7	Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Mat 4:10	Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
Mat 9:8	When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
Mat 12:28	But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Mat 15:31	The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Mat 22:16	They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.
Mat 22:21	Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Mat 26:61	and declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"
Mat 27:43	He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
Mat 27:46	About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mark 1:14	After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
Mark 1:24	"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"
Mark 2:12	He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Mark 5:7	He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"
Mark 7:8-9	You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Mark 8:33	But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark 10:6	"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'
Mark 10:15	I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Mark 10:18	"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone." (also in Luke 18:19)
Mark 10:23-25	Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Mark 11:22	"Have faith in God," Jesus answered.
Mark 12:14	They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Mark 12:17	Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.
Mark 12:24	Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
Mark 12:34	When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
Mark 13:19	because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again.
Mark 14:25	"I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."
Mark 15:34	And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mark 16:19	After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
Luke 2:40	And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
Luke 2:52	And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 4:8	Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "
Luke 4:12	Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
Luke 4:43	But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
Luke 6:12	One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Luke 7:16	They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said.
Luke 7:28	I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
Luke 8:1	After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Luke 8:10	He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables…
Luke 8:28	When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"
Luke 9:2	and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:11	but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Luke 9:20	"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."
Luke 9:43	And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
Luke 9:60	Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62	Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Luke 10:9	Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'
Luke 10:11	'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'
Luke 11:42	"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
Luke 11:49	Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.'
Luke 12:6	Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Luke 12:8-9	"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
Luke 12:20-21	"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Luke 12:24	Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Luke 12:28	If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
Luke 13:18.20	Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?
Luke 13:28-29	"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
Luke 14:15	When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
Luke 16:16	"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Luke 17:18	Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
Luke 17:20-21	Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 18:7	And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
Luke 18:19	"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.
Luke 18:24-25	Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 18:27	Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Luke 18:29	"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
Luke 18:43	Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Luke 20:21	So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Luke 20:25	"Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Luke 23:35	The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
Luke 20:37	But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
Luke 20:38	He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Luke 21:31	Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
Luke 22:16	For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
Luke 22:18	For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
Luke 22:69	But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."
Luke 23:35	The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
Luke 23:50-51	Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.
Luke 24:18-19	One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
John 1:12	Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
John 1:29	The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:36	When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
John 3:2	He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
John 3:16-17	"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:33-34	The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
John 4:10	Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
John 4:24	God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 5:44	How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God ?
John 6:27-29	"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 6:27	Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
John 6:29	Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 6:33	For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:45-46	It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.
John 6:69	We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
John 7:17	If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
John 8:40-42	As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does." "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
John 11:21-22	"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
John 11:27	"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
John 11:40	Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
John 13:3	Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
John 13:31-32	When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
John 14:1	"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
John 16:27	No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me an have believed that I came from God.
John 16:30	Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
John 17:3	Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 20:17	Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

b) Jesus claimed that "God had sent him"

Mat 10:40	"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
Mat 15:24	He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
Mark 9:37	"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
Luke 4:18	"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
Luke 4:43	But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
Luke 9:48	Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest."
Luke 10:16	"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
John 3:2	He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
John 3:34	For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
John 4:34	"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 5:22-24	Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 5:36-38	"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
John 6:29	Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 6:38-39	For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
John 6:44	"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:57	Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 7:16-18	Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
John 7:28-29	Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me."
John 7:33	Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me.
John 8:15-18	You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
John 8:26	"I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world."
John 8:29	The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."
John 8:42	Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
John 9:4	As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
John 10:36	what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
John 11:41-42	So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
John 12:44-45	Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.
John 12:49	For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.
John 13:3	Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
John 13:20	I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."
John 14:24	He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 15:21	They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
John 16:5	"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
John 16:27	No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:30	Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
John 17:3	Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 17:8	For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
John 17:18	As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
John 17:21	that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
John 17:23	I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:25	"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
John 20:21	Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

c) The epistle-writers also claim that Jesus was sent by God

Gal 4:4	But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
1 John 4:9-10	This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:14	And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

d) The epistle-writers also distinguish Jesus (as Lord) from "God"

Rom 1:7	To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:8	First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Rom 2:16	This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Rom 3:25a	God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.
Rom 5:1	Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rom 5:8	But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:11	Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Rom 6:10	The death he (Christ) died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Rom 7:25	Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Rom 8:3	For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.
Rom 8:17	Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Rom 8:34	Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Rom 14:11	It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"
Rom 14:18	because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Rom 15:6	so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 15:18	I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done--
Rom 15:30	I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
Rom 16:20	The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Rom 16:27	to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
1 Cor 1:1	Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1 Cor 1:2	To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:
1 Cor 1:3	Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 1:4	I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 1:9	God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Cor 1:24	but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Cor 1:30	It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Cor 3:23	and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
1 Cor 6:14	By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
1 Cor 6:14	By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
1 Cor 8:6	yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
1 Cor 11:3	Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Cor 15:15	More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
1 Cor 15:24	Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
1 Cor 15:27	For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.
1 Cor 15:28	When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
1 Cor 15:57	But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 1:2	Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 1:3	Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
2 Cor 1:20	For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
2 Cor 1:21	Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.
2 Cor 5:18-19	All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Cor 5:20-21	We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Cor 13:14	May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Gal 1:1	Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--
Gal 1:3-4	Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Gal 4:4-6	But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
Eph 1:1	Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph 1:2	Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:3	Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Eph 1:17	I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Eph 1:22	And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Eph 2:4-5	But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Eph 2:6	And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
Eph 4:4-6	There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Eph 4:32	Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Eph 5:2	and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Eph 5:5	For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:20	always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 6:23	Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phil 1:2	Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phil 1:11	filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.
Phil 2:9-11	Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:11	and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 4:7	And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Col 1:3	We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Col 2:12	having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13	When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Col 3:1	Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Col 3:17	And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Th 1:1	Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
1 Th 3:11	Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.
1 Th 3:13	May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Th 4:14	We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1 Th 5:9	For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Th 5:23	May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Th 1:1	Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Th 1:2	Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Th 1:12	We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Th 2:16	May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
1 Tim 1:1	Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
1 Tim 1:2	To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Tim 2:5	For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Tim 5:21	I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
2 Tim 1:1-2	Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Tim 4:1	In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
Titus 1:1	Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness--
Titus 1:4	To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Phile 1:3	Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 2:8	and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
Heb 2:9	But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Heb 2:10	In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Heb 2:13	And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
Heb 2:17	For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
Heb 5:5	So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. "
Heb 5:10	and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 7:21	but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'"
Heb 7:25	Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Heb 9:14	How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Heb 10:7	Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'"
Heb 10:12	But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
Heb 12:2	Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
James 1:1	James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
1 Pet 1:3	Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Pet 1:21	Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
1 Pet 2:4	As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—
1 Pet 2:5	you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Pet 3:18	For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
2 Pet 1:2	Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
2 Pet 1:17	For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
2 John 1:3	Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Jude 1:1	Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:
Jude 1:4	For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jude 1:25	to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Rev 1:1	The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Rev 3:2	Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
Rev 3:12	Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Rev 5:9	And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Rev 7:10	And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
Rev 12:10	Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Rev 19:15	Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
Rev 20:6	Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Rev 21:23	The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Rev 22:1	Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Rev 22:3	No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

There are two records very important to this subject because they describe God and also show Jesus Christ with Him. The first is a revelation vision of the future that Daniel the prophet had (Dan 7:9-14):

"As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The "Ancient of Days" is Yahweh. Note his description as a man. Into his presence comes "a son of man" who is given authority and dominion. It is quite universally agreed among Christians that the "Ancient of Days" is God the Father, and the "son of man" is Jesus Christ, who receives his authority from God. Note that in this passage there is no hint of the Trinity. There is no "Holy Spirit" and no indication that the "son of man" is co-equal or co-eternal with the Father. On the contrary, while God is called the "Ancient of Days," a title befitting His eternal nature, Christ is called "a son of man," meaning one who is born from human parents. This prophecy is one of many that shaped the Jewish belief about their Messiah: he was not foretold as "God in the flesh," but rather a man like themselves who would receive special honor and authority from God.

The other very clear record is Revelation 4 and 5. They portray God sitting on a throne surrounded by elders and creatures who repeat, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." God is holding in His right hand a scroll that is written on both sides but sealed shut with seven seals. An angel calls out to summon those who could open the scroll, but no one was worthy. As John began to weep, an angel comforted him with the words, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll." Then "a Lamb" (the context makes it clear it is Jesus Christ) "came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne." At that point the creatures and the elders fell down before the Lamb and started singing a "new song." God is described as sitting on a throne and even holding in His hand a scroll that Jesus comes and takes from Him. The wording clearly distinguishes Jesus from "God."

Phew! What a list! Thank God for Copy-Paste!

The lists are quite long. The words were spoken mainly to Jews who were strict monotheists, strongly believed in the Unity of God, and were mainly simple, uneducated folk. No way would they have understood Jesus’ words to mean that he was claiming divinity for himself. They would have understood them in only one way – that Jesus considered himself a man, and man only. Taking only from the book of John, which is supposed to be "the gospel which most shows that Jesus was God", how would strictly monotheistic Jews understand statements like "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent" (John 6:29), "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17), "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me" (John 14:1), "the Father himself loves you because you have loved me an have believed that I came from God" (John 16:27), "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3) etc. etc., or any of the statements in the lists above?

These lists have been presented as they are. There is no need for any detailed analysis; they are simple words spoken in a straightforward manner to simple people. These passages speak for themselves. Deliberately ignored in these lists are texts which are used to support the Trinitarian position because they will be examined thoroughly and in detail in a later section. There the original Greek texts will be examined and the passages seen in their contexts. It will be seen that many of those passages just cannot be used to support the doctrine of the Trinity or the Godhead of Jesus. Some in fact (like John 10:31-36), if correctly understood, prove exactly the opposite - clearly showing that Jesus claimed not to be God. What is important to note at this point is the sheer number of the passages above as compared with the Trinitarian ones. If they were to be put on both the sides of a scale, the scale would collapse by the sheer weight of verses supporting the Unitarian position. I would like to see a thorough Trinitarian defense of these verses (of the kind given in section 8 which follows), with an explanation of how strictly monotheistic Jews could have understood them to mean anything other than that Jesus and the New Testament writers considered Jesus only to be a man, and not God.

So if Jesus did not claim to be God, what exactly did he claim? What was his self-understanding? His claims were that he was the "Son of God", "Son of Man", "Son of David", "the Messiah" or "the Christ." None of these terms (including the term "Son of God") indicate that he claimed that he was God in the flesh. If we are to comprehend Jesus’ self-understanding, it is important to understand these terms clearly and exactly, in the way that the first-century Jews understood them, not as the fourth-century non-Jews (who were the ones most responsible for the theology we have inherited) did. In the next section, the meanings of these terms are examined in detail as an attempt to grasp what and who exactly Jesus considered himself to be. Also examined is the big difference between the Jewish understanding of the phrase "Son of God" as compared with the Gentile understanding.

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