Jesus is called God
The New Testament opens with a striking claim about Jesus. John calls him the Word, says the Word existed with God from the beginning, and also says the Word was God. A few verses later, John identifies this Word as the one who took on human flesh and lived among us (John 1:1, John 1:14).
After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas addressed him as his Lord and his God. Jesus did not correct him. Instead, he spoke about the blessing of those who would trust him without seeing him in person (John 20:28-29). For the first Christians, this was not just a respectful title for a teacher. It was worship and confession.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus did what belongs to God
Jesus forgave sins, something his listeners recognised as God's right (Mark 2:5-7). He calmed the sea, received worship, and spoke with an authority that startled people. These moments matter because the Bible consistently presents God as the one with authority over sin, creation and human worship.
Paul writes that all things were created through Jesus and for him, and that all things hold together in him (Colossians 1:16-17). That is far more than saying Jesus was a wise or holy man. It places him on the Creator's side of the line, not among created things.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Jesus is not the Father
This is where the question can feel confusing. Jesus prayed to the Father, obeyed the Father, and spoke of being sent by the Father. At his baptism, the Son is in the water, the Spirit comes down, and the Father's voice is heard from heaven (Matthew 3:16-17). The Father and Son are not the same person.
Yet Jesus also spoke of a profound unity with the Father (John 10:30). Christians have come to describe this biblical pattern as the Trinity: one God, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The word Trinity is not found in the Bible, but it is a shorthand for what Christians see across its pages. Some groups interpret these passages differently, but historic mainstream Christianity has confessed Jesus as fully God and fully human.
Why Jesus became human
Jesus' humanity was real. He grew tired, wept, suffered, died, and faced temptation, yet he did not sin. Paul says that although Jesus had the nature of God, he humbled himself by taking the form of a servant and becoming human (Philippians 2:6-8). He did not merely appear human from a distance. He entered our life fully.
That is good news, not a puzzle to solve before you can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made himself known and has drawn near to people in their weakness. If you want to explore this question further, read John's Gospel slowly, especially its opening chapter, Jesus' conversations, and Thomas's response after the resurrection.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.