Did Paul believe Jesus was God?

  • Clarifying the question

    A man bows down before a thought bubble that has Jesus inside, who is in turn holding up the planet earth.

    Did Paul hold the belief Jesus was the God of the Old Testament, at least in some sense (e.g. sharing in God's divinity, or existing as a part of God)? Did Paul feel Jesus had Yahweh’s divinity (Yahweh being God’s personal name in Hebrew)? In Paul’s view, did Jesus have God's metaphorical fingerprint and DNA?

“Yes, after all…

  • Paul taught Jesus is God

    As a Christian, Paul taught that Jesus was God incarnate, sharing in YHWH's divine nature.

    This page analyzes 6 arguments:

    • Paul’s letters …
      • Explicitly say Jesus is God. E.g. …
        • Rom 9:5 — “Christ, who is God”
        • Phil 2 — “in the form of God”
        • 2 Pet 1:1 — “Our God and savior, Jesus”
        • Titus 2:13 — “Our God and savior, Jesus”
      • Overtly imply Jesus is God (via property ascription), E.g. …
        • By applying God’s “Lord” (YHWH) designation to Jesus.
        • By teaching traditional prayers to Jesus (to use).

    This is relevant because Paul taught what he believed to be true.

  • Paul prayed to Jesus

    A man praying with a thought bubble that has Jesus inside.

    Paul was a Jew who directed prayers to Jesus, speaking to Him and petitioning Him with reverence, devotion, and expectation.

    A full page will analyze six arguments:

    • Example: In 2 Cor 12:8-9, Paul casually writes how he prayed to Jesus.
    • Paul relayed prayers to Jesus (teaching others to).
    • Paul taught Christians to pray to Jesus.
    • Jesus taught Christians to pray to him.
    • Paul’s churches prayed to Jesus.
    • The Jerusalem church prayed to Jesus.

    This suggests Paul believed Jesus was God, because Paul was a devout Torah-observant Jew. As a Christian, he continued to regard the Old Testamenta s scripture. In virtue of both his upbringing, biases, and what is clearly taught in the Old Testament, Paul would naturally consider worship and prayer to beings other than God (YHWH) as blasphemous.

  • [More forthcoming]