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Did Paul teach that Jesus was God?

Trace the strongest lines of support, challenge each claim, and follow every response as far as the reasoning goes.

Orient yourself to the question
05 Reasons
supporting
00 Reasons
challenging

Before you begin

Orient yourself to the question

01 Clarifying the question

Paul was a devout Torah-cenetered Jew, believing in one all-powerful God. (His devotion is partly why Paul persecuted Christians.) When Paul finally converted to Christianity, did he come to believe that Jesus was God, incarnated as a human? Did he attribute to Jesus God's divinity in some sense?

02 Plausibility questions
Current question Did Paul teach that Jesus was God?
Yes
No
Yes Reasons affirming the proposition Did Paul teach that Jesus was God?

  • Paul’s letters explicitly say Jesus is God

    In his letters, Paul writes rather blatantly that Jesus is God in some sense.

    After all, he says so in…

    • Romans 9:5 — “Christ, who is God”
    • Philippians 2 — “in the form of God”
    • 2 Peter 1:1 — “Our God and savior, Jesus”
    • Titus 2:13 — “Our God and savior, Jesus”

  • Paul's churches believed Jesus was God

    The various Greek churches that Paul planted and/or pastored believed that Jesus was Good.

    • Paul’s letters assume they believe it.
    • The authorities behind Paul's churches taught it.

  • The Jerusalem church believed Jesus was God

    The church lead by the apostles in Jerusalem publicly maintained that Jesus was God.

    • …they designated Jesus as κύριος in the YHWH-sense.
    • …they taught prayer to Jesus.
    • …Peter did

  • Paul believed Jesus was God

    Paul genuinely believed that Jesus was God incarnate (YHWH).

    This page discusses this evidence:

    This helps answer our question because, if Paul believed Jesus was God then he almost certainly taught it.