Sometimes words don’t mean what we think they mean, even when the meaning seems obvious. Consider how we label food in this country. An article in Oxygen magazine was titled “How to Deconstruct Food Marketing Jargon.” Here are just a few examples the author listed:

• Whole Wheat Bread — A manufacturer can label bread “whole wheat” if it contains only 51 percent whole-wheat flour.

• Natural/All Natural — These labels mean almost nothing. The FDA doesn’t even regulate them. The only guideline is that “natural” products should avoid artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and be “minimally processed.”

• Local/Locally Sourced — A food may be called “local” if it comes from fewer than 400 miles away.

So, “whole” doesn’t exactly mean whole. “Natural” doesn’t always mean natural. And “local” isn’t necessarily local.

The same problem shows up when we talk about spiritual realities. Words like God, love, and gospel don’t always mean what people assume. Even the name Jesus can be used in ways that have little connection to the reigning King of Heaven described in the Bible.

That’s why clarity matters. If we are going to ask the most important question of all—Is Jesus God?—then we can’t settle for watered-down labels or vague impressions. We need to know what God says about Jesus, what Jesus says about Himself, and what His followers proclaimed about Him. Only then can we cut through the jargon and grasp the defining truth of Christianity.

From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, God Himself declared who Jesus was. At His baptism, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). At the transfiguration, that same voice commanded the disciples, “This is my beloved Son… listen to him” (Matt. 17:5). These were not subtle hints. God openly identified Jesus as His Son—the One who fully reveals His glory and authority.

The book of Hebrews expands this even further: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Heb. 1:3). In other words, Jesus doesn’t just point us toward God—He perfectly displays God. He is not a partial reflection or a created messenger, but the very image and essence of God made visible.

This testimony matters, because the Old Testament makes it clear that Yahweh would never share His glory with another (Isa. 42:8). Yet in John 17:5, Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” If God refuses to give His glory to any created being, then either Jesus was mistaken—or He truly is the eternal Son who shares the glory of the Father.

In other words, God the Father’s testimony about Jesus aligns perfectly with the description of Hebrews 1 and with the claims Jesus Himself made.

Jesus didn’t leave room for doubt about His identity. He claimed, both directly and indirectly, to be God.

• Jesus claimed to be Yahweh. In John 8:58 He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” His Jewish listeners immediately reached for stones because they understood He was taking the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14. He also called Himself “the first and the last” (Rev. 1:17), the very words Yahweh used of Himself in Isaiah 44:6. He identified Himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11), even though Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

• Jesus claimed God’s prerogatives. He forgave sins (Mark 2:5–11), a right reserved for God alone. He claimed the power to raise the dead and to judge all humanity (John 5:21–29). He even said that people must honor Him just as they honor the Father (John 5:23).

• Jesus accepted worship. While angels and apostles refused worship (Acts 14:15; Rev. 22:9), Jesus welcomed it. A leper bowed before Him (Matt. 8:2), the disciples worshiped Him after He calmed the storm (Matt. 14:33), Thomas called Him “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), and Jesus never rebuked them.

• Jesus claimed equal authority with God. Over and over He said, “You have heard it said… but I say to you” (Matt. 5). He placed His words on the same level as God’s Word in the Old Testament (Matt. 24:35). He even told His followers to pray in His name (John 14:13–14).

In fact, Jesus used the very titles God reserved for Himself. Isaiah records Yahweh’s words: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isa. 44:6). Yet in Revelation 1:17 Jesus takes that same title for Himself, saying, “I am the First and the Last.” Later He adds, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13). We can’t have two “Firsts” and two “Lasts.” Either Jesus was committing blasphemy—or He was claiming equality with the God of Israel.

By word, deed, and self-identification, Jesus presented Himself as God in the flesh—the Messiah who fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of “Mighty God” (Isa. 9:6).

Given what God said about Jesus, and what Jesus said about Himself, what should we expect His followers to say? They could only echo the claims of their Master. And they did so boldly.

• They applied God’s titles to Jesus. John called Him “the true light” (John 1:9). Paul called Him “the Rock” (1 Cor. 10:4). Peter called Him “the chief shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4). The author of Hebrews called Him “the great shepherd” (Heb. 13:20). Titles reserved for Yahweh in the Old Testament were freely given to Christ.

• They proclaimed Him Messiah-God. Matthew wrote that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). Paul applied Isaiah’s words about every knee bowing to Yahweh (Isa. 45:23) to Jesus (Phil. 2:10–11). John applied Zechariah 12:10—where Yahweh says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced”—to Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:37).

• They ascribed God’s works to Him. They declared that Jesus created and sustains all things (John 1:3; Col. 1:16–17). They said He forgives sins (Acts 5:31; Col. 3:13) and raises the dead (John 11:43–44).

• They prayed to Him. Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Paul often opened letters with blessings that put Jesus’ name alongside the Father’s (Gal. 1:3).

• They directly called Him God. Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul wrote, “Christ Jesus, who is God over all, forever praised” (Rom. 9:5). The author of Hebrews declared, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever” (Heb. 1:8).

From the very beginning, Jesus’ followers worshiped Him, prayed to Him, preached Him as God, and died for this confession. They did not invent a new doctrine. They simply confessed what Jesus had claimed all along.

When you take together what God declared about Jesus, what Jesus declared about Himself, and what His followers boldly proclaimed, you arrive at the central confession of Christianity: Jesus is God. And that brings us face to face with the defining doctrine of the Christian faith—the Trinity.

The Trinity teaches that God is one being who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is fully God, equal in essence, yet distinct in role. This is no abstract theological puzzle. It is the very foundation of God’s love.

Think of it this way: imagine a business manager who decides to hire the company’s very first employee. To make that hire, the manager must not only bring the person on staff but also define the new relationship between them. Before that moment, the relationship didn’t exist. It had to be created.

Now apply that thought experiment to God. If God existed alone for all eternity and then, at some point, created the first being outside Himself, He would also have to create the idea of relationship and love at that moment. Love would not be part of His eternal nature. It would be a created action—something He does, not something He is. That kind of love would be conditional and temporary, dependent on circumstances and the worthiness of the one being loved.

But the God of Scripture is not like that. The Father, Son, and Spirit have lived in perfect relationship forever. Before creation, before the first angel sang or the first star shone, God already was love. The Father loved the Son. The Son loved the Father. The Spirit delighted in both. Love is not something God started doing. It is who He is.

That truth changes everything. Because love is part of God’s eternal nature, His love for you cannot be undone by your failures, nor canceled by your unfaithfulness. It is as secure as His own being. To deny the Trinity is to strip love out of the nature of God. To believe the Trinity is to stand on the promise that “God is love” (1 John 4:8)—and that His love will never end.