If Jesus is God, why did He pray to the Father? Why did He say, “The Father is greater than I”? 

To answer these questions, we must look carefully at Scripture itself, not through the lens of worldly debate or opinion, but by understanding what the Bible reveals.

📖 John 3:16 clearly states:

“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.”

This verse affirms Jesus as the Son of God, sent with a divine mission — to save humanity.

📖 John 3:34–35 adds even more clarity. John the Baptist says:

“For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands.”

This is not the language used for a mere prophet. Jesus is described as being filled with the Spirit without limit, deeply loved by the Father, and entrusted with all things — indicating His divine authority.

We also see this affirmation during Jesus' baptism, where God says, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), and again at the Transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).

These statements highlight the special, divine relationship between Jesus and the Father, emphasizing God's love and approval of Him.

What Scripture Tells Us About Jesus’ Pre-Existence

Before Jesus came into the world as a man, He already existed from the beginning. The Bible refers to Him as "the Word", which represents His divine nature and His role in revealing God to humanity.

📖 John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was with God in the beginning.Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

These verses show that Jesus (the Word) was not created — He was with God from the very beginning and had a direct role in creation itself.

📖 John 1:14 “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Here, the eternal Word (Jesus) took on human form.

📖 John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

This verse confirms that Jesus, though distinct from the Father, is himself God.

Even in His prayer, Jesus affirms His pre-existence:

📖 John 17:5 records Jesus praying: “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Jesus is clearly speaking of a glory He shared with the Father before creation — something only God can claim.

Why did God Himself have to come to earth? Why not just send prophets, priests, or angels to do His work, as we see in the Old Testament?

As sin increased, the distance between man and God grew wider, and God’s Spirit withdrew from the people. Humanity became lost in darkness, unable to find its way back. Though God sent prophets to warn, priests to offer sacrifices, and angels to deliver messages, none of them could remove sin permanently or save humanity. That’s why Jesus came—to be the perfect sacrifice.

📖 1 Peter 3:18 says – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”

His death on the cross washed us clean forever, and through Him, we can now come to God directly.

📖 Ephesians 2:13 reminds us - “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And Jesus didn’t just save us—He gave us the Holy Spirit, making our hearts a place where God’s Spirit could dwell.

📖 John 14:16-17 says - “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth... You know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.”

Jesus’ sacrifice tore down the barrier of sin once and for all, bridging the gap between God and humanity. Through His death and resurrection, He made a way for us to come directly to the Father—no longer separated by sin. And now, through the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, we are forever connected to God. His presence is no longer distant or occasional—it is constant, living within our hearts, guiding, comforting, and empowering us every step of the way.

Was Jesus really God when he was on earth

No

I know this might be confusing to many of you. But think about it—have you ever seen Jesus telling His disciples, “Pray to Me” or “I am God”? You won’t find those exact words anywhere in the Bible. Humans, by nature, cannot be God. So during His time on earth, Jesus lived fully as a man, relying on the Father for strength, guidance, and power.

Instead of making direct claims to divinity, Jesus often revealed His divine nature through subtle and spiritually profound statements. These hints invited deeper reflection rather than demanding blind belief. For example:

📖 John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was born, I am.”
Here, Jesus uses the phrase “I am,” echoing the name God used for Himself in 📖 Exodus 3:14 (“I AM WHO I AM”). This caused many Jews to react strongly, understanding it as a claim to eternal existence and divinity.

📖 John 17:5 – “And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.”
This statement points to Jesus’ pre-existence and His divine relationship with the Father before creation.

📖 John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
A bold statement that led many to accuse Him of blasphemy, recognizing that He was claiming equality with God (see 📖 John 10:33).

While Jesus revealed glimpses of His divine identity, He lived on earth as a human being, entirely dependent on the Father. He was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure (📖 John 3:34), and through the power of the Spirit, He carried out His ministry.

📖 Matthew 12:28 – "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

📖 Luke 4:18-19 - “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

📖 Luke 5:17 - “And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.”

📖 John 3:34 - “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”

Even Jesus’ Resurrection Was by the Spirit

📖 Romans 8:11 – "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."

The same Spirit that brought Jesus back to life now lives in us, giving us the promise of resurrection and eternal life

Even 📖 1 Peter 3:18 reveals this beautiful truth "He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit."

But what makes His sacrifice so powerful is that Jesus came as fully human. He felt our pain, carried our burdens, and walked through suffering—just as we do. God didn’t just watch from heaven—He stepped into our brokenness.

He felt hunger, exhaustion, grief, and sorrow, yet remained without sin. That’s why His sacrifice is so deeply personal—because He truly understands our struggles.

📖 Philippians 2:6-7 captures this perfectly: – "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

Was Jesus Fully Human in Body, Soul, and Spirit

📖 1 Thessalonians 5:23 reminds us: “May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Just as we are made of three parts, so was Jesus in His human form.

📖 Hebrews 2:17 explains why: “He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest... and make atonement for the sins of the people.”

By becoming fully human, Jesus could represent us perfectly—feeling our struggles and weaknesses, yet remaining without sin.

• In His body, He felt physical hunger, thirst, and pain, just as we do.

• In His soul, He experienced sorrow, joy, compassion, and anguish, sharing in our emotional struggles.

• In His spirit, though He was in perfect communion with the Father, He still prayed—showing human dependence on God and teaching us how to seek the Father’s strength.

As humans, our soul longs for God’s mercy and love, we cannot live without it. 

📖 Matthew 4:4 says – “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In His humanity, Jesus expressed the same longing for the Father. His prayers were not a sign of weakness or inferiority, but a genuine display of human dependence on divine strength—showing us how to seek the Father in every moment.

Now, let’s answer the tough questions.

If Jesus was God, why did He say the Father is greater than Him?

📖 John 14:28 - "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I"

When Jesus said, ‘The Father is greater than I,’ it came from His heart. He wasn’t saying He was less than God, but rather showing His love and trust in the Father. Jesus loved the Father so much that He humbly acknowledged His authority and chose to follow His perfect plan.

However, despite this expression of submission, Jesus remained fully one with the Father, as He affirmed in John 10:30 – "I and the Father are one."

If Jesus was God, why did He say He can do nothing by Himself?

📖 John 5:19 - “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

Here, Jesus is emphasizing His dependence on the Father—again, speaking from His human nature. As a man, He relied on the Spirit of God to perform miracles and fulfill the Father’s will. This doesn’t mean Jesus lacked divine power, but rather that He voluntarily chose to operate under human limitations—just as we humans, now rely on the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen, and empower us.

📖 John 14:26 – "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

If Jesus was God, why did He pray for the cup to be taken from Him?

📖 Matthew 26:39 - “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”

This is one of the most heartfelt moments in all of Scripture — a glimpse into the deep human struggle Jesus faced.

Jesus wasn’t afraid of physical death; He was about to take upon Himself the sin of the entire world — the guilt, the shame, and the judgment that sin brings. And because sin separates us from God, He was about to feel a momentary separation from the Father — something He had never experienced before.

For the first time, the Son who had always lived in perfect union with the Father was preparing to face that dreadful separation. The weight of humanity’s sins pressed so heavily on Him that He cried out, “Take this cup away from me.” It wasn’t a cry of rebellion — it was the honest anguish of a Son who dreaded losing the closeness He had always known with His Father.

And yet, even in His fear, Jesus surrendered: “Not my will, but Yours.”

Jesus Only Used His Divine Power to Glorify the Father

Though He had divine power, Jesus never used it for His own benefit. He didn’t turn stones into bread when He was hungry (Matthew 4:3-4) or call down angels to protect Himself (Matthew 26:53). 

Instead, He used His divine power only to glorify the Father—healing the sick, raising the dead, and forgiving sins—to reveal God’s love and bring salvation.

📖 John 14:13 – “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

This shows that every miracle and work of power was done to reveal the Father’s glory, not for Jesus’ own gain.

Jesus: Fully God, Fully Human—Forever

Because of His earthly mission, Jesus will forever remain fully human, even in His glorified divine state. The book of Revelation reveals that He will dwell among us for all eternity—as both God and man, united with us forever.

📖 Revelation 1:13-18 – "I saw someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet... When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever!'"

Here, Jesus appears in human form, clothed in divine glory—affirming that He will remain fully God and fully man for eternity.

📖 Revelation 21:3-4 – "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'"

This reveals the beautiful promise that Jesus will dwell with humanity forever, keeping His glorified human form—a constant reminder that God became one of us to save us, and He will remain with us forever.