Question 88: What does it mean that Jesus is fully God?

Answer:

To say that Jesus is fully God means that He shares the same divine nature as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is eternal, uncreated, all-powerful, all-knowing, and worthy of worship. As God the Son, He reveals the Father, forgives sins, performs divine works, and possesses all the attributes of deity. He is not merely a prophet or moral teacher, but God incarnate—God with us. (John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:3, John 8:58, Philippians 2:6)

Full Scripture References

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1 (BSB)

“For in Christ all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” — Colossians 2:9 (BSB)

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word.” — Hebrews 1:3 (BSB)

“‘Truly, truly, I tell you,’ Jesus declared, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” — John 8:58 (BSB)

“Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” — Philippians 2:6 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

To affirm that Jesus is fully God is to confess that He is not a lesser being or created entity, but the eternal Son, of one substance with the Father, coequal, and coeternal. This is at the very heart of the Christian faith. If Jesus were not fully God, He could not fully save. Only God can forgive sins, conquer death, and give eternal life.

The Nicene Creed affirms this truth with clear and careful words:

“True God from true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”

Jesus’ divinity is demonstrated in His eternal existence (“before Abraham was, I am”), His divine works (creating, sustaining, forgiving), His authority over nature, His power over death, and the worship He receives. Angels and apostles alike declare Him “God” (John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8).

The Thirty-Nine Articles, in Article II, declare:

“The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle put it succinctly:

“If Jesus is not God, He is not Savior. The deity of Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity.”

Contemporary Anglican theologian Dr. N.T. Wright explains:

“Jesus does what only Israel’s God can do—He forgives, heals, judges, commands creation, and receives worship. The Gospels are not shy about His divine identity.”

To believe in Jesus as fully God is to trust in Him not just as a teacher or moral example, but as the Lord of heaven and earth, the image of the invisible God, and the Redeemer who bore our sins and conquered the grave.

This doctrine shapes our worship (we worship Christ as God), our salvation (only God can save), and our mission (we proclaim Him as Lord). In Anglican worship, this truth is celebrated in every Eucharist, every creed, every doxology. We worship Jesus Christ as Lord, not in metaphor, but in truth.

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD): “The Son is not a creature, but the Creator. He is God by nature, eternally begotten, not made. To know the Son is to know God.” — On the Incarnation, 19

Athanasius was the chief defender of Christ’s deity against Arianism. St. Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390 AD): “If anyone does not believe that Jesus Christ is truly God, let him be anathema. He shares fully in the divine nature, without confusion or division.” — Oration 30.9

Gregory fiercely defended the full divinity of the Son. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD): “He is not less than the Father, though He is begotten of the Father. He is fully and truly God, equal in power and glory.” — On the Trinity, I.7

Augustine taught that the Son shares the full divine nature with the Father. St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444 AD): “When we see Christ, we see the invisible God in visible form. His humanity veils His divine majesty, but His works reveal His eternal deity.” — Against Nestorius