Is Jesus God? - United Church of God

Speaker: Daniel Deininger
Date: March 14th, 2026

Summary

This sermon, based on material by Herbert W. Armstrong and presented by Daniel Deininger, examines the foundational biblical question: Is Jesus Christ truly God, and is He the same being identified as Yahveh (the LORD) in the Old Testament? The message emphasizes the importance of this understanding as believers prepare for Passover.

The central argument is that Jesus Christ must be both fully God and fully human in order to fulfill His role as Savior. Scripture teaches that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23), and since humanity has sinned, that penalty must be paid by a human. However, if Jesus were only human, His death could only cover one other individual. Because He is also divine—eternal and sinless—His sacrifice has the power to pay for all humanity, making reconciliation with God possible (2 Corinthians 5:18).

The sermon highlights that Jesus existed eternally as “the Word” (John 1:1-2), who was both with God and was God, and later became flesh (John 1:14). This identifies Him as the active, speaking member of the Godhead—Yahveh—who interacted directly with humanity throughout the Old Testament. The name Yahveh, meaning “the Eternal” or “self-existent One,” is shown to refer to the same being who later came in the flesh as Jesus Christ.

A key theme is that many Old Testament descriptions of Yahveh directly align with New Testament descriptions of Christ. For example:

Yahveh is called the “Rock” (Psalm 18), and Christ is identified as that Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Yahveh is the “Shepherd” (Psalm 23), and Jesus declares Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
Yahveh is the “First and the Last” (Isaiah 44:6), a title Jesus claims in Revelation 1:17.
Yahveh is the Redeemer (Isaiah 43:14), and Christ is revealed as the Redeemer of mankind.

The sermon also draws attention to Jesus’ use of the divine name “I AM” (John 8:58; John 18:5-6), directly connecting Him to God’s self-identification in Exodus 3:14. This reinforces the claim that Jesus was not merely a messenger of God, but God Himself in the flesh.

Additionally, prophetic passages (such as Isaiah 40:3) that speak of preparing the way for Yahveh are fulfilled in the New Testament through John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, further identifying Christ as the LORD of the Old Testament.

The message concludes by affirming that Jesus Christ is both the Redeemer and the coming King, who will return to rule the earth and establish peace (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-4). As the “Lamb of God” in Revelation 5, He is worthy of worship and honor because of His sacrificial role in God’s plan.

Final takeaway:
Jesus Christ is not separate from the God of the Old Testament—He is Yahveh, the Eternal, who became human to redeem mankind. Understanding this truth deepens the meaning of Passover and strengthens gratitude for His sacrifice and future reign.