In a nutshell, the answer to this is yes. Nonetheless, we acknowledge the existence of a triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the sense that God is not separate from Jesus, Jesus—who is God the Son—could not and did not declare, “I am God.” God the Father remained in heaven even though God the Son, Jesus, was on earth.
Biblical proof
This is amply demonstrated by the Bible in Matthew 3:16–17. “And after Jesus was baptized, he got out of the water right away. Then, he saw the heavens open up and the Spirit of God came to rest on him in the form of a dove. Then, he heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” These lines depict God the Father speaking from heaven, God the Son, Jesus, on earth, and God the Spirit descending on the Son. Given the intricate interdependence among the Trinity, it is unsurprising that Jesus never said, “I am God.”
But Jesus made it very evident in His teachings that He was God the Son. While there are those who question this today, this was not the case when he was on Earth. Because “you, being a man, make yourself God,” the Jews wished to have Jesus arrested (John 10:33). Jesus didn’t say anything to contradict them. Ultimately, it is precisely this assertion made by Jesus that results in his crucifixion. “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God,” the high priest asks (Matthew 26:63). Jesus attests to it. The high priest denounces it as blasphemy since Jesus claims to be God’s equal.
That Jesus claimed to be God was understood by the high priest and the Jews is not odd. He had provided ample justification for that in his instruction.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am,” declared Jesus in John 8:58. He goes beyond merely asserting that He existed 2,000 years prior to Abraham. In addition, he addresses himself by the name of God, “I am.”
In John 10:30 Jesus said: “I and the Father are one.”
Jesus asserted His equality with God in a number of other “I am” statements. “I am the light of the world” is an illustration of this. According to John 8:12, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” One can never say this about a single man. The world’s light is just God. The source of life’s light is only God.
Sentenced to death
Because Jesus claimed to be God, he was [sentenced to death and hanged on the cross]. But death was unable to contain Him because He was in fact God. He demonstrated the veracity of his claims to be God in the flesh by rising from the grave on the third day.
Jesus gave his followers the directive to baptize individuals “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” shortly before He ascended to heaven following his resurrection (Matthew 28:19). Here again, Jesus’ remarks reveal the Trinity. The Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son are all one and the same God.
Jesus did indeed profess to be God. God is Jesus. This is fantastic news since Jesus’s promise that “I will be with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) is only legitimately made by God. Jesus has no end. Jesus is everywhere. He is able to bless and care for us even now because of this.
