Show me where in the Bible Jesus said I am God, worship me.

The Bible does not record Jesus saying the exact phrase, “I am God, worship me.” However, it clearly presents Jesus as divine—fully God and fully man—and worthy of worship through His actions, titles, claims, and the responses of others. Here are key passages from the Bible:

Jesus’ Claims to Divinity:

In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” The Jewish leaders accused Him of blasphemy, saying, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33, ESV). Their reaction shows they understood this as a claim to divinity. The Greek word for “one” (hen) implies unity of essence, aligning with the Trinity—one God in three persons.

In John 8:58, Jesus declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” The phrase “I am” (ego eimi) echoes God’s name in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM WHO I AM”). This claim to eternal existence and the divine name prompted the crowd to pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy (John 8:59, ESV).

Jesus Accepting Worship:

In Matthew 28:9, after His resurrection, the disciples “came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.” Jesus accepts their worship, significant because Jewish theology reserves worship for God alone (Exodus 20:3-5, ESV: “You shall have no other gods before me”).

In John 20:28, Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus affirms his faith without correction, saying, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29, ESV), indicating His divine identity.

Titles and Attributes of Divinity:

Hebrews 1:8 quotes God the Father saying of the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom” (Psalm 45:6, ESV).

Colossians 2:9 states, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” affirming Jesus’ full divine nature.

Jesus forgives sins (Mark 2:5-7, ESV: “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ … ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’”), an act the Jewish leaders recognized as God’s prerogative. Even in Islam Isa (Jesus) is claimed to come back at the end of time to judge the world. Again, "who can judge human sins but God alone?"

Implications of Worship:

Philippians 2:9-11 says, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” echoing Isaiah 45:23, where this honor is given to God.

Quranic and Hadith Perspective

The Quran rejects Jesus’ divinity, viewing Him (Isa, peace be upon him) as a prophet. For example:

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:116-117 shows Allah asking Jesus if he told people to worship him and his mother as gods, which Jesus denies, affirming worship of Allah alone.

Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4 emphasizes Allah’s oneness (tawhid), rejecting any partners or equals, which Muslims see as incompatible with the Trinity.

In Hadith, such as Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 33, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stresses strict monotheism, warning against associating partners with Allah.

You might argue the absence of “I am God, worship me” in the Bible supports the Quranic view that Jesus never claimed divinity, and that the passages cited reflect later theological interpretations.

The Bible provides strong evidence for Jesus’ divinity, even without the exact phrase. Here’s why:

 In the Jewish monotheistic context, Jesus’ statements like “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30, ESV) and “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58, ESV) were understood as divine claims, as shown by the hostile reactions.

Jesus’ acceptance of worship (Matthew 28:9, John 20:28, ESV) implies He saw Himself as worthy of it, which is idolatry unless He is God (Deuteronomy 6:13-14, ESV).

The New Testament’s portrayal of Jesus as divine is consistent across multiple books (John, Hebrews, Colossians, Philippians), forming a cumulative case.

Early Christians, mostly monotheistic Jews, worshiped Jesus as God within decades of His life (e.g., Pliny the Younger’s letter, circa 112 AD), suggesting His teachings laid this foundation, not a later corruption of texts.

Addressing Skepticism

They may believe the Bible was corrupted (tahrif), altering the original Injil. However, New Testament manuscripts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries (e.g., Papyrus 46, Codex Sinaiticus) show consistency with modern texts, supporting their reliability. These texts were written hundreds of years before Quran. 

While Muslims regularly refer to the Bible as corrupted, The Quran affirms the Gospels and the Torah as true. Click here for details.

While the Quran denies Jesus’ divinity, it affirms His miraculous birth (Surah Maryam 19:19-21) and title as “Messiah” (Surah Al-Imran 3:45), suggesting His unique status, which could invite further discussion about His nature.