This post contains scriptures cited by Ross in John where Jesus clearly distinguishes himself from God.
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A standard position of the church is that Jesus said he was God seven times in the Gospel of John. Ross Nichols points out in the video, sayings attributed to Jesus in that book and others, where Jesus clearly distinguishes God as separate from him. This post contains those scriptures and Nichols’ views on what Jesus is saying and did not say.
Talking Points extracted from below:
- John 7:16–18 —“My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me.“
- John 10:29 — “My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all,“ Ross notes this comes just one verse before “I and the Father are one,” directly undercutting the charge that Jesus claimed equality.
- John 12:49–50 — “For I spake not from myself, but the Father that sent me…the things which I speak, even as the Father has said unto me, so I speak.” Ross argues these statements frame Jesus as a prophet in the biblical mold.
- John 14:28 — “the Father is greater than I.” Ross calls this one of the clearest statements in John: Jesus himself says the Father surpasses him, making any claim of full equality impossible.
- John 20:17 — After the resurrection, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene: “I ascend unto my Father and your Father and my God and your God.“
- Ephesians 1:17 — “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory…” Ross draws attention to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” — Jesus has a God; he is not God.
Below are Claude.ai’s extraction of the scriptures Ross Nichols cited in the video above and Claude’s paraphrasing of Ross’s understanding of the original author’s text. The transcript sent to Claude is in Ross’s directory in Dropbox.
Response: Here is a summary of the scriptures Ross Nichols cites, along with his explanations of the context showing Jesus as distinct from and subordinate to his Father and God. [All emphasis is mine.]
Scriptures Where Jesus Is Charged with Claiming Equality with God
John 10:30 — “I and the Father are one.” Ross notes this is the trigger for a blasphemy charge, but argues that “one” does not mean ontological sameness. He resolves the meaning by pointing to John 17:11. See below.
Also, the verse must be read with verse 29 My Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.
John 5:18 — The Jews sought to kill Jesus because he called God his own Father, “making himself equal with God.” Ross raises the charge as the key question to answer — not to affirm it, but to disprove it through context.
Scriptures That Clarify What “One” Means
John 17:3 — Jesus, in prayer with eyes lifted to heaven, says: “this is eternal life, that they should know thee, the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.” Ross points out that Jesus explicitly addresses someone else as “the only true God,” putting himself in the role of the one sent, not the one who sent.
John 17:11 — “keep them in thy name…that they may be one, even as we are.“ John 17:21–23 — “that they may all be one…even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee…that they may be one, even as we are one.” Ross argues these passages solve the puzzle of John 10:30. Jesus prays that his followers would be “one” in the same way he and the Father are one — clearly not meaning his followers would all become God. The unity is one of mission and accord, not identity.
Scriptures Where Jesus Explicitly States the Father Is Greater
John 10:29 — “My Father is greater than all.” Ross notes this comes just one verse before “I and the Father are one,” directly undercutting the charge that Jesus claimed equality.
John 14:28 — “the Father is greater than I.” Ross calls this one of the clearest statements in John: Jesus himself says the Father surpasses him, making any claim of full equality impossible.
Scriptures Where Jesus Explicitly Has a God — Including After the Resurrection
John 20:17 — After the resurrection, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene: “I ascend unto my Father and your Father and my God and your God.“ Ross considers this pivotal. Post-resurrection, Jesus still identifies himself as having a Father and a God — the same Father and God his followers have. He is on equal footing with his followers, not with God. This explicitly places God above Jesus even after the resurrection.
Scriptures Where Paul and Peter Distinguish Jesus from His God and Father
Romans 15:5–6 — “…that ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ross highlights the phrase “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” — God is Jesus’s God and Father, not Jesus himself.
2 Corinthians 1:3 — “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Same formulation. Ross notes that while Jesus is called “Lord,” that title is clearly distinguished from “God.”
Ephesians 1:3 — “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Ephesians 1:17 — “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory…” Ross draws attention to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” — Jesus has a God; he is not God.
1 Peter 1:3 — “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Ross points out this is post-resurrection and post-ascension writing, demolishing the argument that Jesus’s apparent subordination was only temporary while he was “in the flesh.”
1 Corinthians 8:5–6 — “yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things…and one Lord, Jesus Christ.” Ross calls this “crystal clear” — Paul explicitly defines “one God” as the Father, and “one Lord” as Jesus Christ. The two roles are distinct and not interchangeable.
Jesus’s Own Words About the Source of His Teaching
John 7:16–18 — “My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me.” John 12:49–50 — “For I spake not from myself, but the Father that sent me…the things which I speak, even as the Father has said unto me, so I speak.” Ross argues these statements frame Jesus as a prophet in the biblical mold — one who speaks not his own words but the words of the one who commissioned him.
The Fatherhood of God and Psalm 82
Psalm 82:6 (ASV) — “I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High.” When charged with blasphemy for calling God his Father, Jesus quotes this Psalm to show that the Hebrew Bible itself applies the language of divine sonship broadly. Ross’s point: calling God “Father” was not a claim to deity — it was language the Hebrew Bible already used for God’s relationship with his people.
Luke 11:2–4 — Jesus teaches his disciples to pray: “Father, hallowed be thy name…” Ross notes that when asked how to pray, Jesus directs people to pray to the Father — not to himself. He taught his followers to address God the way he did.
Summary of Ross’s Core Argument
Ross’s thesis is that Jesus never claimed to be God or equal with God. Instead, across multiple texts — particularly in John, Jesus consistently:
- Addresses God as his Father and prays to him
- Explicitly states the Father is greater than himself
- After the resurrection, identifies God as his God, the same God his followers have
- Attributes his teaching to the one who sent him, fitting the pattern of a prophet
- Uses “one” to mean unity of mission, not identity of being
The same God Jesus calls Father is the same God and Father to those he is speaking to — making his God and his Father the same role for his audience as for himself, as stated plainly in John 20:17: “my Father and your Father…my God and your God.”
