Written by Gustave - Updated on Jun 30, 2025
Is Jesus God? Are you confusing the two? Is there a particular difference between Jesus and God?
These questions can be confusing. We have therefore decided to reveal everything on the subject so that you can know where you stand. But first, here are some key points to remember:
The name “Emmanuel” comes from the Old Testament. This means that on the day Jesus was born, at Christmas, a prophecy in the Bible was fulfilled. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, it is written: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. Emmanuel means ”God with us," so there is no doubt about it.
Find out in this article:
- The nuances between the two concepts
- Why we sometimes confuse Jesus and God
- Does God really exist?
Let's explore the subject!
Jesus and God: the multitude of names
Jesus, Emmanuel, Christ... Son of God, Lamb of God, Son of Man, Son of David, King of the Jews.
... Names that all refer to Jesus. Ultimately, what matters is that he was a man and he is God who came into the world to save us, who died for us, who loved us without limit, and who rose again to give hope to our lives. Few names have been given to him for all that he is.
Why does the Lord have so many names?
We call Jesus many things, but at Christmas there is a Gospel that could confuse us with his name. We already know that we give our father many names from when we are little: Dad, Papa, his nickname... But he only has one name. Even if every house calls him by a different name. With our other Father, this time the one above, the same thing happens: we call him Lord, Father, God, Savior, Messiah...
But we could be confused by the name of Jesus, since—in addition to using all kinds of distinctions for him in the Gospel—we call him Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, etc.
At the beginning of the Gospel of St. Matthew (Mt 1:18-24), the angel says to Joseph: "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child she carries is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 🙏
Just to clarify, Jesus has only one name, and that is Jesus, which literally means “Savior” in Aramaic, Yeshua. This is the name that Mary and Jesus gave to their son based on what the angel told them. Furthermore, we call ourselves Christians because we follow Christ. But didn't we follow Jesus? Yes, we did. Christ literally means “Messiah,” which comes from “anointed.” This means that when we call Jesus, Jesus Christ, we are simply adding that Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus and God: one being, but different persons
The Trinity is a concept that can really boggle the mind. Indeed, how can one God be made up of three distinct divinities? How can we picture such an image?
God is indeed one, and we pray to one God whom we consider to be the only true God. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are simply different manifestations of the same entity. Each member of the Trinity has their own way of operating. Jesus is the human aspect of God. He took human form so that humans could come closer to God. Christ was a real human being, made of flesh and blood. His coming symbolized God's effort to come closer to humans. He died, just as all humans are destined to die. However, Jesus rose from the dead, and this is one of the greatest feats ever accomplished. It was as a divine being that he accomplished this feat. He did it to show us that death can be overcome, and he taught us how.
Christians pray to one God. But they call on God the Father, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit depending on what they want from him. For example, we pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us in the decisions we have to make. In this kind of situation, we ask God to send us this part of himself.
The difference between God and Jesus Christ
God is also called the Creator because he made all things out of nothing, and he is also called Lord because he is always the absolute master of all things. God is not human, he has no body, but he is pure spirit. He has no fixed abode, or rather, he is everywhere, he is both in heaven and on earth, he is immense. God has no date of birth; He has always existed and will live forever because He is eternal. It is useless to hide things from God, for He knows everything about everyone, even our thoughts; He is the All-Knowing.
Depending on the type of behavior a person has adopted in earthly life, He rewards and punishes by sending the souls of the dead to heaven or hell. Heaven is the eternal enjoyment of God, our happiness, and, in Him, every other good, without any evil. Heaven is deserved by those who are good, that is, those who love and serve God faithfully and die in His grace.
Hell is the eternal suffering of deprivation of God, of our happiness, and of fire, with every other evil without any good. Those who are evil, that is, who do not serve God and die in mortal sin, deserve hell. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, the Son of God made man; Jesus is true God and true man. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a stable, and was laid in a manger. Jesus became man to save us, that is, to redeem us from sin, and to preserve Paradise by taking on a body and soul, like us, in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit.
We say that Jesus' parents were Joseph and Mary because they took care of him in the stable, but in reality, Saint Joseph was not the true father of Jesus Christ, but a putative father, as his guardian. Jesus Christ wanted to be poor to teach us to be humble and not to find happiness in riches, honors, and worldly pleasures.
How is God different from Jesus Christ?
We often hear people ask, “Is there really a God?” Humanity has always wanted to hear the answer to this endless question. Despite the existence of various religions, beliefs, and scientific research, everyone has their own opinion on how human existence on earth came about and what caused it. But now we are going to talk about the Christian faith and such a perplexing question about the difference between God and Jesus Christ.
In the book of Acts of the Apostles, it is written: "God, who created the world and everything in it, is the Lord of heaven and earth. For Christians, God is the Supreme Being who created life. He created everything known and unknown to man. Believers see God as transcendent and immanent. Transcendence is that God is beyond the control of humanity, so He is eternal and distant from the universe. Immanence makes Him at the same time involved in the world and human affairs. And this happens despite His transcendence.
God is all-powerful. He has unlimited power and omniscience. His knowledge is infinite. God is present everywhere and in everything. Of course, other religions also have their gods, but the Christian God is more almighty. Disrespect for His name is punished according to the Ten Commandments or laws written in the Old Testament and the Bible. The holy book of Christians contains much evidence of God's love for humanity, but also much evidence of the punishment He inflicts on those who disobey Him.
The Christian God has no body, but He can take many forms. It is up to believers to decide who He is. In the doctrine of the Trinity, God is represented before men in three forms at once: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is always referred to as a man. The most commonly used names are “Father,” Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, and Adonai. But in Christianity, too, believers must “honor the Son as they honor the Father,” “he who does not honor the Son does not honor his Father who sent him.” The name Jesus Christ is most often shortened to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit as an integral part of the Trinity
He is one of the three divine personalities of God. According to the faith and doctrine of the Trinity, God is three distinct entities: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the beloved Son of God. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the chosen and long-awaited Messiah. He was therefore given the title “Christ,” which means “Anointed One.” Previously, the word ‘Christ’ was associated not only with Jesus, but also with his followers. This became particularly evident after his death. His followers began to be called “Christians.”
Christianity believes that Jesus was sent by God the Father to save humanity; he is the physical manifestation of God. In the New Testament, God the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus with the Virgin Mary. He taught the Son the word of God. The Son passed this knowledge on to mankind, forgave them their sins, and laid the foundation for the Church. During his journey, Jesus gathered 12 apostolic disciples. He entrusted them with the task of spreading his teachings after his departure.
At the end of his earthly journey, he was captured by his enemies because he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples. Jesus accepted death by crucifixion as a sacrifice. He had atoned for the sins of humanity. According to prophecy, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. There, Christ was reunited with God the Father. The prophecy of the Messiah was fulfilled.
The true difference between God and Jesus Christ
Jesus was a man for men, and they endowed him with physical qualities. This makes Jesus a different being from God the Father. Jesus Christ is often depicted with brown hair and a long beard, with a kind and forgiving look. What is the difference between God and Jesus Christ? What do Christians believe? Let's try to understand this as well. To do so, we must begin again with the teaching on the Trinity. Here, God is the supreme Being divided into three distinct individuals. When a Christian speaks of God, they immediately think of God the Father. He is the most important figure in the religion for believing Christians.
Even in the Old Testament, when there were no images of Jesus Christ, God's omnipotence was fully felt. God was the creator of everything. He destroyed the enemies of his people. The Old Testament shows God as a powerful presence who can bring great mercy and destruction to mankind. Jesus, in turn, is one of the Three Persons of God, God the Son. God the Father sent him to purify humanity of sin. For this purpose, Jesus took on human form. He became the physical manifestation of God.
His words are therefore clear: “I and the Father are one.” But at the same time, Jesus is different from other divine entities—he has feelings, he has flesh and bones. On several occasions, he was subjected to diabolical temptations. In the Old Testament, God is powerful and punishing, and in the person of the Son, he represents his merciful and forgiving side.
God and Jesus: divine being
This is how it is explained; we can therefore conclude that the Christian God is a combination of three divine entities. By “God,” a Christian means these three personalities, one of whom is Jesus Christ. He is part of God; he is not a separate being. The desires of Jesus Christ are a reflection of the desires of God; he speaks in his words, as he is God himself. The confusion arises from the fact that some Christians think of God the Father separately from God the Son when they speak of God. Jesus Christ only became a divine being after his ascension to heaven.
If you like this kind of article, please visit our blog, where you will find many answers to your questions. We would like to present another of our articles, which highlights the difference between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Click here to read it.
