James    James was a witness of Jesus' resurrection, as we read in the following passage: "After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."          (1 Corinthians 16:6-8  NIV)

John    The Apostle John wrote these words as a witness to Christ:  "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete."  (1 John 1:1-5  NIV)

1. The Disciples Attributed the titles of Deity to Christ Jesus     In agreement with their Master, Jesus' Apostles called him "the first and the last" (Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13), "the true light" (John 1:9), their "rock" or "stone" (1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Psalm 18:2; 95:1), the "bridegroom" (Ephesians 5:28-33; Revelation 21:2), the chief shepherd" (1 Peter 5:4), and "the great shepherd" (Hebrews 13:20). The Old Testament role of "redeemer" (Psalm 130:7; Hosea 13:14) is given to Jesus in the New Testament (Titus 2:13; Revelation 5:9). He is seen as the forgiver of sins (Acts 5:31; Colossians 3:13; Psalm 130:4; Jeremiah 31:34) and "savior of the world" (John 4:42; Isaiah 43:3). The apostles also taught of him, "Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead" (2 Timothy 4:1). All of these titles are unique to Jehovah in the Old Testament but are given to Jesus in the New.

2. The Disciples Considered Jesus the Messiah to be God     The New Testament opens with a passage concluding that Jesus is Immanuel (God with us), which refers to the messianic prediction of Isaiah 7:14. The very title "Christ" carries the same meaning as the Hebrew appellation Messiah ("anointed"). In Zechariah 12:10, Jehovah says, "They will look on me, the one they have pierced." But the New Testament writers apply this passage to Jesus' crucifixion (John 19:37; Revelation 1 :7). Paul interprets Isaiah 45:22-23 ("For I am God, and there is no other. . . . Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear") as applying to Jesus: "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow. . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). Paul says that all created beings will call Jesus both Messiah (Christ) and Yahweh (Lord).

3. The Disciples Attributed the Powers of God to Jesus     Works and authority that are God's alone are attributed to Jesus by his disciples. He is said to raise the dead (John 5:21; 11:38-44) and to forgive sins (Acts 5:31; 13:38). He is said to have been the primary agent in creating (John 1:2; Colossians 1:16) and sustaining (Colossians 1:17) the universe.

4. The Disciples Associated Jesus' Name with God's name    His followers used Jesus' name as the agent for answering and the recipient of prayer (Acts 7:59; 1 Corinthians 5:4). Often in prayers or benedictions, Jesus' name is used alongside God's, as in, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:3; Ephesians1:2). The name of Jesus appears with equal status to God's in the so-called trinitarian formulas: Jesus commanded to baptize "in the name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). This association is made at the end of 2 Corinthians (13:14): "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (See also, 1 Peter 1:2).

5. The Disciples Called Jesus God     Thomas saw Jesus' wounds and cried, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Paul calls Jesus the one in whom "all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). In Titus, Jesus is "our great God and Savior" (2:13), and the writer to the Hebrews says of him, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8). Paul says that before Christ existed in the form of man, which clearly refers to being really human, he existed in the "form of God" (Philippians 2:5-8). The parallel phrases suggest that if Jesus was fully human, then he was also fully God. A similar phrase, "the image of God," refers in Colossians 1:15 to the manifestation of God. This description is strengthened in Hebrews where it says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" (1:3).
The prologue to John's Gospel states categorically, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God" (John 1:1).

6. The Disciples Considered Jesus Superior to Angels     The disciples did not simply believe that Christ was more than a man; they believed him to be greater than any created being, including angels. Paul says Jesus is "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come" (Ephesians 1:21). The demons submitted to his command (Matthew 8:32). Angels that refused the worship of humans are seen worshiping him (Revelation 22:8-9). The author of Hebrews presents a complete argument for Christ's superiority over angels, saying, "For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’?" Also, Heb. 1:5-6: "Let all God’s angels worship Him."

Tradition tells us that almost all of the Disciples were martyred for their devotion to Jesus, who claimed to be God. If they knew this claim to be false, why would they all defend it to their deaths?

This material is from Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, by Dr. Norman Geisler.  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Baker Book House, . 2000.  Pages. 131-132.  Used with permission.