Was Jesus God?

There are several passages in the Bible that come to mind immediately when considering if Jesus Christ is God. The first passage is what God, through the prophet Isaiah, foretells about Jesus.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
-Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

Here we see that he will be called "Immanuel," which means "God with us." So God himself tells us that he will be God. Later in Isaiah we see another prophecy that speaks of this child. Here, he is clearly identified as God.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Moving to the New Testament, John's account of Jesus emphasizes Jesus' divinity. In John 1:1-3,14 we read:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (NIV).

Although his name is not specifically mentioned, it is very clear from the context that it is Jesus.

In yet another passage, Jesus identifies himself as God while the crowds were disputing him:

"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
-John 8:57-58

Here Jesus equates himself with the "I AM" in Exodus 3:14:

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'" (NIV)

From these passages, the Bible very clearly tells us that Jesus was not merely a good man or a prophet. Instead, it tells us that he is the Almighty God, who took on human form to seek and save those who were lost.