You lose me there because if Jesus was just man he would be a sinner like us and unable to pay for our sins.
I am with you there.
John 1 clearly states that the "Word WAS God", and then goes on to say that "In him was life, and that light was the light of men. The light that shines in the darkness" and the goes on to say that John the Baptist came to testify concerning that light (the Word of God who WAS God) and then John the baptist adds that this light though coming after him surpassed him because he(the light) was before him. The in chapter 2 he says "This is the one I meant when I said "A man who come after me has surpassed me because he was before me"(speaking about Jesus). Now if you know you laws of mathematics, if two things are equal to the same thing they are equal to each other. the light = Jesus AND the light = the Word, thus Jesus = the Word. PLUS Jesus = the Word AND the Word = God, thus JESUS = GOD. Those are rules written into the very fabric of Science and Mathematics called the transitive property.
I don't claim to know all the answers but if you do your research you will find that Jesus not only IS God, but has to be God or all hope is lost.
See that is taking things out of context. Take the whole passage now and lets see what we have..
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven,
that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.[
a] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[
b] have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
We are to believe in Jesus the only begotten Son of God. . .why? because he came into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of our holy and perfect God, then we must believe in his purpose here on earth. . .to be the Saviour of the world, our Saviour.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son
as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Good verse but again taken out of context, this tells us that we are meant love, testify and confess. The Old Testament is clear enough in its prophecies that Jesus will be God with us, not like God to us, or a good Godly man, but GOD WITH US!