Jesus himself admitted that the Father is the only true God, which proves that he denied being God.

The question assumes a Unitarian perspective, which posits that there is only one Person who is God, specifically the Father. However, when we examine the full context of Jesus' prayer in John 17, we see that he identifies himself as the Son of God who grants eternal life, a prerogative that belongs only to God. Furthermore, Jesus speaks of his pre-existence and glory with the Father before the world was created, asserting his divine status. He also claims that everything the Father has belongs to him, which underscores his position as the heir of all creation. Additionally, Jesus' indwelling presence in believers suggests his omnipresence, a characteristic of God alone. Therefore, Jesus' acknowledgment of the Father as the only true God does not negate his own divinity but rather affirms the complex unity of the Trinity, where all three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are fully and equally God.