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#Post#: 25--------------------------------------------------
Question: "Who is Jesus Christ?"
By: lastdayschristians Date: November 18, 2012, 10:05 pm
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Answer: Unlike the question “Does God exist?” very few people
question whether Jesus Christ existed. It is generally
accepted that Jesus was truly a man who
walked on the earth in Israel 2000 years
ago. The debate begins when the subject
of Jesus' full identity is discussed. Almost
every major religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet or a good
teacher or a
godly man. The problem is that the Bible
tells us that Jesus was infinitely more
than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly
man. C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity
writes the following: “I am trying here to
prevent anyone from saying the really
foolish thing that people often say about
Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I'm ready to accept
Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to
be God.' That is the
one thing we must not say. A man who
was merely a man and said the sort of
things Jesus said would not be a great
moral teacher. He would either be a
lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or
else he would be
the Devil of hell. You must make your
choice. Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God, or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut him up for
fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can
fall at his feet and call
him Lord and God. But let us not come up
with any patronizing nonsense about his
being a great human teacher. He has not
left that option open to us. He did not
intend to.” So, who did Jesus claim to be? Who does
the Bible say He is? First, let's look at
Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” At first
glance, this
might not seem to be a claim to be God.
However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His
statement, “‘We are not stoning you for
any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for
blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God’” (John
10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to
be God. In the following verses, Jesus
never corrects the Jews by saying, “I did
not claim to be God.” That indicates Jesus
was truly saying He was God by declaring,
“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another
example: “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before
Abraham was born, I am!’” Again, in
response, the Jews took up stones in an
attempt to stone Jesus (John 8:59). Jesus’ announcing His
identity as “I am” is a
direct application of the Old Testament
name for God (Exodus 3:14). Why would the Jews again want to
stone Jesus if He
had not said something they believed to
be blasphemous, namely, a claim to be
God? John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word
became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the
flesh. Thomas the disciple declared to
Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct
him. The apostle
Paul describes Him as, “…our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The apostle Peter says
the same, “…our God
and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). God the Father is
witness of Jesus’ full identity
as well, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your
throne, O God, will last forever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of
your kingdom.’” Old Testament
prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “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). So, as C.S. Lewis argued, believing Jesus
to be only a good teacher is not an option.
Jesus clearly and undeniably claimed to be
God. If He is not God, then He is a liar, and
therefore not a prophet, good teacher, or
godly man. In attempts to explain away the words of Jesus,
modern “scholars”
claim the “true historical Jesus” did not
say many of the things the Bible
attributes to Him. Who are we to argue
with God’s Word concerning what Jesus
did or did not say? How can a “scholar” two thousand years
removed from Jesus
have better insight into what Jesus did or
did not say than those who lived with,
served with, and were taught by Jesus
Himself (John 14:26)? Why is the question over Jesus’ true
identity so important? Why does it matter
whether or not Jesus is God? The most
important reason that Jesus has to be God
is that if He is not God, His death would
not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the
whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite
penalty (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so
that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to
be man so He could die. Salvation is
available only through faith in Jesus
Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He is the only
way of salvation. Jesus’ deity is why He
proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father
except through me” (John 14:6).
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