Understanding Jesus
The Bible proclaims Jesus is God the Son. And within His birth into human history as fully God and fully man, Jesus provides for us the clearest, most important revelation of God and His purposes. Hebrews 1:1-3 says,
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
While many believe Jesus lived, was a good teacher and a decent man, many fail to see that Jesus is also much more. For example:
1. Jesus said He is God.
John 8:58-59 “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am [note Jesus doesn’t say, “I was” but “I am,” which is an Old Testament title for the Lord God, see Exodus 3:14].’ Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.”
John 10:30-33 Jesus said, “‘I and the Father are one.’ The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’”
John 14:8-9 “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?’”
John 1:1, 14 Jesus’ apostle John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2. Jesus said He came from heaven.
John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father.”
John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”
3. Jesus affirmed to others He is God the Son
Mark 14:61-64 “Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." And tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?
"You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”
4. Like God Jesus claimed to be without sin & forgave people’s sins against God.
John 8:46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?”
Hebrew 4:15 says of Jesus “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Luke 5:20-21 “And seeing their faith, He [Jesus] said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?’”
5. Jesus said He was the only way to heaven.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’”
John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies”
6. Jesus accepted worship as God.
Matthew 14:33 “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!”
John 9:38 “And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped Him.”
The Bible strictly forbids worshiping anyone or anything but God alone (for example in the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:1-6). Yet, Jesus freely allowed people to worship Him, without correction or rebuke for doing so. Therefore, Jesus’ acceptance of worship highlights the truth that He is God the Son.
7. Jesus performed miracles including rising from death.
John 5:36 “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works [i.e. miracles] which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
John 10:37-38 “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
John 10:18 “No one has taken it [Jesus’ life] away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
Conclusion
In light of the above, how should we respond to the person of Jesus? We are left with only three responses: Jesus was a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord. As C.S. Lewis wisely says:
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 the level with the 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 a 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 with any patronizing nonsense about his being a [mere] great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
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