 Many people around the world believe that Jesus Christ was a great teacher and this is true. However, many people do not know that Jesus Christ claimed to be much more than just a normal man. Jesus Christ claimed to be God.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is 100% human and 100% God. There is a lot of evidence that Jesus Christ lived as a man in history. There is also a lot of evidence both from inside the Bible and in non-Christian history that Jesus really was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead, just as the Bible says. Despite this evidence, some people still have doubts and questions about whether or not Jesus Christ really claimed to be God. Let’s take a look at this evidence which comes from Jesus own words and the words of his disciples in the New Testament of the Bible. When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the Jewish Leaders got angry with him. John 5:16-18 says, “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” In Exodus 3:13-14 God told Moses that his name was, “I AM”. “Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 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.’” In John 8:58-59 we read, “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” In John 10:29-33 Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” From this passage, it is clear that the Jews of Jesus’ time understood that he was clearly claiming to be God in human flesh. For further evidence you may want to read Mark 14:61-65 in which Jesus referenced Daniel 7:13-14 and Psalms 110. Jesus also forgave sins in Luke 5:20. Finally, after resurrecting from the dead, Jesus Christ met his disciple Thomas who was full of doubts, in John 20:28-29 we read, “Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” In the Jewish culture of that time it would have been considered a serious sin and crime for Thomas to call Jesus God unless it was true. Jesus did not reject Thomas’ claim but instead accepted it. From these passages and many others, we can be confident that Jesus Christ truthfully claimed to be God, because He is God.
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Darryl RecordA Christian Apologist, Author, Missionary, Husband, and Father. Darryl has an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University (CA), an MA in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University (CA), and a BA in Political Science from Truman State University (MO). Note: Please share these articles as conversation starters on important topics, even if you disagree with them. Just state why you disagree and go from there. My hope is that they will help English-speaking Christians share their personal faith and beliefs on important topics with their non-Christian loved ones.
For Non-Christians and Christians Outside the USA: Please consider these articles as a gift to you sponsored by others. For American Christians: If you are blessed, encouraged, or even challenged by these articles, please make a tax deductible donation of any amount via the "Become a Financial Partner" button above, as God leads. Your finances will be used to continue and expand our apologetics, discipleship, evangelism, and other missionary ministries in Cambodia and globally (without charge to the recipients). Some missionaries who have been professionally trained as musicians etc. compose, perform, and sell their music in order to help fund their mission work. Decades of research, education, and a lot of money has been invested in me so that I am capable of communicating on these topics on a professional level. For me, these articles are my songs. Songs are often a "cry of the heart" which cannot be suppressed. I have tried my best to remain silent on these issues in the past. God may lead me to be silent again in the future. At this moment, I cannot be silent. I have come to the conclusion that when the Bible says, "the workman is worthy of his wages," (1 Timothy 5:18) that this truth does not ONLY apply to pastors. I believe that it ALSO applies to fairly tipping our waiters and waitresses etc., for their services. This is especially important if they depend on this for their income. If this offends you, then that is only indication that my articles are not valuable to you, therefore no "tip" is requested. Archives
November 2019
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