“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 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 great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Watch these interviews in this short clip by TrueU to introduce the question: “Who Is Jesus?”
Who is Jesus?
This is the most important question asked by Jesus. How would we respond?
Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8:27-30
Is Jesus part of the Trinity?
Moses tells us:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3
Notice the Trinity: God in Hebrew = Elohim. The noun is plural, but when used with bara (created) it becomes a singular verb (God is one in being/essence; God is three in person/nature)
- God = the Father/Creator
- God = the Spirit/hovered over the waters
- God = the Word/spoke things into existence
Is Jesus the Word?
The Apostle John tells us:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:1-5
In John’s Gospel the Word (Logos) had significant meaning in the Greek language and for the culture at the time. When applied to the universe it meant ‘the rational principle that governs all things and the means for all things that were created.’ John made it a point for them to know that Jesus was the Word.
He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believe his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:10-14
Is Jesus God?
The Apostle Paul tells us:
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
Colossians 2:9
Jesus was worshiped as God by those who knew Him:
- Matthew 2:10-12: The wise men worshiped Him at His birth
- Matthew 8:2: The leper worshiped Him at his healing
- Matthew 9:18-19: The synagogue ruler worshiped Him
- Matthew 14:32-33: The disciples worshiped Him in the boat
- Matthew 20:20-21: The mother of James and John worshiped Him
- John 9:35-38: The blind man worshiped Him at his healing
- Matthew 28:8-10: The women worshiped Him at the empty tomb
Check out this short clip by Impact 360 called “Who Was Jesus”
Christianity’s Jesus is unique in many ways, and when compared to leaders or founders of other faiths we find that He stands out as the only who made the claim to be God incarnate, the only one who took all our sins to the cross, and the only one who defeated death through His Resurrection:
| Religion | Leader | Role | Mission |
| Baha’i | Baha’u’llah | Prophet | Bring oneness and peace |
| Buddhism | Buddha | Enlightened one | Lead others to Nirvana |
| Christianity | Jesus | God Incarnate | Redeem humankind |
| Confucianism | Confucius | Ethical teacher | Build a moral society |
| Hinduism | Krishna | Divine avatar | Be a hero of the people |
| Islam | Muhammad | Final prophet | Communicate the will of Allah |
| Jainism | Mahavira | Great hero | Teach asceticism |
| Judaism | Moses | Prophet of YHWH | Communicate the will and law of YHWH |
| Shintoism | Kami (mythical gods) | Symbols | Find peace with nature |
| Sikhism | Nanak | Prophet | Union with god |
| Taoism | Lao-Tzu | Sage | Teach the Tao (way) |
| Zoroastrianism | Zoroaster | Prophet | Communicate the will of Ahura-Mazda |
*Above chart and information from Kenneth Richard Samples’ book: God Among Sages
Reflection
- In your own words answer the question: Who is Jesus?
- Why and how is Jesus unique compared to leaders of other faiths?
- Prayer focus: Growing closer to Jesus
Bible Study
We will be starting a new book of the Bible next week. To prepare it is important to completely read through a book (just like any good novel) to get the big picture and storyline before going deeper into a study. Before next week read through 1 Corinthians. It will also help if you are able to get any outside information on the culture of that first century Church and city of Corinth before diving into the questions next week.
Join us next week as we continue our case for Christianity by examining the Deity of Jesus.
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.
Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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