There are only four options for the identity of Jesus Christ. He was a legend, a liar, a lunatic—or Lord and God.
Legend?
Those who support the legend hypothesis say that the claim to be God was a result of the religious imagination of the early church, and as such, was written back into the mouth of Jesus. The real Jesus, they say, said no such thing.
First of all, this view fails to take into account the fact that it takes more than two full generations for legendary traces to wipe out the hard core of historical fact (A.N. Sherwin White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, Oxford U. Press, 1963, pp. 189-191). There is good evidence that Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts were written within one generation after Christ, but even if all the Gospels were written after 70 AD, as proponents of the legend theory suggest, this is still within the two generations that are needed before mystical tendencies can prevail over the historic core.
Second there is no question that the earliest Christians believed in and worshipped one of their own countrymen as Lord and God. How does one explain this worship by monotheistic Jews of one of their own countrymen apart from some divine claims or behaviour? If the real Jesus never made any such claims, this early belief in a divine Christ is inexplicable.
C.S. Lewis, one of the great literary experts on ancient myths, says of the Gospel accounts: “I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that not one of them is like this” (C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, Walter Hooper, ed., Eerdmans, 1967, p. 155).
Claims to be God
Since, therefore, there is little likelihood that Jesus’ claim to deity is legend or myth, we should expect to find something in His words and actions that suggest He thought of Himself as divine. Jesus’ self-perception as God is clearly seen in the various Gospel accounts.
Liar or lunatic?
Therefore, since Jesus claimed to be God, His claims are either true or false. If false, He must have been a liar, deliberately misleading the multitudes. Or, He was a lunatic, sincerely believing Himself to be God, when in reality He was just a man.
Jesus’ brilliant moral character and His willingness to die for His claim to be God have convinced most people that He was not lying. Jesus’ humility, warmth and unselfish love, His quick and skilful thinking in dealing with His opponents, His intelligent communication with the multitudes, and His amazing self-control and composure in the midst of the tremendous physical and emotional stress of His betrayal and crucifixion, all point to His contact with reality. Jesus was no lunatic.
Lord
If Jesus was not a legend and He claimed to be God, then, as we’ve said, His claim is either true or false. If it is false, He must have been a liar or a lunatic. Since the evidence shows He is neither a liar nor a lunatic, then the only other alternative left is that His claim is true. Jesus is Lord and God.
Revised October 03
Tags: Bible, C.S. Lewis, faith, God, Jesus, Men, michael horner, questions, start faith adventure, Women
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But was he a jew?
yes-a very serious jew
oh ma god jesus was a liar
yh he ws a serious jew
look at that picture man is he really jesus
yh as if
hes a liar
there is something wrong here no man can GOD
i dont like the way are insisting that jesus was a liar or a lunatic . when if you had read the bible properly u would c that jesus dose not think he is god but he knows hes the son of god ..so get ur facts right before you make judgements !!!
By the way you must have sin (jesus probably didnt ) so you cant judge anyone \!!!!!!
sabreena, thank you for your comments. I’m still a fairly new Christian myself (since about 6 years ago) so I’m interesting in hearing others’ perspectives.
I’m sorry to hear that you took offense because you feel that this article is judgmental. Why do you feel as if it is judgmental? And would you say that judging someone else is wrong? But if judging is wrong, then why are you judging the author of this article? Maybe instead of never judging anyone, what Jesus meant is that we shouldn’t make hypocritical judgments? When we read Acts and Paul’s letters we see Peter, Paul, and others routinely judging others when they act immorally or commit heresy.
About Jesus being God, I’ve come to the conclusion that Jesus did believe He is God. On this subject, C. S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia series of books, commented:
“Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He said He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God: there would be nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of God. God in their language, meant that Being outside the world Who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simple, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.” (Mere Christianity)
A decent resource on this can be found here: http://www.jimfeeney.org/deityofjesuschrist.html
Would you be willing to share your spiritual journey? Hope to hear from you again! Blessings on your future studies and spiritual walk!
My gran son asks, why did jesus go to jeruselem.
The son of God knew he was the son of God.He knew why he sent.He was killed byserious Jews and yes in fact he was a Jew…praise God for we have been grafted into the root he was and is and always will be the root,the tree ,the fruit .The truth ,the way and THE LIFE…Amen.
Anthony you can tell him…Because he loved us so much that he went to save us from ourselves.So that we may have Life and that Life would be forever…He gave his Life that we may have it.
Sabreena, Darren is not insulting our Lord Jesus! He is only trying to cause others to ponder over the claims of Jesus and decide for themselves Who this Jesus is! Practically all other world religions recognize Jesus as a respected ‘teacher’ or prophet, yet He claimed to be the Son of God, traveled the land forgiving sins, and spoke of eternal truths with authority. Either He is telling the truth, or He is a liar or a lunatic. As other world religions do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God, Lord and Savior of the world, then how do they reconcile their respect for Him as a teacher of great character and influence, with His outragous claims? Why would He be so respected if what He said was untrue? It is because what He said IS true that all other religions fail to disprove Him. As for our judging others, Sabreena, we are called to be discerning. This means we ought ‘judge’ behaviors, but not motives. Only God knows our hearts and He convicts us when our motives are impure. As we all sin, we must not condemn a sister or brother who falls, but help her/him back up and encourage toward restoration. Hope this helps! God bless! :)
There is nothing in the New Testament gospel sayings of Jesus to indicate that he believed or proclaimed that he was God. The context of John 10.30 indicates that Jesus meant that he and God the Father were unified regarding his mission. And this unity is confirmed by Jesus’ later use of “one” (Gr. hen) in John 17.11, 21-23).
Jesus doing miracles certainly does not prove that he was God because prior prophets had done miracles and Jesus’ apostles later did them too.
Jesus forgiving sins doesn’t indicate he innately possessed this authority as God because he explained that God gave him this authority (John 5.22, 27), which signifies that he is essentially subordinate to the Father and therefore is not God.
Jesus identified the Father as “the only true God” (John 17.3; cf. 5.44). And he called the Father “my God” (John 20.17; also on the cross), showing that he was not the one and only God and that the Father was his God.
Learn this and more in my new, 600-page book, The Restitution of Jesus Christ, available at my website–servetustheevangelical.com. It may be the most formidable, well-researched, biblically in-depth book to ever challenge the institutional church dogma that Jesus is God while affirming all other major church teachings about Jesus.
Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the father.Of course Jesus was and is God,The Father also was and is God.In order to understand the Bible and it’s teaching the Holy spirit must instruct you with out the Holy spirit there can be n o understanding of God’s word.Study the Bible,let no man guide you but Jesus,and if you have no understanding please for your sake do not try to teach others what you do not understand yourself.If you do you do more harm than good. Again I say Jesus was God,of that there is no doubt…To non believes this means nothing but to the believers who do not believe this then they are not believers at all …only liars who do not know nor will they except the truth but they make up their own truth which means nothing to the living God.Read your Bible and let no man decieve you!And to the one who was and is and always will be I give “Praise and Honor”…
Kyisha, what you say is, indeed, truth, but the Scriptures warn us that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God!” (1 Corinthians 1:18) Servetus does not have eyes to see, nor ears to hear, what God has revealed to those who love Him in spirit and in truth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 declares, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The Bible exhorts us to be alert for false teachers, for many will claim to know the truth, but it eludes them. Servetus, I would take a sober look at what’s at stake here — your eternal destiny hinges on whether the claims of Jesus are true or not, and whether you choose to believe Him. Eternity is a long time, are you so sure of your “600-page, well-researched, biblically in-depth book” to stake your eternal destiny on it? I choose to believe Jesus IS Who He said He is! And, I have a 1700-page, Holy Spirit- inspired, love letter from God to prove it!
Note to Servitus the Evangelical…
There was no doubt in the mind of the Jews about Jesus’ claim to be God.
John 10:33
“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 19:7
The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
It seems we hav forgotten what Jesus(the son of man and the son of God)NEVER se:” pray 2 me”, he sed prayer 2 OUR father-Jesus represents the power of the truth-the truth we r all inheritantly born with..It was Jesus that sed,’Y do u marvel about the things I do, YE r all God’s-meaning(to me) we r all God’s children-we are all God’s only begotten sons and daughters-Jesus sed no one can get 2 heaven but thru my me-well no 1 can find peace/joy/love(heaven) unless they accept the truth(Jesus) in their own hearts-He sed, I am the way..the light..the truth…I choose to believe Jesus not only listened to his heart, he believed..had faith..he chose to embrace everyone and preached not 2 judge..do unto others’-see it how u choose, Jesus is our savior!
Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life and no one goes to the father except through me” pretty powerful words right there. In his name we are to ask for anything. What does in his name mean? I think it means pray to God using the name of JESUS.
Hi Sandy! We pray ‘in Jesus’ Name’ because it is only under His banner, and in His righteousness, that we may come to the Father to offer Him praises and present our petitions! Without the blood of Jesus covering our sins, we are unworthy to approach the throne of grace, and God has no obligation to listen to our prayers. If He chooses to honor a prayer of an unregenerate heart, it is His sovereign prerogative, but His promises, laid out in the Scriptures, are for His beloved children, who have received His gift of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary!