Jesus Claimed to Be God and Why That Matters

“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me….” (John 10:24-27).

If Jesus Christ is not the God-man, then we’re out of business and the universe is in the dark.

Nothing is more basic to the Christian faith and everyone’s hope than His deity.

Theological liberals like to say Jesus never claimed to be God, that this claim was put in HIs mouth by Christians who came later.

What fun they have with the story of Jesus.

With extremely minor exceptions (e.g., a reference in Josephus), the only historical record we have of Jesus is found in the New Testament, starting with the four gospels. From different writers at various times and affirmed by the earliest Christians and subsequent generations of believers, this is how it was with the itinerant preacher from Nazareth who died on a Roman cross and was raised the third day. How someone can come along and say, “Those who wrote the story of Jesus put words into His mouth and made Him out to be more than He was” is beyond me.

We may as well take something from Plato or Herodotus and, with no justification except our own prejudices, decide they got things wrong and misrepresented one of their characters.

That is “beyond” me? Okay, I’m quick to admit that much is beyond me, and not just the behavior of liberals. However, I do know how to read and to think about what I read. Take the matter of what Scripture says concerning the deity of Jesus.

Here are a few points to consider on this subject.... Read more