Class Notes for Is Jesus Christ God?

How could Jesus be God if He had the limitations of a human being?
Some say Jesus never claimed to be God - aren't they right?

Why should Jesus be considered more important than other great religious teachers?
Other leaders (Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius) - emphasize teachings, not themselves
if they never existed, doesn't change their beliefs - if Christ didn't exist - everything changes
Jesus - John 14:6 - I am the way…(didn't teach the way - He is the way)

Who would people say Jesus is?
People try and confuse the issue - his relevance matter of individual taste They use His name (Jehovah Witness, Mormon, Christian Scientist, Unitarians), but deny His deity

Life of Jesus Christ - Greatest event in history or cruelest hoax - if not true - we are idiots
History - conclusive from many sources - Jesus did exist - not even in dispute - AND Founded a church which has worshipped Him for 2000 years - changed course of world history

Who did He say He was? -
Mark 14:61-64 - unique when trial not for actions, but identity (courteous reply - not direct)
Thou hast said - traditional reply for answer of import - courtesy forbade direct yes or no
they tore their garments - horror of blasphemy - Jesus indicted Himself
they concluded He was claiming to be God - (not ignorant people) John 19:7

John 5:17-18, John 13:30-33 - Equality with God - stirs Pharisees to uncontrollable anger

John 8:58 - I Am - to the Jews - refers to the eternally existent God (Exodus 3:14)

John 5:23-24 - Due honor of God - if they didn't honor Him, they couldn't honor God

John 14:1 - Believe in me -audacity to make himself object of faith
See Him - See God - (know, see, believe, receive, hate, honor)
Never came out and said - Hey, look at me - I'm God! Why not?

Worship - reserved for God - Matthew 4:10
Others wouldn't - Acts 10:25,26 - Peter, Cornelius, Rev 19:10 - angel, John
Received and Accepted it - Matthew 8:2, John 9:35-39, Matthew 14:33

Others Said - Paul, John the Baptist, Peter, Thomas - as well as the Fulfilled Prophecies
Philippians 2:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, Matthew 16:15-17, John 20:26-29

A man who can read the New Testament and not see that Christ claims to be more than a man, can look all over the sky at high noon on a cloudless day and not see the sun. - William Biederwolf

Forgave sins - Mark 2:7, Luke 5:20-21 - only God could forgive sins

Moral character - John 8:46, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21
3 short years of active life have done more to benefit mankind than all philosophers and moralists combined.

Authority of teaching - Matthew 7:28-29 - ultimate, final - unlike anyone before or since
no afterthoughts, retractions, revisions, changes, guesses, supposing, uncertainty
Didn't carefully word to give himself an out - (politics - mistrust)

Sustains true life- 1 John 5:11,12 -like vine by its branches

Power over nature - storms, waves, water, feeding, raising of dead.

Power over sickness and disease - lame, dumb, blind - John 9:25 - not a fraud
Enemies didn't deny miracles (John 11:48)

Rose from the dead - predicted it - method and timing

Four Possibilities - If not Lord, one of the other three

Legend - Those alive when he lived would have disputed his existence - they didn't
Church and writings within a few years - too many eyewitnesses

Liar - great moral teacher, but not God
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 up 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
How could a deceitful, depraved man invented and consistently maintained purest and noblest character in history with perfect air of truth and reality?

Lunatic - What are differences between mental patient claiming to be God and Jesus saying same?
many have claimed to be God - but we don't worship them - we pity them
calm authority, practical spirit of His religion, simplicity of language unfolding sublime truths -
no abnormality shown - when the rest of us would cave

He Claims to be God

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