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IS JESUS CHRIST GOD?
As noted previously, there are many world religions with many different beliefs, but no matter how well-intentioned they cannot all be right, but rather, are in fact mutually exclusive. Only Christianity is deeply rooted in actual historical lifetime events and actions of an individual human person who actually walked on earth. The below information outlines all the detailed facts and evidence that support the life and Lordship of Jesus Christ, including archaeology, historical events, the reliability of the bible, numerous documented miracles and prophecies, the resurrection, the subsequent actions of the Apostles, and much more. No matter what your current beliefs, please review this material with an open mind and an open heart. You can also view a thought-provoking video HERE as well as our Blog "Is Jesus Christ Really God" at http://tinyurl.com/3ace69kt and/or on the Blog page on this website.
LEE STROBEL INTERVIEW ABOUT CHRIST: In addition, you can listen in the section below to the incredible 23-minute interview summarizing Lee’s extensive research and conclusions about Jesus Christ in his new book “Is God Real”. You can also listen to the full 40-minute interview with Lee summarizing his extensive research about the general topic “Is God real”? on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/2tth67ya.
JESUS'S MIRACLES
Jesus performed dozens of well-documented miracles based on extensive eye-witness testimony from numerous Christian and non-Christian sources.
Some of His most notable miracles include turning water into wine, walking on water, calming a stormy sea, feeding 5,000 men and their families, raising Lazarus from the dead, curing the blind and the lame, and causing the disciples' nets to fill with a great many fish.
It is very noteworthy that the numerous hostile witnesses and enemies of Jesus did not question His miracles actually happened. Examples include the chief priest and Pharisees who did not dispute numerous miracles such as the raising of Lazarus, etc.
There are many non-Christian sources verifying the overall existence, life, and reputation of Jesus such as the Antiquities, Josephus, the Talmud, Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, and Thallus. See the article on the following link which describes evidence for Jesus' miracles from non-Christian sources: Is there any evidence for Jesus’ miracles? Yes, a whole darn lot!
See additional information, including scriptural references, about Jesus' miracles on the Got Questions website at the following link: https://www.gotquestions.org/miracles-of-Jesus.html and in the below references.
PROPHECIES
See a brief overview video about Messianic Prophecies at https://youtu.be/VMQSU0cUUtg
There were well over 100 very specific messianic prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus
(According to Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, there are 191 predictions in the Old Testament about the coming of Christ). These prophecies were made between 800 and 167 years before his birth and were precisely fulfilled by Jesus. Examples include:
- Christ the King would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
- The Messiah would be a virgin born (Isiah 7:14)
- The Messiah was to have a ministry of miracles (Isiah 35: 5-6)
- The Messiah would present himself by riding on a donkey: Zechariah 9:9
- Isaiah 53, with clarity and specificity, provides a haunting prediction wrapped in exquisite poetry, of the Messiah and Jesus and his crucifixion 700 hundred years before Christ
- The Messiah was to be resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10; 22:22)
- The Messiah was to ascend to heaven (Psalm 68:18)
- The Messiah was Forecast to be born precisely when he was (Daniel) hundreds of years before Jesus' birth.
- Specific ancestry that matched Jesus precisely was prophesied – a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from the tribe of Judah, the house of David (Genesis and Jeremiah)
- The Psalms foretold his betrayal, his accusation by false witnesses, his manner of death (pierced hands and feet), his resurrection and ascension
The odds are so astronomical that all these prophecies could be fulfilled randomly that they are impossible. Mathematician Peter Stoner did the math and concluded the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled was one chance in a hundred million billion. He also computed the probability of fulfilling 48 prophecies was one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion. For more details see https://nickcady.org/2020/02/18/the-statistical-probability-of-jesus-fulfilling-the-messianic-prophecies/.
RESURRECTION
See a brief overview video about Jesus' resurrection at https://youtu.be/ka_249VrZOY
Was Jesus Christ really resurrected back to life after he was executed? This is perhaps the most important question when considering if Jesus Christ is indeed God, or even If There Is a God. The following are some of the key facts that support the resurrection is really true:
- Evidence shows that Jesus was buried in a tomb sealed with a 2-ton stone blocking the entrance. Roman Guards were stationed to watch the tomb and were subject to cruel punishment if his body was removed or missing. They were afraid the disciples would steal the body and create a false narrative.
- The Roman tomb seal was broken, the stone rolled away, and the guards fled under penalty of death.
- Jesus appeared to Mary, then the Apostles in a sealed room where he showed them his hands and feet with wounds and had them touch him.
- Many thousands of Jews became unflinching followers of Christ and abandoned their long-held sacred beliefs, including hardcore skeptics like Saul & James, and “Doubting” Thomas. Many of these people died for their testimony and commitment to Christ.
- Jesus appeared over a period of 40 days to numerous individuals, including over 500 people at one time. He was seen walking with people, eating with people, speaking with people, and being touched by people.
- 1 Corinthians which documented the resurrection was written in AD 55, just 20- years after Christ’s resurrection.
- The incredible Apostles' Actions and transformation after the resurrection - including risking their lives and dying martyrs' deaths spreading the Gospel - demonstrated they clearly believed Jesus rose from the dead. See the next section below for more details.
- Trusting in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is critical as it provides the ultimate proof that death itself can and has been conquered and that the promise of eternal life is REAL.
We also invite you to review our Blog about Jesus' resurrection which provides a variety of more detailed information, logic, and analysis on this most important topic. ( See https://tinyurl.com/4mxx8rav ).
APOSTLES' ACTIONS
See a brief overview video about the Apostles' actions and lives at https://youtu.be/ZhMIlVIoE-M
Throughout their time with Jesus, the Apostles saw many examples where Jesus healed the sick and brought the dead to life. They saw him walk on water and calm a storm. These Miracles, together with his teachings and the character of Jesus throughout his ministry, convinced them to have faith in Jesus and to believe that He was God. Then the ultimate happened - they witnessed the resurrection (See our previous Blog about the resurrection at https://tinyurl.com/ms6f25d2). This led the Apostles and others to experience an additional incredible transformation which motivated them to go to the far reaches of the earth to spread the word of the Gospel and Jesus Christ.
This transformation was further inspired by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Per commentary by John Gill "Through this baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, the apostles became more knowing, and had a greater understanding of the mysteries of the Gospel, and were more qualified to preach it to people of all nations and languages” (See https://tinyurl.com/yxnbhglo ). The Apostles then defended the resurrection before the intimidating Jewish Sanhedrin - convinced beyond any doubt in their minds. They continued to share the gospel with boldness and courage, even when faced with imprisonment, beatings, plots, and riots - which was actually a catalyst for the spread of Christianity. They would not waiver and most of them gave up their lives in defense of the truth they witnessed.
According to tradition and the Bible, eight of the Apostles died as Martyrs. For example, Peter and Andrew were crucified (Peter upside down) by Emperor Nero, Andrew is said to have been tied and then nailed to a cross for two days in Greece; according to legend (as reported by National Geographics), Matthew was stabbed in the back by a swordsman sent by King Hertacus; the Marthoma Christians in India claim Thomas died when pierced by four soldiers; and James, the son of Alphaeus, was stoned to death when preaching in Jerusalem (as reported by Josephus, a non-christian historian). For further details about the Apostles see https://tinyurl.com/y6bjnfdp and https://tinyurl.com/yy7hpfgx. Who would be willing to suffer and die such horrible deaths for something that was a lie? What would cause these incredible transformations and acts in the face of death if they did not believe everything about Jesus was true?
Another amazing example is the story of the Apostle Paul (formerly Saul). Saul initially hated Christianity, to the point where he would chase down Christians, beat them and drag them to prison. Little did he imagine that the One he persecuted would be waiting for him on one of his persecution trips. According to the bible, Jesus got a hold of Saul, humbling him with a vision and leaving him no way to rely on his personal accomplishments, strengths, or ambitions to get out of the situation. Saul surrendered and asked the Lord what He wanted him to do. He then proceeded to Damascus, where he just hung out, blinded by his encounter with Christ and praying for a few days. Once his sight was restored, he started spreading the gospel message around the city, blowing people’s minds not only with his message but also with his conversion. Everywhere he went, he got into trouble. He didn’t care what people thought of him, didn’t care if he offended them in pointing out their theological errors; he wanted to get the message out, and he did. He was unstoppable no matter what. For example, after preaching the gospel in Lystra, they stoned him. They dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead and planning to bury him. He wasn’t, but where we would say “Get me out of here!” and head elsewhere, Paul stood up, brushed himself off, and went back into the city to preach again. As a result, he was continually persecuted and went in and out of numerous prisons for his teachings, but just continued spreading the gospel message.
Who would dedicate their entire lives to spreading the word about Jesus and be willing to suffer and die such horrible deaths for something that was a lie or if they weren’t fully convinced was true? What would cause these incredible transformations and acts in the face of death if they did not believe everything about Jesus was true? This faith and belief was further strengthened when they saw Christ after he died and realized He actually rose from the dead and was indeed God. All 12 of the Apostles were either crazy or they truly witnessed these amazing events and were truly transformed and correct that Jesus was indeed God. This is one of the most powerful reasons to believe that Jesus was, and is, indeed God.
OTHER SUPPORTING FACTORS
In addition to all the above, the following supports the conclusion that Jesus Christ is God:
Self-Declaration - Jesus declared Himself to be the Son of God as evidenced by numerous historical records including the Dead Sea Scrolls and non-biblical period historians such as Josephus. Biblical declarations include John 8:59, Mat 22:44, Heb 1:10-12, Mat 26:65- 66, Rev 1:8, and Rev 22:13. As author C.S Lewis stated, Jesus was either a lunatic, a madman (or something worse), or he was God. See full quote and additional C. S. Lewis quotes at https://tinyurl.com/y2xet5n7.
Biblical Declarations - made by the Prophets of the Old Testament and authors of the New Testament utilizing the word 'Theos' to name or identify Christ and 'Kyrios' to address Christ as Lord.
Biblical Prophecies - as noted above there are numerous specific claims to events and circumstances forecast by Old Testament writers correlating those claims to the existence of a Messiah sent by God.
Individual Specific Revelations - Jesus and the words of scripture are the revelation of God, which overwhelms individuals with life-changing spiritual manifestations when one truly believes.
We also suggest you review the Got Questions answer for "Is Jesus God" at https://tinyurl.com/2urnka7b for some additional perspectives.
BIBLE RELIABILITY & MESSAGE
The Bible has amazing consistency, messaging, and continuity from beginning to end, in spite of the fact that there are dozens of different authors over hundreds of years.
Archaeological evidence supports the historical accuracy of the four gospels. For example, Cohn Hemer painstakingly identified 84 facts in the final 16 chapters of Luke’s book of Acts that have been archaeologically verified.
Over 25,000 sites in biblical lands have been discovered by Christians and non-Christians, establishing the accuracy of numerous bible details – examples include Hittites, Moses' Handwriting, Sodom & Gomorrah, Floors of Ancient Homes, and many, many more.
There are over 5,600 known partial & complete manuscript copies of the New Testament. If one adds over 10,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts and 9,300 other early versions, the total number of copies approaches 25,000.
There are over 80,000 New Testament quotations in the separate writings of the early church disciples and apostles. With these, all but eleven verses of the bible could be reconstructed within 150-200 years from the time of Christ.
The 100,000 Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 and which lie in the Shrine of the Book (see https://www.imj.org.il/en/wings/shrine-book/dead-sea-scrolls ) in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, date back about 1,000 years earlier than other old testament manuscripts. This copy was essentially the same as all the other copies of the bible. This proves the accuracy of the copywriters of that time. (Note about 70 snippets of Dead Sea Scrolls, which were supposedly discovered post-2002, and which were previously in the Museum of the Bible in Washington, were subsequently proven to be fakes. This separate fraudulent activity does not cast doubt on the legitimacy of the original 1947 discovery)
All the copies are extraordinarily consistent. With 99% of minor variants of no significance and the remaining 1% not of doctrinal significance.
The records of the New Testament are vastly more numerous, dated much earlier, and are considerably more accurate in their text compared to other ancient writings.
The New Testament was also written very close in time to the actual events. The original Gospels date AD 40 to AD 70, within 15-20 years of the events of Jesus life. This was extraordinarily short compared to many other historical events.
The Gospel writers had extensive accurate knowledge of the areas, names, and events they wrote about, making it clear they were there or relied on people that were there.
Undesignated coincidences in each of the Gospels - as well as with other non-Christian writers (such as Josephus) providing new or complementary information about various events - suggest separate, credible eyewitness testimony from four different sources.
Trusting the Bible for all the above reasons is critical as it is the definitive source of revelation about why and how we were created, God's character and will, how God expects us to live our lives, confirmation of why things are the way they are, and hope for the future of those who believe.
See the following for additional information on Bible Reliability:
https://tinyurl.com/yyj7onw6 and https://tinyurl.com/y66o39r5
You can also review the pamphlet "You Can Trust The Bible" by John Macarthur at https://tinyurl.com/3jb4aau2.
Further, see the following three easy-to-read and understand bible summary books:
The Bible from 30,000 Feet by Skip Heitzig: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-000-Feet%C2%AE-Scriptures-Revelation/dp/0736970290
The Key Ideas Bible Handbook by Ron Rhodes: https://tinyurl.com/5sxtnapk
What Does the Bible Say About? By Ron Rhodes: https://tinyurl.com/mr2fnhf4
You can also ask specific biblical questions on the website
https://www.gotquestions.org/ which is another great resource regarding the Bible.
ACCORING TO THE BIBLE, WHO WAS JESUS?
The Bible provides a clear picture of who Jesus was. A great reference for this topic is the book Christianity According to the Bible: Separating Cultural Religion from Biblical Truth - by Ron Rhodes. The following is a brief summary and excerpts from this reference of who the Bible says Jesus is. Please see the book for more detailed information: https://tinyurl.com/2xvjwayz.
Overview:
People today have different conceptions of Jesus - more often than not, wrong conceptions. Some say Jesus was a mythological figure. Others say that certain claims about Jesus, such as the virgin birth, are rooted in mythology. Still, others say He was just a good moral teacher. Sadly, such ideas have penetrated some of today's large liberal Christian denominations. Such liberal Christians would do well to reconsider biblical truth. Here is a summary of what the Bible actually says about Jesus:
Jesus Was No Myth: Biblical accounts of Jesus are all based on detailed eyewitness testimony (Luke 1:1-4).
Jesus Was Not Just a Good Moral Teacher: The problem with this viewpoint is that no mere example or moral teacher would ever claim that the destiny of the world lay in His hands or that people would spend eternity in heaven or hell depending on whether they believed in Him (John 6:26-40). This would be lunacy. No one has summarized this better than C.S. Lewis: “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 man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
Jesus Is Absolute Deity: The Bible is a Jesus book. The biblical writers were resolutely clear that Jesus is God. In Isaiah 43:11 God asserts, "I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior." This is an extremely important verse, for it indicates that (1) a claim to be Savior is, in itself, a claim to deity, and (2) the Lord God is the one and only Savior. Against this backdrop, the New Testament highlights Christ's divine nature by presenting Him as "our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:13). Numerous verses demonstrate this fact, including all the divine names ascribed to Jesus. Thomas also came to believe in Christ's resurrection, and when he did so, he touchingly expressed his faith with this affirmation: "My Lord and my God [Theos]" (John 20:28). Certainly, this represents a climax in John's Gospel. Christ had earlier given many indications of His deity. He ascribed names of deities to Himself (John 8:58), He claimed holiness (John 8:46), He was all-knowing (John 11:11-14), He raised people from the dead (John 5:28-30), and He claimed to be the Judge of all men (John 5:22,27).
Jesus Divine Attributes: The Bible clearly indicates He is Eternal, Self-existent, everywhere present, all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign, and sinless. Thus, he is not a mere human.
Jesus' Signs: We see Jesus' deity not only in His divine names and attributes but also in His miracles. Just a few examples include the following: According to the New Testament, Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:7-8); healed the official's son (John 4:50), healed the Capernaum demoniac (Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35), healed Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15; Mark 1:31; Luke 4:39), caused the disciples to catch a great number of fish (Luke 5:5-6), healed a leper (Matthew 8:3; Mark 1:41), healed a paralytic (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20), healed a withered hand (Matthew 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10), healed a centurion's servant (Matthew 8:13; Luke 7:10), and raised a widow's dead son (Luke 7:14). There are many, many more examples!
Jesus was Worshipped as God: The fact that Jesus willingly received worship on various occasions says a lot about His true identity, for Scripture consistently testifies that only God can be worshipped.
Jesus, son of God: Many people have taken this term to mean that Christ came into existence at a point in time and that He is in some way inferior to the Father. Such an understanding is based on a faulty conception of what the Son of meant among the ancients. The phrase "Son of God" means "of the order of God" and represents a claim to an undiminished deity. When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, His Jewish contemporaries fully understood that He was making an unqualified claim to be God.
Jesus Son of Man: Jesus was both the Son of God and the Son of Man. The term Son of Man is clearly a messianic title. Jesus, as the Son of Man, is the divine Messiah.
Jesus the Messiah: The New Testament is clear that Jesus is the promised divine Messiah. Hundreds of messianic prophecies in the Old Testament point to a single Messiah or Christ - Jesus Christ. For example, Isaiah predicted the Messiah's virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), His deity and kingdom (9:1-7), His reign of righteousness (11:2-5), His vicarious suffering and death on the cross (52:13-53:12), and much more. Hundreds of other Old Testament messianic prophecies were written hundreds of years before they occurred. They could never have been foreseen, and they depended upon factors outside human control for their fulfillment. All of these prophecies perfectly fit the person and life of Jesus Christ, so Jesus had to be the Messiah.
The Words of Jesus the Messiah: Jesus always presented His teachings with ultimate and final authority. He never wavered in this. Jesus unflinchingly placed His teachings above Moses' and the prophets - and in Jewish culture at that! Jesus' teachings had a profound effect on people. His listeners always seemed to realize that these were not the words of an ordinary man. For example, after the Sermon on the Mount, "the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:28-29). To give His words the stamp of divine authority, Jesus often performed a miracle immediately following a teaching.
One final important note. In today’s modern culture, the Jesus of historic Christianity has come under increasingly fierce attack. From college classrooms to bestselling books to the Internet, scholars and popular writers are seeking to debunk the traditional Christ. They’re capturing the public’s imagination with radical new portraits of Jesus that bear scant resemblance to the time-honored picture embraced by the bible and the church. Lee Strobel's book “The Case For the Real Jesus” (see link in Footnote below) very clearly addresses these questions and, after an extensive evaluation, the author concludes “My journey yielded a fresh and powerful affirmative case for the overall reliability of the four Gospels, Jesus’ fulfillment of the messianic predictions, and his resurrection. For me, it was further confirmation that the traditional view of Christ is amply supported by a firm foundation of historical facts.” Similarly, Anne Rice concludes: “What gradually came clear to me was that many of the skeptical arguments—arguments that insisted most of the Gospels were suspect, for instance, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts—lacked coherence…. Arguments about Jesus himself were full of conjecture. Some books were no more than assumptions piled upon assumptions. Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all.”
Another good reference about the view of Jesus in today’s culture is the website www.hegetsus.com. This site indicates it represents “a movement to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible and his confounding love and forgiveness. We believe his words, example, and life have relevance in our lives today and offer hope for a better future.”
Conclusion:
Based on all of these facts and considerations, do you now believe – or are you open to the possibility – that God really exists? If so, after reviewing the rest of this web site, we encourage you to also contemplate the Next Steps section of the web site.
References
The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel (Book & DVD’s): https://tinyurl.com/y2jen976
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Faith-Journalist-Investigates-Christianity/dp/0310339294
Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace: https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Case-Christianity-Homicide-Detective-Investigates/dp/1434704696
Immerse: Messiah (Immerse the Reading bible): Volume 1 https://www.tyndale.com/sites/immersebible/messiah/
The 10 Things You Should Know About the Creation vs. Evolution Debate by Ron Rhodes: https://tinyurl.com/y3ws4pvl
Answering the Objections of Atheists, Agnostics, and Skeptics by Ron Rhodes: https://tinyurl.com/y5pqj2y2
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know; Wayne Grudem: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Beliefs-Twenty-Basics-Should-ebook/dp/B000S1M0FY
The Case for Jesus; Biblical & Historical Evidence for Christ; Brant Pitre: https://tinyurl.com/y5bru7n9
The Case For The Real Jesus by Lee Strobel: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Real-Jesus-Journalist-Investigates/dp/031024210X (See Conclusions in particular)
What Does The Bible Say About; Ron Rhodes: https://www.amazon.com/What-Bible-About-Easy-Understand/dp/0736919031
Can we trust the Gospels; Peter J. Williams
https://www.amazon.com/Can-Trust-Gospels-Peter-Williams/dp/1433552957
Movie: Kingdom in Time: https://tinyurl.com/y67twe9f
Latin Vulgate: https://vulgate.org/
Christianity According to the Bible by Ron Rhodes: https://smile.amazon.com/Christianity-According-Bible-Separating-Cultural-ebook/dp/B00ADJSPI2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1595344892&sr=8-2