“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). There are no other words spoken in history more contentious than the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples. Even though Jesus’ most loyal followers witnessed his greatness first hand, they still doubted who he was. Furthermore, the skepticism has carried on throughout history into the present day, and as time progresses, the story of Jesus becomes increasingly convoluted. Throughout history there have been countless attempts to debunk what the Bible says; as a result, the promise of Jesus has been greatly diminished. During the time Jesus was alive on earth, he faced non-believers every day; what is more, Jesus continues to face persecution from generation-to-generation. Sadly, society …show more content…
According to Drummond, the word “substitution” is used to describe the saving work Jesus did (140); in other words, Jesus was essentially a substitute for us; he died for us (Drummond 142). In order for our sins to be forgiven, Jesus had to come. In fact, this is just one of the six hundred plus Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled, according to Pastor Chris Gilliam of Highlands Baptist Church (Gilliam). However, regardless of the miracles that Jesus performed, he still faced hatred and dismissal, not only from the Pharisees but also from his disciples, for example, Judas. According to the Bible, Judas approached the chief priests looking for payment for delivering Jesus to them (Matt. 26: 14-15). Not only that, Jesus predicted that Judas would betray him. Furthermore, he predicted that Peter would deny him three times (Matt. 26:34). It is baffling that even the closest of those to Jesus would deceive him. Plainly put, if his closest followers were capable of questioning who he was, how can the story of Jesus survive after his death? Ultimately, the selfless work Jesus did while here on earth led to his crucifixion. According to Daniel L. Akin, Jesus had to die for two reasons: the sinfulness of humanity, and the holiness and justice of God (73). Moreover, Akin states, “By Jesus’ substitution of Himself for us on the cross, God demonstrated His …show more content…
Still, this is not the case when it comes to Jesus Christ who knew of his purpose and the events which would lead to his resurrection. According to Michael Green, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of Christianity” (qtd. in Drummond 151). It symbolizes his victory over death. Of course, the issue with the resurrection is that it was a supernatural event; therefore, unless people were there to see it first-hand, someone would be hard-pressed to convince a nonbeliever that the resurrection happened. Nevertheless, in history, there were two important conversions of nonbelievers that would make any nonbeliever question themselves. Daniel Akin states, that Jesus’ half-brother James did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah; however, something transformed him, and he later died for his faith in Jesus as the risen Christ (112). In addition to James, Paul of Tarsus was the epitome of a Christian persecutor; however, while in pursuit of the Christians, Paul, according to his own testimony, was sought out by the resurrected Christ (Akin 112). As a result of his encounter with Christ, the Jewish Paul became a proponent for Jesus, and he is known today as the second most important figure in Christianity. Most importantly, there have never been any claims in history with as many witnesses to the
“The other Jesus”; a book that reveals the true meaning of being a Christian and gives another view on the characteristics on Jesus, Garrett shows the beauty of the Gospel and how it differs from other religions views on Jesus. In studying the Christianity of the American society he gives his own personal rendition of how this chase for the true meaning of Jesus started: “When, after twenty-five years of wondering, I came back to church, I finally encountered the Other Jesus. I discovered an authentic message of love and acceptance, the one that the Other Jesus seems to be exemplifying in the Christian Testament….I discovered believers who were trying to live lives that reflected the change this Other Jesus had wrought in them. I discovered people who practiced faith as well as preached it.” (Garrett. 8)
The central teachings of traditional Christianity teachings were created to assure that man could work out his salvation. Therefore, making man responsible for finding his way to God, so that he could have a personal relationship with his Savior through Jesus the Son of God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2017). Jesus Christ attracted followers who eventually took his teachings throughout the Roman world and beyond. Jesus, who was born to Mary and Joseph in Judea teaching methods placed him in conflict with prevailing Jewish beliefs and authorities; nevertheless, Jesus message inspired a small group of followers, who believed he was the Messiah (Matthews et al., 2014). However, the meaning of Jesus’s
It wasn’t till I engaged myself at a Christian college, that I have now received a new and more accurate picture of Christ. His book, The Jesus I Never Knew, questions the reader with the thought, “How many Christians today are in the same position, not fully understanding Christ’s mission and purpose?” Yancey divides the novel into three main sections: “Who He Was,” “Why He Came,” and “What He Left Behind.” The section that I connected with was “Why He Came.”
Essay: The Bible says Jesus of Nazareth was a teacher who used miracles to help people. In reality he was a wandering man whose simple tricks and healing remedies were mistaken for miracles. He wandered Judea preaching about the validity of the jewish laws. This gained him a large following. Roman officials caught wind of this and were scared of an uprising. So they had him executed; however this had the opposite effect. The jewish sect that followed Jesus was pacified for some time but emerged again as Christianity, with a larger following than before. Eventually, and ironically, it ended up surviving the Roman Empire.
Galatians 3:10 shows that God’s curse is upon anyone who fails to follow his law entirely, and as previously mentioned, it is recognized that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. Three verses later it says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Thus, Christ took the curse that we deserved upon himself and freed us from it. He paid our penalty. Christ died as a substitute in our place so that God’s forgiveness could be received. J.G. Simpson describes Christ as our substitute when he says, “He is our substitute, not because His goodness is accepted instead of ours, nor because His virtues excuse our vices, but because He establishes those personal relations with God which are the antecedent condition of holiness”
After all of the waiting for Jesus' hour, it finally arrives in John 13. This chapter, which proffers such a commonly shared story, certainly one of the most popular in modern teaching, is very powerful. In it, Jesus gives an example of direction for the students he is about to leave behind: that of service. We witness one of closest students confirm his decision to betray Jesus. Another one of Jesus' disciples will give voice to a misunderstanding of Jesus' lessons, not once, but twice (13:8-10, 36-38). As Jesus' hour draws nigh, he becomes increasingly more troubled in his spirit; as a result, he speaks to his disciples in a much more urgent way that he has up until this point.
My final witness in this post is John 14:6 where Jesus claimed "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father except through me". Either that is true or it is not true. Is there any other way to the Father except through Jesus? To say yes is to call Jesus a liar. Contradictory, mutually exclusive things can only be true simultaneously if they are opinion. In Christianity, many things are left to our opinion, (ie. celebrating religious holidays - Romans 14), but many things are not, and the things that are not...are not.
A historic event is reputable when there are numerous independent resources validating one another (Pannenberg, 2002, P.88). In this case Luke, Mark and Matthew all have an account of the resurrection of Jesus; thus, making it a historical event, which is seen as necessary for the existence of the Christian faith. Because the account of resurrection was written in the 1st Century, the Christian faith is reliant upon the authority of others (Luke 24.8), rather than their own individual experience. McGrath notes to be obligated to accept the testimony of others is compromising of human intellectual autonomy (McGrath, 2001, 398); especially when the testimony is approximately two thousand years old. However, without the occurrence and account of Jesus’ resurrection, the Christian faith would, arguably, not exist (Wright, 2003, P.625). Therefore, the creation and continuation of the Christian faith can be viewed as the historical evidence for the Biblical account of the resurrection of Christ.
Jesus, a name known by billions throughout the world. To each, this name means something different; savior, friend, philosopher, prophet, teacher, fraud, fake, liar. Some even believe that He is just an imaginary character from the minds of those who wrote about Him. The Westminster Dictionary of Theology describes apologetics as, "Defense, by argument, of Christian belief against external criticism or against other worldly views" (Apologetics 31-32). Though there are still many mysteries that surround the ongoing debate about Christianity, evidence can now prove some of what Christians took by faith before. Now, more than ever, there is information to prove the existence of this man that walked the earth more than two thousand years ago. Little remains of His life and works except for that which is contained within the pages of the Holy Bible. Throughout the past century alone, there have been numerous discoveries, both scientific and archeological; to further prove the existence of a man called Jesus and reinforce the Bible as a legitimate historical document. The validity of Christianity and Jesus Christ himself has been the center of religious controversy for centuries. Though His identity has not and probably never will be proven, He did exist. This paper will use apologetics to prove this so. Sufficient evidence proves the existence of Jesus and forms a firm basis for Christianity.
Jesus’s followers were heartbroken when he was killed. Since they believed he was the Messiah, they may have begun to sense that he was still with them, guiding them, living on in their hearts in spirit (211). Many people believe this complicated story, in order to deny the truth of the resurrection. However, Keller references 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, where Paul “not only speaks of the empty tomb and resurrection on the ‘third day’ (showing he is talking of a historical event, not a symbol or metaphor) but he also lists the eyewitnesses” (212). This proves that Jesus’s resurrection was not only remembered through the four gospel
If as believers we fail to completely trust the Word of God and form our life under its direction then our witness will become misleading and even confusing. Believer’s effort in diligently understanding, applying and holding full trust to the word of God in all aspects of our life will be instrumental in building our faith. Such a faith will elevate us to enable us rise above the unrelenting wave of our culture’s non-biblical ideologies. Biblical worldview is very important in order to develop a life, which can be emulated by others in diligence, integrity and honesty in the modern society (Tackett, 2014).
When other popular teachers died, their movement died with them. However, after the death of Jesus, his movement continued to build strength and grew rapidly. James, Peter, John and Paul, Jude and the writer of Hebrews were convinced of Jesus’ resurrection, they believed this with such conviction that they did not even try to defend or prove this. They stated it as fact. “In each narrative, names are given of those to whom the resin Christ presented himself (Barnett 130)”.
In other words, Jesus, although perfect and blameless in all His ways, took on the title criminal and died as such. He was crucified on a cross at Calvary. No other God has died for his people. Jesus drank the cup of wrath that was reserved for mankind (Matthew 26:39). Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The death and resurrection of Jesus purchased victory over death for humanity, if they choose to accept Him as their Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 15:55). Those who cling to the Gospel, either in sharing it or receiving of it, must believe that Jesus’ death is the only route to attain salvation. He is the only way, truth, and life (John 14:6,
The gospels explain Jesus’ life and death including His identity but also his activities, works, leadership and his suffering. Jesus is seen as a manifestation of God’s relationship with humans. An important fact about Jesus is the humility and modesty associated with his birth, upbringing and death. The fact that such a person ...
Freud said, “God is a projection of our inner desires”. Marx said, “It was just a way of keeping the hungry masses quiet”. (3) Even with all this negative opposition and doubt, can the hard- line skeptic honestly deny the existence of Jesus? We see proof of Jesus’s existence in the New Testament. The New Testament is a compile of stories after Jesus’s death written by people who believed passionately in what he had done and said. The gospel writer’s were people who saw the stories happen with their own eyes; they were his followers. . “What non-Christian sources are there for Jesus? (Answer: a reference in the Jewish historian Josephus, a reference in the Roman historian Tacitus, and one possible allusion in a more scurrilous Roman writer, Suetonius.)” (23) We can try to ignore the facts because we did not physically see it happen and we did not experience it but, I think there is enough evidence to keep an open mind. In the search of truth that we seek we need to understand who Jesus is. He first came into the public’s eye in the late 20’s of the first century. With only being in the public eye for three short years, he was one of the greatest teachers, spiritual leaders, moralist and healer. The authorities in Jerusalem soon became threatened with the impact he had on society and arrested him for being a would-be rebel leader. He was executed as the “king of the Jews.” All four gospels make note of this phrase and said