Was Jesus Really God?
When pondering this question a person may need to consider the possibility that another reality exists beyond the natural world. This is where faith comes in, reasonable, logical faith that is; not blind faith.
This faith is grounded in extra-biblical evidence that Jesus Christ was a real person who actually existed during the first century. Tacitus and Suetonius were two Roman historians who wrote in 100 AD about a man named Jesus who lived in Palestine. Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote extensively about the history of the Jewish people and wrote that Jesus was known for working miracles, that Pilate had him crucified, and that many people followed him after his crucifixion. [1]
When it comes to the choice of whether or not a person should believe in miracles, it would be helpful to realize that proof of them is not required. If one could prove a miraculous event occurred, then it would not be a miracle. Even scientists rarely prove anything, instead they assert hypotheses and perform experiments and observations to refute contradiction to their claims, and they provide supporting evidence for the validity of their claims. [2]
Consider the "Trilemma" argument for the deity of Jesus the atheist-turned-Christian author C.S. Lewis proposed.
"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."
This is his famous argument from his book "Mere Christianity" that Jesus was either a "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord". In the argument he states that if Jesus claimed He was God and actually knew He was not, then He was a Liar. Throughout His life on Earth, Jesus never exhibited any behaviour that liars exhibit. Everything written about Him described Him as being a kind, good, loving, honest, and sacrifical person.
In the next part of the argument Lewis puts forth the question: "Did Jesus only think He was God?". Again, nothing written about Jesus suggests that He was insane. Instead, volumes have been written about His wisdom, love, authority, and compassion. These are not the qualities of an insane person. Finally, the argument asks the question: "Is Jesus Christ Lord?". People must decide that question for themselves, hopefully after considering all the evidence of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [3]
Another great author who is also a former atheist is J. Warner Wallace. In his book "Cold Case Christianity" he gathers evidence for the resurrection of Jesus using the same tactics that detectives use when investigating crimes that have "gone cold". This book can really give people confidence in the truth of the gospels.
For a more in-depth explanation of this topic please visit: Spiritual Beings.
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