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IN DEFENSE OF…CHRIST’S DEITY
Bert Thompson, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION
On the Tuesday prior to the
Lord’s crucifixion the following Friday, Jesus engaged in an important
discussion with some of the Pharisees, who made no secret of being among His
most vocal protagonists. As he recorded the scene in his Gospel, Matthew first
commented on an earlier skirmish the Lord had with the Sadducees: “But the
Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered
themselves together” (22:34). Jesus—with penetrating logic and an incomparable
knowledge of their own Old Testament Scriptures—had routed the Sadducees completely.
The Pharisees no doubt thought they could do better. Yet they were about to
endure the same embarrassing treatment.
In the midst of His
discussion with the Pharisees, Jesus asked: “What think ye of the Christ? Whose
son is he?” (Matthew 22:42). They stumbled and fumbled, but were unable to
answer the questions satisfactorily. In short, they could not answer because
their own hypocrisy prevented them from comprehending both Jesus’ nature and
His mission. The questions the Lord asked the Pharisees on that day, however,
are ones that every rational, sane person must answer eventually. “What think
ye of the Christ? Whose son is he?”
The two questions were
intended to raise the matter of Christ’s deity. The answers—had the Pharisees’
spiritual myopia not prevented them from responding correctly—were intended to
confirm it. Little has changed from that day to this. The questions still raise
the specter of Christ’s true identity. Who was—and is—the Christ? Was He, as He
claimed to be, the Son of God? Was He, as many around Him claimed Him to be,
God incarnate? Was He, as the word “deity” implies, of divine nature and rank?
What does the evidence say?
CHRIST AS A HISTORICAL FIGURE
The series of events that
would lead to Jesus becoming the world’s most well-known historical figure was
to begin in first-century
CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Old and New Testaments
both portray an intimate portrait of Christ that presents valuable evidence for
the person desiring to answer the questions, “what think ye of the Christ?,”
and “whose son is he?” In Isaiah 7:14, for example, the prophet declared that a
virgin would conceive, bear a son, and name him “Immanuel,” which means God
with us (a prophecy, incidentally, that was fulfilled in the birth of Christ;
Matthew 1:22-23). Two chapters later, Isaiah referred to this son as “Mighty
God” (9:6). In fact, in the year that king Uzziah died, Isaiah said that he saw
“the Lord” sitting upon a throne (see Isaiah 6:1ff.). Overpowered by the scene,
God’s servant exclaimed: “Woe is me,...for mine eyes have seen the King,
Jehovah of hosts” (6:5). In his New Testament Gospel, John wrote concerning
Isaiah’s vision: “These things said Isaiah, because he saw His [Christ’s]
glory; and he spake of him” (John
Isaiah urged God’s people
to sanctify “Jehovah of hosts” (
Isaiah pictured Christ not
only as a silent “lamb” (53:7), but also as a man who “a bruised reed will he
not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench” (42:3; cf. Matthew
A bruised reed, barely strong
enough to stand erect...a smoking flax (a lamp wick), its flame extinguished
and its fire almost gone, fitly represent the sick, and lame, and blind who
were brought to Jesus to be healed. ...he would heal their bruises and fan
their dying energies into a flame (1875, p. 106).
Other Old Testament writers
illuminated the Christ in their writings as well. The psalmist suggested He
would be noted for His zeal for righteousness (Psalm 69:9), that He would be
hated without cause (Psalm 22), and that He would triumph over death (Psalm
16:8-11). Daniel referred to His coming kingdom as one that would “stand
forever” (
CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The New Testament is
equally explicit in its commentary regarding the Christ, and offers extensive
corroboration of the Old Testament declarations concerning Him. The prophets
had portrayed the Messiah’s demise as unjust, painful, and vicarious (Isaiah
53:4-6; Psalm 22). In the New Testament, Paul reiterated that fact (Romans
5:6-8). The prophets predicted that He would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm
41:9) for a mere thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah
The prophets had said that
He would be raised from the dead so that He could sit upon the throne of David
(Isaiah 9:7). In his sermon on Pentecost following the resurrection, Peter said
that had occurred (Acts
CHRIST AS A MAN
The Scriptures teach that
Jesus possessed two natures—divine and human. As an eternal Being (Isaiah 9:6;
Micah 5:2; John 1:1ff.), He was God; yet, He became man (1 Timothy 2:5), made
in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3), though without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
Isaiah observed that Christ would be “a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” Who would grow up “...as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground”
(Isaiah 53:2-3).
As a human, the prophets
had said, Christ was to be the seed of woman (Genesis 3:15), and a descendant
of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David (Genesis 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; 2 Samuel
7:12-13). The New Testament confirms that He was born of a woman (Galatians
4:4) who was a virgin (Matthew 1:23), and that He was the descendant of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and David (Matthew 1:1ff.). The apostle John stated that He had
become flesh and had dwelled among men (John 1:14). The apostle Paul wrote that
Christ was recognized “in fashion as a man” (Philippians 2:7-8). From his
position as a physician, Luke wrote that Christ “advanced in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). He was able to learn
(Hebrews 5:8). He experienced hunger (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28),
weariness (John 4:6), anger (Mark 3:5), frustration (Mark 9:19), joy (John
15:11), sadness (John 11:35), and grief (Luke 19:41; Hebrews 5:7). He was “in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). But most
significantly, He was able to die (Mark 15:44). In every respect, He was as
human as you and I, which is why He could, and did, refer to Himself as the
“Son of Man” (see Matthew 1:20; 9:6, et al.).
But the impact He had on
the world was not due to His physical appearance. In fact, Isaiah foretold that
He would have “...no form nor comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no
beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). Rather, it was His nature and
His character that made Him so intriguing, so commanding a figure, and so
worthy of honor, respect, and worship. Here we see a man—but no mere man, for
He is the only man who was virgin-born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18), and upon
whom the inspired prophets dared to apply the revered name of “Jehovah” (Isaiah
40:3).
Why do the Scriptures place
importance upon the human nature of Christ? Wayne Jackson has suggested:
If Christ had not become a man,
He could not have died. Deity, as pure Spirit-essence, possesses immortality (1 Tim. 6:16—the Greek word
denotes deathlessness). The writer of Hebrews makes it wonderfully plain that
Christ partook of “flesh and blood” that “through death he might bring to
nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). If
Christ had not died, there would have been no atonement, no forgiveness of
sins—the human family would have been hopelessly lost forever! Thank God for
Christ’s humanity (1979, p. 66, emp. in orig.).
CHRIST AS GOD
The Scriptures do not speak
of Christ as just a man, however.
They also acknowledge His divine nature. In most of its occurrences, the word
“Jehovah” is applied to the first person of the Godhead (i.e., the
Father—Matthew 28:19). For example: “Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). Jesus
later would explain that this verse pictured the Father addressing the Christ
(Luke 20:42). Peter, in speaking of Jesus, reminded his audience: “Moses indeed
said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken
in all things, whatsoever he shall speak unto you” (Acts 3:22, emp. added).
This passage clearly depicts the Father (Jehovah) foretelling the coming of His
Prophet (the Son).
However, the name “Jehovah”
also is used on occasion to refer to Christ. For example, Isaiah prophesied
concerning the mission of John the Baptizer: “The
voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make
level in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3; cf. Matthew 3:3, Mark
1:3, Luke 3:4). John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus Christ (John 1:29-34).
But Isaiah said that John would prepare the way of Jehovah. Clearly, then, Jesus and Jehovah are one and the same, as
these passages, and numerous others, indicate.
The writer of Hebrews
quoted the Father as addressing His Son in this way: “Thou, Lord [Jehovah—Psalm
102:25], in the beginning did lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens
are the works of thy hands” (Hebrews 1:10). Not only does this verse apply the
word “Jehovah” to Jesus, but it also attributes the quotation to the mouth of God. Again, Jesus and
Jehovah are used synonymously.
In addition, while
describing his vision of Jesus in the book of Revelation, the apostle John exclaimed:
“And when I saw Him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid His right hand
on me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last” (Revelation 1:17). The
phrase “first and last” is a reference to Isaiah 44:6, which states: “Thus
saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts; I am the
first and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.” By saying that He is
“first and last,” Jesus acknowledged His possession of the actual nature of
Jehovah.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke
and acted like God. He affirmed that He was “one” with the Father (John 10:30).
He claimed a special relationship with the Father that was distinct from that
of others (John 5:17-18; 20:17). He forgave sins—a prerogative of God alone
(Mark 2:5,7). He accepted the worship of men (John 9:38) which is due only to
God (Matthew 4:10), and which good angels (Revelation 22:8-9) and good men
(Matthew 4:10) refuse.
In addition, Jesus is
plainly called “God” a number of times within the New Testament. In John 1:1,
regarding Him Who became flesh and dwelt among men (1:14), the Bible says:
“...the Word was God....” Christ is called “God, only begotten” in John 1:18
(according to the better manuscript evidence). And in John 20:28, one of the
disciples, Thomas, upon being confronted with empirical evidence for the Lord’s
resurrection, proclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” Significantly, and appropriately,
Christ accepted the designation.
In Romans 9:5, Christ is
called “God blessed forever.” Robertson has noted that this is a “clear
statement of the deity of Christ” (1932, 4:381). In Christ “dwells all the
fulness of the Godhead [i.e., deity] bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The writer of
the book of Hebrews addressed Christ as God when he stated: “Thy throne, O God,
is forever and ever” (1:8-9). Additional passages that reveal the same
conclusion include Philippians 2:5ff., 2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15,
Hebrews 1:1-3, and numerous others.
CHOICES REGARDING CHRIST’S DEITY
When Jesus was put on trial
before the Jewish high priest, He was asked: “Are you the Christ, the Son of
the Blessed?” To that question He replied simply: “I am” (Mark 14:62). On
another occasion, Jesus had asked Peter, “Who say ye that I am?” To this, Peter
boldly replied: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew
16:15-16). In this one confession, Peter expressed two aspects of His Master’s
identity. First, he said that Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the ancient
Jewish prophets. “Christ” is the Greek work for Messiah, which means “anointed”
by God. Second, he said that Jesus possessed the divine nature. “Son of” was
the idiomatic way of saying that a person possessed the nature or traits of
another person or thing. For instance, because Joses
was an encouragement to others, the apostles called him Barnabas, which means
“son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). So, when Peter said that Jesus was the “Son
of God,” he was saying that Jesus had the very same nature as God. That was a
powerful statement—so powerful, in fact, that it caused the high priest to rend
his garments. H.B. Swete has explained the
significance of this act.
The law forbade the High Priest
to rend his garment in private troubles (Lev. x.6, xxi.10), but when acting as
a judge, he was required by custom to express in this way his horror of any
blasphemy uttered in his presence. The relief of the embarrassed judge is
manifest. If trustworthy evidence was not forthcoming, the necessity for it had
now been superseded: the Prisoner had incriminated Himself (1898, p. 339).
Jesus’ claim to be the Son
of God ultimately resulted in His death (John 5:18; Matthew 26:63-65). It is
upon this fundamental confession of the unique God/man nature of Jesus that the
church was built (Matthew 16:18). The question is not, “Did Jesus claim to be
deity?,” but rather, “Is Jesus’ claim to be deity true? In view of the exalted
nature of such a claim, there are but three possible views that one may
entertain in reference to the One Who made the claim: (1) He was a liar and
con-artist; (2) He was a madman; or (3) He was exactly Who He said He was.
In his book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh
McDowell titled chapter seven “The Trilemma—Lord,
Liar, or Lunatic?” His purpose in doing so was to point out that, considering
the grandiose nature of Christ’s claims, He was a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.
McDowell introduced his chapter on Christ’s deity with a quotation from the
famous British apologist from
I am trying here to prevent
anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready
to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be
God.” That is the one thing we must not say. 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 a 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. 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 patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to (1952, pp. 40-41).
Was Christ a Liar?
Was Christ a liar? A
charlatan? A “messianic manipulator”? Hugh J. Schonfield, in his book, The Passover Plot, has claimed that, in
essence, He was all three. Schonfield suggested that Jesus directed
(manipulated) His life in such a way as to counterfeit the events described in
the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. At times, this required
“contriving those events when necessary, contending with friends and foes to
ensure that the predictions would be fulfilled” (1965, p. 7). Schonfield has
charged that Jesus “plotted and schemed with the utmost skill and resourcefulness,
sometimes making secret arrangements, taking advantage of every circumstance
conducive to the attainment of his objectives” (p. 155). He further asserted
that Jesus even planned to fake His own death on the cross, and that the plan
almost worked. Unfortunately, however, Jesus had not counted on having a Roman
soldier pierce His side with a spear. Thus, instead of recovering from His
stupor, Jesus died unexpectedly. On Saturday night, His body was moved to a
secret place so that His tomb would be empty on the next day, thus leaving the
impression of His resurrection, and thus, His deity (pp. 161, 165).
But does this
reconstruction of the life of Christ ring true? Even if a charlatan could
beguile a few followers into believing that he had fulfilled a few of the
prophecies (either by coincidence, or by contrivance), how could he possibly
fulfill those that were beyond his control? For example, how could an imposter
have planned his betrayal price? How could he have known that the money would
be used to purchase the potter’s field (cf. Zechariah
In considering the
possibility that Christ was little more than an accomplished liar, renowned biblical
historian, Philip Schaff, asked:
How in the name of logic, common
sense, and experience, could an imposter—that is a deceitful, selfish, depraved
man—have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the
purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of
truth and reality? How could he have conceived and successfully carried out a
plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and
sacrificed his own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of his
people and ages? (1913, pp. 94-95).
Further, the question must
be asked: What sane man is willing to die
for what he knows all along is
actually a lie? As McDowell summarized the matter: “Someone who lived as Jesus
lived, taught as Jesus taught, and died as Jesus died could not have been a
liar” (1972, p. 106).
Was Christ a Lunatic?
Was Jesus merely a
psychotic lunatic Who sincerely (albeit mistakenly) viewed Himself as God
incarnate? Such a view rarely has been entertained by anyone cognizant of
Christ’s life and teachings. Schaff has asked:
Is such an intellect—clear as the
sky, bracing as the mountain air, sharp and penetrating as a sword, thoroughly
healthy and vigorous, always ready and always self-possessed—liable to a
radical and most serious delusion concerning His own character and mission?
Preposterous imagination! (1913, pp. 97-98).
Would a raving lunatic
teach that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us? Would a
lunatic teach that we should forgive others for their sins, even when they do
not know they have sinned against us? Would a lunatic teach that we should pray
for our enemies and those who despitefully use us? Would a lunatic teach that
we should “turn the other cheek,” and then set a living example of exactly how
to do that—even unto death? Would a lunatic teach that we should love all
mankind, regardless of race, sex, national origin, or religious persuasion?
Would a lunatic be able to present an ethical/moral code like the one found
within the text of the Sermon on the Mount? Would a lunatic be able to conjure
up—from mere lunacy alone—the kind of teaching found within the beatitudes?
Hardly! Lunacy of the sort ascribed to Christ by His detractors does not
produce such genius. Schaff wrote:
Self-deception in a matter so momentous,
and with an intellect in all respects so clear and so sound, is equally out of
the question. How could He be an enthusiast or a madman who never lost the even
balance of His mind, who sailed serenely over all the troubles and persecutions,
as the sun above the clouds, who always returned the wisest answer to tempting
questions, who calmly and deliberately predicted His death on the cross, His
resurrection on the third day, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the founding
of His Church, the destruction of Jerusalem—predictions which have been
literally fulfilled? A character so original, so completely, so uniformly
consistent, so perfect, so human and yet so high above all human greatness, can
be neither a fraud nor a fiction. The poet, as has been well said, would be in
this case greater than the hero. It would take more than a Jesus to invent a
Jesus (1910, p. 109).
Was Christ Deity?
If Jesus was not a liar,
and if He was not a lunatic, then the questions Jesus asked the Pharisees still
remain: “What think ye of the Christ? Whose son is He?” Was Jesus, in fact,
exactly Who He claimed to be? Was He God incarnate? The evidence suggests that
He was.
EVIDENCE FOR THE DEITY OF CHRIST
In Mark 10, an account is
recorded concerning a rich young ruler who, in speaking to Christ, addressed
Him as “Good Teacher.” Upon hearing this reference, Jesus asked the man: “Why
callest thou me good? None is good, save one, even God” (Mark
Was Christ, by His
response, suggesting that His countryman’s loyalty was misplaced, and that He
was unworthy of being called “good” (in the sense that ultimately only God is
worthy of such a designation)? Not at all. In fact, Christ was making the point
that He was worthy of the
appellation the young man had applied to Him. He was attempting to get the
young ruler to understand the significance of the title he had employed, and to
realize to Whom he was speaking. R.C. Foster paraphrased Jesus’ response as
follows: “Do you know the meaning of this word you apply to me and which you use
so freely? There is none good save God; if you apply that term to me, and you understand
what you mean, you affirm that I am God” (1971, p. 1022).
When Christ asked Peter in
Christ’s Deity as Established by Fulfillment
of Old Testament Prophecies
Unlike most men who have
their histories written after they
are dead, much of Christ’s life and works was reported hundreds of years before
He was even born. Bible scholars have documented well over 300 messianic
prophecies within the pages of the Old Testament (Lockyer, 1973, p. 21). From
Genesis through Malachi, the history of Jesus is foretold in minute detail via
these prophecies. Interestingly, the prophetic utterances are not vague, nebulous
suggestions of something that “could” possibly happen “sometime.” Instead, they
are exact predictions concerning every facet of Christ’s life. They include His
unusual birth via a virgin, the identity of the city in which He would be born,
the name by which He would be called, the precepts by which He would live, the
activities in which He would engage, and even the exact manner in which He
would die.
Critics of the Bible are
faced with a daunting task in regard to these 300+ prophecies. If they wish to
deny, with even a hint of credibility, Christ’s deity, they somehow must refute
the fact that Jesus fulfilled these numerous prophecies. To accomplish such a
refutation, one would have to contend that Christ did not fulfill the
prophecies genuinely, but merely by coincidence (or contrivance) only appeared to fulfill them. However, with
more than 300 prophecies relating to the Messiah—none of which can be dismissed
flippantly—this becomes not only a daunting, but an impossible, task.
Earlier in this article, I
dealt with the idea set forth several years ago by Schonfield that Christ attempted
to fulfill the prophecies by contrivance.
The question now becomes: Could Christ have fulfilled the 300+ prophetic
utterances by chance? In their
classic text, Science Speaks, Peter
W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman have shown the absurdity of such an idea. These
two authors selected a total of eight specific prophecies (Psalm 22:16; Isaiah
63:7; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9; 11:12; 11:13; 13:6; Malachi 3:1), and
calculated a low estimate for the probability of one man fulfilling each of
them. They then asked: “One man in how many men, the world over, will fulfill all eight prophecies?” (1971, p. 106,
emp. added). They answered: “1 in 1017,”: To show the enormity of
this figure, Stoner and Newman suggested this analogy:
Suppose we take 1017
silver dollars and lay them on the face of
The probability that a
single man could fulfill—by chance—all
of the prophecies relating to Christ and His ministry would be practically
incalculable, and the idea that a single man did so would be utterly absurd.
Christ’s Deity as Established by His
Miracles
Adding to the evidence for
His deity from fulfilled Old Testament prophecies is the fact that Christ
backed up His claims by working miracles. Throughout history, God had empowered
other people to perform miracles. But while their miracles confirmed they were servants of God, Jesus’ miracles were
intended to prove that He is God
(John 10:37-38; cf. John 20:30-31).
While in prison, John the Baptizer sent some of his followers to Jesus to ask: “Art
thou he that cometh, or look we for another?” (Matthew 11:3). Jesus’ response
was: “Go and tell John...the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the
poor have good tidings preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5). Over seven hundred
years earlier, the prophet Isaiah had predicted that those very things would be
done by the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6; 61:1). Jesus was not saying simply: “Look
at all the good things I am doing.” Rather, He was saying: “I am the One doing exactly what the Coming One is supposed to
do!”
When Peter addressed the
very people who had put Jesus to death, he reminded them that Christ’s unique
identity had been proved “...by mighty works and wonders and signs which God
did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). The
key phrase here is “even as ye yourselves know.” The Jews had witnessed
Christ’s miracles occurring among them on practically a daily basis. And,
unlike the pseudo-miracles allegedly performed by today’s “spiritualists,”
Jesus’ miracles were feats that truly defied naturalistic explanation. In the
presence of many witnesses, the Nazarene not only gave sight to the blind,
healed lepers, fed thousands from a handful of food, and made the lame to walk,
but also calmed turbulent seas and raised the dead! Although not overly eager
to admit it, Jesus’ critics often were brought face-to-face with the truth that
no one could do what Jesus did unless God was with Him (John 3:2; see also John
9).
Christ’s Deity as Established by His
Resurrection and Post-Resurrection Appearances
Likely, however, the most impressive
miracle involving Jesus was His resurrection. In agreement with Old Testament
prophecy, and just as He had promised, Christ came forth from the tomb three
days after His brutal crucifixion (Matthew 16:21; 27:63; 28:1-8). His
resurrection was witnessed by soldiers who had been appointed to guard the tomb
in which He had been laid in order to prevent that very thing—the claim of a
resurrection. In the end, these soldiers had to be bribed to change their
story, so that the Jewish leaders would not lose their credibility, and in
order to prevent the Jewish people from recognizing their true Messiah (Matthew
28:11-15). It is a matter of history that Christ’s tomb was empty on that
Sunday morning almost 2,000 years ago. If Jesus had not been raised from the
dead, how came His guarded and sealed tomb to be empty?
That Christ had been raised
from the dead was witnessed by many different types of people: the soldiers who
guarded His tomb; the women who came early in the morning to anoint Him with
spices; eleven apostles; and more than 500 other witnesses (1 Corinthians
15:4-8). When they saw the living, breathing Jesus—days after His death—they
had concrete proof that He was Who He claimed to be all along! Even his
detractors could not deny successfully the fact, and importance, of the empty
tomb. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote:
Now there was about this
time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of
wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He
drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the]
Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had
condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake
him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets
had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and
the tribe of Christians, so named for him, are not extinct at this day (1974,
18.3.11; see Habermas, 1984, pp. 90-93 for discussion of legitimacy of
quotation from Josephus).
Of the world’s four great
religions based upon men, and not a mere ideology, only one claims, and can
document, an empty tomb for its Founder. Thousands of people go annually to the
graves of the founders of the Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim religions to pay
homage. Yet Christians do not make pilgrimages to pay homage at the grave of
Christ—for the simple fact that the tomb
is empty. A dead Savior is no good! For those who accept, and act upon, the
evidence for Christ’s deity provided by the resurrection, life is meaningful,
rich, and full (see Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 15). For those who
reject the resurrection, the vacant tomb will stand forever as eternity’s
greatest mystery, and one day will serve as their silent judge.
CONCLUSION
Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
There is little doubt that most of His contemporaries would have voted Him the
man most unlikely to succeed. He
came to Earth as a baby, which was contrary to Jewish expectations. Herod, as
an earthly king, attempted to have Him killed (Matthew 2:16). He was reared in
a despised town (John 1:46). He had no formal rabbinical training (John 7:15).
He possessed no material wealth (Luke 9:58; 2 Corinthians 8:9). Yet, through
His teachings, He turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Clearly, as the
evidence documents, He was, and is, both the Son of Man and the Son of God. In
the first chapter of his Gospel, the apostle John wrote concerning Christ:
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not
anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the life was the light
of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and
the darkness apprehended it not.... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father),
full of grace and truth (John 1:1-5,14).
He lived, and ultimately
died, in order to redeem fallen mankind. He gave Himself a ransom for many
(Matthew 20:28). He shed His blood for many, for the remission of sins (Matthew
26:28). He even became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). And, as Christ was
obedient even unto death, so the benefits of His death are applied to all who
obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9). His is God, Who predates, and will outlast, time
itself (Philippians 2:5-11). And so we have come full circle. The questions
Christ asked the Pharisees now must be asked again: “What think ye of the Christ?
Whose son is he?”
REFERENCES
Bromling, Brad T. (1989),
“Jesus—My Lord and My God,” Reasoning from Revelation, 1:1-2,
September.
Bromling, Brad T. (1991),
“Jesus and Jehovah—An Undeniable Link,” Reasoning
from Revelation, 3:3, February.
Bromling, Brad T. (1991),
“The Prophets’ Portrait of Christ,” Reason
& Revelation, 11:45-47, December.
Bromling, Brad T. (1995),
“Jesus: Truly God and Truly Human,” Reason
& Revelation, 15:17-20, March.
Foster, R.C. (1971), Studies in the Life of Christ (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker).
Habermas, Gary R. (1984), Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus
(Nashville, TN: Nelson).
Jackson, Wayne (1979),
“Isaiah 53: The Messiah,” Great Chapters
of the Bible, ed. Thomas F. Eaves (Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee School of
Preaching and Missions).
Jackson, Wayne (1997),
“Daniel’s Prophecy of the ‘Seventy Weeks’,” Reason
& Revelation, 17:49-53, July.
Josephus, Flavius (1974
reprint), Antiquities of the Jews, transl. William Whiston (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker)
Lewis, C.S. (1952), Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan).
Lockyer, Herbert (1973), All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).
McDowell, Josh (1972), Evidence that Demands a Verdict (San
Bernardino, CA: Campus Crusade for Christ).
McGarvey, J.W. (1875), The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and
Mark (Delight, AR: Gospel Light).
Robertson, A.T. (1932), Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Nashville, TN: Broadman).
Schaff, Philip (1910), History of the Christian Church (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Schaff, Philip (1913), The Person of Christ (New York: American
Tract Society).
Schonfield, Hugh J. (1965), The Passover Plot (New York: Bantam).
Stoner, Peter W. and Robert
C. Newman (1968), Science Speaks
(Chicago, IL: Moody).
Solomon, David (1972), “Procurator,”
Encyclopaedia Judaica,
ed. Cecil Roth (Jerusalem: Keter Publishing).
Swete, H.B. (1898), The
Gospel According to St. Mark (London: Macmillan).