Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
If you look at Jesus Christ with any integrity at all, you have to ask yourself the question: Who really was He? And as you ask that question, you have to take into account the words that come from his own lips. When we read the biblical accounts of his life, we find Jesus making the most extraordinary claims about himself.
It didn’t leave his hearers indifferent to him, and nor should it us. Although rarely in direct terms, he clearly claimed to be God in human form. He said he forgave sins, he said he was equal with the father, and in short he made it obvious to those who had any understanding at all that he believed that he was God. As soon as somebody does that they force you to make a decision about them!
If someone came to you and said, ‘I want to tell you some good news! I’m actually God!’ would you believe them? I think I’d probably recommend a psychologist! Would you be likely to react the opposite way and say, ‘You seem like a nice enough person, I believe you?’ The point is, you would be unable to remain indifferent about it; you would either be forced to label the person a liar, crazy or truly God. You would have to make a decision because of the huge implications of what the person is saying.
You cannot be indifferent to Jesus Christ. He made extraordinary claims and therefore demands a response from all of us. It’s not good enough to say he was just a prophet or a great teacher, because he claimed to be God himself. If he wasn’t God, then he would either be deluded or purposely deceiving people. Neither of those options sounds like a ‘Great Moral Teacher’!
He came saying, ‘I’m God.’ What do you do with someone who makes that kind of claim? Quite simply, you either believe them or you don’t. You either call them crazy and do away with them, bury them in obscure pot shots or take them completely and utterly seriously. The thing is, Jesus backed up the claim with his life.
If you even slightly consider yourself a thinking person,you must come to a conclusion about Jesus. He could have been an incredible liar, who allowed himself to be mercilessly executed for something he knew wasn’t true. He could have been a lunatic who just happened to have been able to completely change the course of human history. Or he could be who he said he was. God. Which? You have to make up your mind. Read the accounts of his life, talk to people who claim to know him. There is no sitting on the fence here. You have to decide.
© Nick Cuthbert (Adapted)
Source: www.bethinking.org
