Is Jesus the only God?Today, we’ll dive into if Jesus is the only God. We’ll examine not only what scripture says about Jesus but also what other religions say about Jesus so we can correctly identify truth and lies.
We’ll examine who Jesus said he was.
A common ploy of the enemy and the derivative cults and religions is to say that Christians make Jesus someone who he never claimed to be.
We will study the Scriptures showing just exactly who Jesus said he was. What power he claimed to have and the power he exerted? By the end of this reading, everyone should clearly be able to stand upon scripture knowing that Jesus Is the only God.
The name Jesus is derived from the Old Testament name Joshua which means “Yahweh God of salvation.” The title Christ means one chosen and anointed by God to be the messiah who delivers God’s people.
Jesus of the cults Liberal “Christians” and some Emergent offspring believe Jesus was a good man but not God man. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was Michael the archangel, a created being that became man. Mormons believe Jesus was not God, but a man who became one of many gods and that Jesus was a polygamist and half brother of Lucifer. Unitarian Universalists believe Jesus was not God but a good man who should be respected for his teaching.New age guru Deepak Chopra believes Jesus is a state of mind we can all aspire to.Scientologists believe Jesus was an “implant” forced upon a Thetan a million years ago.
Jesus of the demons The demons knew that Jesus was God despite the fact that many men did not recognize it. Mark 1:24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Mark 1:33-34 The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. The demons in scripture have a higher Christology than most present day cults and religions which is tragic.
Who did Jesus say about Himself? Jesus said he came down from heaven. This is not like a near death experience where people ascend into heaven, this is descent from heaven. In John 6 38 Jesus said he lived in heaven and sent down to visit earth as man and do the will of the father.
Jesus’ claim to be God incarnate has never been made by the founder of any other world religion (some small cults leaders have claimed this, but no major leaders). Jesus said he was more than a good man. Jesus says since everyone is a sinner there is no such thing as a good person, God is the only good person. (Mark 10:17-18) As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone”
Even Jesus’ enemies recognized that he didn’t claim to be just a good man, they wanted to kill him for “making himself equal with God” ¨ John 5:18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus said he is the Son of Man Jesus used this phrase “Son of Man” most often. The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One EVER who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah. A second meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is that Jesus was truly a human being. God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. And when He did that,…God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. A son of a man is a man.
Jesus was fully God (John 1:1), but He was also a human being (John 1:14). First John 4:2 tells us, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” Yes, Jesus was the Son of God— He was in His essence God. Yes, Jesus was also the Son of Man— He was in His essence a human being. In summary, the phrase “Son of Man” indicates that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is truly a human being.
In our doctrines of The Salvation Army ·”We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.”
Jesus performed miracles – More proof that Jesus wasn’t just “enlightened”, His ministry included the miraculous. Unitarians and other cults deny Jesus’ miracles, saying instead the important thing is his life. Jesus said his miracles helped prove he was God (John 10:36-39) 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. He performed 40 miracles in the book of Mark alone. Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the miracles. (Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” In John 11:47 – Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.
Opponents of Christ outside of scripture talk of Jesus’ miracles: The Jewish Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. For the Jews this is second in authority only to the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud charges Jesus “practiced magic”. Josephus, a Jewish historian, also said Jesus was a “doer of wonderful works”
Jesus was the only person with command over creation. In Mark 4:41 Jesus said He was God. Jesus clearly, emphatically & repeatedly said He was God. Today we believe Jesus is God not as a derivative belief or some conclusion we reached upon a preponderance of evidence, but rather because Jesus taught us and demonstrated that He was God.
Many cults falsely claim Jesus is not God: Jehovah Witnesses say, “Jesus never claimed to be God”; Bahais claim that Jesus was a manifestation of God and a prophet but lower than Muhammed and Bahaullah. Buddhism teaches that Jesus is an enlightened man but not God. Christian Science’s founder states simply enough, “Jesus Christ is not God”.
See- Mark 14:61-64, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33
Lots of people have claimed to speak for God, few have claimed to be God. Religious leaders such as Buddha, Krishna, Muhammed, and Ghandi did not claim to be God, Jesus in contrast clearly and repeatedly says he was God.
Jesus was not killed for his nice deeds, but for blasphemy, for his claim to be God. Jesus confirmed to others He was God and when confronted with death Jesus did not back down, yet confirmed that He was God. Matthew 26:63-65 63But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ,the Son of God.” 64“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. The fact that Jesus never recanted when challenged proves that everyone who believed Jesus’ claim he was God has not misunderstood his words.
Jesus said He was sinless. In all of history nobody has claimed with any credibility that they are sinless except for Jesus.Jesus did not sin or repent of any sin. (John 8:46). Did you know that 41% of adults believe Jesus sinned, 40% of born again teenagers and 52% of protestant teenagers believe Jesus sinned. The claim of Jesus’ sinlessness was repeated by Jesus’ disciples most of whom suffered and died without recanting. Those who testified to His sinlessness include: friend Peter (Acts 3:14, 1 Peter 1:19, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 Peter 3:18), friend John (1 John 3:5), brother James (James 5:6), former enemy Paul (2 Corinthians 5:21), even Judas who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 27:3-4), soldier who participated in the killing (Luke 23:22), and a guilty sinner who was killed with Jesus(Luke 23:41).
Jesus Also forgave sin. In our world we deal with the effects of sin (war, illness, death, etc…). At best religions teach a way to pay back God for sin, but lack any concept of forgiveness. Jesus forgave sin, He didn’t just deal with its effects. Luke 7:48 & Luke 5:20-21. God alone has the authority to forgive sin because all sin is committed against God. So Jesus forgiving sin shows that He is God.
Jesus taught people to pray. Prayer is how we talk to God and Jesus told people to pray to Him. (John 14:13-14, John 15:16,Jn 16:24). In the early church deacon Stephen prayed to Jesus before his stoning. (Acts 7:59). Jesus must be an eternal God to hear and receive our prayers.
Jesus said he was the only way to heaven. Many religious leaders and prophets claim to be able to point the way to heaven, but don’t claim to be the path themselves. Jesus does. (John 14:6). Heaven belongs to God and God alone grants access. Many say there are other ways to heaven, but Jesus states He alone is the path and all others lead to hell. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
C.S. Lewis -> only 3 possible responses to Jesus. He is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. Liar: If Jesus is not God but claimed to be God and deceived others into dying for that claim, then he is a lying, demonized cult leader. Lunatic: Claiming to be God, but not being God makes you crazy. Lord: If He’s not lying and not crazy, then He is our Lord!
In scripture we see that Jesus is worshiped as the only God: by the blind man, the previously demonized man, Thomas the doubter, his best friend John, all of the disciples, a group of women, the mother of James and John, angels, entire churches, his own mother, his own brother, little children and his former enemies like Paul.
So,, today,.. with all that´s been presented,.. but more than that… all you´ve heard about Jesus,… without contrasting Him to yourself…
What do you say’….. Is He Lord of your life—? Have you received the great gift of salvation from the only one who could ever offer it….
Today is the day!!
pkriskent 