Who Is Jesus?: The Deity of Christ

1. Who Is Jesus?: The Deity of Christ Ray Bohlin, Ph.D. Probe Ministries

2. Uniqueness of Jesus “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost 20 centuries. . . . it is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray.”

3. The Historicity of Jesus Though this is not much debated now, in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was fashionable to question whether Jesus even existed at all. The intervening years has brought about a remarkable change based on the reliability of the New Testament as well as a flood of fairly reliable extra-biblical sources corroborating the basic outline of the Jesus of the New Testament.

4. Extra-Biblical Sources Josephus (37-95 A.D.) “He (the high priest Ananias) convened a meeting of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the Law and delivered them up to be stoned.”

5. Extra-Biblical Sources “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.”

6. Extra-Biblical Sources The Jewish Talmud consisting of a legal code and commentaries on that code were written down from oral tradition by about 500 A.D. There are a number references to Jesus and Christians that New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce summarized as follows:

7. Extra-Biblical Sources “According to the earlier rabbis whose opinions are recorded in these writings, Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel, who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led people astray, and said he had not come to destroy the law but to add to it. He was hanged on Passover Eve for heresy and misleading the people. His disciples, of whom five are named, healed the sick in his name.” F.F. Bruce, Are the Biblical Documents Reliable, (Chicago:InterVarsity) 1943, p. 101

8. Extra-Biblical Sources Cornelius Tacitus (55-117 A.D.) Tacitus described how Nero had blamed Christians with the burning of Rome in 64 A.D.  “Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt and punished with the most exquisite tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. (abominations) Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death (suffered the extreme penalty) by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius.” (Annals, XV.44)

9. Extra-Biblical Sources “This is an important testimony by an unsympathetic witness to the success and spread of Christianity, based on a historical figure - Jesus – who was crucified under Pontius Pilate,’ he said. ‘And its significant that Tacitus reported that an immense multitude held so strongly to their beliefs that they were willing to die rather than recant.’” Edwin Yaumachi, in The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, Grand rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1998.

10. Extra-Biblical Sources Seutonius (69-122 A.D.) In his Life of Nero, Seutonius corroborates Tacitus assertion that Nero blamed the fire of Rome on Christians and says they were addicted to a novel and mischievous superstition. In his Life of Claudius, he reports that Claudius expelled the Christians from Rome.

11. Extra-Biblical Sources Pliny the Younger 61-113 A.D.) Pliny the Younger (Secundus) was governor of Bythinia in Asia. He writes to Emperor Trajan seeking advice about how to handle Christians who meet on a fixed day of the week, sing to Christ as God, follow a very moral lifestyle, are quite obstinate in their beliefs, and count slaves and Roman citizens among their members.

12. Conclusion Friends, disinterested observers and enemies all testify that Jesus lived, taught, worked unusual deeds, was crucified under Pontius Pilate and his followers maintained their beliefs to the death. Scholars today do not seriously question the unusual existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

13. The Identity of Jesus If Jesus truly lived and died, then who was he? It would be appropriate to see who Jesus himself claimed to be. Some maintain that his actions and statements do not warrant an assertion of deity. However, His claims from the gospels, under close inspection, are extraordinary to say the least.

14. The Claims of Christ Able to forgive sins (Mark 2:5–10)  A healer of disease (Mark 5:21-43)  Allows others to worship Him (Matt. 14:33, 28:9; cf also Acts 10:25–26; 14:12–15)

15. The Claims of Christ Claims to be “other worldly” in origin and destiny (John 6:38) Performs miracles over nature (Luke 9:16,17) Claims He has absolute, moral purity (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21)

16. The Claims of Christ Claimed to be God, Messiah, and the way to God (Mark 14:61,62; John 8:58, 10:30; 14:6–9) Claimed to be the fulfillment of all Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament (John 5:46–7; Luke 24:44) Allowed others to call Him God and Messiah (John 20:27-29; Matt. 16:15–17)

17. Considering the Options One way to deal with the claims is to remove the historical material, which is offensive to us, which is what Thomas Jefferson did. The other option is to honestly accept the historical accuracy of the documents and come up with a plausible explanation. Our choices are reduced to one of four: He was either a Liar, a Lunatic, a Legend, or our Lord.

18. Liar Everything that we know about Jesus discourages us from selecting this option. It is incomprehensible that the One who spoke of truth and righteousness was the greatest deceiver of history. He cannot be a great moral teacher and a liar at the same time.

19. Lunatic In his interview with psychologist Gary Collins, Lee Strobel reports Collins listing a litany of Jesus characteristics that indicate his overall mental health including appropriate emotions, contact with reality, logical conversation, and deep and abiding relationships. All of these together in the same person would never be expected of one suffering from mental illness. Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, p. 144-154.

20. Lunatic “He was loving but didn’t let his compassion immobilize him; he didn’t have a bloated ego, even though he was often surrounded by adoring crowds; he maintained balance despite an often demanding lifestyle; he always knew what he was doing and where he was going; he cared deeply about people, including women and children, who weren’t seen as being important back then; he was able to accept people while not winking at their sin; he responded to individuals based on where they were at and what they uniquely needed. . . . All in all, I just don’t see signs that Jesus was suffering from any known mental illness.” Gary Collinsin The Case for Christ, p. 147

21. Legend • The greatest difficulty with this option is the issue of time. Legends take time to develop. Yet most of the New Testament, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, and all of Paul’s Epistles were written by A.D. 68. • The creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 dates to at least A.D. 51 and some trace back to as early as A.D. 33-34. There simply is no time for a legend to develop.

22. Lord In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis said, “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. . . .

23. Lord 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 with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great moral teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

24. The Resurrection of Jesus Jesus clearly pointed to His bodily resurrection as the authenticating sign by which He would confirm His own unique claims. Later on, the Apostle Paul, in speaking of the importance of this event to the faith of a Christian would say, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith is also vain. . .if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:13–17).

25. The Empty Tomb • The tomb of Jesus Christ was found empty on the third day. • From the beginning Christians have argued that the tomb was empty on the third day. • Even the opponents of Christianity believed that the tomb was empty.

26. The Empty Tomb • If the tomb had not been empty, it probably would have been treated as a shrine. • If the tomb was occupied, what would make the disciples of Jesus risk their lives by saying that it was empty? • The tomb of Jesus was empty because He had been resurrected from the dead.

27. The Empty Tomb “In the face of the facts, they (critics) have been impotent to put Jesus body back in the tomb. They flounder, they struggle, they snatch at straws, they contradict themselves, they pursue desperate and extraordinary theories to try and account for the evidence. Yet each time, in the end, the tomb remains vacant. . . . ‘The empty tomb, then, forms a veritable rock on which all rationalistic theories of the resurrection dash themselves in vain.’”Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, p. 223.

28. Jesus Rose from the Dead • Did the disciples steal the body? • Were the disciples deceived? • Did the Jewish leaders take it?

29. Jesus Rose from the Dead • Did Jesus really die? • Jesus was raised from the dead.

30. Jesus Rose from the Dead Alternative explanations are inadequate, and eyewitnesses were put to death because they continued to maintain that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Christianity exists because these people truly believed in the resurrection, and their testimony continues to be the most reasonable explanation for the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.

31. Jesus Rose from the Dead “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” • 2 Peter 1:16

32. The Resurrection Demonstrates the Truth of Christianity. • I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35). • I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). • Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM [a claim to be God himself] (John 8:58).

33. The Resurrection Demonstrates the Truth of Christianity. • I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (John 10:9). • I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). • I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies (John 11:25). • I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me (John 14:6).

34. Jesus is the Lord of History “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12