Who is Jesus Christ?

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Who is Jesus Christ? Unlike the question, does

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God exist, the question of whether Jesus Christ existed is asked by relatively few people.

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Most accept that Jesus was truly a man who lived in Israel 2 ,000 years ago. The debate begins with the discussion of Jesus' full identity.

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Almost every major religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet, or a good teacher, or a godly man.

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But the Bible tells us that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man.

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C .S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, writes the following, 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

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Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.

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He has not left that option open to us, and he didn't intend to. So who did

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Jesus claim to be? Who does the Bible say he is? First, he is God in the flesh.

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Jesus said in John 10 30, I and the Father are one. At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be

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God. However, look at the Jews' reaction to his statement. They tried to stone him for blasphemy because you, a mere man, claim to be

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God. The Jews understood Jesus' statement as a claim to be God. In the following verses,

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Jesus never corrects the Jews or attempts to clarify his statement. He never says, I did not claim to be

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God. When Jesus said, I and the Father are one, he truly was claiming equality with God.

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In John 8 58, Jesus claims pre -existence, an attribute of God. I tell you the truth,

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Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I am. In response to this statement, the

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Jews again took up stones to stone Jesus. In claiming pre -existence, Jesus applied a name for God to himself,

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I am. The Jews rejected Jesus' identity as God incarnate, but they understood exactly what he was saying.

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Other biblical clues that Jesus is God in the flesh include John 1 1, which says, the

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Word was God, coupled with John 1 14, which says, the Word became flesh. Thomas, the disciple, declared to Jesus, my

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Lord and my God. Jesus does not correct him. The Apostle Paul describes

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Jesus as our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter says the same, calling

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Jesus our God and Savior. God the Father bears witness of Jesus' identity as well.

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But about the Son, he says, your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.

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Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 9 6, announce the deity of Christ. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called

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Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Why is the question of Jesus' identity so important? Why does it matter whether Jesus is

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God? Several reasons. First, as C .S. Lewis pointed out, if Jesus is not

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God, then Jesus is the worst of liars and untrustworthy in every way. If Jesus is not

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God, then the Apostles would likewise have been liars. Jesus had to be God because the

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Messiah was promised to be the Holy One. Since no one on earth is righteous before God, God himself had to enter the world as a human.

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If Jesus is not God, His death would have been insufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world.

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Only God Himself could provide an infinite, eternally valuable sacrifice. God is the only

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Savior. If Jesus is to be the Savior, then He must be God. Jesus had to be both

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God and man. As God, Jesus could satisfy God's wrath. As a man, Jesus had the capability of dying.

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As the God -man, Jesus is the perfect mediator between heaven and earth. Salvation is only available through faith in Jesus Christ.

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As He proclaimed, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the

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Father except through me. Got questions? The Bible has answers, and we'll help you find them.