*DISCLAIMER: HSM staff does not necessarily agree, support or condone everything written on links to other websites.
a short video with ozark christian college professor, mark moore (www.markmoore.org)
Who is Jesus?
The Gospels (the 4 books written about Jesus' life) are well documented, historical documents. Within those pages are the claims of Jesus Christ about himself. Here is a snapshot of those: -Claimed He will judge the world (Matthew 7:21-23) -Claimed He should be honored as much as God (John 5:23) -Claimed He gave eternal life to those who came to Him (John 5:21, 40) -Claimed that to see Him was to see God (John 14:9) -Claimed to know Him was to know God (John 8:19) -Claimed to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:5, 10) -Claimed titles exclusive to God (John 8:56-59) -Claimed to hear and answer prayer (John 14:14) -Claimed that He was eternal (John 8:58) -Claimed that after the resurrection, He was omnipresent (Matthew 28:20) -Claimed to be the only way to God (Matthew 12:30; 28:18; John 14:6)
C.S. Lewis pointed out that we'd be ignorant to say that Jesus wasn't God's Son, but that He was a prophet of God or a good moral teacher. For Jesus to have claimed what He did, He could only be one of 3 things: a liar, a lunatic or the Lord.
Many people don't accept Jesus as the Son of God or His resurrection from the dead because they claim that the Gospels have legendary "features" in them. But on what grounds? The only real basis anyone has for making this claim is that there are supernatural aspects to Jesus' life in the Gospels. But from where do people get their infallible knowledge about the universe? Plus, there is a contradiction in this view for "most" people. Most people believe in some sort of Creator. How then can we rule out the possibility of His intervention?
There are also 4 historical arguments against the theory that the Gospels contain legendary material. (1) they are written within several decades of the events they record, and that is not enough time for significant legendary material to occur. (2) they are written in a hostile environment, which would necessarily hold in check the development of legendary material. (3) If legendary progression did occur, we'd expect to find it in the Gospels written later than those written earlier, yet the early ones have just as much "supernatural" than the later. Actually, the letters of Paul show a view of Jesus as God-in-flesh and most of them are written before any of the Gospels. (4) finally, the Gospels contained supposed "legendary" material among material that is trustworthy.
Jesus the Only Way to God?
In a world where no one wants to make anyone else feel bad or uncomfortable, it's easy for many to say, "What you believe is true is true for you and the same for me." This sounds neat but is simply ignorant.
Of the great religious leaders of the world, Christ alone claims deity (that He is God's Son, through Him only is access to God and salvation--John 14:6).
Tolerance is a key word for our age. However, tolerance must be understood. Truth by its very nature is intolerant of error. If 2 plus 2 is four, the total at the same time cannot be 23. But one is not regarded as intolerant because he disagrees with this answer and maintains that the only correct answer is 4.
The same principle applies in spiritual matters. One must be tolerant of other points of view and respect their right to be held and heard. One cannot, however, be forced in the name of tolerance to agree that all points of view, including those that are mutually contradictory, are equally valid. Such a position is nonsense.
To accept the claims of Jesus based on the reliability of the Gospels and the evidence for his resurrection is not then arrogant to accept the truth from those claims that He is the ONLY way to know God personally and truly.
