JESUS CHRIST:Unique Saviour or

just another good leader?

Part 1: The Case for Christ

The Case for Christ

Before Mr Justice Lewis

• Unique Saviour or Fraud: The constructions open to the court

• The evidence for Christ as Saviour

The Case for Christ

Preliminary Issue: gospel accounts as history

• Cf previous hearing re: ‘Why Trust the Bible’• Assume writers intend to write history, not

fiction

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Unique Saviour or Fraud?

Our desire for and need for justice;The impossibility of justice without

God

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Jesus said that He was the Son of God

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death

(Mark 14:61–64).

Jesus acknowledged that He was the Son of God

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 16:16-17 ESV)

Jesus equated Himself with the Father

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” [a clear allusion to the sacred divine name of Yahweh; cf. Ex. 3:14]. So they picked up stones to throw at him (John 8:58–59).

(John 5:17–18).

Jesus equated Himself with the Father

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God

(John 5:17–18).

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Jesus implicitly acknowledged His divinity

• He accepted worship– (Matt. 14:33; 28:9, 17; John 9:38; 20:28). Whereas

Paul and Barnabas rejected worship (Acts 14:14–15)

• He claimed to have power to forgive sins• Jesus accepted prayer

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Jewish leaders recognised His claims

• “I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. … The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:30–33).

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Jewish leaders recognised His claims

– Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death

(Mark 14:61–64).

7) Others recognised His authority and status

“the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes”

(Matt. 7:28–29).

Unique Saviour or Fraud?

Our desire for and need for justice;The impossibility of justice without

God

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. 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 patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

CS Lewis: Mere Christianity pg. 52

The evidence

Our desire for and need for justice;The impossibility of justice without

God

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Jesus did things that only a divine being could do

• Jesus knows the future in and of Himself:– Prophets record the source of their prophecies

• Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.” And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind

• Ezekiel 11:4-5

– Jesus is recorded as the source of the information:• And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead

of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Mark 10: 32-34

Jesus did things that only a divine being could do

• Jesus knows the unexpressed thoughts of others– And behold, some of the scribes said to

themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Matthew 9:3-4 ESV

Jesus backed up His claim to spiritual authority by visibly demonstrating

His power

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.

(Mark 2:5-11 ESV)

Jesus proved His claim by rising from the dead

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

(1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV)

The Case for Christ

Jesus was either a unique Saviour or a fraud- Jesus explicitly claimed to be God- Jesus implicitly claimed to be God- Jesus was understood to be claiming to be God- Jesus was put to death because He claimed to be God

Jesus was the unique Saviour rather than a fraud- Jesus proved He was the Son of God by:

- His actions- His resurrection

- Others recognised Jesus as God

Others recognised His authority and status

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 16:13-17 ESV)

Others recognised His authority and status

And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

(Mark 15:39 ESV)

Others recognised His authority and status

Others in addition to God Himself, His angel, and the Roman soldier proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. Madmen and even unclean spirits confessed to Jesus: "You are the Son of God." (Mark 3:11; cf. 5:7; Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:41; 8:28) . Jesus' disciples also confessed that He is "the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16; cf. 14:33). Jesus, as a true Son, preferred to give glory to His Father, but He too would not deny His Sonship (Matthew 26:63f.; Mark 14:62; John 10:36). Of interest in the first two of these passages (and others) is the close association between the terms "Messiah" and "Son of God”.

Ernest Hahn “Answering Islam”

Application

Our desire for and need for justice;The impossibility of justice without

God