Who is Jesus?

	In the previous article we looked at the evidence in secular history 
concerning the existence of Jesus Christ. Now we will briefly look at who 
Jesus"claims and where we can research this evidence.

	Who is Jesus? What are his claims?

	Skeptics have written much about Jesus Christ and his claims. Yet, 
Christians who read and study the Bible know that Jesus is God. Jesus life, death and resurrection can be studied in the gospels of Matthew Mark and 
Luke.

	Albert Well writes, "One marvels at the way in which He draws attention to 
Himself, placing Himself at the center of every situation that arises." He 
does not fit the mold of other religious leaders. Thomas Schultz 
writes "Not one recognized religious leader, not Moses, Paul, Buddha, 
Mohammed, Confucius, etc, has ever claimed to be God, that is, with the 
exception of Jesus Christ. Christ is the only religious leader who has 
ever claimed to be deity and the only individual ever who has convinced a 
great portion of the world that He is God."

	Jesus teaching was very different from Moses and the Prophets. He taught 
with ultimate final authority One might say that Jesus presented himself 
this way because that is the way the Bible portrays him, which was written 
by his associates. To disregard all the Bible is not disregard all 
evidence,as we have seen from historical records. The historical approach 
to the question, is found in secular history, affirm that Jesus lived on 
earth and He was worshipped as God.

	He founded a church which has worshipped Him for 1900 years and changed the 
course of the worlds history. Jesus was crucified for being who He really 
was. The Son of God. Looking at the trial of Jesus, we see that Jesus clearly answered the 
questions put before him concerning his deity.

	Mark14:61-64, but Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high 
priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? 
" Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? I am, said Jesus. 
And you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Mighty 
One and and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his 
clothes.

	Sanhedrin then summed up the 3 points and asked are you the Son of 
God? (In summing up the points they said who he claimed to be) He Jesus 
said you say I am. He made them admit to his deity before they found him 
guilty.

	Much has been written historically about Jesus claims. The best place to 
begin is the gospel of Matthew.  Next: The resurrection.

	If you have questions concerning the deity of Jesus, we invite you to call 
the Taiwanese church, join one of the many small groups that meet on Friday 
evenings. Stimulating discussions and fellowship are central to these 
gatherings.  Taiwanese Presbyterian Church 636.256.7022