Information Related to "Was Jesus Christ Who He Said He Was?"
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Was Jesus Christ
Who He Said He Was?
The Jewish teacher from Nazareth claimed to be the promised
Messiah and Son of God.
Could His assertions be true? Can we find evidence to back up His bold statements?
by Bill Bradford
Many of us wonder about God's existence. Is He real? Is the Bible truly His Word?
Was Jesus Christ who He said He was, the very Son of God?
Is there historical proof to which we can turn for verification? Is there a single event that offers compelling evidence that God indeed exists and Jesus of Nazareth was truly His Son?
Yes, there is one such event. Many do not believe it ever took place. Most people know of the event but have never really considered its implications-but it makes all the difference in the world if it happened.
What is this event? It is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus said this event would serve as a sure "sign" proving that He was indeed who He claimed to be (Matthew 12:38-40; Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 11:29-30; John 2:18-21).
But did it happen? If it didn't, then you have no reason to believe that the way of life that Christ brought was any different from any other religion. If it didn't happen, there was nothing special about Jesus of Nazareth. He was merely another devout man, albeit one who laid the foundation for one of the world's major religions, like Muhammad or the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.
But if it did happen there is one great difference between Jesus and all other religious teachers. Jesus Christ died and was raised to life again.
Can we know whether this truly happened? What are the implications if it did take place?
Much of the Bible focuses on the life of this Jewish religious teacher. The four biblical narratives, the Gospels, culminate with His death and resurrection. It was the bringing back of Jesus from the dead that separates Him from any other religious teacher or philosopher who has ever lived. If Jesus was not resurrected from the dead, then neither He nor His followers have any special claim.
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