http://www.god-evidence-truth.com/
Gravity True For You But Not For Me
Yes, according to most Biblical scholars. In the Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics, Bruce Metzger a highly recognized scholar, is quoted as estimating the New Testament we have today as 99.5 percent accurate. There are approximately 5,600 Greek handwritten manuscripts (MS), which is the original language of the New Testament. In total there are more than 25,000 full or partial manuscripts in several languages. Due to the enormous number of texts, scholars can compare one to another and determine what the originals said. The texts have what scholars call variants, small variations, due to word placement like Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus, spelling, proper nouns and the like. These are not errors they are just variations in the text. Because there are more than 25,000 manuscripts, there are an estimated 400,000 variants. Here are two simulated verses that vary in five places, thus five variants:
Jesus Christ died for our sin and rose again.
Christ Jesus died fr your sins and arose.
The actual texts have nowhere near this number per line. If 1,000 manuscripts had 100 spelling errors each, that would equal 100,000 variants. This demonstrates why the estimated 400,000 variants discovered in the manuscripts are not that significant. Notice how even in a short verse with several variants, we can still determine what the verse says. Just think if you had 1,000 MS with the same verse, do you think you could figure out what it says? According to Biblical scholars, inconsequential variants like these alter no meaning and account for 99 percent of the total. Only one percent are of any consequence and they do not affect Christian doctrine. Ironically, God’s plan for man to disperse thousands of hand-written manuscripts in the ancient world protected it from alteration better than if one person had the original and could change it.
‘While the New Testament documents do not survive or have not yet been found, we have abundant and accurate copies of the original New Testament documents – many more than for the ten best pieces of ancient literature combined. Moreover, nearly perfect reconstruction of the originals can be accomplished by comparing the thousands of manuscript copies that do survive. We have discovered manuscript fragments from the second century as early as the mid first century. There are no works from the ancient world that even come close to the New Testament in terms of manuscript support. Turek and Geisler, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, page 248.
“Non-believers are concerned that our New Testament Scriptures cannot be trusted, but they’ve come to this concern without examining the evidence. As Christians, we KNOW that we have the most reliable and attested ancient documents. You can trust that, if nothing else, we have today what the ancients had to begin with.” Detective Jim Wallace, former atheist. www. pleaseconvinceme.com
In addition to all of the Manuscripts, there are more than 36,000 quotes of New Testament scriptures by the early Church Fathers. All but 11 New Testament verses are quoted, allowing for virtually 100 percent reconstruction of the New Testament. Many critics claim the Bible cannot be accurate or true because it was written by men and men make mistakes. But men write accurate and truthful books all of the time. Look at a dictionary or encyclopedia. The Bible says all scripture is inspired by God, so just like you use a pen as an instrument to write a letter, God used man as an instrument to record His Word.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching,for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.2 Tim. 3:16
Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.2 Peter 1:20-21
“The interval between the dates of original composition (of the N.T.) and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible and the foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed; both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the N.T. may be regarded as firmly established.” Sir Frederic Kenyon, Director, principal librarian of the British museum, foremost expert on ancient manuscripts.
“The science of textual criticism is used to test all documents ofantiquity–not just religious texts–including historical and literary writings. It’s not a theological enterprise based on haphazard hopes and guesses; it’s a linguistic exercise that follows a set of established rules. Textual criticism allows an alert critic to determine the extent of possible corruption of any work.” Greg Koukel, Host of, Stand to Reason Radio program since 1990, L.A. CA. www. str.orgRead the entire book for free online at http://www.godevidencetruth.com/
Read the entire book for free at http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-True-You-But-ebook/dp/B006XG0ID4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326574922&sr=1-1
0r www.god-evidence-truth.com
Friday, January 27, 2012
Is Truth important to you?
Is Truth Important to You?
If you were dying of a deadly but curable disease, would you want the right medication to survive.
Would you want to know the truth about the risks before investing your life savings?
Do you want your family and friends to tell you the truth once in a while, or all of the time?
If you were charged with a murder you did not commit, would you want the truth to come out?
If you want truth in these areas, it appears truth really is important to you. So what’s on the other side of death? If God exists and your destination after physical death is based on the choices you make in this life, would the truth about eternity be important?
What is Objective Truth? * Relates to the object referred to. * Corresponds with reality. * Telling it like it is. * Something that is true even if no one believes it. * Jesus and the Bible claim to be objective truths.
“Truth is true—even if no one knows it. Truth is true—even if no one admits it. Truth is true—even if no one agrees what it is. Truth is true—even if no one follows it. Truth is true—even if no one but God grasps it fully.” Paul Copan, Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University, author, True For You But Not For Me.
What is The Law of Non-Contradiction? It is our built in lie detector to help us find truth. The law of non-contradiction is a fundamental principle of thought that clearly tells us opposite ideas cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. For example - the Earth is flat vs. the Earth is round. This law is self-evident and undeniable. Knowledge of this law is crucial to understanding that truth does exist and its opposite is always false. It’s true that you are reading this book right now. You are the object in this statement. So it’s true for everybody, everywhere that you are reading this book right now. It’s a contradiction or false that you are not reading it. Since it’s true Washington D.C. is the capitol of the United States of America, any other belief, even the next closest city geographically, is contradictory and false. You have particular first and last names that are true, while any other names are false. We all took multiple choice tests in school; one answer was true while the rest were false, no matter how close to the truth they came. Truth is always narrow and exclusive, excluding its opposites.
Contradictions in a statement render the claim false. For example - “I have a gift for you and a list of work you need to do to get it.” You know right away that my statement does not make sense because a gift that requires work is not a gift. Some have said to me “truth does not exist” but in doing so, they claim it is true, that truth does not exist. Both of these statements are contradictory and thus false. Conclusion – Truth exists, it’s important and its contradictions are always false.
What is The Best Way to Find Truth? I am sure you will agree, a person can stumble into truth. We all guessed correctly on a few school tests. But guessing or hoping to find the truth by mere accident is obviously not the best way to make an important decision. The following are three popular ways people use to come to a conclusion that something is true. Which one would you pick to make a decision where truth is vital?
1. Feelings - it feels right, gives me purpose, hope and peace of mind, so I believe it’s the truth. 2. Family or someone I trust believes it, so I do. 3. Evidence, consistency, best fits the evidence.
Approximately 95 percent of the hundreds of people I have asked this specific question pick the third option right away. But a strange thing happens when I ask the same people if they believe in God. Now the same people who just told me truth was very important and evidence was the best way to find it, suddenly say their beliefs about God are not founded on the evidence, but on feelings or on what someone else believes. Therefore it’s quite probable that your current belief about God is not based on evidence either. The problem is that there are sincere followers in every belief, who claim to have found the truth. So is one belief correct and the only way to God or do all roads lead to heaven? Does God exist at all? If we base our search solely on subjective evidence like feelings and personal experience, it’s confusing because every belief has followers that will attest to both. If we decide to believe something because someone else does, how do we know for sure they have found the truth? Did they examine the evidence or are they just following their feelings or a crowd? The only legitimate way to be reasonably sure our faith is placed in the truth is to examine the objective evidence ourselves, like we would with any major decisions. Objective evidence can be examined by everyone and does not change due to emotions, fee-lings or personal experience. An example of objective evidence would be scientific and historical facts.
I am not suggesting that you completely ignore your feelings as they can be helpful when you have verifiable facts and more than one solid option. So keep your feelings handy, but I urge you to not place them above the facts. Finding the truth about God is very important since every belief includes views about salvation and eternity. Making a wise decision based on the objective evidence is only sensible.
Conclusion – The best way to discover truth is by examining the objective evidence.
Read the entire book for free online. Go to
http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-True-You-But-ebook/dp/B006XG0ID4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326574922&sr=1-1
or to my website at www.god-evidence-truth.com
Gravity True For You But Not For Me: Evidence for Gods existence and identity
If you were dying of a deadly but curable disease, would you want the right medication to survive.
Would you want to know the truth about the risks before investing your life savings?
Do you want your family and friends to tell you the truth once in a while, or all of the time?
If you were charged with a murder you did not commit, would you want the truth to come out?
If you want truth in these areas, it appears truth really is important to you. So what’s on the other side of death? If God exists and your destination after physical death is based on the choices you make in this life, would the truth about eternity be important?
What is Objective Truth? * Relates to the object referred to. * Corresponds with reality. * Telling it like it is. * Something that is true even if no one believes it. * Jesus and the Bible claim to be objective truths.
“Truth is true—even if no one knows it. Truth is true—even if no one admits it. Truth is true—even if no one agrees what it is. Truth is true—even if no one follows it. Truth is true—even if no one but God grasps it fully.” Paul Copan, Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University, author, True For You But Not For Me.
What is The Law of Non-Contradiction? It is our built in lie detector to help us find truth. The law of non-contradiction is a fundamental principle of thought that clearly tells us opposite ideas cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. For example - the Earth is flat vs. the Earth is round. This law is self-evident and undeniable. Knowledge of this law is crucial to understanding that truth does exist and its opposite is always false. It’s true that you are reading this book right now. You are the object in this statement. So it’s true for everybody, everywhere that you are reading this book right now. It’s a contradiction or false that you are not reading it. Since it’s true Washington D.C. is the capitol of the United States of America, any other belief, even the next closest city geographically, is contradictory and false. You have particular first and last names that are true, while any other names are false. We all took multiple choice tests in school; one answer was true while the rest were false, no matter how close to the truth they came. Truth is always narrow and exclusive, excluding its opposites.
Contradictions in a statement render the claim false. For example - “I have a gift for you and a list of work you need to do to get it.” You know right away that my statement does not make sense because a gift that requires work is not a gift. Some have said to me “truth does not exist” but in doing so, they claim it is true, that truth does not exist. Both of these statements are contradictory and thus false. Conclusion – Truth exists, it’s important and its contradictions are always false.
What is The Best Way to Find Truth? I am sure you will agree, a person can stumble into truth. We all guessed correctly on a few school tests. But guessing or hoping to find the truth by mere accident is obviously not the best way to make an important decision. The following are three popular ways people use to come to a conclusion that something is true. Which one would you pick to make a decision where truth is vital?
1. Feelings - it feels right, gives me purpose, hope and peace of mind, so I believe it’s the truth. 2. Family or someone I trust believes it, so I do. 3. Evidence, consistency, best fits the evidence.
Approximately 95 percent of the hundreds of people I have asked this specific question pick the third option right away. But a strange thing happens when I ask the same people if they believe in God. Now the same people who just told me truth was very important and evidence was the best way to find it, suddenly say their beliefs about God are not founded on the evidence, but on feelings or on what someone else believes. Therefore it’s quite probable that your current belief about God is not based on evidence either. The problem is that there are sincere followers in every belief, who claim to have found the truth. So is one belief correct and the only way to God or do all roads lead to heaven? Does God exist at all? If we base our search solely on subjective evidence like feelings and personal experience, it’s confusing because every belief has followers that will attest to both. If we decide to believe something because someone else does, how do we know for sure they have found the truth? Did they examine the evidence or are they just following their feelings or a crowd? The only legitimate way to be reasonably sure our faith is placed in the truth is to examine the objective evidence ourselves, like we would with any major decisions. Objective evidence can be examined by everyone and does not change due to emotions, fee-lings or personal experience. An example of objective evidence would be scientific and historical facts.
I am not suggesting that you completely ignore your feelings as they can be helpful when you have verifiable facts and more than one solid option. So keep your feelings handy, but I urge you to not place them above the facts. Finding the truth about God is very important since every belief includes views about salvation and eternity. Making a wise decision based on the objective evidence is only sensible.
Conclusion – The best way to discover truth is by examining the objective evidence.
Read the entire book for free online. Go to
http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-True-You-But-ebook/dp/B006XG0ID4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326574922&sr=1-1
or to my website at www.god-evidence-truth.com
Gravity True For You But Not For Me: Evidence for Gods existence and identity
Monday, January 2, 2012
Christianity is true for you but fill in the blank is true for me
I have spoken to thousands of people face to face about Jesus and
once in awhile I will hear the "true for you but not for me" excuse. The problem
is that many people do not understand how truth works. Here is a short piece
from my free e-book designed for evangelisim. The title is Gravity True For You
But Not For Me - Evidence for Gods Existence and Identity. You can get your free
copy at www.god-evidence-truth.com to read and forward to
frinds and family. Most e-reader formats are supported like Kindle. Donations
are also being accepted for print copies that you can hand out yourself. I am
thankful to be saved and I want to bring as many people with me as I possibly
can.
True for You But Not for Me
The statement, true for you but not for me has a long list of problems that
tell us it is false. I bring it up because people sometimes claim, “Christianity
is true for you but not for me.” People that make this statement have confused
belief with truth. But belief alone does not guarantee the matter at hand is
true. Truth on the other hand is not a respecter of any belief that contradicts
it. Truth conforms to reality and the object being referred to. The title of
this book is a contradiction on purpose to get your attention, Gravity -
True For You But Not For Me. It suggests that an objective truth
like gravity does not apply to a person who does not believe in it. But since
this is simply not how truth works, the title of this book is self-defeating as
is the claim, “The Bible is true for you but something else is true for me.” The
following quote reveals an easy way to prove this to yourself:
“True for you but not for me is a self-defeating and therefore false
statement. You can prove this one conclusively to yourself today, just drive 90
in a 55 and when the cop stops you for speeding, just say, “That’s true for you
but not for me.” and speed off. Since it’s not true for you he can’t give you a
ticket, right?”Dr. Frank Turek, author and speaker. www.Crossexamined.org
True for you but not for me is also claiming every-thing is true as
long as someone believes it. If that’s the case we should have all gotten
perfect grades in school. Every answer I gave was true for me.
It can be argued that true for you but not for me is even false when it comes
to flavors of ice cream or the temperature in a room, because truth applies to
its object. For example - you like vanilla, I like chocolate and we are in the
same room and you feel cold and I feel warm. Referring to you as the object of
the statement, it’s true for everyone everywhere that you like vanilla and feel
cold. Referring to me as the object of the statement, it’s true for everyone
everywhere that I like chocolate and feel warm. Here is a verse from a rap song
that adds more clarity to the contradictory nature of our topic.
“If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for
me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie? Is it still true?”
Lecrae, Rebel Album.
In opposition to how things really work, the true for you but not for me
argument comes from a flawed understanding of how truth works and leads to
the faulty conclusion, “What I believe about God is true just because I believe
it.” Ironically it’s a way people play god, by imagining God doesn’t exist or
creating a god who works for them.
In my opinion, true for you but not for me is really an attempt to escape the
truth by denying or ignoring it. While it may work for a while, in the end the
truth we have been avoiding must still be dealt with and usually the longer we
wait the higher the cost. Just ask any alcoholic, drug addict or over spender
how well denial worked for them after reality hits. Truth always surfaces and
the truth about God is no exception. It’s always better to face truth early,
accept it and deal with it.
“It is utterly wrongheaded to say that something is true for you but not for
me. For example, what if I think fascism is true and you think liberal democracy
is equally true? Should the fascist’s repression be tolerated by the believer in
liberal democracy? If not, on what grounds? Why not permit Stalinism or Satanism
or Nazism? Without criteria to determine truth, this relativism fails
miserably.” Allister McGrath Professor of Theology Kings College, taken from
Paul Copan’s book, “True For You, But Not For Me”.
Conclusion – True for you but not for me is self –defeating and
false. If the Bible is really true, it is true for everyone, if
they believe it or not.
once in awhile I will hear the "true for you but not for me" excuse. The problem
is that many people do not understand how truth works. Here is a short piece
from my free e-book designed for evangelisim. The title is Gravity True For You
But Not For Me - Evidence for Gods Existence and Identity. You can get your free
copy at www.god-evidence-truth.com to read and forward to
frinds and family. Most e-reader formats are supported like Kindle. Donations
are also being accepted for print copies that you can hand out yourself. I am
thankful to be saved and I want to bring as many people with me as I possibly
can.
True for You But Not for Me
The statement, true for you but not for me has a long list of problems that
tell us it is false. I bring it up because people sometimes claim, “Christianity
is true for you but not for me.” People that make this statement have confused
belief with truth. But belief alone does not guarantee the matter at hand is
true. Truth on the other hand is not a respecter of any belief that contradicts
it. Truth conforms to reality and the object being referred to. The title of
this book is a contradiction on purpose to get your attention, Gravity -
True For You But Not For Me. It suggests that an objective truth
like gravity does not apply to a person who does not believe in it. But since
this is simply not how truth works, the title of this book is self-defeating as
is the claim, “The Bible is true for you but something else is true for me.” The
following quote reveals an easy way to prove this to yourself:
“True for you but not for me is a self-defeating and therefore false
statement. You can prove this one conclusively to yourself today, just drive 90
in a 55 and when the cop stops you for speeding, just say, “That’s true for you
but not for me.” and speed off. Since it’s not true for you he can’t give you a
ticket, right?”Dr. Frank Turek, author and speaker. www.Crossexamined.org
True for you but not for me is also claiming every-thing is true as
long as someone believes it. If that’s the case we should have all gotten
perfect grades in school. Every answer I gave was true for me.
It can be argued that true for you but not for me is even false when it comes
to flavors of ice cream or the temperature in a room, because truth applies to
its object. For example - you like vanilla, I like chocolate and we are in the
same room and you feel cold and I feel warm. Referring to you as the object of
the statement, it’s true for everyone everywhere that you like vanilla and feel
cold. Referring to me as the object of the statement, it’s true for everyone
everywhere that I like chocolate and feel warm. Here is a verse from a rap song
that adds more clarity to the contradictory nature of our topic.
“If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for
me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie? Is it still true?”
Lecrae, Rebel Album.
In opposition to how things really work, the true for you but not for me
argument comes from a flawed understanding of how truth works and leads to
the faulty conclusion, “What I believe about God is true just because I believe
it.” Ironically it’s a way people play god, by imagining God doesn’t exist or
creating a god who works for them.
In my opinion, true for you but not for me is really an attempt to escape the
truth by denying or ignoring it. While it may work for a while, in the end the
truth we have been avoiding must still be dealt with and usually the longer we
wait the higher the cost. Just ask any alcoholic, drug addict or over spender
how well denial worked for them after reality hits. Truth always surfaces and
the truth about God is no exception. It’s always better to face truth early,
accept it and deal with it.
“It is utterly wrongheaded to say that something is true for you but not for
me. For example, what if I think fascism is true and you think liberal democracy
is equally true? Should the fascist’s repression be tolerated by the believer in
liberal democracy? If not, on what grounds? Why not permit Stalinism or Satanism
or Nazism? Without criteria to determine truth, this relativism fails
miserably.” Allister McGrath Professor of Theology Kings College, taken from
Paul Copan’s book, “True For You, But Not For Me”.
Conclusion – True for you but not for me is self –defeating and
false. If the Bible is really true, it is true for everyone, if
they believe it or not.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Bible - Too embarrassing to be false
Check out a small portion of my new book - Gravity - True For You But Not For Me - Evidence For Gods Existence and Identity - In this small glimpse we see one piece of evidence that tells us the events reported in the Bible actually happened, it is true. www.god-evidence-truth.com
2. Embarrassing Testimony The “Principle of Embarrassment” is one method used by historians to decide if the authors of a text are telling the truth. It says if the text is embarrassing to the author or authors it is probably true. This is because people do not fabricate events that make them look bad. As a matter of fact, they may leave them out in an attempt to look good. Consider what a person who is trying to sell you a lie might do. Let’s say someone wanted you to invest your life savings with them. What kind of picture would they paint with the words and literature they offer? No problems, right? Well consider if the writers of the Bible were trying to make up a God they wanted you to believe in. Wouldn’t they do the same and claim there were no problems? Yet the Bible is filled with embarrassing details about Jesus and the disciples. His followers had many of the same problems we see Christians struggling with today. Experts say embarrassing testimony like this would be counter-productive in a plot to falsely claim that Jesus is God. Therefore the following embarrassing details about what some thought of Jesus, could only be a true report of what actually happened. This supports the belief that the disciples told the complete unvarnished truth. Note the following claims are not supported by facts. They are simply a reporting of what some people, mainly His detractors, claimed.
Called a drunkard - John 10:19
Called a madman - John 10:20
Family thinks he is out of his mind - Mark 3:21
Not believed by his brothers - John 7:5
Called demon possessed - Mark 3:22, John 7:20, 8:48
Thought to be a deceiver - John 7:12
Deserted by many followers - John 6:66
Crucified despite the belief that anyone hung on a tree is cursed, making it very difficult for Jews to accept – Deut. 21:23
“People do not make up embarrassing details about themselves.” Quote Dr. Frank Turek, Embarrassing testimony support adapted from Turek & Geisler’s, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
Conclusion – If you were making up a God you wanted everyone to believe in, you would not include embarrassing details about Jesus, unless it was a true reporting of what happened.
You can read the whole book filled with the evidence for Gods existence and identity in a free e-book Gravity - True For You But Not For Me - Evidence For Gods Existence and Identity at www.god-evidence-truth.com . In Print to for a very low cost, like 20 for $20 delivered to you, 80 for under $60, 132 pages, 4 x 6, full color cover. Similiar to More than a Carpenter or Case for Christ. It has received some excellant reviews. Designed to be given to the skeptic, the lost, anyone that does not know Jesus as Savior. Everyone deserves a chance to examine the evidence for themselves and make an informed decision.
2. Embarrassing Testimony The “Principle of Embarrassment” is one method used by historians to decide if the authors of a text are telling the truth. It says if the text is embarrassing to the author or authors it is probably true. This is because people do not fabricate events that make them look bad. As a matter of fact, they may leave them out in an attempt to look good. Consider what a person who is trying to sell you a lie might do. Let’s say someone wanted you to invest your life savings with them. What kind of picture would they paint with the words and literature they offer? No problems, right? Well consider if the writers of the Bible were trying to make up a God they wanted you to believe in. Wouldn’t they do the same and claim there were no problems? Yet the Bible is filled with embarrassing details about Jesus and the disciples. His followers had many of the same problems we see Christians struggling with today. Experts say embarrassing testimony like this would be counter-productive in a plot to falsely claim that Jesus is God. Therefore the following embarrassing details about what some thought of Jesus, could only be a true report of what actually happened. This supports the belief that the disciples told the complete unvarnished truth. Note the following claims are not supported by facts. They are simply a reporting of what some people, mainly His detractors, claimed.
Called a drunkard - John 10:19
Called a madman - John 10:20
Family thinks he is out of his mind - Mark 3:21
Not believed by his brothers - John 7:5
Called demon possessed - Mark 3:22, John 7:20, 8:48
Thought to be a deceiver - John 7:12
Deserted by many followers - John 6:66
Crucified despite the belief that anyone hung on a tree is cursed, making it very difficult for Jews to accept – Deut. 21:23
“People do not make up embarrassing details about themselves.” Quote Dr. Frank Turek, Embarrassing testimony support adapted from Turek & Geisler’s, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
Conclusion – If you were making up a God you wanted everyone to believe in, you would not include embarrassing details about Jesus, unless it was a true reporting of what happened.
You can read the whole book filled with the evidence for Gods existence and identity in a free e-book Gravity - True For You But Not For Me - Evidence For Gods Existence and Identity at www.god-evidence-truth.com . In Print to for a very low cost, like 20 for $20 delivered to you, 80 for under $60, 132 pages, 4 x 6, full color cover. Similiar to More than a Carpenter or Case for Christ. It has received some excellant reviews. Designed to be given to the skeptic, the lost, anyone that does not know Jesus as Savior. Everyone deserves a chance to examine the evidence for themselves and make an informed decision.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Who did Jesus claim to be?
There are many differant opinions about who people claim Jesus was, but who did Jesus himself claim to be. Read part of my new book (Gravity-True For You But Not For Me) below and weigh the evidence for yourself. Then read full book for free online at www.god-evidence-truth.com and weigh all of the evidence for Gods Existence and Identity.
Who Did Jesus Claim to Be?
Back on page 13 and 14 were listed a number of contradictory beliefs for Jesus
identity. Now we will look at who Jesus Himself claimed to be in the Bible:
1. Jesus Claimed to be God
In the Old Testament God calls Himself “I
Am” in Exodus 3:14. In the NT Jesus uses
the same name in John 8:58-59; the Jews realized what He was saying and picked
up rocks to stone Him because they knew He was
claiming to be God.
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Say this to the
people of Israel”, “I AM has sent me to you.” Exodus
3:14.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I Am,” so they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and
went out of the temple. John 8:58-59
2. Jesus Claimed to be the Object of Prayer
Jesus claimed to be the mediator between God and man, thus He was claiming to be God.
How would you respond if I asked you to pray in my name?
“Whatever
you ask in my name, this I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13
3. Jesus Claimed to Forgive Sins
We can all forgive someone for sinning against us personally. But of the numerous
times Jesus forgave sins, He had just met the people so they had not sinned
against Him personally. He was forgiving their sins against God, something only
God can do.
“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?” Mark 2:5-7
4. Jesus Claimed to be Worthy of Honor Due God
The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor
the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father who sent him. John
5: 22-23
5. Jesus Claimed to be the Messiah – God in the OT
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ).
When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to
you am he.” John 4:25-26
Caiaphas asks Jesus, “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.”
Mark 14:61-62
6. Jesus Claimed to be Equal in Authority with God
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matt. 24:35
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
7. Jesus Claimed to be Yahweh (LORD)
In the Old Testament, God is referred to in many ways. In the New Testament, the same
attributes are applied to Jesus and suggest He is God in the flesh.
Old Testament Name New Testament
Psalm 23:1 Shepherd Heb. 13:20
Isa.44:4 First & Last Rev. 1:17
Isa.40:28 Creator Col. 1:16-17
Isa.62:5 Bridegroom Mt. 25:1
Ps.27:1 Light Jn. 8:12
Isa. 43:11 Savior Jn. 4:42
Isa. 42:8 God’s Glory Jn. 17:5
1 Sam. 2:6 Giver of Life Jn. 5:21
Deut. 32:4 Rock 1 Cor. 10:4
Joel 3:12 Judge 2 Cor. 5:10
Revelation
tells us it is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:17-18 are Jesus’
words claiming to be the First and Last, an Old Testament title in Isaiah 44:6 reserved
for God. He also says “I was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore,” which
only fits Jesus.
When
I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me,
saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and I have
the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev. 1:17-18
8. Jesus Accepted Worship on Nine Occasions
Mother of James and John - Matt. 20:20, Possessed man - Mark 5:6, A blind man - Matt.
28:17, Doubting Thomas - Jn. 20:28, The women at the tomb - Matt. 28:9, A
Canaanite woman - Matt. 15:25, His disciples - Matt. 14:33, A healed leper - Matt.
8:2, A rich young ruler - Matt. 9:18.
Jesus was also a Rabbi and the first duty of a Rabbi is to point out blasphemy. Yet
Jesus never rebuked anyone who worshiped Him and even commended Thomas in John
20:29. In contrast, the apostle John tried to worship an angel in Revelation
22:9 and was rebuked. Jesus, on the other hand, accepts worship reserved for
God alone. He was more than an angel.
9. Jesus Claimed to be One with God the Father
Despite the claims of many popular books today, it is clear the Jewish witnesses had no
trouble figuring out Jesus was claiming to be God. They did not believe He was
God, so in the end they crucified Him for blasphemy (claiming to be God, using
God’s name in vain). They would have been right if He was not in fact God.
“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus
answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of
them are you going to stone me?” 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
10. Why Does Jesus Call Himself the Son of Man?
In the first verse below, Daniel 7:13, “Son of Man” is the God figure in the Old
Testament. In John 8:28 Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, which He does 82
times in the (ESV) version the New Testament.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient
of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and
a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his
dominion is an ever-lasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Dan. 7:13-14
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know
that I am he, and that I do nothing on
my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.” John 8:28
No matter who you or anyone else in popular culture think Jesus is, based on the
evidence it’s ludicrous to say that Jesus never claimed to be God.
Ten Points, Source: Bible, format adapted from Dr. Frank
Turek’s video series. I Do Not Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
“Additionally there is an enormous difference between who Jesus claimed to be when compared
to other leaders of different beliefs. Jesus claimed to be able to forgive
sin, He accepted worship numerous times, and He said He was the only way
to the Father. Only Jesus claimed equality with a sole, supreme deity. According to E.O. James, an authority on comparative religions, nowhere else had it ever been claimed that a
historical founder of any religion was the one and only supreme deity. Only
Jesus spoke on his own unquestioned authority. Zoroaster and Muhammad acted as
spokesmen for God, while Socrates and Buddha urged every man to consult his own
conscience.”Edwin M. Yamauchi, Professor Emeritus of history, Miami University. http://www.irr.org/yamauchi.html
“Indeed, it’s shocking to me how much of Jesus’ life can be established, including his
radical personal claims, his crucifixion, his burial in a tomb, the discovery
of his empty tomb, his post-mortem appearances, and his disciples’ coming to
believe suddenly and sincerely that God had raised him from the dead. We
therefore have quite solid reasons for believing in Christ on the basis of the
historical facts preserved about him in the gospels.”
Dr.William Lane Craig. http://www.reasonablefaith.org/
Conclusion – Jesus’ claim to be God is supported
in many ways. He gave us the ultimate proof by rising from the dead
as He predicted. Therefore Jesus is God who came in the flesh.
I thought Jesus was the Son of God He is the Son of God; He shares the nature of God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is what is called the Trinity. One God as the Bible clearly tells
us but in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A very simple but limited analogy that seems to help people understand the Trinity is H2O. It can be water, ice, or steam - but
the nature of all three is H2O. It is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but the nature of all three is
God. The Trinity is hard to fully comprehend, but it’s not contradictory since it
does not state there are three Gods and one God at the same time.
How could Jesus be God and Man The Bible tells us Jesus was a man and God
incarnate; Deity willingly clothed with humanity. When reading through the
Bible it is important to consider who is speaking and who the audience is. For
example many people who do not believe in the Bible, claim that Jesus said, “God
forgives” and think it applies to everyone. But in context, this is spoken only in reference to those who have placed their faith in Jesus. So it is obvious how important context is.
Therefore when you ask a question about Jesus a similar situation arises. The question needs to be asked in two ways.Was the Father greater than Jesus? As God no, as man yes. Did Jesus know the day and hour of His return? As God yes, as man no. Did Jesus get hungry? As God
no, as man yes. Did Jesus get tired? As God no, as man yes. Did Jesus die? As
God no, as man yes. Next, Dr. William Lane Craig uses an analogy that utilizes
the movie Avatar, to explain the two natures of Jesus:
Back on page 13 and 14 were listed a number of contradictory beliefs for Jesus
identity. Now we will look at who Jesus Himself claimed to be in the Bible:
1. Jesus Claimed to be God
In the Old Testament God calls Himself “I
Am” in Exodus 3:14. In the NT Jesus uses
the same name in John 8:58-59; the Jews realized what He was saying and picked
up rocks to stone Him because they knew He was
claiming to be God.
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Say this to the
people of Israel”, “I AM has sent me to you.” Exodus
3:14.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I Am,” so they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and
went out of the temple. John 8:58-59
2. Jesus Claimed to be the Object of Prayer
Jesus claimed to be the mediator between God and man, thus He was claiming to be God.
How would you respond if I asked you to pray in my name?
“Whatever
you ask in my name, this I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13
3. Jesus Claimed to Forgive Sins
We can all forgive someone for sinning against us personally. But of the numerous
times Jesus forgave sins, He had just met the people so they had not sinned
against Him personally. He was forgiving their sins against God, something only
God can do.
“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?” Mark 2:5-7
4. Jesus Claimed to be Worthy of Honor Due God
The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor
the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father who sent him. John
5: 22-23
5. Jesus Claimed to be the Messiah – God in the OT
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ).
When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to
you am he.” John 4:25-26
Caiaphas asks Jesus, “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.”
Mark 14:61-62
6. Jesus Claimed to be Equal in Authority with God
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matt. 24:35
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
7. Jesus Claimed to be Yahweh (LORD)
In the Old Testament, God is referred to in many ways. In the New Testament, the same
attributes are applied to Jesus and suggest He is God in the flesh.
Old Testament Name New Testament
Psalm 23:1 Shepherd Heb. 13:20
Isa.44:4 First & Last Rev. 1:17
Isa.40:28 Creator Col. 1:16-17
Isa.62:5 Bridegroom Mt. 25:1
Ps.27:1 Light Jn. 8:12
Isa. 43:11 Savior Jn. 4:42
Isa. 42:8 God’s Glory Jn. 17:5
1 Sam. 2:6 Giver of Life Jn. 5:21
Deut. 32:4 Rock 1 Cor. 10:4
Joel 3:12 Judge 2 Cor. 5:10
Revelation
tells us it is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:17-18 are Jesus’
words claiming to be the First and Last, an Old Testament title in Isaiah 44:6 reserved
for God. He also says “I was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore,” which
only fits Jesus.
When
I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me,
saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and I have
the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev. 1:17-18
8. Jesus Accepted Worship on Nine Occasions
Mother of James and John - Matt. 20:20, Possessed man - Mark 5:6, A blind man - Matt.
28:17, Doubting Thomas - Jn. 20:28, The women at the tomb - Matt. 28:9, A
Canaanite woman - Matt. 15:25, His disciples - Matt. 14:33, A healed leper - Matt.
8:2, A rich young ruler - Matt. 9:18.
Jesus was also a Rabbi and the first duty of a Rabbi is to point out blasphemy. Yet
Jesus never rebuked anyone who worshiped Him and even commended Thomas in John
20:29. In contrast, the apostle John tried to worship an angel in Revelation
22:9 and was rebuked. Jesus, on the other hand, accepts worship reserved for
God alone. He was more than an angel.
9. Jesus Claimed to be One with God the Father
Despite the claims of many popular books today, it is clear the Jewish witnesses had no
trouble figuring out Jesus was claiming to be God. They did not believe He was
God, so in the end they crucified Him for blasphemy (claiming to be God, using
God’s name in vain). They would have been right if He was not in fact God.
“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus
answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of
them are you going to stone me?” 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
10. Why Does Jesus Call Himself the Son of Man?
In the first verse below, Daniel 7:13, “Son of Man” is the God figure in the Old
Testament. In John 8:28 Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, which He does 82
times in the (ESV) version the New Testament.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient
of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and
a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his
dominion is an ever-lasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Dan. 7:13-14
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know
that I am he, and that I do nothing on
my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.” John 8:28
No matter who you or anyone else in popular culture think Jesus is, based on the
evidence it’s ludicrous to say that Jesus never claimed to be God.
Ten Points, Source: Bible, format adapted from Dr. Frank
Turek’s video series. I Do Not Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist.
“Additionally there is an enormous difference between who Jesus claimed to be when compared
to other leaders of different beliefs. Jesus claimed to be able to forgive
sin, He accepted worship numerous times, and He said He was the only way
to the Father. Only Jesus claimed equality with a sole, supreme deity. According to E.O. James, an authority on comparative religions, nowhere else had it ever been claimed that a
historical founder of any religion was the one and only supreme deity. Only
Jesus spoke on his own unquestioned authority. Zoroaster and Muhammad acted as
spokesmen for God, while Socrates and Buddha urged every man to consult his own
conscience.”Edwin M. Yamauchi, Professor Emeritus of history, Miami University. http://www.irr.org/yamauchi.html
“Indeed, it’s shocking to me how much of Jesus’ life can be established, including his
radical personal claims, his crucifixion, his burial in a tomb, the discovery
of his empty tomb, his post-mortem appearances, and his disciples’ coming to
believe suddenly and sincerely that God had raised him from the dead. We
therefore have quite solid reasons for believing in Christ on the basis of the
historical facts preserved about him in the gospels.”
Dr.William Lane Craig. http://www.reasonablefaith.org/
Conclusion – Jesus’ claim to be God is supported
in many ways. He gave us the ultimate proof by rising from the dead
as He predicted. Therefore Jesus is God who came in the flesh.
I thought Jesus was the Son of God He is the Son of God; He shares the nature of God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is what is called the Trinity. One God as the Bible clearly tells
us but in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A very simple but limited analogy that seems to help people understand the Trinity is H2O. It can be water, ice, or steam - but
the nature of all three is H2O. It is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but the nature of all three is
God. The Trinity is hard to fully comprehend, but it’s not contradictory since it
does not state there are three Gods and one God at the same time.
How could Jesus be God and Man The Bible tells us Jesus was a man and God
incarnate; Deity willingly clothed with humanity. When reading through the
Bible it is important to consider who is speaking and who the audience is. For
example many people who do not believe in the Bible, claim that Jesus said, “God
forgives” and think it applies to everyone. But in context, this is spoken only in reference to those who have placed their faith in Jesus. So it is obvious how important context is.
Therefore when you ask a question about Jesus a similar situation arises. The question needs to be asked in two ways.Was the Father greater than Jesus? As God no, as man yes. Did Jesus know the day and hour of His return? As God yes, as man no. Did Jesus get hungry? As God
no, as man yes. Did Jesus get tired? As God no, as man yes. Did Jesus die? As
God no, as man yes. Next, Dr. William Lane Craig uses an analogy that utilizes
the movie Avatar, to explain the two natures of Jesus:
“I explained the doctrine of Christ's being one person who has two natures and used the movie Avatar to illustrate the doctrine ("Avatar" is another word for incarnation.) The movie tells the story of Jake Sully, a disabled marine who becomes an avatar among a race of extra-terrestrials called the Na'vi. He becomes physically incarnated among them as one of them. At the same time he doesn't cease to be human. So Jake has both a human nature and a Na'vi nature. In the movie these two natures have strikingly different powers. If you were to ask, "Can Jake Sully run?" The answer would have to be, "Yes and no: yes, in his Na'vi nature but no, in his human nature." “I told the audience that if you can make sense of Avatar, you can make sense of Christ's incarnation. For in a similar way, Christ has both a divine nature and a human nature. These natures have different powers. In his human nature Christ experienced all the limitations intrinsic to human nature. But in his divine nature he had supernatural powers. Just as Jake Sully in his Na'vi nature became the Savior of the Na'vi people, so Christ in his human nature becomes the Savior of mankind.” William Lane Craig, Christian Philosopher and Theologian debate with Yusuf Ismail. www.reasonablefaith.org
Many people want to claim that Jesus was just a man or a good teacher but C.S Lewis rightly stated that for any peson to make the extraordinary claims that Jesus made does not leave the title of simply a good teachers or a good man. Jesus claimed to be God and if this is untrue Lewis said he was either a liar or a lunatic. If it is true he said then the only thing left to call Him is Lord.
Read the entire easy to read 132 page book free online at www.god-evidence-truth.com. Download it and send it to friends and family for Christmas. Get print copies for under a buck and hand them out. Gravity - True For You But Not For Me
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