Who is Jesus?
It’s a question people have been asking for over two thousand years. Some see Jesus as little more than a myth. Some see Jesus as a great teacher. Others see him as a moral example, a prophet, or a figure from history whose influence shaped the world. As a Christian church, we believe there is more to his story than just this.
Let’s start with Jesus the myth.
The Bible, though it is by far the most extensive account, is far from the only account of the life of Jesus. There are a number of texts dating back to the period in and around the time of Jesus, that describe an itinerant preacher from Galilee, named Jesus. The most well-known of these writings include works by Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, and Tacitus, a Roman historian.
Taken together, these sources provide strong historical evidence that Jesus was a real person, an itinerant preacher from Galilee, who lived in the first century.
So, was Jesus a great moral teacher?
Probably the best way to examine that would be to look at his teachings.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.”
This is how Jesus opens what is presented as his first recorded sermon in the New Testament — the Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus emphasizes humility, mercy, justice, and love. He lifts up peacemaking and compassion as central values. On their own, these ideas may not seem revolutionary, but he continues:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.
Jesus clearly rejects the notion of vengeance. In fact, he introduces a concept that today is so ingrained that we often don’t realize its source. “Go the extra mile”. Again he continues.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.
Even today, this is a radical concept, one practiced far too little, even by Christians.
So yes, these and other teachings of Jesus contain many great moral truths. Does that mean he was a great moral teacher … Or maybe something more?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
This is how Jesus described himself in John 3:16, one of the most famous passages in the whole of the New Testament. In this passage, Jesus clearly and specifically identifies himself as the Son of God. It’s an audacious claim.
C.S. Lewis is probably best known, outside Christian circles for novels such as the Chronicles of Narnia. He was also a prolific Christian writer. In his book, Mere Christianity, he wrote this:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.
That is the one thing we must not say. 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 the 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 patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Read his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and read his other teachings and ask yourself, is this the ranting of a madman. We believe the obvious answer is no. We also do not believe that the example of his life or fundamental truths within his teachings are consistent with a con-man.
So, What do we Believe?
We believe that Jesus was, and is, the Son of the Living God.
We believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended to heaven,
and he is seated at the right hand of the Father.
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
