The greatest personality in human history who has affected the lives of millions
of people, was born in the humble environment of the manger in a barn in
Bethlehem of Judea two thousand years ago. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son
of God. He is the only begotten Son of the living God.
The explosion of Christianity into history, and the tremendous growth of the
church of Jesus’ disciples could never have been the invention of just men. The
only answer for the phenomenal growth of Christianity in the first century in only
a few years is that it had a Supernatural beginning. As a historical character,
Jesus is who He said He was, the Son of God. Nothing else answers the questions
as to why Christianity has grown to the point of captivating the hearts of
millions of people for over two thousand years.
Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies. He proved the divine origin of His
teachings by the evidence of His miracles. He taught a way of life that has been
unmatched by any man-made religion. And finally, He was proved to be the only
Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.
The existence, work and character of Jesus Christ could not have been dreamed
up by over zealous disciples. He was God revealed in the flesh, and thus demands
and deserves our greatest sacrifices. Understanding that Jesus is not an
invented historical character by a group of men, but the actual Son of God, should
move all of us to obey His will.
A. The person of Jesus:
Our attraction to Jesus is because of who He is. If He were not truly the Son
of God and all that the Bible says He claimed to be, then He could never be the
foundation of faith for the millions of people who have believed on Him.
1. Jesus was indwelt on earth by the fullness of God (Cl 1:19; 2:9).
2. Jesus is the incarnate Word of God (Jn 1:1,14; 1 Jn 1:1,2; 2 Jn 7).
3. Jesus is the only Son of God (Jn 1:14,18; 3:16,18).
4. Jesus is one with God (Is 9:6; Jn 1:1,2; 10:30; Ti 2:13; 1 Jn 5:20).
5. Jesus is eternal in existence (Rm 9:5; Hb 7:3; Rv 1:8).
6. Jesus is all-knowing (Mt 9:4; Lk 5:22; Jn 2:25).
B. The proof of Jesus:
Both the Bible and history are evidence that Jesus is who He said He was. If
one believes in the Bible, he must believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of
God (Jn 20:30,31). History gives convincing evidence that Jesus was a historical
personality. He was not a mythical figure of some religious people who needed a
religious leader to be the foundation of their faith. Jesus was real. He was the
real incarnation of God on earth.
1. The proof of prophecy:
We know that the Old Testament books were
written before Jesus lived on earth. In the Old Testament books there are over
300 prophecies concerning Jesus and His work. Since some of these prophecies
were recorded as long as 1,400 years before Jesus lived, the evidence of
prophecy to the divine existence and coming of Jesus is overwhelming. Every
prophecy of the Old Testament concerning Jesus was fulfilled by Him. The chance
of one man fulfilling all these prophecies is too improbable. The fact that Jesus
fulfilled them all down to the last detail proves beyond doubt that He was sent
from God.
2. The proof of historical existence:
Many ancient documents mention the
existence of Jesus. The mention of Jesus and Christianity in these uninspired
historical documents proves beyond doubt that Jesus was a historical figure.
a. Julius Africanus quoted Thallus, who lived in Rome around A.D. 52. Thallus was familiar
with the darkness that came over the earth at the time Jesus was crucified (Mt 27:45).
b. Mara Bar-Serapion in a letter to his son referred to the Jews’ execution of “their king”, a
reference to Jesus.
c. Tacitus, who was born around A.D. 52-54, referred to “Christus” (Christ) who suffered
the penalty of death during the reign of Tiberius.
d. C. Plinius Secundus (Pliny, the younger), governor of Bithynia around A.D. 112, wrote
to Caesar Trajan concerning the problem of “Christians” in his province.
e. The Jewish Talmud (Jewish teachings that were compiled from A.D. 70 - 200) makes
many references to “Yeshu’a of Nazareth”, (Jesus, of Nazareth) though the references
are made in a negative context.
f. Josephus, a Jewish historian of the middle and end of the first century refers to “Jesus,
a wise man, ... a doer of marvelous deeds.”
3. The proof of miracles and resurrection:
If Jesus was who He said He
was, then certainly we would expect Him to have control over the supernatural
environment from which He came. We would also expect Him to have control over
the world of natural laws into which He came. He would thus not be subject to a
physical death without a resurrection. While religions of men focus on the tombs of
their founders, Christians focus on the reign of a resurrected Savior. The rapid
growth of the church in the first century in just a few years after its establishment
can only be answered by the fact that Jesus was actually raised from the dead.
a. Jesus worked many confirming miracles (Mt 4:23; Jn 3:2; 20:30,31; At 2:22).
b. Jesus had power to raise Himself (Jn 10:17,18; see At 2:24-36; Ep 1:20).
c. Jesus now reigns in heaven (Rm 5:17; 1 Co 15:20-28; Hb 8:1).
4. The proof of persecuted disciples:
The suffering and death of the early
Christians can be attributed to the fact that they believed Jesus to be the resurrected
Son of God. In all the suffering and death of the disciples, there were no
denials of their faith. Because of what they believed, they were willing to pay the
ultimate price for their faith.
a. The disciples willingly suffered for Jesus (At 4:18,19; 14:22; 2 Tm 3:12).
b. The disciples willingly died for Jesus (At 8:1-3; 12:1ff; Rv 2:10).
5. The proof of the New Testament documents:
The existence of the ancient
New Testament documents proves that Christianity was a powerful movement
in the first century. Because they were written without contradiction by
several men over a period of several years proves that neither Jesus nor the
church were the invention of men.
C. The power of Jesus:
No man on earth has ever claimed to be who Jesus claimed to be. He was
thus either the greatest liar and deceiver who ever lived, or truly the One He
claimed to be with the authority and power He now has over all things.
1. Jesus was the creator of all things (Cl 1:16; Hb 1:2).
2. Jesus is now head of all things (Mt 28:18; Jn 13:3; Ep 1:22).
3. Jesus now reigns over all things (Rm 5:17; Ph 2:9-11; 1 Pt 3:22).
4. Jesus is now far above all powers (Ep 1:20,21).
5. Jesus will be the final judge of all (Jn 12:48; 2 Co 5:10).
6. Jesus is King of kings (1 Tm 6:15; Rv 19:16).
7. Jesus is our only Savior (Jn 14:6; At 4:12).
8. Jesus is our High Priest (Hb 3:1; 4:14; 7:26).
9. Jesus is the Prophet (Lk 13:33; Jn 1:21; At 3:22-26).
10. Jesus is our Redeemer (Ep 1:7; Ti 2:14).
11. Jesus is our Mediator (1 Tm 2:5; Hb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
D. The plea of Jesus:
Because Jesus has universal authority, He is the only one who has a right to
make a universal plea to all men to come to Him for eternal life in the presence of
God. No prophet of God made a universal call as Jesus did that all men come to
Him as the Savior of the world. Abraham called people to faith and God. Moses
called Israel to faith and God. But Jesus calls people to Himself for salvation.
Jesus, therefore, is more than a prophet. He is the Son of God who calls the
world to Himself as the only way, truth and life.
1. Jesus says He is the only way, truth and life (Jn 14:6; see Hb 4:12).
2. Jesus pleads that all come to Him (Mt 11:28,29).
3. Jesus says we must believe in Him (Jn 8:24).
4. Jesus says that everyone must believe and be baptized in order to be saved (Mk 16:15,16).
Religions that are invented by man are humanistic in that they focus on the
emotional or spiritual power of man. Sometimes they even focus on the physical
power of man to conquer. There is a difference between being religious and being
Christian. All Christians are religious, but not all religious people are Christian.
One is a Christian because of his identity that is found in the New Testament. If one
does not identify himself as a Christian by the word of God, then he is simply a
religious person who is trusting in his own feelings, religious heritage or traditions.
True Christianity focuses on the power of love (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 5:1-3). Jesus
has conquered the world through love. Any religion that claims to be from God,
but does not seek to influence people through the love of God, is not from God.
Christianity is founded on the love of God and our love for one another (Jn
13:34,35). The evidence that true Christianity is from God is in the fact that the
response of our faith is based on the drawing power of love. Because Christians
love God, they love people, and thus Christians are identified by the love of God
that is manifested through their love of others.