Chapter 1 "What makes Jesus so different?"

  Josh begins by asking the question, "Who, in your opinion, is Jesus Christ?" I would think that if you were to ask several people, you would get several different answers. The answer Josh got from the group he had asked was a group answer, "He was a great religious leader." But we can see in Scripture that He is much more than that.
   Since the days Jesus lived on earth until today His name causes controversy. The question is why are so many people bothered by hearing His name? Other religious leaders' names don't cause such dissension. But in many places you're not allowed to mention the name Jesus; especially in prayer! You can talk about God or even pray to Him, but not in Jesus' name!
   Again, Who is Jesus, really? Peter called Him"...the Christ, the son of the living God."(Matt.16:16) Jesus didn't correct him, but accepted what he said as truth and even said that God had told him so. But many "scholars" say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Are they right?
   Josh wrote, "It didn't take long for the people who knew Jesus to realize that He was making astounding claims about Himself. It became clear that His own claims were identifying Him as more than just a prophet or teacher. He was obviously making claims to Deity." Jesus also claimed to be the only way to God, the only way of salvation, and the only One Who can forgive sin. The Jewish leaders criticized Jesus when He told a man his sins were forgiven. They said that only God could forgive sins. Jesus essentially demonstrated that they were right and healed the man which He indicated only God could do!
   For many groups and individuals Jesus is too narrow minded. They are willing to say that all are going to heaven by different ways, and can't accept what Jesus said. I believe this is one reason the name of Jesus causes such conflict. Really, it doesn't matter what any human thinks, but what does the Bible say?
   A simple definition of God is satisfactory for most people, but when you add that He became flesh and dwelt among us, that's when the controversy begins. "Jesus" means "the Lord saves" and "Christ" simply means "Anointed One" and is a title not a name. It is actually "Jesus, the Christ".
   Josh wrote, "The New Testament clearly presents Christ as God. The names applied to Christ in the New Testament are such that they could properly be applied only to One Who was God." He gave some examples: Titus 2:13-"...glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." St. John 1:1-5, 9-14 - tells us that Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning with God and was God and the other verses reveal that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us as the Son of God. In Hebrews 1:8 - thle writer compares Jesus to angels, but to Jesus, the Son He (God) says, "Your throne O God is forever and ever." Rom 9:5 - "...Christ came, Who is over all, the eternally blessed God. amen." I John 5:20 - Read this verse carefully and note all grammatical construction. I quote in part - "...that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." Remember that Jesus called Himself "...the Way, the Truth, and the Life...."
   We will stop there for now and continue with chapter 1 and "What makes Jesus so different?"
   Until then trust in Christ Jesus. He is Who He says He is!

Sincerely,
Rick

A new book study

   The next book we will study is "More Than A Carpenter" by Josh Mc Dowell. The cover of my copy says, "OVER 1,000,000 IN PRINT" and is printed by "Living Books", Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
   In his introduction, Josh mentioned that Jesus was born into an insignificant family in a very small nation. "Yet people almost everywhere still remember Him." He, also, mentioned that our dating system is based on His birth, before Christ and after Christ (BC & AD)
   He wrote that "H. G. Wells, the noted historian was asked which person had left the most permanent impression on history. He replied that if one judged a person's greatness by historical standards, "By this test Jesus stands first."
   He mentioned that historian Kenneth Scott Latourette said, in essence, that by the accumulated evidence of His effect on history, Jesus's life is the most influential life ever lived on earth.
   Ernest Renan said, "Jesus was the greatest religious genius that ever lived....Jesus is in every respect unique, and nothing can be compared with Him. All history is incomprehensible without Christ."
   In the first chapter of the book we will look at "What makes Jesus so different?" And we will find that there are many things that make Jesus greater than any man who ever lived!

Sincerely,
Rick

The Step of Faith

   After the last chapter, Morgan closes the book with an invitation to act on the information given in his book. I will quote it in full.
   'Christian evidences (including those discussed in this book) demonstrate Christianity true beyond reasonable doubt. Yet there still remains a step of faith. We conclude our studies with three observations about the nature of this faith.
   First, the step of faith is a reasonable one. Blaise Pascal, a brilliant French mathematician and physicist, was one of the finest apologists to articulate the reasonableness of Christianity. Pascal became a Christian and set to work on a book on apologetics. He died at age 39 before writing the volume, but his notes were published under the title "Pensees".
   In the "Pensees", Pascal formulated his "wager". He said that even if the probability of God's existence was no more than fifty-fifty, a logical person will "bet" in favor of God. For if he is wrong, he has lost nothing. He has, in fact, gained peace at least in this life. But if he is right, he has gained eternal peace and everlasting life. On the other hand, the man who "bets" against God runs the risk of despair in both this life and the life to come. Considering that the evidence for God's existence is far greater than "fifty-fifty", faith in Christ is both reasonable and logical.
   Second, faith in Christ involves personal commitment to Him. I have had the joy of leading many people to a saving knowledge of Christ. In almost every case, the seeker expressed his decision in prayer, praying something like this: ""Dear God, I know I'm a sinner. I believe that you loved me enough to send Jesus Christ to die for my sin. I ask him to become my Savior and Lord. Come into my life and help me to live as you want me to." It was not just intellectual assent, but life commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Master.
   Third, when a person takes such a step of faith, trusting Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into his or her heart, giving full assurance. The new Christian then knows that Christianity is true, not just because of a 99%-degree of probability, but because of 100%-degree of inner assurance. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." John wrote, "This is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us" (1 John 3:24).
   Christian evidences can never "argue" anyone into the Kingdom.. It can answer questions and reinforce faith. But the decision to follow Christ is personal, spiritual, and a matter of both mind and heart.
   If you have not trusted Christ as Savior, why not today?
   If you have, why not pass it on?'

   All of the above is quoted from Morgan's book on page 93.

sincerely,
Rick