Chapter 1: My Story
"There is within every soul a thirst for happiness and meaning." - Thomas Aquinas
Three basic questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?
Christianity is not a religion. Religion is humans trying to work their way to God through good works. Christianity is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ.
If I were to remain intellectually honest, I had to admit that the Old and New Testament documents were some of the most reliable writings in all of antiquity. It is rock-solid truth.
Chapter 2: What Makes Jesus So Different?
Why don't the names of Buddha, Muhammad, or Confucius offend people the way the name of Jesus does? I think the reason is that these other religious leaders didn't claim to be God. That is the big difference between Jesus and the others. He was presenting himself as the only avenue to salvation and the only source of forgiveness of sins - things they knew that only God could claim.
*"The name Jesus is derived from the Greek form of the name Jeshua or Joshua, meaning "Jehovah-Savior" or "the Lord saves." The title Christ is derived from the Greek word for Messiah (or the Hebrew Mashiach, see Daniel 9.26) and means "anointed on."
The New Testament clearly presents Christ as God:
"while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed" (Titus 2.13)
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Jn 1.1)
"to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." (Rom 9.5)
"But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom." (Heb 1.8)
"The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes." (Jn 5.20-21)
After Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, Simon Peter confessed, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16.16). Jesus responded to Peter's confession, not by correcting the man's conclusion, but by acknowledging its validity and source: "You are blessed, Simon and of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being" (Mt 16.17)
Martha, a close friend of Jesus, said to him, "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God" (Jn 11.27)
Nathanael, who didn't believe anything good could come out of Nazareth. He admitted to Jesus, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God - the King of Israel!" (Jn 1.49)
The first Christian martyr, Stephen, was being stoned, he cried out and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7.59)
- Self-existent (Jn 1.2; 8.58; 17.5, 24)
- Omnipresent (Mt 18.20; 28.20)
- Omniscient (Mt 17.22-27; Jn 4.16-18; 6.64)
- Omnipotent (Mt 8.26-27; Lk 4.38-41; 7.14-15; 8.24-25; Rev 1.8)
- Possessing eternal life (1Jn 5.11-12, 20)
- Received worship as God (Mt 14.33; 28.0)
- Claimed to be worthy of worship as God (Jn 5.23; Heb 1.6; Rev 5.8-14)
- Jesus appears to Thomas (Jn 20.25-29)
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