Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it is lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day. – Josephus Flavius (a famous Historian), Antiquities of Jews Book 20, Chapter 3:3
Most part of the world agrees Jesus lived and died during the 1st Century AD. Historians like Josephus and Tacitus vouch for it. Tacitus, a Roman senator though hated Christianity confirms the life of Jesus on earth. But still, many questions exist today on the deity (Godliness) of Jesus Christ. Is it possible for Christianity to prove that Jesus is really God? According to the Theistic principle, God is supposed to be a Creator and a sustainer.
Is Jesus a Creator and a Sustainer?
Christianity being theistic religion, if Jesus is God then he is supposed to be a creator and sustainer of the world. Here is the first question then. Did Jesus create the world? According to the Bible in John 1:3, Through Him (Jesus) all things were made; without Him, nothing has been made. All things including the universe were made through Him. Hence Jesus was the creator of this universe.
The second question is, if Jesus is God then he should be the sustainer of this world. As per the worldly norm Jesus was born around BC 4. But Bible says that’s the date he became man and entered the part of the world which has time, matter and space. Before that, he was beyond the universe, which does not have time, matter and space. In other words, Jesus was there even before the world was formed. He loved the world. He came to earth to prove his love not to conquer the nations by power and blood. The reason Jesus became man was to cleanse the worst decrease in this world i.e. sin. He became man and crucified on the cross so that our soul will have the opportunity to get eternal life. If there is no eternal life then there is no meaning for life, since there is no need for ethical laws. Without ethical laws and clean consciousness the world would have become a most dangerous place to live. Without Jesus the would would have self destruct by itself.
Jesus forgave the sins of the people
Jesus forgave the sins of the people while he was on earth and still does. This is a unique ability of God. How can a man forgive the sins which are not committed against him? Only God can forgive the sin of man, which was committed against another man. Jesus hated the sins but loved the sinners. Even while he was dying on the cross Jesus never stopped forgiving people. Out of the severe pain and agony, Jesus gave a promise to the thief that he would meet him in paradise on that very day. Who can give that kind of promise? Is it possible for a man to commit a place in paradise for another man? If a normal man goes through such agony and pain in the cross, he will start showing his human nature, but not Jesus. He kept reflecting his Godly nature all through the time he hung on the cross because the Godliness is his natural character. This clearly proves that Jesus is God.
The superiority of Jesus against nature
Can a man apply his power over nature and change it?
1. Bible says Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea and the sea became calm immediately (Matthew 8:27). Who can rebuke nature as Jesus did?
2. Jesus walked on the water (John 6:18). Can any man walk on water? Some can put a transparent floating material under the water and position the camera in an angle (to hide the transparent floater) to show as if one is walking in the water. But Bible says Jesus walked on the stormy water. No transparent floating material can hold its position on a sea storm. The tricks of modern magicians will work only on calm water.
3. Jesus brought back three people from death. Is it possible for a man to resurrect a dead man? Lazarus, Daughter of Jairus and Nain widow’s son are the names of people documented in the Bible, who were resurrected from the dead by Jesus. City, where Lazarus lived, was known as Bethania during Jesus time. Right now, it is known as El-Eizariya named after Lazarus. It is around 2 miles, which is exactly the sabbath day walk from Jerusalem as mentioned in the Bible.
Jesus equated himself with God
The primary reason Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus was he kept saying that he and His Father are one (John 10:30). According to Jews, this is the greatest blasphemy (John 10:33). Considering everyone knew the parents of Jesus, his brothers and sisters, logically Jews could not accept Jesus’s statement that he and Father are one. How can a man born to an earthly parent equate himself to God? It’s impossible according to Jewish literature and the punishment for the crime of anyone calling himself as God is death.
The Jews could connect the birthplace of Jesus at Bethlehem when the wise men approached King Herod for Help. There are many prophesies in the Old Testament about the Messiah. Pharisees are very well equipped and educated to understand the most authentic 40 prophesies the old testament. But their willful unbelief and the intentional mismatch in expectation on the role of Messiah kept them away from the truth.
But at the same time, people around Jesus were amazed at how Jesus could have such a command over the laws and prophesies of old testament though he lacked formal education like apostle Paul. How can a man heal a born blind? Is it possible for a man to do it?
Conclusion
Let’s take the current modern world view about Jesus Christ. Almost all religions accept Jesus either as a wise man, holy man or great prophet. Some men in other religions consider Jesus as one of God. No wise man, prophet or holy man would equate himself to God unless he has valid reasons to do so or he/she has a selfish ambition. Only God can forgive the sins of the people. Only God can command nature and rebuke it. Only God can bring back people from death and finally only God has the right to equate himself as God. How many men will fulfill all the above category mentioned above?
