Apicontent

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Many think that Jesus Christ wants us to become religious. They think Jesus came to take all the fun out of life, and give us impossible rules to live by. They are willing to call him a great leader from the past, but say he is not relevant to their lives today.

Josh McDowell was a college student who thought Jesus was just another religious leader who set up impossible rules to live by. He thought Jesus was totally irrelevant to his life.

Then one day at a student union lunch table McDowell sat next to a vibrant young coed with a radiant smile. Intrigued, he asked her why she was so happy. Her immediate reply was, “Jesus Christ!” 

Jesus Christ? McDowell bristled, firing back:

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t give me that garbage. I’m fed up with religion; I’m fed up with the church; I’m fed up with the Bible. Don’t give me that garbage about religion.”

But the unfazed young coed calmly informed him,

“Mister, I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ.”

McDowell was stunned. He had never considered Jesus more than a religious figure, and didn’t want any part of religious hypocrisy. Yet here was this joyful Christian woman talking about Jesus as someone who had brought meaning to her life.

Christ claimed to answer all the deep questions about our existence. At one time or another, we all question what life is all about. Have you ever gazed up at the stars on a pitch-black evening and wondered who put them there? Or have you ever seen a sunset and thought about life’s biggest questions:

• “Who am I?”
• “Why am I here?”
• “Where am I going after I die?”

Although other philosophers and religious leaders have offered their answers to the meaning of life, only Jesus Christ proved his credentials by rising from the dead. Skeptics like McDowell who originally scoffed at Jesus’ resurrection (See “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?“), have discovered that there is compelling evidence that it really occurred.

Jesus offers life with real meaning. He said that life is much more than making money, having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people still try to find meaning in fame and success, even the greatest superstars.

Madonna attempted to answer the question of, “Why am I here?” by becoming a diva, confessing, “There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don’t..I still felt something was missing..I wanted to know the meaning of true and lasting happiness and how I could go about finding it.“¹

Others have given up on finding meaning. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the Seattle grunge band Nirvana, despaired of life at age 27 and committed suicide. Jazz-age cartoonist Ralph Barton also found life to be meaningless, leaving the following suicide note: “I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day.“²

Pascal, the great French philosopher believed this inner void we all experience can only be filled by God. He states, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only Jesus Christ can fill.”³ If Pascal is right, then we would expect Jesus to not only answer the question of our identity and meaning in this life, but also to give us hope for life after we die.

Can there be meaning, without God? Not according to atheist Bertrand Russell, who wrote, “Unless you assume a god, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”⁴ Russell resigned himself to ultimately “rot” in the grave. In his book, Why I am not a Christian, Russell dismissed everything Jesus said about life’s meaning, including his promise of eternal life.

But if Jesus actually defeated death as eyewitnesses claim, (See “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?“) then he alone would be able to tell us what life is all about, and answer, “Where am I going?” In order to understand how Jesus’ words, life, and death can establish our identities, give us meaning in life, and provide hope for the future, we need to understand what he said about God, about us, and about himself.

What Did Jesus Say About God?

God Is Relational

Many think of God more as a force than a person who we can know and enjoy. The God of whom Jesus spoke is not like the impersonal Force in Star Wars, whose goodness is measured in voltage. Neither is He some great unsympathetic bogeyman in the sky, delighting in making our lives miserable.

On the contrary, God is relational like us, but even more so. He thinks, He hears. He communicates in language we can understand. Jesus told us and showed us what God is like. According to Jesus, God knows each of us intimately and personally, and thinks about us continually.

God Is Loving

And Jesus told us that God is loving. Jesus demonstrated God’s love wherever he went, as he healed the sick and reached out to the hurting and poor.

God’s love is radically different from ours in that it is not based upon attraction or performance. It is totally sacrificial and unselfish. Jesus compared God’s love with the love of a perfect father. A good father wants the best for his children, sacrifices for them, and provides for them. But in their best interests, he also disciplines them.

Jesus illustrates God’s heart of love with a story about a rebellious son who rejected his father’s advice about life and what is important. Arrogant and self-willed, the son wanted to quit working and “live it up.” Rather than waiting until his father was ready to give him his inheritance, he began insisting that his father give it to him early.

In Jesus’ story, the father granted his son’s request. But things went bad for the son. After squandering his money on self-indulgence, the rebellious son had to go to work on a pig farm. Soon he was so hungry even the pig food looked good. Despondent and not sure his father would accept him back, he packed his bag and headed home.

Jesus tells us that not only did his father welcome him home, but he actually ran out to meet him. And then the father went totally radical with his love and threw a huge party celebrating his son’s return.

It is interesting that even though the father greatly loved his son, he didn’t chase after him. He let the son he loved feel pain and suffer the consequences of his rebellious choice. In a similar way, the Scriptures teach that God’s love will never compromise what is best for us. It will allow us to suffer the consequences of our own wrong choices.

Jesus also taught that God will never compromise His character. Character is who we are down deep. It is our essence from which all our thoughts and actions stem. So what is God like—down deep?

God Is Holy

Throughout the Scriptures (nearly 600 times), God is spoken of as “holy.” Holy means that God’s character is morally pure and perfect in every way. Unblemished. This means that He never entertains a thought that is impure or inconsistent with His moral excellence.

Furthermore, God’s holiness means that He cannot be in the presence of evil. Since evil is the opposite of His nature, He hates it. It’s like pollution to Him.

But if God is holy and abhors evil, why didn’t He make our character like His? Why are there child molesters, murderers, rapists, and perverts? And why do we struggle so with our own moral choices? That brings us to the next part of our quest for meaning. What did Jesus say about us?

What Did Jesus Say About Us?

Made For A Relationship With God

If you were to read through the New Testament you would discover that Jesus continually spoke of our immense value to God, telling us that God created us to be His children.

Irish U2 rock star Bono remarked in an interview, “It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people….”⁵ In other words, before the universe was created, God planned to adopt us into His family. Not only that, but He has planned an incredible inheritance that is ours for the taking. Like the father’s heart in Jesus’ story, God wants to lavish on us an inheritance of unimaginable blessing and royal privilege. In His eyes, we are special.

Freedom To Choose

In the movie, Stepford Wives, weak, lying, greedy and murderous men have engineered submissive, obedient robots to replace their liberated wives who they considered threats. Although the men supposedly love their wives, they replaced them with toys in order to force their obedience.

God could have made us like that — robotic people (iPeople) hardwired to love and obey him, programming worship into us like a screensaver. But then our compulsory love would be meaningless. God wanted us to love Him freely. In real relationships, we want someone to love us for who we are, not out of compulsion — we’d prefer a soul mate over a mail-order bride. Søren Kierkegaard summarized the dilemma in this story.

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power … and yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels … she would surely not resist—no one dared resist him. But would she love him? She would say she loved him of course, but would she truly?⁶

You see the problem. Less poetically put: How do you break up with an all-knowing boyfriend? (“It’s just not working out between us, but I guess you already knew that.”) But to make freely exchanged love possible, God created human beings with a unique capacity: free will.

Rebellion Against God’s Moral Laws

C.S. Lewis reasoned that even though we are internally programmed with a desire to know God, we rebel against it from the moment we are born.⁷ Lewis also began to examine his own motives, which led him to the discovery that he instinctively knew right from wrong.

Lewis wondered where this sense of right and wrong came from. We all experience this sense of right and wrong when we read of Hitler killing six million Jews, or a hero sacrificing his or her life for someone. We instinctively know it is wrong to lie and cheat. This recognition that we are programmed with an inner moral law led the former atheist to the conclusion there must be a moral “Lawgiver.”

Indeed, according to both Jesus and the Scriptures, God has given us a moral law to obey. And not only have we turned our backs on a relationship with Him, we also have broken these moral laws that God established. Most of us know some of The Ten Commandments:

“Don’t lie, steal, murder, commit adultery,” etc. Jesus summarized them by saying we should love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Sin, therefore, is not only the wrong that we do in breaking the law, but also our failure to do what is right.

God made the universe with laws that govern everything in it. They are inviolable and unchangeable. When Einstein derived the formula E=MC² he unlocked the mystery of nuclear energy. Put the right ingredients together under exacting conditions and enormous power is unleashed. The Scriptures tell us that God’s moral law is no less valid since it stems from His very character.

From the very first man and woman, we have disobeyed God’s laws, even though they are for our best. And we have failed to do what is right. We have inherited this condition from the first man, Adam. The Bible calls this disobedience, sin, which means “missing the mark,” like an archer missing his intended target. Thus our sins have broken God’s intended relationship with us. Using the archer’s example, we have missed the mark when it comes to the purpose we were created for.

Sin causes the severing of all relationships: the human race severed from its environment (alienation), individuals severed from themselves (guilt and shame), people severed from other people (war, murder), and people severed from God (spiritual death). Like links on a chain, once the first link between God and humanity was broken, all contingent links became uncoupled.

And we are broken. As Kayne West raps, “And I don’t think there’s nothing I can do to right my wrongs…I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid cause we ain’t spoke in so long … ” West’s lyrics speak of the separation that sin brings to our lives. And according to the Bible, this separation is more than just lyrics in a rap song. It has deadly consequences.

Our Sins Have Separated Us From God’s Love

Our rebellion (sin) has created a wall of separation between God and us (see Isaiah 59:2). In the Scriptures, “separation” means spiritual death. And spiritual death means being completely separated from the light and life of God.

“But wait a minute,” you might say. “Didn’t God know all of that before He made us?

Why didn’t He see that His plan was doomed for failure?” Of course, an all-knowing God would realize that we would rebel and sin. In fact, it is our failure that makes His plan so mind-blowing. This brings us to the reason that God came to Earth in human form. And even more incredible-—the remarkable reason for his death.

What Did Jesus Say About Himself?

God’s Perfect Solution

During his three years of public ministry, Jesus taught us how to live and performed many miracles, even raising the dead. But he stated that his primary mission was to save us from our sins.

Jesus proclaimed that he was the promised Messiah who would take our iniquity upon himself. The prophet Isaiah had written about the Messiah 700 years earlier, giving us several clues regarding his identity. But the clue most difficult to grasp is that the Messiah would be both man and God!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And his name shall be called…Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6)

Author Ray Stedman writes of God’s promised Messiah: “From the very beginning of the Old Testament, there is a sense of hope and expectation, like the sound of approaching footsteps: Someone is coming! … That hope increases throughout the prophetic record as prophet after prophet declares yet another tantalizing hint: Someone is coming!”⁸

The ancient prophets had foretold that the Messiah would become God’s perfect sin offering, satisfying his justice. This perfect man would qualify to die for us. (Is. 53:6)

According to the New Testament authors, the only reason Jesus was qualified to die for the rest of us is because, as God, he lived a morally perfect life and wasn’t subject to sin’s judgment.

It’s difficult to understand how Jesus’ death paid for our sins. Perhaps a judicial analogy might clarify how Jesus solves the dilemma of God’s perfect love and justice.

Imagine entering a courtroom, guilty of murder (you have some serious issues). As you approach the bench, you realize that the judge is your father. Knowing that he loves you, you immediately begin to plead, “Dad, just let me go!”

To which he responds, “I love you, son, but I’m a judge. I can’t simply let you go.”

He is torn. Eventually he bangs the gavel down and declares you guilty. Justice cannot be compromised, at least not by a judge. But because he loves you, he steps down from the bench, takes off the robe, and offers to pay the penalty for you. And in fact, he takes your place in the electric chair.

This is the picture painted by the New Testament. God stepped down into human history, in the person of Jesus Christ, and went to the electric chair (read: cross) instead of us, for us. Jesus is not a third-party whipping boy, taking our sins, but rather he is God himself. Put more bluntly, God had two choices: to judge sin in us or to assume the punishment himself. In Christ, He chose the latter.

Although U2?s Bono doesn’t pretend to be a theologian, he accurately states the reason for Jesus’ death:

“The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled. It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.”⁹

And Jesus made it clear that he is the only one who can bring us to God, stating, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)

But many argue that Jesus’ claim that he is the only way to God is too narrow, saying that there are many ways to God. Those who believe all religions are the same deny we have a sin problem. They refuse to take Christ’s words seriously. They say God’s love will accept all of us, regardless of what we have done.

Perhaps Hitler is deserving of judgment, they reason, but not them or others who live “decent lives”. It’s like saying that God grades on the curve, and everybody who gets a D- or better will get in. But this presents a dilemma.

As we have seen, sin is the absolute opposite of God’s holy character. Thus we have offended the one who created us, and loved us enough to sacrifice His very Son for us. In a sense our rebellion is like spitting in His face. Neither good deeds, religion, meditation, or Karma can pay the debt our sins have incurred.

So, why is Jesus alone able to save us from our sins? Aren’t there others qualified to save us? Although there have been many people and prophets who have lived good lives, the New Testament eyewitnesses of Jesus tell us that he was morally righteous in every way. Theologian R. C. Sproul tells us that since Christ lived a sinless life, he alone qualified to be our savior.¹⁰

A Gift Undeserved

The biblical term to describe God’s free forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death is grace. Whereas mercy saves us from what we deserve, the grace of God gives us what we don’t deserve. Let’s review for a minute how Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves:

• God loves us and created us for a relationship with Himself¹¹
• We have been given the freedom to accept or reject that relationship¹²
• Our sin and rebellion against God and His laws have created a wall of separation between us and Him¹³
• Though we are deserving of eternal judgment, God has paid our debt in full by Jesus’ death in our place, making eternal life with Him possible.¹⁴

Bono gives us his perspective on grace.

“Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff..I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge..It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.“¹⁵

We now have the picture of God’s plan of the ages coming together. But there still is one missing ingredient. According to Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, each of us individually must respond to the free gift Jesus offers us. He won’t force us to take it.

You Choose The Ending

We continually make choices—what to wear, what to eat, our career, marriage partner, etc. It is the same when it comes to a relationship with God. Author Ravi Zacharias writes:

“Jesus’ message reveals that every individual…comes to know God not by virtue of birth, but by a conscious choice to let Him have His rule in his or her individual life.”¹⁶

Our choices are often influenced by others. But in some instances we are given the wrong advice. On September 11, 2001, 600 innocent people put their trust in the wrong advice, and innocently suffered the consequences.The true story goes like this:

One man who was on the 92nd floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center had just heard a jet crashing into the north tower. Stunned by the explosion, he called the police for instructions on what to do. “We need to know if we need to get out of here, because we know there’s an explosion,” he said urgently on the phone.

The voice on the other end advised him not to evacuate. “I would wait ’til further notice.”

“All right,” the caller said. “Don’t evacuate.” He then hung up.

Shortly after 9:00 A.M., another jet crashed into the 80th floor of the south tower. Nearly all 600 people in the top floors of the south tower perished. The failure to evacuate the building was one of the day’s great tragedies.¹⁷

Those 600 people perished because they relied on the wrong information, even though it was given by a person who was trying to help. The tragedy would not have occurred had the 600 victims been given the right information.

Our conscious choice about Jesus is infinitely more important than the one facing the ill-informed 9/11 victims. Eternity is at stake. We can choose one of three different responses. We can ignore him. We can reject him. Or, we can accept him.

The reason many people go through life ignoring God is that they are too busy pushing their own agenda. Chuck Colson was like that. At age 39, Colson occupied the office next to the president of the United States. He was the “tough guy” of the Nixon White House, the “hatchet man” who could make the hard decisions. Yet, in 1972, the Watergate scandal ruined his reputation and his world became unglued. Later he writes:

“I had been concerned with myself. I had done this and that, I had achieved, I had succeeded and I had given God none of the credit, never once thanking Him for any of His gifts to me. I had never thought of anything being ‘immeasurably superior’ to myself, or if I had in fleeting moments thought about the infinite power of God, I had not related Him to my life.”¹⁸

Many can identify with Colson. It’s easy to get caught in the fast pace of life and have little or no time for God. Yet ignoring God’s gracious offer of forgiveness has the same dire consequences as outright rejection. Our sin debt would still remain unpaid.

In criminal cases, few ever turn down a full pardon. In 1915, George Burdick, city editor for the New York Tribune, had refused to reveal sources and broken the law. President Woodrow Wilson declared a full pardon to Burdick for all offenses he had “committed or may have committed.” What made Burdick’s case historic is that he refused the pardon. That brought the case to the Supreme Court, which sided with Burdick, stating that a presidential pardon could not be forced on anyone.

When it comes to rejecting Christ’s full pardon, people give a variety of reasons. Many say there isn’t sufficient evidence, but, like Bertrand Russell and a host of other skeptics, they aren’t interested enough to really investigate. Others refuse to look beyond some hypocritical Christians they know, pointing to unloving or inconsistent behavior as an excuse. And still others reject Christ because they blame God for some sad or tragic experience they have suffered.

However, Zacharias, who has debated with intellectuals on hundreds of college campuses believes that the real reason most people reject God is moral. He writes:

” A man rejects God neither because of intellectual demands nor because of the scarcity of evidence. A man rejects God because of moral resistance that refuses to admit his need for God.”¹⁹

The desire for moral freedom kept C. S. Lewis from God for most of his college years. After his quest for truth led him to God, Lewis explains how acceptance of Christ involves more than just intellectual agreement with the facts. He writes:

“Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again..is what Christians call repentance.”²⁰

Repentance is a word that means a dramatic turn-around in thinking. That’s what happened to Nixon’s former “hatchet man”. After Watergate was exposed, Colson began thinking about life differently. Sensing his own lack of purpose, he began reading Lewis’s Mere Christianity, given to him by a friend. Trained as a lawyer, Colson took out a yellow legal pad and began writing down Lewis’s arguments. Colson recalled:

‘I knew the time had come for me. . Was I to accept without reservations Jesus Christ as Lord of my life? It was like a gate before me. There was no way to walk around it. I would step through, or I would remain outside. A ‘maybe’ or ‘I need more time’ was kidding myself.”

After an inner struggle, this former aide to the president of the United States finally realized that Jesus Christ was deserving of his full allegiance. He writes:

“And so early Friday morning, while I sat alone staring at the sea I love, words I had not been certain I could understand or say fell naturally from my lips: ‘Lord Jesus, I believe You. I accept You. Please come into my life. I commit it to You.’”²¹

Colson discovered that his questions, “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” are all answered in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes, “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” (Ephesians 1:11, The Message)

When we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, he fills our inner void, gives us peace, and satisfies our desire for meaning and hope. And we no longer need to resort to temporary stimuli for our fulfillment. When He enters into us, he also satisfies our deepest longings and needs for true, lasting love and security.

And the staggering thing is that God Himself came as a man to pay our entire debt. Therefore, no longer are we under the penalty of sin. Paul states this clearly to the Colossians when he writes,

“You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” (Colossians 1:21b-22a NLT).

Thus God did what we were unable to do for ourselves. We are set free from our sins by Jesus’ sacrificial death. It is like a mass murderer going before a judge and being granted a full and complete pardon. He doesn’t deserve a pardon, and neither do we. God’s gift of eternal life is absolutely free-—and it is for the taking. But even though the pardon is offered to us, it is up to us to accept it. The choice is yours.

Are you at the point in your life where you would like to accept God’s free offer?

Perhaps like Madonna, Bono, Lewis and Colson, your life has also been empty. Nothing you have tried satisfies the inner void you feel. God can fill that void and change you in a moment. He created you to have life that is flooded with meaning and purpose. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10b)

Or perhaps things are going well for you in life but you are restless and lack peace. You realize that you have broken God’s laws and are separated from his love and forgiveness. You fear God’s judgment. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives.”

So whether you are simply tired of a life of empty pursuits or are troubled by a lack of peace with your Creator, the answer is in Jesus Christ.

When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, God will forgive you of all your sins—past, present, and future and make you His child. And as His loving child, He gives you purpose and meaning in life on Earth and the promise of eternal life with Him.

God’s Word says, “to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Forgiveness of sin, purpose in life, and eternal life are all yours for the asking. You can invite Christ into your life right now by faith through prayer. Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

“Dear God, I want to know You personally and live eternally with You. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life and change me, making me the kind of person You want me to be.”

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If so, simply pray the above suggested prayer in your own native language.

When you make a commitment to Jesus Christ, he enters your life, becoming your guide, your counselor, your comforter, and your best friend. Furthermore, he gives you strength to overcome trials and temptation, freeing you to experience a new life full of meaning, purpose, and power.

Chuck Colson discovered that new purpose and power. Colson readily admits that before becoming a Christian, he was ambitious, prideful, and self-centered. He had no desire or power to love others in need. But his thoughts and motives radically changed once he committed himself to Christ.

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Endnotes

Imagine a moment when the skies split open, and a figure descends in radiant glory, visible to every eye on earth—friend and foe alike. The Bible foretells such a day when Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem, not as a humble carpenter, but as the triumphant King, wielding unmatched power and divine authority (Revelation 1:7).

Following his resurrection, Jesus’ disciples anticipated the immediate establishment of his kingdom. However, after commissioning them to spread the gospel globally, Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 1:9-11. As the disciples watched in awe, two angels appeared, declaring, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” This aligns with the prophecy in Zechariah 14:4, written 500 years earlier, which foretold the Messiah’s return to the Mount of Olives to establish his kingdom.

Not only does the New Testament foretell Jesus physical return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, but it also reveals that Jesus will return in the clouds for his Church. Some biblical scholars believe his return for believers and his return to Jerusalem occur at different times, while others think they occur simultaneously. Let’s examine what the Bible actually says about Jesus’ return to Jerusalem as well as his return for his Church.

Jesus’ Return for His Church

Jesus’ return for his Church, often referred to as the “rapture,” is where believers will be caught up to meet him in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The New Testament outlines three key aspects of the rapture:

1. Imminency: Jesus instructed his disciples to, “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42, NIV). The apostle Paul echoed that Jesus’ return for his Church is imminent, urging believers to await “the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, NIV). This expectation of imminency encourages believers to live with anticipation and purity, as 1 John 3:2-3 states: “When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
2. All Believers Caught Up: Paul reassured the Thessalonian believers that both the living and the dead in Christ will participate in the rapture. He wrote, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NIV).
3. A Mystery Known Only to the Father: Jesus emphasized that the timing of his return is unknown, stating, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36, NIV). Paul further described this event as a “mystery,” occurring “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, NIV).

When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure to heaven, he comforted them by assuring them he would return to take them home to be with him. “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3, NIV).

The apostles and early church were comforted by their belief that Jesus’ return for them could happen at any time, not expecting any event to precede its occurrence. The apostle John concludes the Book of Revelation with Jesus’ promise, “Yes, I am coming soon,” to which John responds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20, NIV). This anticipation of Jesus’ soon return has motivated many people to receive Jesus as both Savior and Lord.

Jesus’ Return to Jerusalem

As mentioned previously, the Bible also describes Jesus’ physical return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a dramatic event where “every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7). This return will fulfill Old Testament prophecies and establish his earthly kingdom. Four key elements precede this event:

1. Physical Return to Jerusalem: Zechariah 14:4 specifies that the Messiah will one day return to the Mount of Olives, the same location from which Jesus ascended. God designated Jerusalem as the focal point of his redemptive plan. It was in Jerusalem (originally Moriah) that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac on the alter. (Genesis 22). God was testing Abraham’s faith and would never have let Abraham kill his son. He was providing us with a picture, foreshadowing the time when he would sacrifice his only Son on the cross for our sins.
2. Signs and Wonders: Jesus outlined specific signs preceding his return to Jerusalem, including increased earthquakes, famines, wars, epidemics, and persecution of believers (Matthew 24:3-14). He also noted that the gospel would be preached worldwide before the end (Matthew 24:14). Today, persecution of Christians is increasing at an alarming rate. And global communication technologies like the internet and media facilitate this unprecedented spread of the gospel, while natural disasters and conflicts align with Jesus’ predictions.
3. Jerusalem Surrounded by Enemies: Prophecies in Ezekiel 36-38 and Zechariah 12-14 describe Jerusalem surrounded by hostile nations in the last days. The rebirth of Israel in 1948 and its control of Jerusalem since 1967 set the stage for these events.
4. Rise of the Antichrist: Paul and John describe a figure, the “man of lawlessness” or “antichrist,” who will rise to power before Christ’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:1-10). This powerful figure will initiate a seven-year tribulation period with a deceptive peace treaty (Daniel 9:27), control the global economy, and oppose God. In the middle of the tribulation, the antichrist’s blasphemous act in the Jewish temple will usher in God’s judgment on a sinful world. At the tribulation’s climax, Jesus will return to defeat him and establish His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21).

God’s Timetable

Although Scripture tells believers that Jesus could return for them at any moment, there are specific events on God’s timetable that must take place prior to his return. In Israel, God’s Clock, Dr. Jack MacArthur writes that the key to knowing where we are in God’s timetable for Jesus’ return is Israel’s prophesied return to its homeland.

Let’s take a brief look at what has happened in Israel, beginning with their rejection of Jesus as its Messiah.

When Jerusalem rejected Jesus as their Messiah, he sadly told the people, their “house will be left completely empty.” In AD 70 Romans destroyed the city and those who survived fled to other lands. Jesus then said, “You will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:39, NCV).

After AD 70, Jerusalem remained under foreign control for nearly 1,900 years. During that period, most people never expected Israel would ever be reestablished as a nation. But God had promised their return: “I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).

In fulfillment of prophecy, Jewish people flocked to their original homeland in waves, beginning in the early 20^th century, and peaking in the 1930s due to persecution in Europe. Their desire to be restored as a nation was finally realized in 1948. Nineteen years later Jerusalem was conquered by the Jews, setting the stage for Christ’s return.

God’s timetable for Jesus’ return to Jerusalem also requires it to be surrounded by its enemies. The Israel-Hamas conflict, beginning October 7, 2023, and rising global antisemitism highlight the growing threats to Israel, aligning with biblical prophecies. Today, Israel is surrounded by several countries that are committed to Israel’s destruction.

So, now that the stage is set for Jesus’ return to Jerusalem, what does that mean for his coming for his Church? Although they are separate events, their timing is still related.

In 1894, British scholar Sir Robert Anderson wrote of Jesus’ imminent return, although Israel’s rebirth was still 54 years from fulfillment. In his classic survey of Daniel’s prophecy of the end times, The Coming Prince, Anderson writes,

Certain passages testify that Christ will return to earth…and others tell us that He will come, not to earth, but to the air above us, and call His people up to meet Him and be with Him….These difficulties admit of only one solution…namely, that the second advent of Christ is not a single event, but includes several distinct manifestations. At first, He will call up to Himself the righteous dead, together with His own people then living upon earth. Before the return of Christ to earth, many a page of prophecy has yet to be fulfilled…but not a line of Scripture bars the realization of this the Church’s special hope of His coming to take His people to Himself.¹

Since Jesus’ return for believers and his return to Jerusalem are linked together in the “second advent,” Israel’s rebirth should cause us to “look up for your redemption is near” (Luke 21;28). 

Why the Delay?

In Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell questioned Jesus’ delay, accusing Him of breaking his promise. Peter anticipated such criticism, noting that scoffers would say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?”² (2 Peter 3:4, NIV). Peter explained, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

Preparing for Jesus’ Return

C.S. Lewis summarized how believers can prepare for Christ’s return with three key principles:³

1. Jesus will certainly return.
2. The timing is unknown.
3. Therefore, we must always be ready.

To Prepare:

• Ensure a Personal Relationship with Jesus: Accept his forgiveness and salvation.

• Live to Please Him: Paul wrote, “We make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it” (2 Corinthians 5:9, NIV). Believers should live in obedience to Christ, sharing the gospel as commanded in Matthew 28:19-20.     

The Adventure of Living with Jesus is a great study for new believers and those who want to renew their commitment to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

There are many additional articles and videos available to you for free on this JO App. Discover more resources for your spiritual journey with Christ.

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Endnotes

Born in India, Ravi Zacharias was immersed in a religious culture offering many gods, and many paths to God. As a teenager, Ravi struggled with the confusion of which religion, if any, is really true.

One day while cycling past a cremation site, Ravi began wondering about an afterlife, and whether there is any existence beyond our ashes. He stopped to ask the priest at the site “where that person, whose body was nothing more than a pile of ashes, was now.” The priest answered, “That is a question you will be asking all your life, and you will never find a certain answer”.¹

The priest’s uncertainty troubled Ravi. If the priest was without answers himself, how could Ravi ever know truth, and the meaning of life? Without ultimate truth, and hope for the future, life seemed utterly meaningless to him.

At age seventeen Ravi reached a point of desperation, and attempted to take his own life. But amazingly he survived, awakening in a hospital bed where someone shared with him the claims of Jesus Christ. One of those claims contradicted everything Ravi had been taught: Jesus’ claim that he is the only way to God.

Ravi was familiar with eastern religions that offer no absolute truth, or authoritative word of God. Furthermore, no leader of these religions ever made a claim to deity. But Christianity is radically different. Paul Little explains,

“If Jesus Christ is who He claims to be, then we have the authoritative word of God Himself on the subject. If He is God, and there is no other Savior, then obviously He is the only way to God. Christians could not change this fact by a vote, or by anything else.”²

The Great Debate

Ravi began to read about Jesus Christ, a man who was different from all others. Before we continue with Ravi’s story, let’s briefly look at Jesus Christ, and the background behind his claims.

For the first thirty years Jesus lived in relative obscurity as a carpenter. Then at age thirty, Jesus began walking the rocky slopes around the Sea of Galilee, teaching, performing miracles, and declaring himself as Savior and Lord. Eyewitnesses confirm that Jesus lived a righteous life. He healed the deaf, the blind, and the lame. He calmed storms, and restored the dead to life. He spoke about God with unflinching authority. Yet Jesus never had a political agenda, or desired personal power. On the contrary, he reached out to the poor, the undesirable and unloved.

In spite of Jesus’ loving words and compassionate deeds, the claims he made about himself infuriated the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus claimed he came from God, and that the only path to God was through him. His radical claims so incensed the religious leaders that they ultimately led to his execution.³

The debate about Jesus Christ’s claims didn’t end in the first century after his death on a Roman cross. It continues today. At the center of the debate is the question: Is Jesus Christ really the only way to God?

That debate about whether Jesus is the only way to God became front and center on an Oprah Winfrey TV program during her discussion with several New Age luminaries. During the discussion, Oprah authoritatively asserted “It is wrong to think there is only one way….There are many ways to what you call God.”

When a Christian lady stood up shouting: “Jesus is the only way,” Oprah immediately shot back: “There couldn’t possibly be just one way….Jesus can’t possibly be the only way to God.”⁴

Some Christians accept the Christian message as true because it satisfies their emotional needs. However, C. S Lewis argues that the Christian message needs to be believed because it is true, not just because it works, or is good.

“Christianity is a statement, which if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”⁵

So, is the Christian claim that Jesus is the only way to God true? In order to find out, we need to answer the following questions:

• Did Jesus claim to be the only way?
• Did the Apostles say he is the only way?
• Do all Religions point to God?
• How do we know Jesus’ words are true?

Did Jesus Claim to be the Only Way?

In the final days of Jesus’ ministry, he took his twelve disciples into an upper room, where he shared with them that after suffering for sin, he would be leaving to return to his Father in heaven. Jesus assured them he would prepare a place for them in his Father’s house, and that they already knew the way there.⁶

But Thomas, more inquisitive and analytical than the other disciples, tried to pin Jesus down. He wanted details: Exactly where was Jesus going, and what path did they need to take to follow him?

Jesus answered Thomas with a statement that must have totally shocked him. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”⁷

Jesus didn’t tell Thomas that he needed to follow a particular code of behavior, or list of rules. Jesus was pointing out to Thomas that there is only one way to God, and it is through him [Jesus].

Can you imagine Thomas’ reaction? He must have wondered what Jesus meant. How could Jesus himself be the way to God, the truth of God, as well as life itself? All of the disciples must have been baffled at Jesus’ strange answer.

Also, Jesus didn’t tell Thomas that he [Jesus] is one of many ways, and that there is no ultimate truth. On the contrary, Jesus claimed that he alone is the truth.

Not only did Jesus tell Thomas that he [Jesus] is the life. (Jesus was clearly referring to eternal life.) Jesus was not speaking of eternal life as a mystical place, but a life forever with him. Every other religion referring to heaven or Nirvana is referring to a place, or state of mind. Jesus, on the other hand, was telling his disciples that heaven is an eternal relationship with him and the Father.

Lastly, Jesus told Thomas that the only way to God is through him [Jesus]. If Jesus wanted to make it clear that he is merely one way to God, he would have qualified his statement. But he didn’t; Jesus claimed to be the only way.

Did the Apostles Say Jesus is the Only Way?

Jesus spent three years teaching his followers about God, about himself, and about us. These followers later wrote down what Jesus did and said in the New Testament. All Christian beliefs are based upon these writings of the apostles. So did the apostles teach Jesus as the only way to God? We will hear from three of the apostles who wrote extensively about Jesus: Peter, John, and Paul.

Peter: After Jesus had risen from the dead, Peter’s words about Jesus are clear.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”⁸

Peter is saying here,

• There is no other path to God than Jesus
• No other person has the authority to save us

John: John also wrote about Jesus as the only way to have eternal life.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”⁹

John says here,

• God is the one who grants eternal life
• God has chosen Jesus as the way to have eternal life
• Those without Jesus don’t have eternal life

Paul: Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, writes to the Roman believers,
“The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.”¹⁰

Paul tells us here,

• Sin is a barrier between us and God that leads to spiritual death
• Eternal life is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ

These apostles clearly say that Jesus is the only way to God.

Do All Religions Lead To God?

Many believe that one way to God is too limiting, and those who believe that way are intolerant. Like Oprah, they think it is more understanding and loving to believe in many ways. This idea that all religions lead to God is at the core of New-Age belief. The nineteenth-century teacher, Shri Ramakrishna said,

“God has made different religions….Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole hearted devotion….A truly religious man should think that other religions are also so many paths leading to the Truth.”¹¹

But if Jesus is the only way to God, then there can’t logically be other ways as well. Ramakrishna’s statement can only be right if Jesus is not the only way to God. The same holds true for other religions, which claim they offer the path to God. If they are true, Jesus’ words can’t equally be true. But if Jesus is speaking truth, other ways to God are not.

And that is what Ravi came to understand in his bed of suicide. After Ravi’s failed attempt to take his own life, someone shared with him about a loving God who came to earth to die for him personally. Suddenly, as Ravi heard about Jesus Christ’s love for him, hope began stirring in his heart.

Ravi began comparing what Jesus said with what other religions taught. As he read about Jesus, he discovered, “All religions are not the same. All religions do not point to God. At the heart of every religion is an uncompromising commitment to a particular way of defining who God is or is not….Every religion at its core is exclusive.”¹²

Ravi observed that Jesus’ teaching about God and life is radically different from that of other religions. Most other religions teach that the path to God lies in obeying a set of rules, submitting to certain rituals, or practicing a particular lifestyle.¹³ None of them can guarantee our eternal destiny, since they teach that it depends upon our performance.

Ravi realized that although many things taught by other religious leaders are good and noble ideas, none of them satisfied his hunger for meaning, or provided hope for life after death. Furthermore, none of them answered Ravi’s inner need for forgiveness, love, and comfort during trials.

Jesus, on the other hand, taught that God loves us more than we can imagine.¹⁴ And although as sinners we deserve judgment, Jesus paid the penalty for us himself. His death and resurrection made it possible for us to be forgiven, and to live forever with him in new bodies.¹⁵ Our only part is to put our faith personally in what he did for us.¹⁶ Jesus also tells us to “come unto me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”¹⁷ Jesus’ promise gave Ravi hope.

How Do We Know Jesus’ Words Are True?

But how was Ravi to know that Jesus’ words are true? Ravi wanted to know if there was any real evidence backing up Jesus’ claims. As he examined the New Testament, Ravi came to realize that two objective tests confirm Jesus’ claims:

1. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies written as much as 1500 years before his birth.
2. Jesus defeated death, something no other person, or religious leader had been able to do.

Let’s briefly examine these evidences.

Throughout the Old Testament, references to a coming Messiah tell us about a man who would someday bring peace to Israel—and the world. However, this Messiah would first need to die for our sins. Over 700 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah the prophet reveals that the Messiah will be:¹⁸

• Despised and rejected
• Pierced for our rebellion
• Crushed for our sins
• Beaten and whipped
• Led like a lamb to the slaughter
• Buried in a rich man’s grave
• An offering for sin

Each of these prophecies about the Messiah was fulfilled by Jesus Christ over 700 years later. Isaiah further told us that the Messiah had special credentials.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…..and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”¹⁹

1. Isaiah 9:6 : Isa. 25:1: 40:9-11: Matt. 28:18: Luke 2:11
2. Isaiah tells us here that the Messiah is God himself—yet in some mysterious way, he will be born as a child. His credentials would be that of God himself.

Altogether, nearly 300 different prophecies, with sixty-one different details about the Messiah, were precisely fulfilled by Jesus hundreds of years after they were written by Isaiah and other prophets. And the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that these prophecies were written well before the birth of Christ. (See “Was Jesus the Messiah?“)

The odds against one person fulfilling all of these prophecies are staggering. And there could have been no collusion since they were written over a period of 500 years by men who didn’t know each other. Ravi writes,

“The spread itself defies natural explanation. Long before all converged in the person of Jesus Christ, His coming was envisioned, foreshadowed, and described in detail.”²⁰

Ravi was convinced that as the promised Messiah, Jesus was the “Mighty God” who came to die for us just as Isaiah had foretold hundreds of years earlier. He reasoned if we can believe God for hundreds of prophecies, then it makes sense to believe Jesus’ claims about himself.

Although Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy was compelling evidence for the truth of his claims, Ravi wanted to know if evidence existed for Jesus’ resurrection.

He read that Jesus was reported by many eyewitnesses to be alive. Over 500 saw him at one setting. And his tomb remains empty today as it was 2000 years ago. His followers were so convinced in his resurrection that they gave their lives proclaiming it as true. Ravi realized that if Jesus truly did rise from the dead, he would have answers about the path to God that no one else has been able to demonstrate.

Several skeptics have tried to prove that Jesus’ resurrection was a legend, or a hoax plotted by his followers. Two brilliant skeptics even began writing books attempting to prove the story was fabricated. One was a brilliant journalist; the other, one of the founders of Harvard Law School. Neither of them thought the resurrection was an historical fact. However, both of these skeptics became persuaded by the evidence that Jesus actually did rise from the dead.²¹ (See “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?“)

Most scholars who examine the evidence are convinced that something happened shortly after Jesus’ death that changed his followers, and ultimately history. It was their conviction in the risen Christ that launched Christianity. Dr. E. M. Blaiklock, former Professor of Classics at Auckland University, concluded:

“I claim to be an historian. My approach to Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history….”²²

Ravi became convinced by the historical evidence that God had spoken through Jesus, and that he alone is the way to God. He writes,

“It was Jesus’ victory over the grave that provided the grand impetus for the early church to tell the world that God had spoken, and indeed, had done so in a dramatic and incontrovertible manner. All this transpired in history, and is open to the historian’s scrutiny.”²³

Ravi discovered that Jesus is a living Savior who loves him, died for him, and defeated death. And because Jesus defeated death, he could believe his words about God, the way to God, and how to have eternal life.

In contrast to the uncertainty of the priest, Ravi realized that the ashes we leave behind are not the real us. Our real identity is eternal, and because of Jesus, we have hope beyond the grave. That assurance was the hope and meaning Ravi had been seeking. He decided to put his faith in Jesus as his personal, living Savior. Ravi explains,

“I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn. I have remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn. I came to Him unsure about the future. I remain with Him certain about my destiny. I came amid the thunderous cries of a culture that has three hundred and thirty million deities. I remain with Him knowing that truth cannot be all-inclusive. Truth by definition excludes.”²⁴

God Reaching Out To Us

In contrast to other religions, which are based upon man’s performance in one form or another, the unique message of Christianity is that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, put on human skin.²⁵ And his purpose was to die for us on the cross, so we could be forgiven of our sins, and have eternal life.²⁶ This message is radically different from all other religions. D’Souza notes,

“Religion in general is man’s strategic manual for how to reach God. Christianity is not a religion in this sense. Christianity holds that man, no matter how hard he tries, cannot reach God. Man cannot ascend to God’s level because God’s level is too high. Therefore, there is only one remedy: God must come down to man’s level.”²⁷

In other words, we are not capable of paying our own penalty for sin. All other religions devise ways for us to try, but none are able to bridge the huge chasm between God and us. But God the Son became a man to pay our debt. His death on the cross, as a sinless man, paid our sin debt in full. All we have to do is receive him into our lives.²⁸

As one reads the Gospel narratives about Jesus, it becomes evident that Jesus is always reaching out with compassion to those he was with. Only Jesus Christ can do that, since as God, he is not limited by time or space. Ravi observes, “We think we are looking for Him. We find out that He has come searching for us.”²⁹

So who will be there for you and me in our hour of need? Who will be there for us in our final hour as we near death? Who can we trust with our future? The priest Ravi asked says we can’t know. Oprah’s many ways to God won’t help us either. But Jesus conquered death, and paved the way for us to live eternally with him.

As Ravi discovered, Jesus alone promises to be with us now, and to be there for us when life ends. He who claimed to be, “the way, the truth, and the life,” is the very one holding out his arms saying, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”³⁰ He invites you and me to do just that.

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Endnotes

Were the eyewitnesses, who heard Jesus’ words and saw his miraculous deeds, convinced that he is equal in every way with his Father? Or did they think that Jesus was merely a higher created being or a great prophet like Moses?

To sort out truth from fiction, we need to go back to the words of the apostles who were there when Jesus walked the earth and wrote their testimonies of what they saw and heard. We also want to examine what the early church fathers believed and taught since several of them knew and heard the apostles teach.

The Eyewitnesses

Jesus spent three years with his disciples, teaching them about God and explaining to them the deep truths of God’s Word. During those three years, Jesus performed numerous miracles, made audacious claims, and lived a righteous life. After his resurrection, these eyewitnesses wrote down many of Jesus’ words and deeds.

Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote of Jesus’ glory after his resurrection:

We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father…. We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice (2 Peter 1:16-17, The Message).

But does the fact that the apostles saw God’s glory and heard God’s voice through Jesus mean that they regarded him as God? New Testament scholar A. H. McNeile explains,

…no sooner had the Life of Jesus ended in apparent failure and shame than the great body of Christians—not an individual here and there, but the mass of the Church—passed over at once to the fixed belief that He was God.¹

Those who deny Jesus’ deity say that the apostles taught that Jesus is God’s supreme creation, and that the Father alone is the eternal God. So, to clarify their beliefs about Jesus, we will examine their words, asking three essential questions:

1. Did the apostles and early Christians worship Jesus and pray to him as Lord?
2. Did the apostles teach that Jesus is the Creator written of in Genesis?
3. Did the apostles worship Jesus as Preeminent in the universe?

Did the Apostles Pray to Jesus as Lord?

After Jesus ascended, the apostles stunned both Jew and Roman by proclaiming Jesus as “Lord”.² Both the apostles and early Christians did the unthinkable and worshiped Jesus, even praying to him as if he was God. Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:59).

Other believers soon joined Stephen, who even while they were facing death, “never ceased for a single day…to teach and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus” (Acts 5:42). The apostles, most of whom were martyred, passed on their knowledge of Jesus to church fathers who carried their message onto the next generation.

Although letters from early church fathers were written too late to be included in the New Testament, they strongly emphasize the apostles’ teaching that Jesus is both God and man.

For example, Ignatius, a disciple of the apostle John, wrote about Jesus’ 2nd coming, “Look for him that is above the times, him who has not times, him who is invisible.” In a letter to Polycarp, who was also a disciple of the apostle John, Ignatius states, “Jesus is God”, “God incarnate,” and to the Ephesians he writes, … “God Himself appearing in the form of a man, for the renewal of eternal life” (Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians 4:13). Clement of Rome in AD 96 also taught Jesus’ deity, saying, “We ought to think of Jesus Christ as of God” (2nd Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 1:1).

So, the idea that belief in Jesus’ deity was invented by the church decades after the apostles were dead simply doesn’t agree with the historical facts. It’s clear that the early church was merely continuing the apostles’ belief in Jesus’ deity.

As the early church grew, Gnostics and other cults began teaching that Jesus was a created being, inferior to the Father. This came to a head in the fourth century when Arius, a popular preacher from Libya, persuaded many leaders that Jesus wasn’t fully God.

Then in AD 325, at the Council of Nicaea, church leaders met to resolve the issue of whether Jesus is the Creator, or merely a creation.³ Over 300 church leaders overwhelmingly affirmed the long-held Christian conviction and New Testament teaching that Jesus is fully God.⁴

Did the Apostles Believe Jesus was the Creator?

But did the apostles believe Jesus was the one who created everything—including us?

In Genesis the God of the Bible is revealed as Creator of everything from tiny quantum particles to over a trillion galaxies averaging 100 billion stars each. He also created the complex coding of DNA that organizes proteins to develop all living life forms including us.

The prophet Isaiah confirms that God (Yahweh) is the Creator:

I (Yahweh) am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it…. I stretched out the heavens…. All the millions of stars are at my command!” (Isaiah 45:11a, 12, 13b).

The fact that God created the universe and everything in it is foundational to both Old Testament and New Testament theology.

The Apostle John’s Testimony

When Jesus’ disciples gazed at the stars on dark evenings, they didn’t dream or imagine that the Creator of those stars was in their very presence. Although Jesus healed the blind and deaf, calmed storms, and even raised Lazarus from the dead, John and the other disciples saw him as a man with real physical needs for food, rest and sleep.

Yet once they saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion, their eyes were open to his deity. They immediately began spreading the word that Jesus was both God and man.

The apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, begins his Gospel by revealing Jesus as the eternal “Word” who created everything:

In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people (John 1:1,3-4, NCV).

Let’s look closely at what John, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, is saying here:

1. the “Word” existed before creation
2. the “Word” is the Creator who created everything
3. the “Word” is God⁵

John has told us that the Word is eternal, created everything that exists, and is God. But he doesn’t tell us whether the Word is just a force or a person until verse 14, which makes it clear that John is speaking about Jesus as the Son of God.

The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and he was full of grace and truth (John 1;14, NCV).

John also refers to Jesus as the Word in his epistle,

Christ is the Word of Life. He was from the beginning. We have heard Him and have seen Him with our own eyes. We have looked at Him and put our hands on Him (1 John 1:1, NIV).

The apostle John tells us that “nothing exists that he (Jesus) didn’t make.” If nothing existed apart from him, it follows that Jesus couldn’t have been a created being.

Paul’s Testimony

Unlike John, the apostle Paul, (formerly Saul) was a bitter opponent and persecutor of Christians until Jesus revealed himself to him in a vision. Years later, Paul writes about Jesus as the Creator to the Colossians:

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of creation. For by Him all things were created…all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17, NASB).

Paul reveals several important things in this passage:

1. Jesus is the exact image of God.
2. Jesus is the “first-born” of creation.
3. Jesus created everything.
4. Jesus is the reason for creation.
5. Jesus existed before everything.
6. Jesus holds creation together.

What does “exact image of God” mean? Bible scholar F. F. Bruce remarks: “To call Christ the image of God is to say that in Him the being and nature of God have been perfectly manifested–that in Him the invisible has become visible.”⁶ Thus, God being visible in Christ coincides with Jesus’ own words to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

In verse 15, the Greek word for “first-born” (prototokos) means ‘”supreme’ rather than in the temporal sense of ‘born after.”⁷ According to Bruce, Paul is referring to “Christ’s pre-existence and cosmic activity in creation, and “denotes not only Jesus’ priority but also his primacy.”⁸ What makes this clear is verse 16 which tells us that everything in the universe was created both through Jesus Christ, and also for him.

In verse 17 we see the eternal Christ sustaining creation. According to Paul, every atom, each DNA strand, and trillions of galaxies are held together by the power of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Hebrews’ Testimony

The New Testament book of Hebrews⁹ also reveals Jesus as the Creator of everything. Its opening passage mirrors Paul’s words to the Colossians:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3, NIV).

Just as John and Paul reveal, the author of Hebrews tells us that prior to Jesus becoming a man, God created the universe through him. And Hebrews also reveals Jesus Christ as the one who sustains it.

Hebrews 1:3 speaks of Jesus as the “perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature.”¹⁰ The Greek word here means that “the Son is the effulgence, the out-raying of the glory of God’s glory.”¹¹ This statement, that Jesus is the “perfect imprint” of the infinite God, confirms that the apostles believed Jesus is fully God.

The author of Hebrews then goes on to tell us that Jesus is not only superior to the prophets, but he also is far above the angels. “This shows that God’s Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is far greater than their names” (Hebrews 1:4).

John Piper explains why Jesus is vastly superior to angels:

No angel in heaven ever received such honor and affection as the Son has received from all eternity from his Father. As great and wonderful as angels are, they do not rival the Son…. The Son of God is not an angel—not even the highest archangel. Rather God says, “Let God’s angels worship him!” (Hebrews 1:6). The Son of God is worthy of all the worship that the hosts of heaven can give—not to mention ours.”¹²

The author of Hebrews then removes all doubt regarding Jesus’ deity:

“But as to the Son, He [the Father] says to Him, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever….’” (Hebrews 1:8, Amplified).

Later in Hebrews, we learn that Jesus Christ “is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” a clear statement of his eternal Deity (Hebrews 13:8). A created being is not the same today as yesterday because there would have been a time when he didn’t exist.

It would be difficult to construe these passages in Hebrews to mean anything other than the fact that Jesus is the God spoken of in the Old Testament, who along with His Father and the Holy Spirit, created the universe.

Pre-Eminent One

The early Christians were accused by the Romans of stealing glory from Caesar, and by the Jews of robbing glory from God (Yahweh). Christianity is criticized by some as being “too Jesus focused.” But is that what the apostles thought? Let’s hear again from Paul as he writes to the Colossians about Jesus.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19, ESV).

Paul writes that God is pleased to have Jesus as the preeminent person in the universe. But the Old Testament clearly teaches that God will never relinquish his preeminence to a created being (Deuteronomy. 6:4-5; Psalm 83:18; Proverbs 16:4; Isaiah 42:11). Isaiah speaks clearly of God’s (Yahweh’s) preeminence.

Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name (Isaiah 45:22-23, NLT).

But how can both Jesus and Yahweh be preeminent? In Genesis the Hebrew word used for God the Creator is plural (Elohim). And, when Isaiah states that God alone created everything, the Hebrew word for God (Yahweh) is also plural. Dr. Norman Geisler concludes,

Biblically speaking, there is more than enough evidence to conclude that the fundamental nature of God is portrayed by the Scriptures as a plural oneness.¹³

Paul attributes to Jesus the same words of honor Isaiah attributes to Yahweh:

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11, NLT).

This passage reveals that before Jesus became a man, he had the full rights of the Godhead. Paul concludes by attributing to Jesus the worship Isaiah said belongs only to Yahweh, “that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Over seven hundred years before Christ, God tells us through Isaiah, “every knee shall bow to him (Yahweh).” That he is “the Lord, the King of Israel.” “The Redeemer.” “The First and the Last.” Zechariah speaks of God as “the King, the Lord of Hosts who will judge the earth.”

Note the parallels between Yahweh in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament:

• “Every Knee shall bow to Jesus” (Philippians 2:11,12)
• Jesus is the “Alpha and Omega—God” (Revelation 21: 6, 7)
• Jesus is the “First and the Last—God” (Revelation 21:7-22:13)
• Jesus is the “Beginning and the End—God” (Revelation 21:6, 7)
• Jesus is the “Almighty Lord” (Revelation 1:8)
• Jesus is the King of Kings” (Revelation 17:14)
• Jesus is the “Lord of Lords” (Revelation 17:14)

Conclusion

The Christian message is that God the Creator came to earth, allowed men to spit on him, mock him, and nail him to a cross as a supreme sacrifice for our sins. God’s perfect justice could only be satisfied by a mediator who was both man and God, taking on himself payment for our sin. No angel or created proxy would suffice. Such an act of condescension demonstrates the immensity of God’s love and grace, as well as the high value He places upon each of us.

In his parting words to the Ephesian elders, Paul encouraged them to “shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28 NASB). Paul is echoing Zechariah’s prophecy where God (Yahweh) says,

“In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem….and they will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son (Zechariah 12:8a,10b).

Zechariah reveals that the one pierced on the cross was none other than God, himself. Jesus Christ brings Old and New Testaments together like separate instruments harmonizing to create a beautiful symphony. “For, unless Jesus is God, Christianity loses its central theme. But if Jesus is God, all other major Christian doctrines fit together like pieces of a puzzle.”

Kreeft and Tacelli explain:¹⁴

• “If Christ is divine, then the incarnation, or ‘enfleshing’ of God, is the most important event in history. It is the hinge of history. It changes everything.”
• “If Christ is God, then when he died on the cross, heaven’s gate, closed by sin, opened up to us for the first time since Eden. No event in history could be more important to every person on earth than that.”
• “If Christ is God, then, since he is omnipotent and present right now, he can transform you and your life right now as nothing and no one else possibly can.”
• “If Christ is divine, he has a right to our entire lives, including our inner life and our thoughts.”

The apostles made Jesus Lord of their lives, wrote of him as the Creator, and worshiped him as preeminent. These firsthand eyewitnesses were absolutely convinced that God had visited planet earth in the Person of Jesus Christ, who will return as King of kings and Lord of lords, as well as our eternal Judge.

It was because of the apostles unswerving conviction that Jesus was God in the flesh that they willingly gave their lives proclaiming him as both Savior and Lord.

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Endnotes