Was Jesus just a moral teacher?

Jesus was just a good and moral teacher; at least that's what many would say. These same people often argue that Christianity is really no different than other world religions.

But this is probably the most significant difference I see, Jesus said:

"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)

Jesus claimed equivalency with God. Who else in history has done that with any amount of credibility?

But what if we're misinterpreting what Jesus meant by the statement? Just look at how the Jews responded several verses later. They were so angry they were ready to stone Jesus. In their words, Jesus "made himself out to be God." (John 10:33).

Jesus claimed to be God. There's no 2 ways about it. With a claim like that, we're not left with many options. But one thing he could not be was *just* a good, moral teacher. To draw from C.S. Lewis, we have basically 3 options. Either...

  1. 1. Jesus was a liar. He knew he wasn't God but claimed to be so anyway. In this case, he would be neither a good nor a moral teacher to follow.

    1. 2. Jesus was a lunatic, thinking he was God when he actually wasn't. If true, then all of us Christians are just following the ramblings of an insane man (who demonstrated amazing powers by the Pharisees and other Jewish peoples own admission).

      3. Jesus was *actually* who he claimed to be. He was Lord.

      So how do you respond to a man who claims to be God?

Created over 1 year ago