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Challenge: Jesus never said, “I am God.”
by Chris Du-Pond
Whenever Easter approaches, attacks on Christianity begin. Fortunately, Christians have always had solid responses, but we don’t always know where to find them or how to communicate them.
In this section, I will summarize a very simple argument. Suppose you start talking to someone and, in the course of the conversation, that person says things like:
“I studied aviation at ______ school between 1986 and 1992.”
“I have 10,000 hours of flight experience.”
“The best co-pilot I’ve ever had as a partner is ________.”
“As the captain of an aircraft, I have great responsibilities.”
When we put together everything this person said, what is the obvious conclusion? The answer is simple: we are talking to an airline pilot. We could even say that he is a commercial airline pilot. The curious thing about this is that in this conversation, our interlocutor never said, “I am an airline pilot.”
The same thing happens with this challenge that is routinely thrown at us when we hear people say, “Jesus never said, ‘I am God.’” That is true, but both Jesus and his followers said things that imply the inevitable equivalent conclusion: “Jesus claimed to be God.”
The argument is simple. In six writings, I have argued six different points that lead to this conclusion.
In this first document, I cite the sources I use. These sources are only sources that practically all New Testament scholars, including critical (agnostics and atheist) scholars, would grant as historical or authentic.
In the second document, I argue that Jesus receives honors that are due to God..
In the third document, I argue that Jesus shares attributes with God.
In the fourth document, I argue that Jesus shares the names of God.
In the fifth document, I put forward the argument that Jesus shares in the acts of God.
In the sixth document, I argue that Jesus shares the throne of God.
The conclusion is just as simple as in the pilot example. If Jesus receives the honors, attributes, names, acts, and throne of God, then Jesus claimed to be God. It is not necessary for Jesus to have said, “I am God” verbatim. A lamb does not need to speak and say, “I am a lamb.” If an animal bleats like a lamb, walks like a lamb, smells like a lamb, looks like a lamb, and eats like a lamb, it does not take a genius to conclude that it IS a lamb.
Don’t be fooled! Defend your faith with gentleness and reverence, but don’t remain silent.
And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Luke 12:8-9 ESV
