Just A Good Man

Kara and Chelsea haven't been in touch since Chelsea's family moved across the state when they were 11 yrs onl. But after being reunited at a statewide high school band competiton last month, they've been exchanging e-mails.

As far as Kara knows, Chelsea is not a Christian. She and her family didn't attend chuch when they were growing up. Kara has mentioned a few things in her e-mails about her youth group, and has finally found the courage to ask her old friend what she thinks about Christianity.

"Oh, I believe in God," Chelsea responds. "And I think Jesus had some good things to say. He was a good teacher. But I don't think He was God."

> > Look It Up > >

This is not a statement Kara can ignore. The whole basis of Christian faith is that Jesus was, and is God, and the Bible is very clear on that matter.

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." "...Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me...?"

(John 14:7,9 NASB)

And In John 10:30, Jesus declared: "I and the Father are one."

.:: Think It Through ::.

C.S. Lewis, the great 20th-century author and Christian thinker, argued that Jesus didn't leave the "good teacher" option open for us. Based on what Jesus said about Himself, He could have only been a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.

Why? Because "good teachers" don't feed lies to the people who trust them. Either He lied about being God, or He believed He was God when He really wasn't (which would make Him a lunatic), or he was in fact God. See, Jesus didn't just leave us with nice little instructions about how to live good lives. He made claims about Himself, the Father, the world, and humanity that demand out attention and our response.

> Work It Out >

What would you say to someone like Chelsea? It's often effective to ask questions such as, "What are some of the things that Jesus said that lead you to believe He was a good teacher? Which of His statements do you agree or disagree with? How can you decide which portion of His teaching is true and which is false?"

More often than not, the person will struggle to come up with even two or three statemenst that Jesus made. You can help him or her realize that the uniqueness and significance of his claims make it very unlikely that Jesus was just a "good teacher."

Nail it down:

"And the high priest stood up and said to Him, 'Do You make no answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?' But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.' Then the high priest tore his robes, saying, 'He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard blasphemy; what do you think?' They answered and said, 'He is deserving of death!' "

( Matthew 26:62-66 NASB)