Is Jesus Just a Good Moral Teacher

Apologetics Is Jesus Just a Good Moral Teacher? • Many people think that Jesus was just a good moral teacher and that he was not divine. • Jesus claimed to be God. This was a central tenet of his ministry. It was important to him that people believed that he was who he said he was. • If Jesus claimed to be God then he either is or isn!t. If he isn!t then he is either a liar "because he claimed to be God when he knew he was not# or a lunatic "because he believed he was God when he was not#. There are no other options. $e cannot be just a good moral teacher precisely because of his claim to divinity. Option 1: Jesus was a liar. A. If Jesus knew that he was not God then he was a liar and a deceiver because he told people that he was God. %. If Jesus knew that he was not God then he was a hypocrite because he preached honesty and righteousness. &. If Jesus knew that he was not God then he would ultimately be downright evil because he asked people to trust him for their eternal security and salvation. If he knew that he couldn!t fulfill that promise then he was purposefully duping his followers with a false hope on a topic that is of e'treme importance. (. If Jesus knew that he was not God then he was a fool because he was condemned and crucified because of that claim. $e could have backed down at any point. Instead he chose to die for what he knew was a lie. Is this a reasonable position given what we know about Jesus? A. To think that Jesus was a liar doesn!t fit with what we know about him nor does it fit with the results of his life and teaching. %. $ow could a deceiver and liar maintain such a perfect level of purity etc) *hy would he even try to maintain such a pristine life) $e didn!t benefit from it "such as becoming rich etc.# and ultimately died for it. +sually people lie because they believe that by doing so they will either get something they want "wealth for instance# or avoid getting something they do not want "like a punishment for e'ample#. C. *ho would die for what he knew to be a lie) Jesus could have renounced his claim at any time and thereby avoid being killed. $owever he claimed that his purpose was “ to give his life as a ransom for many.” "Mark ,-./0# (. If he just wanted to get a following why would he choose Israel) Israel is e'tremely monotheistic. 1lus it!s a small country. It would have been smarter to go to 2gypt or Greece where they believed in many gods. Option 2: Jesus was a lunatic. A. If Jesus believed that he was God but he wasn!t then he was a lunatic. %. To believe you are God especially in a monotheistic culture and then tell people that their eternal destiny depends on you is a major delusion. &. It is possible to be sincere and wrong. Just because a person believes that something is true doesn!t make it true. Is this a reasonable position given what we know about Jesus? A. Jesus doesn!t show any of the imbalances etc. that are found in deranged and insane people. $e shows none of the signs that doctors look for to determine if a patient has a mental illness3unbalance some of which are.

Apologetics ,. Inappropriate emotions "such as depression for no known cause disproportionate or irrational anger# 4. Misperceptions or paranoia "such as a fear of imagined threats# 5. Thinking disorders "such as an inability to carry on a logical conversation irrationality# %. $e had poise composure consistency and profound wisdom. &. $is teachings are not those of a raving madman but are those of a totally sane and intelligent person. Option 3: Jesus is Lord. A. If Jesus claimed to be God and he wasn!t lying and he wasn!t insane then he truly is God. Is this a reasonable position given what we know about Jesus? A. There is no credible evidence to suggest that Jesus was lying or that he was a lunatic. %. In fact the evidence leads to the conclusion that he was truthful and completely sane. &. Therefore the only e'planation is that he is who he claimed to be. God. • This famous trilemma argument "created by &.6 7ewis# is summari8ed by J. 6arfati!s article Loving God with all your mind: logic and creation as follows. Jesus hrist is reported to have clai!ed to be God" The reports are either true or #alse" ,# If the reports are false the reporters either knew they were false or they did not. ,a# If they knew they were false they were liars9but who would die for what they know is a lie) ,b# If they did not know then it is a big problem to e'plain how legends could accumulate around a historical figure in such a short time. 4# If the reports are true then Jesus was either speaking falsely or truly. 4a# If Jesus spoke falsely $e either knew it or he did not. 4ai# If $e knew $e was a liar. 4aii# If $e knew not then $e was a lunatic since a claim to be God is the most absurd claim a mere creature can make. 4b# If Jesus spoke truly then $e really is God.

Information from. 1. More than a Carpenter by Josh Mc(owell . !he Case for Christ "#tudent $dition% by 7ee 6trobel &. Loving God with all your mind: logic and creation by (r. Jonathan 6arfati. Available at http:''www.answersingenesis.org't('v1 'i 'logic.asp