Page 18 - Advanced Apologetics and World Views Revised
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Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad,
Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be
equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists
and you're looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of
separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him
had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.
He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light
of life" (John 8:12). He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their
sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven.
Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not
say, "follow my words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one
comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6).
We will spend much more time on this point in the future, but needless to say, Jesus Christ reveals God
to us in His person, His works, and His miracles. God came to earth in the body of a man named Jesus
Christ and revealed God to mankind.
Here is the REAL ISSUE!
People claim to reject God’s existence because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The
true reason is that once they admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible
to God and in need of forgiveness from Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). If God exists, then we are accountable
to Him for our actions. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry
about God judging us. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the
theory of naturalistic evolution—it gives them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists
and ultimately everyone knows that He exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to
disprove His existence is in fact an argument for His existence.
How do we know God exists? As Christians, we know God exists because we speak to Him every day. We
do not audibly hear Him speaking to us, but we sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His
love, we desire His grace. Things have occurred in our lives that have no possible explanation other than
God. God has so miraculously saved us and changed our lives that we cannot help but acknowledge and
praise His existence. None of these arguments can persuade anyone who refuses to acknowledge what
is already obvious. In the end, God’s existence must be accepted by faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith in God is
not a blind leap into the dark; it is safe step into a well-lit room where the vast majority of people are
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already standing
If God is so good and loving, why would He send people to Hell, a place of eternal torment?
God has many characteristics which are described in the Bible. For
example, God is all-powerful. There is nothing that God cannot do within
His will. We know also that God is all-loving. There is no limit to His love;
it reaches every person. There is no place a person can go where he
cannot experience His love. It’s called infinite love. We also know that
God is completely holy which means he is completely righteous and
morally perfect (Psalm 18:30). He always does what is right and never
does what is morally contrary to His nature. We also know that God is
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