Are Jesus' Claims Unique Among the Religions of the World?

Are Jesus' Claims Unique Among the Religions of the World?
by Gary R. Habermas (with some changes by Troy Brooks)

God is by nature totally apart from His creation. Humans do not reach godhood. In the Bhagavad-Gita (Hindu text), however, the process of enlightenment can be attained by those who return to the Godhead and achieve their own divinity (see 18:46-68). In a certain sense, all persons have divine natures in many cults in Christendom and other religions.

Jesus claimed dual titles of divinity. Particularly, He said He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man.

Jesus said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matt. 11.27). If only Jesus can reveal the Father then Jesus must be in the Godhead logically speaking.

Jesus said, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house" (Mark 2.10-11). Only Jesus can forgive sins and perform miraculous healing.

He spoke of His Father in familiar ways ("Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping," Mark 13.36) and even claimed to forgive sins, for which He was charged with blasphemy because in doing so He was claiming to be God.

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2.5-7)

In perhaps the clearest indication of His claims about Himself, when the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus plainly declared that He was. Then He further asserted that He was also the Son of Man who would co-reign on God the Father's throne and come on the clouds of judgment. The high priest pronounced these claims as blasphemy.

"But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death" (Mark 16.61-64). Imagine that! Condemning our Creator to death? How evil. But do not think those who simply state Jesus never existed or was not God are any less reviling. They are just more cunning in their hostility. God knows their hearts.

These sayings of Jesus were recorded by the original disciples or close associates in documents that were written soon after these events took place because the authors of these gospel accounts were subsequently martyred by the Neronian persecutions. Only the original Apostles or those close to them could preserve these words. There are strong reasons to hold that all were composed by the authors who were close to the occurrences. Many of the individual passages exhibit earmarks of historicity. These are very early creedal texts which apply the titles of deity to Christ that tells us what the original Apostles were thinking and truly believed, for people don't willingly let themselves be put to death for what they know to be a lie.

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2.36).

"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1.3-4).

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10.9).

Many religious teachers have claimed to present God's way. But Jesus declared that He was initiating God's path of salvation.

"And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him" (Mark 1.15-20).

But also that what His hearers did specifically with Him determined their reward for the millennial reign. Everyone saved lose their life so that it may be found but not necessarily at the same time.

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me" (Matt. 10.37-40).

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven [this refers to returning with Christ to reign for 1000 years on earth]. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration [regeneration of the world-the millennial kingdom] when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [on earth]. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first" (Matt. 19.23-30).

Of the many religious leaders in the world and their founders, only Jesus taught that His death would serve as payment for human sin, achieving what we could not. Thus God of the Bible trumps all other claims for the uncreated Creator.

Jesus said, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10.45).

"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God [the millennial kingdom]" (Mark 14.22-25).

Only Jesus has miracles reported of Him by early sources. According to the Gospels, Jesus taught that His resurrection from the dead would be the sign that evidenced the truth of His message.

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth [Jesus was captured by earthly Israel on Thursday]. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this [wicked] generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this [wicked] generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12.38-42).

"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed" (Matt. 16.1-4).

Jesus said, "But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee" (Mark 14.28).

For NT writers, Jesus' resurrection proved His claims were true.

"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1.3-4).

Peter said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations" (1 Pet. 1.3-6).

After all dead men don't do much! So if Jesus was raised, God must have performed the event in order to prove and approve Jesus' message.

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2.22-24).

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17.30-31).