makes concerning His own person and mission are extremely important. A man who could accomplish such things as these can neither be dismissed as hallucinatory nor rejected as a charlatan. Neither, as has already been shown, can the gospel writers have been mistaken in reporting what He claimed.
Therefore, these claims must be studied carefully and regarded with utmost seriousness. They were actually made by Christ himself and, by all rules of reason and logic, should be accepted as absolute truth. They amount en toto to an absolute and dogmatic claim that He, Jesus Christ, is himself the eternal God! If this be so, and it is so, then a person can ignore or reject this fact only at the cost of tragic and eternal loss to his own soul.
The claims are many and varied, but all add up both individually and collectively to affirmation of His own unique deity as the eternal Son of God. A sampling of these is given below, without comment (for none is needed):
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).
The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6).
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 10:32).
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).
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die (John 11:25-26).
The Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath (Mark 2:28).
Whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24).
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).
When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8).
The Son of Man came …to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst (John 4:14).
The Father …hath committed all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22).
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).
The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away (Luke 21:33).
Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58).
Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).
I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers (John 10:7-8).
I and my Father are one (John 10:30).
I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger (John 6:35).
Statements of this sort could be added in great numbers. Remember that He who was sinless would never deceive, and He who was the wisest Teacher could not be mistaken. The claims are true and the promises sure. In the face of such incontrovertible evidence, we can only say with the once-doubting Thomas, "My Lord, and my God" (John 20:28).
Selected books for further study:
Bellett, J.G. 1943. The Moral Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. New York, NY: Loiseaux Bros. 80 p.
Edersheim, Albert. 1990. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Co. 1,523 p.
Guthrie, Donald. 1972. Jesus the Messiah. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publ. House.
Kinney, LeBaron W. 1942. He is Thy Lord and Worship Thou Him. New York, NY: Loiseaux Bros. 230 p.
Lockyer, Herbert. 1961. All the Miracles of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publ. House. 311 p.
Morris, Henry M. 1971. The Bible Has the Answer. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 256 p.
Rice, John R. 1966. Is Jesus God. Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
Sheldrake, Leonard. 1950. Our Lord Jesus Christ, A Plant of Renown. Fort Dodge, IA: Walterick Publishers. 171 p.
Tatford, Frederick A. 1950. The Master. New York, NY: Loiseaux Bros.
Thomas, W. H. Griffith. 1948. Christianity is Christ. London: Church Book Room Press. 144 p.
Trench, R. C. 1949. Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 298 p.
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