Jesus Christ is the greatest revolutionary the world has ever known. No man has affected the human race to the degree that he has. This is because he is no normal man.
The teachings and work of Jesus Christ have altered the world in nearly every way possible: science, education, human liberty, social justice, among others. But the most important thing to know is that Jesus Christ transforms people from the inside and changes their destiny. His work on the cross changes human hearts from dead to alive. His teachings show us the heart of the God who created and loves this world.
Still, the person of Jesus Christ has been clouded by myth, tradition, and ignorance. Who is this man who lived 2,000 years ago, yet is still changing the world?
Jesus Christ is the subject of more than 300 Old Testament prophecies. Many prophets had foretold his birth nearly 2,000 years ago and events of His life during a period of 1,500 years. History confirms that even the smallest detail of these prophecies happened just as predicted, all fulfilled in Jesus.
One of the most profound questions Jesus asked his followers was, “Who do men say that I am?” The answer is that Jesus is the promised Savior, the Son of the living God, the one the prophets spoke of.
Who did Jesus, himself, say he was? He said that he is one with God the Father (John 10:30), the Savior, sent into the world to be the way, the truth, and the life – and that no one can come to God the Father except through Him (John 14:4-6).
In the New Testament portion of the Bible, the gospel accounts of Jesus show Jesus to be the Son of God, equal with God, sent from God with authority, which he demonstrated by doing miracles, including healing the sick and raising the dead. He lived a sinless life and has the power to forgive sins and give eternal life to those who trust in Him. Jesus claims that he is the only way to God.
Jesus provided that way to the Father by living the perfect, sinless life (that we could never live) and bearing the punishment for our sins by His death on the cross. On the third day after his death, he rose again, as the Scriptures predicted he would, and he lives forever with authority at the right hand of His Father in heaven. He will one day return to the earth and judge the living and the dead.
So Jesus is more than a good teacher or moral example. The brilliant writer C.S. Lewis pointed out that, considering the things Jesus said about himself, he could not have been merely a good moral teacher as many propose. He either has to be a liar (the things he claimed were false), a lunatic (the things he said about himself came from a deranged mind), or he truly was who he said he was, the Lord of all.
Jesus is not about trying to do good. The Bible is clear that we are not capable of being absolutely holy in ourselves. We all fall short. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that God has bridged that gap by providing Jesus’ sacrificial death so that we could be connected to our Creator once again. As Christ-followers, we do not do good things to get favor with God or make it to heaven. Instead, we are made right by faith in what Jesus has already done. This gives us the desire and power to do good with the purest of motives: because we love God.
Simply put, Jesus Christ changes the world by changing the hearts of individuals like us. This happens by faith in what he has done. If you would like to speak to a pastor about Jesus or your relationship with God, please contact us.