If Jesus Were Only a Man

Important events in human history are always accompanied by fanfare, parades, crowds, and endless media coverage. Except once. And for a seemingly insignificant event some 2,000 years ago, it is by far the MOST IMPORTANT event in all of human history—past, present, and future even without the hoopla. I’m referring, of course, to the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after His death.

Counting the disciples and the people Jesus appeared to, there were probably fewer than 600 who saw Him alive after He was risen. Not exactly your ticker-tape parade. Nevertheless, this one event will have an impact for all eternity on every person who has ever lived. If that’s true, why don’t we hear more about Him? Why are there so many religions?

The answer is simple,

but not widely accepted because the ruler of this world—Satan, the father of lies—has been wildly successful in his disinformation campaign. The lies we see in today’s media are not new, nor invented by politicians. It began in the Garden of Eden when the devil asked Eve, “Indeed, has God said…” (Gen. 3:1). (As an aside and topic for another discussion, Eve is a perfect example of bad decisions made by not knowing God’s word.)

The gullibility of many people to swallow Satan’s lies shouldn’t surprise us. The Bible tells us, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). The Bible also says, in Romans 1, “wrath of God…against…men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (v.18), “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (v.19), “they are without excuse.” (v.20) “…they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (v.21). Fools. That’s what God calls men who reject Him and His truth. The rest of Romans 1 is a devastating description of the downward spiral into total depravity of  those who “profess to be wise” (v.22)  . Consider this phrase, “God gave them over.” Three times. First to impurity (v.24), second to degrading passions (v.26), finally to a depraved mind (v.28). That sound like anybody you know?

If Jesus were only a man,

none of what I’ve said would be true and I would be numbered among the fools. But He wasn’t, and it is, and I’m not. He IS God. He DID rise from the dead. He is THE ONLY WAY to the Father.

Why so many religions? Again the source is a lie. Jesus said clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). But believing that requires humility and submission. Man loves his pride. It often takes a crisis, where we are really down and out before we realize we can’t meet God’s standard of righteousness. Frankly, we don’t really want to. Sin is fun. Sin feels good…for a time. But sin separates us from God. Sin enslaves us to follow our lusts. It’s a slippery slope that we don’t realize we’re even on, sometimes until it’s too late.

With the exception of Biblical Christianity,

all other religions have at their core, a works-based salvation. Again the Bible is not vague: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not as a result of works so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). Let’s be clear. There is NO amount of good works you can do to restore your relationship to a holy God. The Bible says, “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa. 64:6). You wouldn’t dare try to visit the King in those clothes. Fortunately, in Christ, we are clothed with a robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10).

You may be saying, “so what?” Or you may be saying, “Sounds interesting. What do I need to do?” To the first, I encourage you to take stock of what gods you are serving and ask yourself, “What is the ultimate destination of this path?” To the curious, I invite you to visit our Steps to Salvation page for a detailed look at God’s perspective of sin and how to get connected with Him. If you have questions, you can contact us and we will answer them or point you to someone who can.

Thanks for stopping by.