Mainstream Apologetics CHAPTER 4: DIVINITY OF JESUS Jesus is Divine, the Son of GodOnce we have established that God revealed Himself to mankind through a variety of means, we establish that Jesus is divine, the same essence as God. We observe his authoritative teaching, miracles, and likeness to the character of God. This is evidenced by eyewitness testimony, supernatural power over nature, healthy psychological assessment and accurate fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. ARGUMENT 4:Jesus is Divine, the Son of God It is difficult for some people to comprehend that Jesus, while being fully human, could be fully divine. Throughout his ministry, Jesus exhibited the attributes of God evidenced by his divine knowledge, divine presence and divine power. Based on standard psychological assessment methods, Jesus was found to be mentally healthy. His behavior was marked by rational thinking, not delusions. Finally, hundreds of people attested to Jesus' divinity by witnessing his authoritative teaching, many miracles, and fulfillment of prophecies. Based on these claims, the most reasonable conclusion is that Jesus is divine, the Son of God. This chapter is comprised of the following claims ... CLAIM 4.1:Extra-Biblical Writings Characterize Jesus as Divine Extra-biblical writers provide us with an accurate and compelling profile of Jesus. This profile is corroborated among the individual writers, and congruent with the biblical accounts. Further, many of the statements presented characterize Jesus as messianic (divine). These statements include Jesus' miracles, Jesus' fulfillment of messianic prophecies, natural phenomenon accompanying Jesus' death, the mysteriousness surrounding Christian's beliefs and finally Jesus being worshiped as a god. CLAIM 4:2:Eyewitnesses Attest to the Divinity of Jesus The New Testament is replete with eyewitness accounts of people claiming Jesus was divine. This preponderance of direct evidence leads to the necessary conclusion that Jesus was the Son of God. CLAIM 4:3:Jesus was of Sound Mind when Claiming to be Divine Some accounts of Jesus' behavior might lead one to believe that he was delusional, insane, or possessed by an evil spirit. He frequently speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven, his role as king, and his oneness with the almighty God. Jesus' claims are substantiated by his rational behavior, clear teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, miracles, and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. ARGUMENT 4B:Jesus' Divinity is Authenticated by His Miracles God authenticates Moses' message of deliverance in the Old Testament and Jesus' message of divinity in the New Testament through the use of miracles. Miracles offer proof that the message is authentic. CLAIM 4:4:Jesus' Miracles were Attested by Multiple Witnesses Even though miracles are beyond the laws of nature and cannot be proven empirically using scientific methods, their effects are observable and therefore can be authenticated. This is the case of the thousands of miracles Jesus performed. CLAIM 4:5:Jesus is Attended by God's Power, not Satan's Throughout the Bible, we learn that Satan has limited power over nature granted to him by God. While it is understandable that the scribes and Pharisees attributed Jesus' powers to Satan, the results of Jesus' miracles authenticate the source of his power. Based on the gospel accounts, we observe that Satan and his demons' power result in alienation, oppression, destruction, and ultimately death. Conversely, Jesus' power results in wellness, restoration and life. Throughout Jesus' ministry, there is no evidence to suggest that Jesus was acting with evil intent. All of his miracles were performed to help the individual, not harm them. CLAIM 4:6:Jesus' Fulfillment of All Messianic Prophecies Authenticates His Divinity Jesus authenticated his claims of being the Messiah by fulfilling all 46 prophecies in the Old Testament concerning himself. The odds of any person fulfilling all 46 prophecies is estimated by Peter Stoner as 1 in 10157.