Is Jesus the Son of God? (Acts International)

Today's Daily Encounter
Is Jesus the Son of God? Part III

Continued from Wednesday

"'But what about you?' he [Jesus Christ] asked. 'Who
do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.'"9

Today we share more evidence to verify the reality of
Jesus Christ as being the Son of God and Savior of the
world.

For example, six hundred years prior to Christ's
coming Daniel predicted when it would be. One hundred
years later Zechariah told how Christ would enter
Jerusalem riding on a donkey; how he would be betrayed
for 30 pieces of silver; and how this money would be
used to buy a potter's field.10

All these predictions about Christ and many
more--written hundreds of years before his
coming--were fulfilled in detail, giving evidence to
show that Jesus Christ was indeed God's promised
Messiah--the Savior of the world.

When Jesus came, he asked his disciples, "Who do you
say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God."11

This is the crucial question that each of us needs to
answer. If Christ is who he claims to be, then our
response to this question will determine our
relationship to God for all eternity.

One thing we cannot do is accept Christ as a great
moral teacher but not as God. As C.S. Lewis, a former
professor at Cambridge and Oxford wrote, "A man who
was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He would
either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says
he is a poached egg--or else would be the devil of
hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was,
and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something
worse. You can shut him up for a fool; you can spit at
him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his
feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up
with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great
human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did
not intend to."12

Jesus himself said, "He who is not with me is against
me."13 That is, unless we act on our belief and make a
commitment to follow Christ in our everyday life, we
are automatically against him.

However, if you do believe Jesus is the Son of God,
you can commit your life to him through a simple
prayer. Tell Christ that you believe he is the Son of
God who died for your sins, and that you would like to
become one of his true followers starting today.

To assist you in doing this, click on the "How to Be
Sure You're a Real Christian" link below.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that your Word
clearly shows that Jesus is your Son, and that history
has verified that all the prophecies in your Word also
confirm that Jesus is your Son, the only way to you,
and the only Savior of the world. This I believe.
Thank you for showing me the way and thank you for
hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus'
name, amen."

To verify that you know God who knows you, be sure to
read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real
Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian

9. Matthew 16:15-16.
10. Daniel 9:25-26; Zechariah 9:9-10 and 11:12.
11. Matthew 16:15-16 (NIV).
12. Cited on Christian Odyssey website at:
http://www.christianodyssey.com/history/lewis.htm.
13. Luke 11:23 (NIV).

<)))><

* * * * * * *

For many articles on God, Faith, Relationships, Success, Solutions and Recovery go to http://www.actsweb.org/articles.

Copyright (c) 2010 by ACTS International.

When copying or forwarding include the following:
"Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2010
ACTS International.

Today's Daily Encounter
Is Jesus the Son of God? Part II
Continued from Tuesday...
"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and
teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on
the third day be raised to life."2
Yesterday we mentioned how Lew Wallace, a
distinguished general and literary genius, and Robert
Ingersoll, a notable skeptic, agreed to write a book
that would prove Christianity to be a myth. However,
their research convinced them otherwise and they came
to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was who he claimed
to be--the Son of God and Savior of the world.
A similar thing happened to one of today's leading
Christian authors and spokesmen, Josh McDowell. His
outstanding book that supports Christianity, Evidence
That Demands a Verdict, began as his attempt to deny
Christianity.
Jesus Christ, however, is not the only religious
leader who claimed to be God, but he is the only one
who ever convinced a great portion of the world that
he is. He is also the only leader who ever claimed
that he would rise from death.3
According to historical evidence, he did. He was seen
by the women who visited his tomb and found it empty,
by the disciples, and by more than 500 other
witnesses.4
Christ's resurrection was also recorded by Josephus,
the Jewish historian, in his Antiquities. Josephus was
a Jew writing to satisfy the Romans, so his report of
Christ's resurrection wouldn't have pleased the Romans
at all. He would not have included it had he not
believed it to be true.
Further evidence to support the deity of Christ is
seen in the more than 300 prophecies concerning him
and his life that are found in the Bible and were
written centuries before his birth.
For instance, 700 years before Christ was born in
Bethlehem, Micah wrote, "But you, Bethlehem...though
you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you
will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel."5
A thousand years before Christ's death David predicted
how he would die. "They have pierced my hands and my
feet," he wrote.6 This happened at Christ's
crucifixion.
This is even more remarkable when considering that, in
David's time, death by crucifixion was unknown. This
inhuman, torturous death was first used by the
Persians centuries later.
David also predicted that Christ would be betrayed by
a friend, that people would "throw dice" for his
clothes, and that he would die with criminals.7 He
also predicted the dying Savior's cry: "My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?"8 All of these
predictions came true.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for all the
prophecies in the Old Testament section of the Bible
regarding the promised Messiah (Jesus Christ), and
that all of these have been fulfilled in minutest
detail. Please open the eyes of my understanding so
that I will know the truth about you, the truth about
your Word, the Bible, and the truth about your Son,
Jesus Christ. Thank you for hearing and answering my
prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
To be continued ...
2. Matthew 16:21 (NIV). 3. Matthew 16:21. 4. Luke
24:13-43; 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. 5. Micah 5:2, (NIV).
6. Psalm 22:16, (NIV). 7. Psalm 41:9; 22:18. 8.
Psalm 22:1 (NIV).
<)))><
* * * * * * *
For many articles on God, Faith, Relationships, Success, Solutions and Recovery go to http://www.actsweb.org/articles.

* * * * * * *


Copyright (c) 2010 by ACTS International.

When copying or forwarding include the following:
"Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2010
ACTS International.