I really appreciate what Ravi Zacharias stated in his book Jesus Among Other God's -"Faith is confidence in the person of Jesus Christ and in his power, so that even when his power does not serve my end, my confidence in him remains because of who he is."
People have debated for centuries of the essence of Jesus Christ and who he is. Some have concluded the following-
· He was a great man, but not to be worshiped.
· He was a good man who died for his convictions.
· He was a man more advanced than others.
As I thought about all these descriptions of Jesus I was curious to look online at what our history has deemed "great men." What I found kind of shocked me as far as the list of individuals that have been deemed "great men," because each of them, though they historically made great contributions to the world , still struggled with their own individual flaws and idiosyncrasies. Still great men, for sure, but still men who struggled with finding a way to cure the problem that plagues humanity, the problem of our own sin.
Jesus Christ on the other hand made claims that put him into a completely different category, the category of sinlessness. A category that depicts who he is. There is a reason why this is so important. Paul shared with the Colossian church concerning Christ's connection to God, as the eternal Son of God, one in essence and nature. In Colossians 1:15-17 he states -
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)
Great leaders in our history became great leaders through the process of "trial and error." As a Pastor and leader within the church some of my greatest strengths came not because I was naturally endowed with them at birth but came because of my own blunders, or just simply learning from the blunders of others. When Paul wrote the Colossian church, however, and stated that in Christ "all things hold together," there was no room for trial and error. Paul's claims were staggering.
He left no room for the world to settle on whether Jesus was a great man, good man or just a simple man with wild claims. He either was able to accomplish His claims or he was delusional. Over 2,000 years after His death, he continues to make a life-transforming influence in people's lives each and every day around the globe. This is not the product of a delusional man. This is the product of a man that deserves to be studied because his target was YOU.
Everything we see and know that surrounds us is held together by Christ's never-ending influence. Shaping and molding this creation for us, because He loves us. That deserves study.
Randy
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