Before I write this article I will tell you now that I will not bore you with historical facts about most of the religious figures that you come to know. I could easily show you their backgrounds and that alone would be the basis to discredit them. Instead I will concentrate the content of this article on 'who Jesus is'. I find it amusing how so many religious leaders can surface through the years and come to be prominent in our society. Especially when leaders like Brigham Young (Mormons), Charles Tate Russell (Jehovah Witnesses), Eli Gingerich (Amish), Miller (Seventh Day Adventist), and Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) all had roots in the Christian faith.

One truth that is evident is that all of them have deviated from the Christian faith in some form or fashion. Revelation 22:18 clearly states: 'For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: 'If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;' To me that warning would stop me right in my tracks if I were to taken upon myself to start a new religious group or organization. The same problem exists today as it did thousands of years ago people have left the interpretation of the scriptures in the hands of people and organizations who are not qualified. Even today when I hear a sermon or teaching I am so quick to go back and verify the truthfulness of that speaker's message. In most cases people believe that if it sounds good to the ear then it must be good for the soul. For starters we must come to a place of understanding to make sure that we must separate the worldly opinions and issues from what the writers of scriptures are trying to tell us. What makes the Bible unique? The Bible is a piece of work where there are many authors who wrote at different times in human history about one person the Lord Jesus Christ.

What makes this authenticity concrete is that most of these authors didn't know each other. They were all as the scripture says 'inspired by the spirit of God'. What separates Jesus from the rest of the spiritual leaders is that he claimed to be God. If you read about any of the other religious leaders of the past, present and future they all will at the most offer to 'enlighten' or 'lead' or 'show' you the truth. Jesus is the only one who said "I am the 'way' , the 'truth' and the 'life'. No one else has or will make that claim. My question to you is do you want the truth from a guy who will show you the 'truth' or do you want it from a guy who is the 'truth'? I think the answer is simple. On top of that Jesus prophesized his death, burial, and resurrection for all to hear. 2 of the 3 prophecies have been fulfilled and documented in our human history. I don't know about you, but Jesus is batting a 1000.

The fact that there are 'many' truths out there doesn't mean that the truth doesn't exist! Truth is not relative to your personal choice on how you want to live your life. Jesus gave us THE TRUTH and one size fits all. His truth works for the guy that lives in Africa just as well as it works for me living in the United States. What separates Jesus from other religious figures is that Jesus is the ONLY one who rose from the dead. Now many of you are saying that this is still a myth. If you read in the book of Matthew, Mark or John you will find that when Jesus was crucified armed guards were posted near his tomb to insure that the Jews couldn't come and steal his body and create a story that he rose from the dead. Secondly when he rose from the dead it was witnessed by over 500 people that he was alive and well. Thirdly Jesus overcame death and is the ONLY religious leader who has done so. The facts are there but the choice is yours.

Only you can decide for yourself that Jesus is the TRUTH or he is telling a lie about who he is. Still today people all around the world are having to step out of their traditions, religion, and culture to decide who Jesus is in their lives. Is he a prophet, teacher, crazy man or the Son of God who has come to save the world from sin. I urge you to make that decision for yourself. The facts are there and there is no denying them. Jesus doesn't require a pre-requisite of things that you must do before you become a Christian. Jesus says 'come as you are.' That's why we needed a savior. We can exhaust ourselves by our trivial attempts of trying to be good in God's eyes. The sacrifice has been made by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. That's the gift that God has given mankind. It's yours if you want it. Yes people will attempt to find other ways around it but all will fall short of it. There is no other way. Jesus is the way.

 

Article by Sgt. Roy Lewis