Whether Jesus Is a God or Not - Essay Example

?Introduction Jesus Christ is considered as one of the most influential personalities in world for his overall influence on the way world is shaped now. A closer look at the history of Christianity would suggests that one of the dominating themes of Christianity is concerned with whether Jesus is a God or claimed himself to be God. There are different Biblical references which clearly and directly establish Jesus as God. Many argue that Jesus himself did not claimed to be God however, Church made him into God. However, there are certain references within Bible suggesting that Jesus declared himself as the son of God. This paper will therefore discuss the critical aspect of whether Jesus is a God or not? Another important question regarding the Jesus is his return and the second coming. Historical records will be presented and discussed to argue that second coming can be expected with certain degree of surety however, there are certain conditions which need to be met before second coming of Jesus can become a reality. This paper will attempt to discuss as to how much sure we can be regarding the return of Jesus besides discussing as to how a Christian should lead a life. Since every religion outlines important and necessary conditions to be followed to live a religious life therefore this paper will also argue as to how much it will matter for a Christian to live a life. Jesus as God One of the key debates in the Christianity is whether the Jesus is a God or claimed to be God. In order to discuss this proposition, it is important to discuss some of the Biblical references to outline the position as per religious scripture of Christianity. There are also other references in the Bible wherein Jesus even forgave the sins thus giving the impression that he was exercising the powers of God. There are three important incidents or references where Christ has clearly declared himself as the son of God. According to Jewish interpretation of that time, it was equivalent to claiming oneself with the God thus giving the impression that he was God and exercised the powers which are attributed to the God. (Harrison). In John 10:36 Jesus declared that he has been punished for blasphemy because he said I am the Son of God. The very concept of Trinity in Christianity is literally based upon the concepts that there are three persons in one God. As such Jesus as the son of God therefore impliedly suggests that Jesus is God and also performed acts in his own name which can be attributed to God. For example, he cured sick and raised the dead apart from showing other miracles all of which were done in his own name. Such actions therefore suggest that Jesus and God is same thing. It is however, important to understand that Christianity as a religion started in Jews and remained a Jewish religion for considerable period of time. It is important to understand that it is generally believed that among all religions, Jews were less likely to construct an image of God as represented by Jesus. Judaism was the first monotheist religion and the foundations of the new religion were also based on same principles therefore it was unlikely that Jesus was God himself. (Ball and Johnsson). The cruxification of Jesus was also mainly due to the fact that he declared himself as God which typically was in conflict with the Judiaism therefore Jews tried him for blasphemy. How can we be confident that Jesus is returning? There are clear Biblical references regarding the return of the Jesus as Bible, at various places, has mentioned Jesus as confirming his return. Gospel of Mathew provides references to different instances or the conditions which will happen when Jesus will actually return and make his second coming. Revelation 17 actually predicts the return of the Jesus and refers to the second coming of the Jesus therefore not only the Christian beliefs suggest that Jesus will return. (Gonzalez) There are however, references to the two different and distinct concepts about Jesus i.e. the one Jesus is the physical entity whereas the second Jesus is cosmic Christ therefore there is a clear distinction. According to this set of beliefs, the return will be of the cosmic Christ and not of the Physical or Man Christ. This line of thinking though is considered as esoteric in nature but it provides a direct interpretation of how Jesus might return to the earth from heaven. It is important to note that there some conditions outlined within religious scriptures for the return of Jesus. These conditions are various and are relatively temporal in nature as they will take place after a certain period of time and will signify the end of time and world. Judging these signs however, may not be entirely possible and therefore the overall degree with which second coming of Jesus can be confirmed may be a skeptical guess. If a person is Christian, does it matter how they live their life? Christianity, as religion, provides a different and complete code of life and ethics and demands its adherents to practice and follow these rules and practices. The religious conditions outlined in the scriptures as well as the life of Jesus himself therefore requires Christians to follow a certain course of action to live a life. This is also important in the sense that if a Christian does not follow what is prescribed under the religion, he or she will be like all others who either are not followers of the religion or live their life in ways which are different from the religious values. (Lucado) It is also important to note that the exact and perfect following of the Christian code of life may depends upon the relative degree of a person’s devotion and adherence to the religious principles. There are certain thresholds levels which are observed by all however, following the strict code of life may depend upon the person’s level of adherence to the religious values of the Christianity. For example, Christian values suggest living with love and being compassionate to others however, this may not be followed exactly by the followers as human emotions may become more dominant than the religious values of a person. It is therefore relative however, being a Christian one needs to follow a certain code of life. Conclusion Different Biblical traditions suggest that Jesus did claimed to be God or acted as if he was executing God like attributes. There are different verses in Bible which suggest that Jesus declared himself as God or son of God thus attributing him with the characteristics which are considered as Godly. However, there are certain beliefs which suggest that Jesus may not have claimed himself God considering the overall message of the religion. Similarly, the second coming of Jesus has been confirmed under the Christian traditions however, there are certain conditions outlined which needs to be met before Jesus will reappear. It is critical to note that every religion requires its followers to follow a defined set of values and codes. For a Christian, it is therefore critically important he or she must follow the scriptures and detailed code of life as defined in the religion Bibliography Ball, Bryan and William Johnsson. The Essential Jesus. New York: Pacific Press, 2002. Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, . New York : Harper Collins Publishers, 1984. Harrison, Jeffrey J. Did Jesus Claim to be God? 2007. 20 September 2011 . Lucado, Max. The Applause of Heaven. New York: Thomas Nelson , 2008. Read More