In chapter 20, The Claims, Credentials and Achievements of Jesus Christ, Groothuis proposes to focus on the story of Jesus and his unique and unparalleled identity as revealed in the New Testament as a whole.
The Virginal Conception and Birth of Jesus
Jesus virgin birth is unique. John Frame: “There is no clear parallel to the notion of a virgin birth in pagan literature, only of births resulting from intercourse between God and a woman (of which there is no suggestion in Matthew and Luke), resulting in a being half-divine, half-human (which is far different from biblical Christology)” (The Virgin Birth, in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 1145).
Christhood in a Manger
Luke summarizes the time between Jesus’ circumcision and this twelfth year by saying, “The child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him: (Luke 2:40). The rest of Jesus’ youth and early manhood are summed up with one sentence: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (2:52). Some have erroneously claimed that Jesus traveled to the East during “the lost years” between about twelve and thirty. There is no evidence for this, and it is not seriously considered by scholars. Nevertheless, it is popular in New Age circles.
Jesus in the Public’s Eye
Jesus was a spiritual liberator of those ensnared in the formidable powers of darkness, especially through his exorcisms and his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.
Jesus: Master Teacher
Eminent historian Paul Johnson: He was a civilized, cultured, educated man who chose his words with great care and precision, with delicacy, accuracy, and tact---all indications of wide reading in secular as well as religious literature. My belief is that he was familiar with Latin and Greek, as well as his native Aramaic and the Hebrew he spoke and read as an educated observant Jew (Jesus: A Biography from a Believer, p. 62).
Jesus’ Basic Worldview
First, Jesus’ worldview of God. Jesus intimated the notion of one God as triune when he authorized his disciples to baptize in the name (singular) of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
Next, Jesus’ worldview of Humanity. While divinely created, humans are poisoned and plagued by the evil in their hearts (Mark 7:21-22).
Finally, Jesus’ worldview of Ethics. Not only should we not externally murder, we should not internally assassinate another though anger and defamation (Matthew 5:21-26).
Jesus: Miracle Worker
Jesus healed not only functional problems (in which organism is intact but dysfunctional), but deep organic maladies involving physical degeneration, such as blindness (Luke 18:35-43).
Jesus: Master Exorcist
Demonic activity continues to this day, and followers of Christ around the world and throughout history have invoked the authority of Jesus to free captives from demonic bondage.
The Compassion of Jesus
He loved both the down and out (prostitutes) and the up and out (tax collectors). Dorothy Sayers said this about Jesus’ relationship with women: He “never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female” (Are Women Human? p. 47).
Jesus: A Man of Authority
Jesus exercised prerogatives that only God could exercise. He forgave sins (Mark 2:1-12: Luke 7:48-50). He referred to his “sitting on his throne” (Matthew 25:31-32). He referred to “his angels.”
The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ
The uniqueness of Jesus is heard in his exclusive use of “verily, verily” to preface important statements. His claim to be “the Son” (Matthew 11:27) not “a son.” When he claimed to have existed before Abraham, the Pharisees took up stones to kill him (John 8:53). Jesus received worship. Faithful Jews worshiped God alone, as God had commanded in Exodus 20:1-3. He received worship from his disciples (Matthew 14:33) and by the women in Matthew 28:1, 9 and the eleven disciples (Matthew 28:17).
Jesus The Christ
Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. He claimed to be the Messiah to the Samaritan woman in John 4:25-26.
The Death of Christ
Without his death, the ministry of Jesus is meaningless. Throughout the Bible death is required for life: Genesis 3:15; Adam and Eve clothed with animal skins; Genesis 22; Isaiah 53. Jesus’ sense of his impending death harmonizes with his sense of mission: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Other Testimony to Jesus
Among the other testimonies to whom Jesus was is John in John 1:1-5: 1 John 1:1 and Peter in Acts 4:12; and Paul in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 and the writer of Hebrews in 1:1-3.
Jesus and Other Religious Leaders
Groothuis will compare Jesus to other religious leaders classified as sages, avatars, and prophets.
Sages, Not Saviors
The following religious leaders and founders of different religions never claimed to be the god: Siddhartha Gautama (563-479 B.C.) who became “the Buddha” never claimed to be divine. Lao-Tze (sixth century B.C.) is the founding sage of Taoism. His historicity is disputed. Mahavira (599-527 B.C.) founder of Jainism, again did not claim to be a savior. Confucius (551-479 B.C.) was an ethical sage not a go-between.
Avatars, Not Incarnation
Hinduism teaches that the God Vishnu appeared on earth ten times in the form of avatars who was not considered a personal manifestation of a personal God.
Prophets, Not Messiahs
For Judaism, Moses was a leading figure and prophet. But Moses prophesied that a greater prophet would come and that prophet was Jesus (Acts 3:17-23). Nor did Zoroaster or Muhammad nor Bahaullah of Baha’i faith claim deity.
Jesus: One of a Kind
The best account of the historical fact is that he was who he said he was. If this is so, we should respond to him on his terms.
Jesus and the Authority of the Bible
If he is indeed the miracle-working master teacher and philosopher, who made incomparable claims about his divine mission and backed them up by his impeccable and incomparable life, death, resurrection and ascension, the we can trust his assessment of the sacred Scripture of his day.
The canon of the New Testament was determined by its adherence to the coherent and ancient teachings of the apostles of Jesus Christ. The books selected as part of the biblical canon were not chosen for partisan or political reasons but ultimately because of their anchorage in the peerless person of Jesus Christ himself. This is illustrated by Jesus’ choice and authorization of the apostles as his unique representatives in the world.
1. The New Testament is historically reliable.
2. The New Testament accredits Jesus as one with unsurpassable authority.
3. Jesus endorses the divine inspiration of the Hebrew Bible and anticipates the divine inspiration of the New Testament through his authorization of the Apostles, whose teachings inform and ratify the entire New Testament.
4. Therefore, based on Jesus’ authority, we can accept the divine inspiration of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.