Becoming convinced that there is a Creator God was not a problem for me intellectually.  It makes more sense and takes less faith than believing the universe came from some sort of cosmic chance.

However, I needed to question and search more to become convinced about Jesus.  I went through a time of doubt during my college years where I asked, “How do I know that Jesus really is God?”  Here is some of the convincing evidence I found…

• He very clearly claimed to be God.  As I read through the book of John, I saw how clear this is. For starters, He claimed to be “one with the Father,” the “I AM,” “the resurrection and the life,” “the only way to the Father,” and able to forgive sin and give eternal life (which are things which only God can do)… I have a more detailed list with Bible references if you’re interested in seeing it…

The Jewish audience who heard these claims fully understood that He was claiming to be God.  The public flooded to Him in large numbers — especially those seeking forgiveness and healing.  He did not disappoint.

However, His claims to deity infuriated many of the religious leaders.  They thought of themselves as already righteous and didn’t see their great need for forgiveness and healing.  They hated that Jesus confronted them about all the additional “religious” laws they had created… and that He called their authority into question.  He also criticized their empty religious lives and hearts, calling them hypocrites (see Matthew 23).  They didn’t like that… so each time He claimed to be God, they sought, and eventually did, kill Him.

Because Jesus claimed to be God, I realized I was left with believing one of three options.  He is either (1) an outright liar who set out to deceive others with His claims, or (2) a deluded, crazy man who really believed He was God even though He was not, or (3) actually God.  Also, I had to wonder, would He have been willing to die for a lie?

• His miracles give evidence of His power as God – For example, creating something out of nothing (there is nothing you can add to water to make it wine. He created it.), healing a lame man’s atrophied legs, healing eyes blind from birth, and restoring life to the dead.

• He rose from the dead. For me, this was indispensable. He died in front of many eyewitnesses. The soldier even stuck a spear in His side to make sure He was dead. He was buried, and extra measures were taken to keep His disciples from stealing His body — the guards around his grave and the large stone. And then 3 days later the stone rolled away when He rose from the dead.  He was seen again by many, many eyewitnesses. That’s historical, and really not debatable. No other “god” has even claimed to do this.

• Changed Lives.   I saw this in the lives of Jesus’ disciples – especially Peter since so much is written about Him. He was fearful and wavering. But then at Pentecost (Acts 2) when the Spirit came as Jesus promised, he became incredibly bold in his preaching and in his stand against Jewish leaders and Roman officials – even when his life was at stake.   He, like many other followers of Jesus, eventually did give up his life for his belief in Christ.

And of course, the message of Jesus has continued to change lives throughout all of history. It still does today in those who truly believe!

Coming Soon: Convinced that the Bible is True.