Cliffe Knechtle shows how Jesus is God

Reflection

Was Jesus just a good teacher, or was He something far more? In this clip, Cliffe Knechtle points to what the Bible itself says about who Jesus is. The claim that Jesus is God isn't something later believers invented. It runs right through the New Testament, often in the very words of those who walked with Him. John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. John 1:14 — The Word became human (Jesus) and lived among us. In John 20:28, Jesus was called "my Lord and my GOD." Hebrews 1:8-12 — God the Father refers to the Son (Jesus) as God. Matthew 1:22-23 — "Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, saying, 'A virgin shall be with child, and will bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is interpreted, 'GOD WITH US.'" These verses show that from the very first pages of the New Testament, Jesus is presented not merely as a moral guide, but as God entering human history. Immanuel, God with us, isn't a metaphor. It's the claim at the heart of the Christian faith, and it's the claim each of us has to weigh for ourselves.

Questions to sit with

• If Jesus is God, what would that mean for how you live your daily life?
• Where did you get the idea that Jesus was only a good teacher, and have you weighed what the earliest accounts actually say?
• What would change if you took the name Immanuel, 'God with us', as literally true?

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