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archives: december 2011
the truth about jesus
by kat white
Recently a friend asked me “Who has been the most influential person in your life?” I paused for a moment of thought then gave the generic, yet true, answer of “My mum” And that question got me thinking, what makes an influential person? We are all influenced by people, we could probably all name at least one person who has had a significant impact on our lives; and the answers would widely range between family and friends to, artists and authors or even celebrities. But there is one person who has influenced the world we live in above all others- Jesus.
When the English writer H.G Wells was asked which person has left the most permanent impression on history he replied “I am a Historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocable the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history”.
The effect that Jesus has had on the human race in undeniable, in just 30 years he changed the world we live in. There have been many incredible and influential people who have lived but all of the philosophers, leaders, armies, parliaments, presidents or kings put together have not affected life on this earth as powerfully as that of Jesus Christ.
Yet despite the obvious influence Jesus has had on our society there is still debate as to who Jesus actually is. I expect most of us have ended up in conversations debating and discussing the different characteristics of Jesus, I expect most have heard people say “How can you know Jesus is the son of God? And not just a great man and teacher? How can you be sure he is both fully God and fully human?” Partly these questions are asked because they are hard to answer. But the uncertainty surrounding the topic of who Jesus is, is also a reflection of our culture and its values.
We live in a postmodern world, where each person has their own viewpoint or story. The statement “true for you but not for me” has become an accepted one. There is an underlying tone that certainty is unattainable and a suspicion towards absolute statements has risen. Therefore absolute statements about Jesus have been replaced with ideas that Jesus is whoever we personally want him to be. A designer Jesus has arrived, and it doesn’t matter if people’s views on who Jesus is, contradict each other.
Our postmodern world has set the stage for a 'pick and mix form of religion' mixing different elements from different religions and faiths to create a new form of spirituality; people begin taking the parts of Jesus they like and ignoring the rest.
Our postmodern world has set the stage for a ‘pick and mix form of religion’ mixing different elements from different religions and faiths to create a new form of spirituality; people begin taking the parts of Jesus they like and ignoring the rest. A 2005 Newsweek poll found eight in ten Americans do not believe any one faith is the sole path to salvation. Here in the UK Celebrities are openly displaying this. Kate Beckinsale describes herself as a Zen Christian, and Christian Bale has described himself as a Methodist Buddhist. There appears to be a direct correlation between what is happening in society and peoples beliefs; so does that mean that the answer to the question ‘who is Jesus’, will always be relative to who you are, where you live and your culture? Does this mean therefore that we as Christians can never be sure of who Jesus is?
I believe that we can be sure of who Jesus is. In John 14 v 6 Jesus says “I am the way the truth and the life”, the writer Paul Copan says that ‘Truth is true even if no one knows it, admits it, agrees with it, follows it, or even fully grasps it’.
Something is true even if people don’t believe in it. The earth has always been round, that is the truth. The earth didn’t stop being round just because people used to believe it was flat.
We can be sure of who Jesus is even if others aren’t, and it is the Holy Spirit who helps us to be sure. In Ephesians 1:17 we read about how the Holy Spirit comes to give wisdom and revelation. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us.
It can be extremely hard living in a world that says we can’t know anything for sure, so we need to keep holding on to the truth of Jesus, keep asking the holy spirit to reveal Jesus to us, keep reading the Gospels and return to the things Jesus said about himself. The more we do this, the more we will move away from inventing our own designer Jesus, and we will see that the answer to who is Jesus, is that he is everything he says he is. He is the visible image of the invisible God. He is no less than God incarnate. He is the good shepherd. He is radical, loving and he is unchanging. He is just as needed now in our postmodern world as he always has been. He is still and always will be the way the truth and the life.
about the writer
Kat is 19 and originally from Bournemouth. She's a Soul 61 graduate who is now helping out on the current Soul 61 course. She's likes to talk, dye her hair, eat KFC and drink vimto.
Soul Survivor is a Christian charity that puts on events for young people. Our registered charity no. is 1080720. We are also a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales. Our company registered number is 03991111, which is nice. Thanks for caring.
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