"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." John 1:1-4

Few people find fault with Jesus. It is commonly expressed, -"If only Christians could be more like Christ." Jesus is regarded as one of the greatest of all teachers - even among the many who do not accept Him as the Son of God. Islam teaches that Jesus was a great Prophet and honors Him as such, but rejects the notion that He was the Son of God. Some Bible scholars hold the thought that Jesus never taught that He was the Son of God but that this idea came into the Church much later. This is however, contrary to the Scriptures which plainly proclaim Jesus to be God.

Our text reveals that Jesus was the Word and that the Word was with God and was God. That is to say, that the Son was God and was with Father God from all eternity. We also see that John is saying that Jesus created all things. The books of Hebrews and Colossians also express this truth, -"In these last days God has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." (Heb.1) "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth." (Col.1) Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus had been equal with the Father in eternity but chose to empty Himself to become a man in order to save us and ultimately bring us to the Father.

In John 16 Jesus told His disciples that He had come into the world from the Father and would be leaving the world to return to the Father. In Chapter 17 Jesus prayed, -"I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was." There is also the case when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the Apostle Thomas who had doubted - when Thomas saw the Lord he fell to his knees and cried, -"My Lord and my God!"

Jesus was either who He and His disciples said He was, or He was a lunatic suffering from grandiose delusions.

 Jesus cannot be received as a "wonderful teacher" or "great Prophet" if His claims were wrong.

It is blasphemy to claim to be God if you are a mere man.

 The New Testament writing were composed during the lifetime of many who saw and heard Him and who witnessed His miracles - these exalted claims were not added later. To add to the argument, consider that the very reason that the Apostles gave themselves up to suffer martyrs deaths was their steadfast faith in the resurrection of Jesus.

 The life, words and actions of Jesus forces every person to accept or reject Him for who He claimed to be. There is no middle ground in this debate. Jesus is both God and man who is the only Lord and Savior of the world, or He is a delusional lunatic or even worse, a liar and a deceiver. As for me, He is my Lord and Savior and soon-coming Bridegroom.