“Does God exist”?

 On the contrary, many people have questioned whether Jesus Christ exists or not. It is generally accepted that Jesus came as a man to this earthly Israel about 2000 years ago. The controversy begins when the identity of Jesus is discussed. Almost all religions teach that Jesus was a prophet or a good teacher or a man of God. The problem is, the Bible tells us that Jesus was more than just a prophet, a good teacher, or a man of God.C.S. Lewis wrote the following in his book Mere Christianity: “I am trying to stop any people from saying the real stupid thing about [Jesus Christ]: I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I do not believe that He is God. I do not accept the claim that I am”. That is one thing we cannot say. A man who was only a man and what Jesus said could not be said by a great moral teacher. He was either a mad speaker—on the level that would say he was a half-baked egg—or perhaps he was the Devil of Hell. You make your choice. Perhaps the person who was, and is, the Son of God, or some foolish man or some wicked man. You can silence him for his stupidity, you can spit on him or you can kill him as a devil; Or you can call him Lord and God at his feet. But now let’s not support any nonsense about him being a great teacher of humanity. He has not left us that open option. He didn’t even intend anything about it.So, who does Jesus claim to be? What does the Bible say about him? First, look at Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one”. At first glance, it does not appear that he is the one who claims to be God. However, look at the reaction of the Jews to his statement, “‘For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God'” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ claim to be God. Jesus never corrected what the Jew said in the following verses, “I do not claim to be God.” This indicates that Jesus truly declared that he was God, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another example: Already, ‘I’m leaving!’” Again, in response, The Jews try to pick up stones and hit him (John 8:59). Jesus declaring his identity “I am” is a direct appeal to the name of God that belongs to the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14). Why did the Jews want to stone Jesus again if He had not said something that they believed was blasphemy against God, namely, the claim that I am God?John 1:1 says, “The Word was God”. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh”. This clearly indicates that Jesus is God incarnate. Thomas the disciple of Jesus said to Jesus plainly, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus did not correct him. The apostle Paul describes him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The apostle Simon Peter says the same, “…our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). God the Father testifies to the full identity of Jesus Christ, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever, and righteousness will be the crown of your kingdom.’” Old Testament prophecies proclaim Jesus’ divinity, “For us a Son is born. It has been, our firstborn son has been given, And the government will be on his shoulders. And he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).So when, as C.S. Lewis argued, it is not an option to believe that Jesus is a good teacher. Jesus claimed to be God in a clear and undeniable way. If he is not God, then he is a liar, and therefore he is not a prophet, a good teacher, or a man of God. In trying to interpret the words of Jesus, modern “scholars” claim that the “historical Jesus” did not say many of the things he said in the Bible. Who are we to argue with God’s Word about what Jesus did or did not do? How can a scholar who came 2000 years after Jesus and how can he have a better insight than those who were with Jesus, who themselves received the teachings of Jesus, how can they say what Jesus said or did not say (John 14:26)?Why is the question of the true identity of Jesus so important? Why Jesus is God or not is an important reason? The most important reason that Jesus is God is that if he was not God, his death would not have paid the price for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God can pay the price of true eternal punishment (Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Because Jesus was God, He could pay the price of our debt. Jesus became a man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. The divinity of Jesus is that he is the only way of salvation. This is the divinity of Jesus, that is why he made this deception, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).