Why Jesus is lord
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[edit] Introductory Note
Jesus of Nazareth (c 4 BC/BCE – c 30 AD/CE), also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ, is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. His lineage according to the Gospel of Matthew is of the Tribe of Judah in the nation of Israel and includes King David. His Hebrew-Aramaic name, Yeshua, means 'Yahweh saves,' and Christians view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. However, Judaism rejects these claims. Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah, while several other religions revere him in some way.
The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels, though some scholars argue that other texts (such as the Gospel of Thomas) are as relevant as the canonical gospels to the historical Jesus. Most critical scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life, agreeing that he was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. They also generally accept that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire. Aside from these few conclusions, academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation. Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah, as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.
Christian views of Jesus (see also Christology) center on the belief that Jesus is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. Christians predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity), who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins. Other Christian beliefs include Jesus' virgin birth, performance of miracles, ascension into Heaven, and a future Second Coming. While the doctrine of the Trinity is widely accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject as non-scriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity.
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[edit] Reason
Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God; a Savior for all people who choose to believe in Him. The fact that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah is not unique in history. Many people have claimed to be sent by God throughout history. Acts 5:36 references a man named Theudas who claimed to be: "somebody" that people followed. Others include, Mohammed. The life and coming of Jesus was predicted hundreds of years before He was born in the book of Isaiah. He fulfilled this prophecy and many others written before His birth to the Virgin Mary. Jesus had many unique qualities that the others who claimed to be the messiah could not match; Jesus Christ overcame death on the cross and was resurrected to be with His Father in heaven. Further examples of why Jesus is Lord include, His ability to overcome temptation living a sinless and perfect life along with His abilities to perform documented miracles in the name of God.
As one of the most popular Bible verses, John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
As Colossians 1:15 says, "He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." Jesus provides eternal hope, through God's grace, for everyone who believes He is Lord.
God loves the world and all He has created. However, people have chosen to separate from God through our sins. Jesus provides the bridge for us to receive God's grace of forgiveness for our sins and fulfill the hope of eternal life. This was the purpose of Jesus Christ and why Jesus is Lord. God sent Jesus to earth over 2000 years ago to set the example of how God desires everyone to live while on earth. He completed His purpose by willingly being crucified so God could be glorified through His resurrection. He lived His life while here on earth in perfect obedience to God regardless of the pain and suffering it entailed which included beatings, humiliation, doubt, ridicule, and finally ultimate execution with His limbs pierced and pinned to a cross.
Jesus led a life that was completely obedient to God; something we cannot do regardless how hard we try through our will power or by the level of wisdom we possess. Everyone has sinned except Christ; He was perfect in love. This is only something God can be. Jesus performed over 23 documented and witnessed miracles over nature, overcoming death and powers of healing that have never been matched or done in the history of the world. Jesus had powers that only God could possess. He had the ability to predict the future as indicated in the book of Mark, verse 14:72 and the book of Matthew, verse 16:18. Jesus honored God throughout every event in His life. He was humble and gentle mirroring God's Spirit. This is further proof why Jesus is Lord. There is no other faith in the world that can provide the evidence that Jesus is the Lord. Jesus still lives in heaven at the right hand of God. We cannot see Him, but must rely on the documented facts and His message of salvation for all who believe in Him. When choose to place our faith in Jesus Christ and trust God, He has promised to secure a place in heaven for each of us.
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- Scholars conclude that Jesus was born 7–2 BC/BCE and died 26–36 AD/CE. The Gospel of Matthew places Jesus' birth under the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC/BCE, and the Gospel of Luke describes the birth as taking place during the first census of the Roman provinces of Syria and Iudaea in 6 AD/CE. Scholars generally assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC/BCE.
- During the fourth century the birth of Jesus came to be celebrated on December 25, the same day ascribed to the birth of Mithras. Mithras, from the Persian god Mithra thousands of years prior, when a calendar very different from the Roman calendar was in use, was adopted by Roman soldiers in the first century AD/CE, Latinized as "Mithras". Since the thirteenth century, the celebration of Christmas ("Christ's Mass") has become an important Christian tradition. The common Western standard for numbering years, in which the current year is 2009, is based on an early medieval attempt to count the years from Jesus' birth.
- The Gospels, Josephus, and Tacitus name Pontius Pilate as the Roman prefect who had Jesus crucified, and Pilate was prefect of Judea between 26 and 36 AD/CE. Jesus' ministry followed that of John the Baptist, whose ministry is said to have begun "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar", which would be about 28 or 29 AD/CE. Jesus' ministry lasted around one year, according to the Synoptic Gospels, or three years according to the Gospel of John. Thus, the earliest generally-accepted date for the crucifixion is 29 AD/CE, and the latest is 36 AD/CE. Most Christians commemorate Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday and celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
- According to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. In Luke, the angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her that she was chosen to bear the Son of God. An order of Caesar Augustus had forced Mary and Joseph to leave their homes in Nazareth and come to the home of Joseph's ancestors, the house of David, for the Census of Quirinius. After Jesus' birth, the couple was forced to use a manger in place of a crib because of a shortage of accommodation. An angel announced Jesus' birth to shepherds who left their flocks to see the newborn child and who subsequently publicized what they had witnessed throughout the area.
- According to the Synoptics, Jesus came with his followers to Jerusalem during the Passover festival where a large crowd came to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" Following his triumphal entry, Jesus created a disturbance at Herod's Temple by overturning the tables of the moneychangers who set up shop there, and claiming that they had made the Temple a "den of robbers". Later that week, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples—an event subsequently known as the Last Supper — in which he prophesied that he would be betrayed by one of his disciples, and would then be executed. In this ritual he took bread and wine in hand, saying: "this is my body which is given for you" and "this cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood", and instructed them to "do this in remembrance of me. Following the supper, Jesus and his disciples went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- In Mark and Matthew, Jesus is anguished in the face of his fate. He prays and accepts God's will, but his chosen disciples repeatedly fall asleep on the watch. In Luke, Jesus prays briefly at the Mount of Olives, and his disciples fall asleep out of grief.
