Further 5 · after the twelve weeks
Did Jesus claim to be God?
Is the divinity of Christ a later church invention?
The resurrection vindicates Jesus’ identity. Skeptics often say He never claimed that identity.
See it
Slide decks and infographics that belong with this page.
What the book puts on the table
- He forgives sins, claims lordship of the Sabbath, and receives worship.
- John 8:58’s ‘I am’ is not a slip of grammar. His hearers reach for stones.
- The early hymn in Philippians 2 is not a fourth-century council memo.
- Lewis’s trilemma is blunt on purpose: liar, lunatic, or Lord. ‘Nice teacher’ is the option the texts do not leave open.
Say this
The earliest church did not upgrade a rabbi. They announced that the man they had followed was the Lord they now worshiped — because He had walked out of the tomb.
If they say…
“Jesus never said the words ‘I am God.’”
He said it in the language of Israel’s Scriptures. His friends and enemies both heard the claim.
Scripture
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
After this week
Tonight · about an hour
Host this session
Open · 5 min
Read the question out loud: “Is the divinity of Christ a later church invention?” No speeches yet.
Look · 15 min
One person reads the thesis and the points. Everyone else watches for the sentence they do not yet believe.
Talk · 25 min
- He forgives sins, claims lordship of the Sabbath, and receives worship.
- John 8:58’s ‘I am’ is not a slip of grammar. His hearers reach for stones.
- The early hymn in Philippians 2 is not a fourth-century council memo.
Speak · 10 min
Use the line in “Say this” above. Once as written. Once in your own mouth.
Send · 5 min
Each person names one conversation this week where they will try a question instead of a speech.