The Question: Is Jesus Satanic, or from God? (Luke 11:14-23)
As Jesus continues to perform miracles, and defeat demonic forces, questions arose. Who is Jesus? Some saw Him as a force for good from God, but others suggested that He might be using the powers of darkness. (The other gospels say it is the religious leaders raising doubts. Luke does not specify.) Jesus Himself provides an answer. Does it make logical sense that Satan would actively fight against himself? If Jesus is defeating the powers of darkness, it makes little sense that He would be on the side of darkness.
This argument is later taken up by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity when he proposes that Jesus must either be a liar, lunatic, or who He claimed to be. There is no other alternative. He was either truly God, or out of touch with reality. This is the argument that comes down to us today. We either accept Jesus was God, or we claim He and His followers were evil. There is no logical ground for claiming Jesus was just a positive influence.
Some today claim to hold the intellectual superior position by doubting the existence of God, or the claims of Jesus. This is not the intellectually honest approach. To doubt God and Jesus is not more intelligent. It is simple desire to go one’s own way.
Pascal’s famous wager is about this reality. It is not a proof for the existence of God to calculate that the safest bet is to acknowledge God “just in case He is real.” However, it is a clear demonstration that people who do not believe do so out of a desire to go their own way rather than follow the most logical option.
Confronted with the historical reality of Jesus of Nazareth, we must make a choice. Is He who He claimed to be, and if not, how did He do the things He did?
This argument is later taken up by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity when he proposes that Jesus must either be a liar, lunatic, or who He claimed to be. There is no other alternative. He was either truly God, or out of touch with reality. This is the argument that comes down to us today. We either accept Jesus was God, or we claim He and His followers were evil. There is no logical ground for claiming Jesus was just a positive influence.
Some today claim to hold the intellectual superior position by doubting the existence of God, or the claims of Jesus. This is not the intellectually honest approach. To doubt God and Jesus is not more intelligent. It is simple desire to go one’s own way.
Pascal’s famous wager is about this reality. It is not a proof for the existence of God to calculate that the safest bet is to acknowledge God “just in case He is real.” However, it is a clear demonstration that people who do not believe do so out of a desire to go their own way rather than follow the most logical option.
Confronted with the historical reality of Jesus of Nazareth, we must make a choice. Is He who He claimed to be, and if not, how did He do the things He did?
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