Many people believe that Jesus Christ was a good man, or maybe even a prophet sent from God. Yet, while He was here, Jesus made many claims concerning His identity. If these claims were false, how could he be considered a good man, or even one of the prophets? Good men and prophets do not lie! What claims did He make while He was here? Did He prove them to be true? You be the judge of the validity of His claims.

He claimed to be known by God. "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." {John 10:15} "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me." {John 17:25}

He claimed He came from God. "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." {John 3:13} "...If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me." {John 8:42}

He claimed to have seen God. "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father." {John 6:46} In Exodus 19:21, we read that no man can see God and live -- but Jesus said He had seen Him!

He claimed to reveal God to men. "Then Jesus cried out and said, He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me." {John 12:44,45} Jesus told Philip the same thing when he asked to see the Father. (John 14:7-9) How could He be a good man if He lied about revealing the Father to men?

He claimed to be equal with God. "That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." {John 5:23} "Then he said, Lord, I believe! And he worshiped Him." {John 9:38} Who, other than God, can accept and receive worship? Surely, if He falsely accepted worship, we would not consider Him good.

He claimed to do the works of God. "...My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." {John 4:34} "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son." {John 5:21,22} He told men that the Father worked through Him!

He claimed to have the attributes of God. Eternal-- "...Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." {John 8:58} Omnipotent-- "These things He said, and after that He said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." {John 11:11} Omniscient-- "...Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." {John 4:16-18} Omnipresent-- "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I." {John 14:28} Do men possess these attributes? How can one with such abilities be considered only a man? Did He have to use them all to support His claims?

What do you think, dear reader; did He, by the life He lived here on earth, support His claims? Each person must examine, and arrive at some conclusion concerning the claims made by the one named Jesus. He was a fraud, a liar, a lunatic; or He is Lord! I believe He was (and is) my Lord!