Alpha Course, Who Is Jesus?

Tonight we dive into the meat of the Alpha Course with the first real lesson, "Who Is Jesus?" This is a key foundational piece to our faith. After all, what sets Christianity apart from other world religions is the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Some may not realize this, but Muslims and Jews acknowledge that Jesus lived and taught, they just don't believe him to be the son of God. The same goes for many Deistic Humanists — those that believe the in the inherent goodness of man and leave room for God. Nicky actually talks about author Dan Brown, who wrote "The Da Vinci Code," and fits into that category. One of the reasons I find that film fascinating is that, within it, you get a 15 minute argument against the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Of course, as Christians, we take this to be a fact on faith. Nicky does a great job of talking about evidence, but noting that those that require tangible proof will never be satisfied by what they find. That's where faith comes in. Hebrews 11:1 puts it this way, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

But that doesn't mean there isn't evidence, both within the New Testament and in historical writings, that Jesus lived, conducted ministry, and was the Son of God. Nicky outlines some of the evidence and arguments throughout the session. The full list is available on the outline (published on the blog yesterday), including relevant Scripture.

One of the quotes used in the session comes from C.S. Lewis, and I think it's fitting. Like Nicky, C.S. Lewis was an atheist who came to accept the Gospel as true. He said of the debate regarding Jesus' divinity, “however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”

That is the conclusion that Nicky arrived at after studying the New Testament, and the conclusion all Christians arrive at as well.