The real Jesus

(Posted on behalf of Steve Hays.)

Ed Komoszewski has coauthored a new book defending the deity of Christ, entitled Putting Jesus in His Place.

For more information, go to Deity of Christ.

This is a sequel to the book he coauthored a year ago, entitled Reinventing Jesus. [See also Steve's review of the same. -- Ed.]

There’s a reason that Christianity is called Christianity. Christianity is Christocentric. It rises or falls on the person and work of Jesus.

Why do we need another book on Jesus, and what does this book have to offer? Jesus is a person whom everyone must comes to terms with sooner or later. Everyone will have to confront him at one time or another, whether in this life or on the day of judgment.

There are various ways in which unbelievers try to justify their disbelief in Jesus. One of the most popular ways is to redefine Jesus. To substitute a different Jesus for the Jesus of the Bible. There’s the Muslim Jesus, Mormon Jesus, Pinko Jesus, Docetic Jesus, Arian Jesus, hippy Jesus, homey Jesus, Green Jesus, Gnostic Jesus, vegan Jesus, guru Jesus, girlie-man Jesus, outerspace Jesus, and so on and so forth.

In the name of tolerance and diversity, we are witnessing a rising intolerance of Christianity in the West. We are told that Christianity is dangerous because “fundamentalism” is dangerous. We are told that God Incarnate is a myth because, if true, unbelievers would feel offended and excluded.

Why does it matter who Jesus really is? Well, it matters for several reasons. It matters because truth matters.

And why does truth matter? Because truth is reality, and—like it or not—we all must live in the real world. To deny reality doesn’t exempt you from reality. And reality is very unyielding. It doesn’t turn into a fluffy pillow to soften your fantasies. A man who’s high on acid may think he can fly, but his sincerely held delusion will do nothing to cushion the fall when he lands on the pavement 40 stories below.

Moreover, some truths are more important than others. Some errors are trivial, even harmless. But to be wrong about Jesus is literally a fate worse than death. You could be right about everything else, but if you’re wrong about this one thing, then, in the long run, it matters not what else you believe.

Or, to turn this around, you could be wrong about many things, but if you’re right about Jesus, then, in the long run, that will correct everything else. A man may win the lotto. He may go in a poor man, and exit the 7-11 a rich man. His imagination may be full of fancy houses and cars. But if, in his absented-mindedness, he steps in front of an oncoming bus, his winning ticket can’t save him from a rude encounter with unrelenting reality. A cadaver with a winning ticket in its clenched fist is still a cadaver. And you can be a big winner in this life, but a big loser in the afterlife.

Bob Bowman and Ed Komoszewski have authored a book for the layman. It is written and formatted in a user-friendly style. You don’t have to be a scholar to read it.

At the same time, their book engages, distills, and renders accessible the latest and the best in Biblical scholarship. They introduce the reader to the real Jesus. And they distinguish the real Jesus from the many impersonators.