Legend, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

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Jesus Claimed to Be God (Mark 2:1-12; John 5:16-18) What are the Alternatives?
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Jesus never claimed to be God.

Jesus claimed to be God, but his claims were false.

Jesus claimed to be God, and his claims were true.

He never claimed to be God, because he never lived.

He lived, but he never claimed to be God

Jesus knew his claims were false.

Jesus did not know his claims were false.

Jesus embodied and revealed God in the flesh.

The followers of Jesus made him into a "larger than life" figure after his death. Jesus was not a historical figure. The Gospel writers' put these claims into the mouth of Jesus. He made a deliberate misrepresentation He was sincerely deluded.

He is LORD Two Alternatives

He was a LIAR

He was a LUNATIC

You can REJECT his Lordship Count the Consequences

You can ACCEPT his Lordship Count the Cost

He was a LEGEND

He was a fool because he was killed for claiming to be God

If Christianity is not true, the believer has lost nothing; but if Christianity is true, the unbeliever has lost everything.

This chart was inspired by C. S. Lewis, Josh M cDowell, and Jim Woodroof, and was creat ed by Ross Cochran, Harding University, College of Bible faculty, Searcy, AR. Revised Spring 1995.

Implications of Jesus being LORD: 1. We should trust him. 2. We should obey him. a. We need to study his life. b. We need to evaluate our lives.

Explanation of L,L,L,L? Diagram

1. The entire diagram flows out of the affirmation that Jesus claimed to be God. 2. In contemporary culture, many people would say, Jesus is a good man, but he wasnt God. But if Jesus is lying about his basic identity, then how good was he? 3. There are only three possibilities (the boxes at the top). The first two options each have two possible options also. Thus, all together there are five total possible responses to the affirmation that Jesus claimed to be God. 4. Each of the five contain something which makes the option either unlikely or implausible: Option He never claimed to be God, because he never lived. (LEGEND) Reason this is unlikely or implausible No serious student of history believes this. There are too many extra-biblical sources that affirm the existence of Jesus. Anyone who says Jesus never lived is simply ignorant of history. He lived, but he never claimed to His followers were willing to give their lives defending be God. His followers (and the the claim that Jesus was God-in-the-flesh. Many of Gospel writers) fabricated the them were martyred for this belief. Would someone idea that Jesus claimed to be give their life for something that wasnt true? Sure, it God. Some suggest that needed happens a lot. But would someone give their life for adequate impetus to start a something they knew wasnt true? Possible? Sure. revolution. (LEGEND) Likely? Hardly. He claimed to be God, but he The Gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified for wasnt, and he knew he wasnt. blasphemy (claiming to be God). How likely is it that (LIAR) Jesus would allow himself to be killed for something he knew wasnt true? He claimed to be God, but he Can a mentally deranged person gain the large following wasnt, but he did not know he that Jesus acquired? Do his teachings and his wasnt. (LUNATIC) interactions with people seem like the actions of a lunatic? He claimed to be God because The problem with this option is that if I admit that he was/is God. (LORD) Jesus is God, then following him will mean that I need to radically alter my life, and not many people are willing to undergo extensive transformation. Many want Jesus to be a good guy; even Savior. Few are willing for him to be Lord of their lives.
This explanation created by Ross Cochran, April 3, 2002