Jesus Without Religion: The No Nonsense Truth About Jesus
It seems to me that the mention of "Jesus" is a common occurrence in our society today. I think it is safe to say that I hear someone speak this name at least once a day, although the circumstances vary greatly. Jesus comes up in discussions about politics, science, and history, among a myriad of other topics. The utterance of his name occurs in a frustrating moment for some, an intellectual exchange for others, and as part of an act of worship for those who follow him. For a man who died over 2,000 years ago, Jesus carries a significant amount of clout. Based on this, it seems reasonable to take a moment to pause and consider exactly who he was, what he said, and why it matters.
As a foundation for this exploration, it’s important to determine that there is indeed scholarly evidence for Jesus. One factor in determining the validity of historical texts lies in the number of ancient manuscripts, or copies of the original, that exist. Naturally, the more manuscripts there are, and the closer the manuscripts were copied after the writing of the original, the more accurate the text is. There are currently 24,970 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament of the Bible. The earliest whole copy was written 225-250 years from the completion of the original. The next contender concerning validity determined by manuscript authority is Homer’s The Iliad, for which there exists 643 copies with a 400 year gap since the completion of the original.Yes, the Bible is a verifiable source, and what it says about Jesus is worth contemplating.
So what exactly did Jesus say? Reading the four gospels in the New Testament, or biographies about the life of Jesus, and compiling them, allows us to determine that Jesus’s main message was this: "Even the best natured humans are separated from God. We all need a mediator. I’m God’s son, and he sent me to act as his mediator, so that you can have a right relationship with God." Jesus traveled around healing people, driving out demons, even raising people from the dead. These miraculous acts authenticated his power to forgive sins, which he often claimed to do. As God, Jesus retains this power and can forgive our sins still today.
Part of me wants to write on and tell you about how Jesus’s claim to be God is valid based on logic, or how he fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah?the probability of which is mind blowing. However, somehow I feel like it’s more important for you to know how real and alive Jesus is to me, even 2,000 years after his death. About eight years ago I made a decision to believe what Jesus said about himself and to ask him to come into my life and to bridge the gap between me and God, to forgive my sins. Since then, I have truly been transformed by him. My heart has been changed. I desire things that God desires, and am able to see outside myself. I continue to make mistakes, but I have the confidence that my sins have been forgiven. This knowledge spurs me on to live like Christ, and to show others who he is.
Before I end, I want to take a moment to commiserate about how religion and hypocrisy have clouded the truth about Jesus. I am fully aware of the fact that religious traditions are often muddled with biblical truth, and that people claiming to be Christians sometimes live lives that I’m quite sure break Jesus’s heart. These things frustrate me immensely, and I do not want to pretend that they don’t exist. I want to urge you to throw these things aside and to consider who Jesus really was. Failure to come to understand the truth about Jesus and his relevance for your life will result in separation from God. I want that for none of you.
I would like to invite you to come hear more about this topic. Author Rick James will be speaking on his book, Jesus Without Religion, Thursday April 2, at 8:00 p.m. in Schofield Auditorium. Don’t miss an opportunity to hear more about the truth of Jesus and why it matters for your life.