Why does the resurrection prove that Jesus is the one and true God?

[AgnosticBoy]

Edit...Changed the title of the thread...


Many religions have great spiritual leaders. Buddhism has the Buddha. Islam has Mohammed. Hinduism has Krishna, Christianity has Jesus and on and on.

What I question is why does Christianity make an exclusive claim that Jesus is the one and only true Messiah. Why can't there be many?

Perhaps, all of the ones mentioned above are highly evolved spiritual people.

One member gave this as an explanation but I'm not fully convinced and I'll explain why...

Because Jesus is God, wrapped in human flesh. Many claimed to be the Messiah, but Jesus proved He was the Messiah. Buddha, Muhammad, and other religious leaders were merely humans who died and stayed dead. Jesus died but arose on the third day to prove His divinity. And He did that because He loved us. That’s what makes Jesus Christ so special.

I'm not convinced by this explanation or I should say it leaves more questions than answers. I get it that this explains that Jesus is divine because he overcame death. But still I'm curious about why that sets the bar as opposed to many other things, like other miraculous feats.

For discussion:
1. What makes Jesus unique among other spiritual leaders?
2. Is his resurrection really special or is that just a made up standard by Christians?

 

[Scooter]

Is his resurrection really special or is that just a made up standard by Christians?

Is His resurrection special? What other person in the history of mankind raised from the dead three days after being killed and buried? Of the billions and billions of people who have lived how many have resurrected? Yeah, I'd call Jesus' resurrection special. You can visit Mohammed's grave and see it's still occupied. You can visit the Temple of the Tooth and see Buddha's tooth is still there. Krishna's remains are believed to be at Bhalka Teerth. These founders of their respected religions died and remain dead. There are no accounts of any of them rising from the dead to live again.

Jesus not only arose from the dead, He remained on earth for 40 days afterwards. Paul records at least 500 people saw Him. The Apostles of Jesus were willing to die for their testimony that they saw, spoke to, and touched the risen savior. Now, people are willing to die for what they believe in, but no one will die for a lie. Without the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is just another religion that offers no hope. However, the resurrection of Christ offers hope of eternal life to every believer. Because He lives, we will live. What hope does Mohammed give? Allah did not restore Mohammed back to life. What hope does Buddha offer? He couldn't even leave this world with all of his teeth. How can Krishna's pile of ashes give people hope? Believers in Christ have a solid foundation to build our hope on.

Interesting fact...Here is Strong's definition of the word "hope" in the New Testament. It means believers have a confident expectation of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

: ἐλπίς elpís, el-pece'
from a primary ἔλπω élpō (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence:—faith, hope.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Jesus not only arose from the dead, He remained on earth for 40 days afterwards. Paul records at least 500 people saw Him. The Apostles of Jesus were willing to die for their testimony that they saw, spoke to, and touched the risen savior. Now, people are willing to die for what they believe in, but no one will die for a lie. Without the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is just another religion that offers no hope. However, the resurrection of Christ offers hope of eternal life to every believer. Because He lives, we will live. What hope does Mohammed give? Allah did not restore Mohammed back to life. What hope does Buddha offer? He couldn't even leave this world with all of his teeth. How can Krishna's pile of ashes give people hope? Believers in Christ have a solid foundation to build our hope on.

I'm actually one of the very few non-believers that believe that Jesus died and came back to life from a historical basis. My question in this discussion probably centers on what it takes to be God. Does it take a resurrection - having power over death - to show that he is God? Your next point touches on that.

Is His resurrection special? What other person in the history of mankind raised from the dead three days after being killed and buried? Of the billions and billions of people who have lived how many have resurrected? Yeah, I'd call Jesus' resurrection special. You can visit Mohammed's grave and see it's still occupied. You can visit the Temple of the Tooth and see Buddha's tooth is still there. Krishna's remains are believed to be at Bhalka Teerth. These founders of their respected religions died and remain dead. There are no accounts of any of them rising from the dead to live again.

Sure, the resurrection was something unique, special and a big demonstration of power - i.e. power over death. But I still question what is required or what defines God. Maybe I'm being too skeptical. If all that's required or defines God is just his demonstration of power and being able to do the most extraordinary things, then I can agree with Jesus being God. Hek, I'm open to the idea of any highly advanced person being a god- similar to how the ancient people would view us if we travelled back in time with all of our tech and knowledge.

 

[Scooter]

Jesus not only demonstrated power over death, but power over everything. For instance, His power over nature. He commanded the winds and waves to be still and they obeyed Him. He showed His power over disease by curing the blind, lame and sick. He exercised His power over the spiritual realm when demonic spirits obeyed His commands. We are told in the Bible that Jesus is the creator of everything (John 1:3; Col.1:16).

What else is required to be God?

 

[AgnosticBoy]

What else is required to be God?

That is the million-dollar question - what is the criteria or where do we draw the line. You offered this

Jesus not only demonstrated power over death, but power over everything. For instance, His power over nature.

We can both agree that having some great power would be a requirement. I don't know how else any being would get noticed or revered to begin with. Isn't that how God got the attention of the ancient Jews in the OT?!

Still, I see this as being very limiting. It's almost like using might to prove that you're right except in this case it's being used to prove that all other miracle claims of other religions are wrong, or to prove that no other gods exists, or to even prove the story itself. At best, your explanation just shows me that Jesus can do some extraordinary things, but it doesn't tell me how he does it (is it God or just some natural ability that few have tapped into?), if he's the only one that can do it, nor does it speak to the claims of other religions. For instance, do we just ignore the claims of other religions? Personally, I wouldn't as I would want to see any evidence that any of the other religions can offer.

 

[Scooter]

Jesus created the universe. He demonstrated power over both the physical and the spiritual worlds. He raised others from the dead. He died for the sins of every sinner. Then He raised Himself from the dead. He ascended to Heaven in a cloud. He extends grace and forgiveness to every person who repents and seeks salvation simply because He loves mankind. But you’re still not convinced? There is nothing else to offer.