Cynicism and the Importance of Overcoming It

• Christ's Identity and Invitation
  • His Influence: One Solitary Life
  • His Claims: Who is He?
  • His Uniqueness: Christ and the Gospel
  • His Call to Follow: Unavoidable
  • His Friends: Testimony to the Resurrection
  • What Does it Mean to Follow?
• Your Decision
  • Barriers to Faith
    • Origin of the World
    • Problem of Evil
    • Final Judgement
    • Does Truth Exist?
    • The Uniqueness of Christ and the Gospel
    • Atheism
    • Social Impact of the Gospel
    • Other Faiths and Worldviews
    • Open Letter to Friends not yet Following Jesus
    • Pascal's Wager
  • Why Believe?
  • Faith and Understanding
  • Implications of Your Decision
    • Connecting
    • Belonging
    • My Heart, Christ's Home
    • If You Do Nothing Else
• Acting On Your Decision to Follow
  • Deepening Through Scripture
    • Introduction
      • Old Testament Books
      • New Testament Books
      • Need we Defend the Bible
    • How to Benefit from Daily Reflection on the Scriptures
      • Encountering Scripture
      • Discovery Bible Study
      • Meditation
      • Response in Mission
    • Chapter by Chapter: Practical and Pastoral Observations to Help us Live as Followers of Christ
  • Deepening Our Relationship with Christ
    • Through Prayer
    • Through Worship
    • The Christian Calendar
  • Engaging Community
  • Understanding Mission
    • Christ's Mission
    • Your Mission
  • Expressing Christ's Character
  • Living in Hope
  • Facing Persecution
  • Serving the Lord of All

• "as the Father raises the dead...even so the Son gives life" - John 5:21

• "I am the resurrection and the life." - John 11:25 (cf. John 8:51)

• "Before Abraham was, I am." - John 8:58

• Sinlessness - John 8:46

• Eternity - Matthew 28:20

Jesus claimed actions which are God's alone...including...

• forgiving sin - Mark 2:5-7

• raising the dead - John 11:43

• directing final judgement - John 5:27-30

Following Christ's resurrection, Thomas, known primarily for his scepticism, declared his conclusion that Jesus was indeed God - John 20:28

What is your conclusion? Its hard to avoid the conclusion that Jesus could only be right or wrong in these astounding claims. 

As C.S. Lewis pointed out, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." - Mere Christianity