The Credibility of Jesus

Friends and enemies saw the miracles of Jesus. The enemies had to explain them. Their go-to argument was that He worked by the power of Satan. But the fact that they even had to explain them in such a way means that such testimony was credible from the start. Furthermore, the credibility of Jesus is seen in His prediction of His death and resurrection. If that had not been credible, his disciples would have quickly died out, and the church of Christ would have been as dead as the body of Jesus, which would have been still in the tomb.

But, one other thing that made Jesus credible and His Jewish enemies incredible was the fact that Jesus predicted that this very generation would see the permanent fall of the center of Judaism, the temple in Jerusalem. He said, "Not one stone would be left upon another," and that very generation would see it (Matthew 24:1-36). To this day, the Lord's church has stood up despite all kinds of persecution. His church spread without the use of carnal weapons or threatening people to submit to Jesus or have their heads cut off.

The gospel of Jesus has always been a message of life, hope, love, and goodwill. It explains how people can remit their sins and prepare to meet God in good standing when they die. People have always been free to reject those benefits and die unprepared, but no force has been used to make them believe in and serve Jesus. Serving Jesus is on a volunteer basis, and people have always volunteered because Jesus' credibility has always stood on its own merits.