Was
Jesus God?
"So,
when somebody asks me, 'Was Jesus God?' I usually turn the
question around. 'Is it true that the living God was uniquely and
personally present in Jesus?'
But
the answer can't remain simply an abstract theory, a detached
doctrine. If you say 'no' to it, you are saying that Jesus was
deluded; at best a tragic and noble figure, at worst a great charlatan
and deceiver. You aren't staying neutral; you're looking at
Jesus of Nazareth, and saying he was deeply mistaken.
But
if you say 'yes' to it, you're committing yourself to a journey: a
journey of exploration into God through Jesus -- his life, his
teaching, his death and his resurrection.
And
that journey can neither be private nor self-centered. You see,
if we start by recognizing the rich, forgiving, healing love of the
true God in the face of Jesus Christ, then to continue the journey
means to join in with God's work of healing and love in the
world. If, as the apostle Paul says, 'In Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself', then those who find themselves
drawn into the love of this God must themselves join in God's work of
reconciliation."
N.
T. Wright, The Original Jesus, pages 85-87.
