Did Jesus really say He was God?
Belief in Jesus’ divinity is generally held to be a core Christian belief (if you need a refresher on the Nicene Creed, you can check out last year’s conversation with Dr Jerome Van Kuiken), but recent survey data out of the US seems to indicate that roughly 43% of American evangelicals do not necessarily believe He was God… which is mindblowing, yes, but perhaps not entirely surprising, since biblical scholars have been chipping away at the criteria for this case for a long time now. However, it’s also not the question we’re asking here. The question isn’t “Was Jesus God?” or even “Did Jesus’ earliest followers believe He was God?”, but “Did Jesus really say He was God?”
This is the question that apologist, scholar, and doctor Mikel Del Rosario pursues in his new book of the same name. In this ranging conversation, Mikel walks us through the basic claims of his book, some of his journey with apologetics, and what a coffee shop conversation with Bart Ehrman might look like.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
05:47 - Understanding Apologetics
09:39 - Engaging with Bart Ehrman’s Perspectives
15:46 - Analyzing Key Biblical Scenes
18:40 - Clash of Authority: Jesus and Jewish Leadership
24:42 - The Authority to Forgive: A Historical Perspective
28:32 - The Trial of Jesus: Claims of Divine Authority
34:26 - Understanding Merism: Authority in Context
41:10 - Faith and Scholarship: Balancing Belief and Critical Inquiry
Keywords: Jesus Christ, Divinity, Mark Gospel, Apologetics, Historical Jesus, Biblical Reliability, Christian Faith, Jesus Claims, Gospel of Mark, Religious History
Resources:
Did Jesus Really Say He Was God? by Mikel Del Rosario || https://www.ivpress.com/did-jesus-really-say-he-was-god
Bart Ehrman’s Book ‘How Jesus Became God’ || https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Jesus_Became_God
Mikel Del Rosario’s Profile || https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeldelrosario/
Moody Bible Institute || https://www.moody.edu/academics/faculty/mikel-del-rosario/
