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Q: My friend says that Jesus never claimed to be God, or anything like that. He says Jesus was on a spiritual search just like the rest of us, and what we basically learn from Jesus is how we can find our own spiritual path. Is he right?
A: No, your friend is not correct. Even before Jesus was born, an angel told Joseph that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because the child already growing in her womb would be called Immanuel—which means “God with us” (see Matthew 1:18-25).
One way Jesus demonstrated His divine nature was by His actions—and specifically, His miracles. We live in a world that has been ravaged by the forces of sin and death and evil. But Christ confronted those forces, and by His divine power overcame them. No wonder the crowds were “amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ ” (Matthew 9:33).
But Jesus also directly declared that He was the Son of God, sent into the world to deliver us from death and Hell and Satan. His enemies knew this, and when He was brought to trial, their main accusation was that He had claimed to be God as well as man. To His disciples He declared, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). On another occasion He stated, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
Yes, Jesus was both fully God and fully man—and because of this, He alone has the authority to be our Savior. He did this by becoming the final sacrifice for our sins through His death on the cross—and He proved it by His resurrection from the dead. By a simple prayer of faith open your heart and life to Him today.
Q: Where do evil thoughts and ideas come from? Does the devil put them in our minds? I’d hate for anyone to know what’s actually going through my mind sometimes.
A: One of the Bible’s greatest truths is that God knows all about us—including even the bad things that are going through our minds. And yet He still loves us, and wants us to cleanse us and make us part of His family forever! The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Yes, ultimately Satan is responsible for all the evil in the world—even the evil thoughts that go through our minds. He is absolutely opposed to God, and will do everything he can to tempt us and turn us away from Him. At times, therefore, Satan may be able to put evil thoughts directly into our minds. For example, when Judas turned against Jesus and secretly betrayed Him to His enemies, the Bible says that “Satan entered Judas” (Luke 22:3).
But Judas alone was responsible for what he did; he could not blame Satan for his actions. Driven by greed, he willingly accepted the money he was offered to reveal where Jesus could be found. In other words, Satan only took advantage of his sinful desires. The Bible warns that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1:14).
Don’t give in to Satan’s temptations, and don’t be content to let your mind wander in places it shouldn’t. Instead, turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life to Him. Then ask Him to fill your mind with His love and peace and righteousness. The Bible says “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
