Jesus Reveals God's True Character

Let me briefly address a mistake that continues to be perpetuated and it sounds so right because it is popularly repeated over and over again in apologetics and evangelism books, tracts, and sermons.

The mistake is to think that the miracles that Jesus did proves that he was divine.  That the clearest, most compelling evidence of the divinity of Jesus was when he did miraculous works of power.  No.  Read the Bible carefully.  In the Scriptures it is human prophets who do these kinds of things.  Moses was not God, but he performed great signs and wonders.  He was a mighty prophet.  And Moses discovered, too, that the magicians of Egypt could imitate these acts.  Jesus himself knew and the author of Acts relates that other people were able to perform exorcisms and what not.  Similar miracles were done by Elijah and Elisha, but they were not God.  God did "extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul" (Acts 19:11).  But Paul was not God.

Haven’t you every thought it odd that the epistles of Paul and Peter and John make no mention of the miracles of Jesus as a proof of his divinity?  Rather, Peter says, “Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him" (Acts 2:22).

As it turns out, whenever the apostles speak of Jesus as God they connect it with his incarnation and self-sacrificial death?  Jesus' divine nature and character are unveiled in his humble service to us in his birth, life, suffering, and death.  The point is that what makes, what proves, if you will, that Jesus is God, is not his works of power and might, but his humble self-sacrifice.  His self-effacing love and service for humanity.  This is who God is.  Jesus is the true revelation of God.  And God turns out to be the Chief Servant of all, rather than the big, power-hungry God that pushes people around to show off his greatness.