Why Jesus is Better Than Good

During my years in seminary, I had the amazing opportunity to study apologetics under the distinguished professor of philosophy, J.P. Moreland. He took us through all of the topics one might expect—arguments for the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, the resurrection of Jesus, etc. But then, J.P. made an argument I had never heard before, and at first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

Basically, he said something like this: “If you’re going to get Jesus, you should get all of him.”

The Problem with Wanting Only ‘Part’ of Jesus

All of Jesus? What does that even mean?

His point was this: Every religion wants a part of Jesus. Jesus, as a historical figure, towers over all others. More people follow him, write about him, compose music for him, and craft artwork of him than anyone else in history. More than that, everyone wants Jesus on their side, be it political parties, pride movements, radical revolutionists, environmentalists, or even most major religions.

Why? Because they all agree that Jesus was a good moral teacher. Ironically, however, many fail to recognize that Jesus claimed to be something more—something even better.

What Did Jesus Actually Claim?

If you were to run a series of historical tests for reliability, you would quickly find that the four Gospels of Jesus in the Bible—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are the most historically reliable sources we have of him, compared with alternative sources out there. This is why they are included in the Christian Bible (it’s not the other way around!) Although that conversation is outside the scope of this article, I invite you to explore our website, where we cover those issues in detail.

Given the general respect and appreciation for Jesus around the world, it’s interesting how few people have actually read the Gospels, our primary sources for his life and teachings.

Consider this: In John 4, Jesus prophesied to a woman who was gathering water. The prophecy was correct, so she believed Jesus was a prophet. Good for her! But then she says, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!” (John 4:26 NLT).

The Messiah, or the Christ, means “anointed one,” referring to God’s coming king. He calls himself a king elsewhere, such as Mark 15:2 and John 18:37. These are big claims. Not only that, but Jesus also believed he was…

A List of Divine Attributes

• Sent by God (John 5:36, 6:44, 8:18, 10:36, 12:49)
• The son of God (Matthew 26:64; Luke 10:22; John 5:26)
• A miracle worker (Matthew 11:20–21; Luke 11:20; John 5:36)
• The way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
• The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (Matthew 5:17; Mark 14:49; Luke 24:27; John 5:39)

So Jesus claimed to be a teacher, a prophet, messiah, Christ, anointed one, coming king, sent by God, son of God, a miracle worker, the way, the truth, the life, and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

This is more than merely “good.” This is something our world is longing for. Something we desperately need. And we’re not even at the craziest part.

The Meaning of “Son of Man”

Probably more than anything else, Jesus called himself the “Son of Man.” He gives himself this title about 80 times across all four Gospels. But what does “son of man” mean? Sometimes, it simply means “man,” or “human,” Like in Psalm 8:4. This leads many to think that, in calling himself the Son of Man, Jesus wasn’t saying anything important about himself. However, we don’t need to guess. Jesus tells us what he means by “Son of Man” in Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26, Mark 14:26, and Luke 21:27. All four of those passages refer to the Son of Man coming on clouds with power and glory. That is not the Son of Man in Psalm 8. That is the Son of Man in Daniel 7.

The Daniel 7 Connection

See for yourself:

“As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14 (NLT)

Not only that. But in John 10:30, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” In John 14:9, Jesus said, “Anyone who sees me has seen the Father.” In John 8:58, Jesus used the same name for himself as the name of God in Exodus 3. In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus quoted God in the Old Testament, but he claimed to be quoting himself. When Jesus was accused of calling himself God in Mark 2:7 and Luke 5:21, he never denied the accusation. Jesus clearly taught in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8 that you should worship God alone, yet he allowed himself to be worshipped in Matthew 14:33, 21:15-16, and 28:17.

The Ultimate Claim: Jesus is God

Why did Jesus let people worship him? Because he claimed to be something more than merely “good.” Jesus claimed to be a teacher, prophet, messiah, Christ, anointed one, coming king, sent by God, Son of God, a miracle worker, the way, the truth, the life, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, the magnificent “son of Man” coming on the clouds of Heaven, given glory, authority, power, worship by all peoples of every kind, a kingdom that will last forever…

…and God Himself.

The “Better Than Good” News

Not only that… We’re still not at the craziest part.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6–8 (CSB) that Jesus…

who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

That is what I mean by “better than good.” Jesus is God and King, yes. But he also came to our world in gentleness and humility as a baby in a feeding trough. He would grow up as a servant and willingly give his life for our sake. Three days later, Jesus resurrected from the dead. God the Father highly exalted him, such that, one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. (Philippians 2:9–11).

Dr. Moreland was right. If you’re going to get Jesus, you should get all of him. Why would we want anything less than better than good?

So come, let us adore Him.