4. If Jesus wasn't God incarnate, then he was either a fraud or a madman.

Jesus made some radical, shocking claims that no on else had ever dared to make. He claimed to forgive sins, to have always existed, and that he would one day judge the whole world. At the same time, he also claimed to be humble and meek.

There aren't many explanations for Jesus' radical self-understanding. If he wasn't God incarnate, then he was either a fraud or a madman. The people who try to say Jesus was a good moral teacher simply don't realize their foolishness. We're forced to either take him at his word, or brand him a liar. We must either worship him or reject him. There's no middle ground from which he can be viewed as a good moral teacher. His radical self-understanding precludes that possibility.

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Mere Christianity - Key Insight 1 of 12

Mere Christianity - Key Insight 2 of 12

Mere Christianity - Key Insight 3 of 12