8 claims of Christ

 Read John 5.

Who is Jesus Christ?  That is the second most important question in the New Testament.

Ask the so-called Jehovah's Witnesses and they will tell you that Jesus Christ is a created being and that "Jesus was not God" (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, chapter 6).

Ask the Mormons and they will say that Jesus is merely the "elder brother of the rest of human kind."  They further teach that Jesus was a polygamist who fathered physical children before the crucifixion.  (Is Mormonism Christian, chapter 4.)

Ask the New Age religion what they think of Jesus.  They "esteem Jesus as a spiritually attuned or evolved being who serves as an example for spiritual discovery and evolutionary advancement." (Christianity Today, "The Shamanized Jesus, 4/29/91).

What were the claims of Jesus about Himself?  The only source of that information is the Bible!
1. He is God in the flesh. (vv.17-18)
His enemies understood clearly what Jesus meant.  That is why they were offended and wanted to murder Him.  It is strange that those who claim to esteem or even love Jesus do not accept what Jesus said.

2. He is uniquely equal with God, the Father. (vv.19-20 and 30)
Along with the Holy Spirit, these three persons of the Godhead work in unity.

3. He has the power of life. (v.21 and 40)
This is not only the power over physical death but also He has the power to give eternal life.

4. He is the ultimate Judge of every person. (v.22) 
Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:18)

5. He is to be honored by every person. (vv.23-29)
Those who receive Jesus for who He is and what He has done for them look forward to what is referred to here as "life."  Those who reject Jesus have only eternal judgment ahead.

6. He came to earth that "you may be saved." (v.34)
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

7. He is revealed in the Scriptures. (vv.38-39 and 46)
Jesus said that the reason His enemies did not know and receive Him was because they did not believe the Scriptures.

8. He is the source of experiencing God's love. (v.42)
"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 5:10)

The most important question in the New Testament is found in Matthew 16:15.  Jesus asked, "But who do you say that I am?"  The answer is the difference between eternal life and eternal judgment.