“Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels, was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”

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I really enjoy a gripping courtroom drama. A few of my favorites are “The Caine Mutiny,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “Twelve Angry Men.” All of these movies star a protagonist who makes a difficult stand for what is right. It's fun to put yourself in the protagonist's position and think about what you would do and say to defend your position. Could you persuade others to see your point of view?

Reading today's verse about who Jesus is got me thinking. What if you were the protagonist who had to defend Jesus against false testimony about who He is? What would you say to prove the truth? I think this is a golden opportunity to exercise our spiritual muscle.

Here's the charge: Jesus is not the Son of God but only a well-known teacher or prophet. You're the protagonist. What's the truth and how do you prove it?

There's no single approach to proving the truth so what follows is just my thought process.

First and foremost, we must make sure we are standing on rock solid ground. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is God. Now to prove it we must go to the source. That source is God's word, the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible clearly confirms with prophecy, testimony, and affirmation that Jesus is God.

John makes it clear who Jesus is:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)

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Let's narrow the focus and center on Jesus' physical life. How does it prove His godliness? Again, there's so much source material that I'll pick a few key verses that in my opinion, best support our case.

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First there is His virgin birth:

“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34).

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At Jesus' baptism there is the proclamation of God himself:

“And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

(Mark 1:11)

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Jesus predicts His own death and resurrection:

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

(Matt 16:21)

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Jesus is transfigured and God again proclaims Jesus as His Son:

“While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” (Luke 9:34-35)

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Jesus dies on the cross as prophesied for thousands of years:

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” (Matt 27:50)

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Even men declare Jesus is God:

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)

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Finally, Jesus' resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. As today's verse declares, Jesus was vindicated by the Spirit and taken up in glory. He is seated at the right hand of His Father (Mark 16:19) and all authority is given to Him (Matt 28:18).

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1 Timothy 3:16 sums up our entire case in a neat, compact, and powerful closing argument.

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Beyond all question, Jesus is God. Your Honor, the Defense rests.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this exercise and encourage you to practice others like it. Not that God needs defending, of course, but it’s good to exercise your spiritual muscle.

Father, thank you for your perfect plan of salvation. Thank you for your son, Jesus who was, and is and is to come. Open the eyes of all people Lord so they clearly see that Jesus is God; that they build their house on this rock of truth. Continue to teach me for you are my God. May my thirst for you never be quenched. In the holy name of Jesus; who lived and died and rose again, for me. Amen.