Faith in the Jesus of the Gospels as “the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the Word of God “made flesh,” “Lord,” “God” and “Savior” is faith, it is not logically derived or empirically self-evident knowledge. Arguments over whether Jesus is who the Gospels say He is are fruitless. Jesus being the Messiah, etc. can never be proved true or false by reason, no more than the validity of His teachings can be proved true or false by reason alone. Faith in His teachings stands squarely on faith in Him. If in faith a person believes Jesus is Lord, God and Savior, then on this same rock of faith the truth-authority of His teachings stand. It is therefore important to recognize that minus faith in Jesus as the Messiah, etc., His teachings have no more or less truth-validity than the words of any other human being. And, as with the truth content of the words of any of us, Jesus words, e.g, on the Nonviolent Love of friends and enemies, are then open to dispute based on experience and/or logic. But if one’s faith is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Word “made flesh” etc., then the truth-content of His words, e.g, on the Nonviolent Love of friends and enemies, is 100% infallible. Saying, “I believe,” to the Jesus of the Gospels, cannot then be other than saying, “I believe,” to what He taught as good and evil, right and wrong, as God’s Will and Way in the Gospels—unless, one’s faith in the Jesus of the Gospels as “the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the Word of God “made flesh,” “Lord,” “God” and “Savior” is faith in a Jesus who is perceived as a liar or as ignorant of the Will of the Father.
