Faith Pyramid Strategy In Action (Example #2)

Before reading below, I recommend you read my post - What Is The Faith Pyramid?

The Faith Pyramid Strategy forces one to stay focused when sharing the truth of God with someone, as I experienced recently. I was confronted by a rather combative atheist, who began our conversation sarcastically asking, "What would you say if I told you that I ride a dinosaur to school everyday?" My response was, "I actually have good reasons to believe you don't ride a dinosaur to school everyday." This is pretty typical mantra from an atheist. Supposedly believing in God is the same as believing in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. Of course, there are a couple of holes in this line of thinking. As I shared with my new atheist friend, there are good reasons to not believe in such nonsense. Furthermore, fairy tales are for children who aren't inclined to think logically and rationally, whereas statistics reveal that belief and faith in God tends to be higher (in devotion) among adults than among children and teenagers. Back to my new atheist friend...

At the beginning of our conversation, he had pretty standard questions that were all over the place, but I needed to know exactly where he fell in the FP, so using the Engage-Listen-Adjust methodology, I initially (and rather quickly) discovered that he was in fact "about as atheist as one could be." This of course meant that I must "adjust" completely to Level 1 ("My Belief in God") and keep the conversation focused on that discussion!

I found the Faith Pyramid Strategy to be very fruitful in our 45-minute discussion. As I stated earlier, he was all over the place. He wanted to discuss religion, why I believe Christianity is true instead of other religions, the Big Bang theory, etc. The most interesting part about the FP Strategy in the context of our conversation is that it forced me to refuse discussion in many places he wanted to go. Once again, this young man was not even a theist (Level 1), so many points of discussion would be absolutely ridiculous. I told him I would not talk to him about religion, because "it makes no sense to discuss what different religions believe about how God has revealed Himself, if you don't believe in God in the first place!" To help him understand my thinking, I asked him if he believed in miracles. He (of course) said no. I told him, "Good, you shouldn't. Believing in miracles would be stupid if you don't believe in a God who can interfere with nature." He understood my reasoning at this point, which allowed for valuable discussion focused specifically on the topic of God's existence. At the end of our conversation, I gave him a couple of resources and we're planning to talk further in the coming weeks.

I am praying that the Holy Spirit opens his heart, because Jesus stated, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44). As I trust God to do the impossible (such as transform my friend's heart), I will seek to do all that is possible, by first proving God exists (Level 1), that the Bible and Christianity is reliable to reveal specific truth about God (Level 2), that the Gospel message is his hope for salvation (Level 3), so that he can grow into a fully-developed follower of Jesus Christ, who is assured of Heaven (Level 4).

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him who they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14

Did Jesus actually think he was God? (Level 3 discussion) - Part 1: The self-references of Jesus

Before reading below, I recommend you read my post - What Is The Faith Pyramid?

Did Jesus think himself to be God? Or another way: What was Jesus' divine self-understanding? What would he think of millions of people worshiping him as the God in flesh? A fairly popular misconception among skeptics, as well as those genuinely seeking to understand the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, is that Jesus never actually claimed to be God. Clearly, he viewed himself as a rabbi, and perhaps even a prophet, but God in the flesh is something his followers projected on to him years after his death, so these skeptics claim.

[NOTE: I have this as a Level 3 discussion ("My faith in Christ"), because I don't think you should have this discussion until a "belief in God" is established (Level 1), nor can you have this discussion until a "trust in the Bible" has been affirmed (Level 2). The main reason you need Level 2 is due to the dependency on the four gospels to answer this question.]

Before I get specific, let me state flatly that there is extensive evidence that Jesus believed himself to be God. I am dividing the evidence into three posts: 1) The self-references of Jesus; 2) The teaching and behavior of Jesus; and 3) Jesus' personal understanding of his bodily resurrection.

Let me begin by helping us gain a proper perspective. Jesus of Nazareth did not introduce himself by saying, "Hey, I'm God. Thanks for inviting me to your wedding." Such a statement would have been viewed as absolutely blasphemous, since the Jews of that day didn't have a concept of the Trinity and would not have easily understood that God could be a man. Nevertheless, Jesus' divine self-understanding is clear...

The main self-references of Jesus (or another way - How did Jesus refer to himself):

1. Christ (or Messiah) - The title of Christ/Messiah is an important self-reference for Jesus of Nazareth. The so-called Peter’s confession incident is recorded in all of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), in which Peter states, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Jesus’ response was not to correct a misunderstanding of Peter. In fact, his response is rather revealing: “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). Jesus accepted the title of Christ, as well as Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth also refers to himself as Christ in a discussion concerning an outside exorcist. Jesus tells his disciples, “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). In John’s gospel, Jesus converses with a Samaritan woman who mentions the coming Messiah. Jesus responds to her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:26). In his trial before the high priest, Caiaphas demands to know if he is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus accepts both titles by responding, “You have said it yourself” (Matthew 26:64), “I am” (Mark 14:62), “Yes, I am” (Luke 22:70). The reason the Messiah/Christ self-reference implies divinity is due to the fact that the coming Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament is taught to be pre-existent (Micah 5:2), to be eternal (Isaiah 9:6), and he is called "Lord" (Psalm 110:1; Jeremiah 23:6).

2. Son of God - Jesus of Nazareth also claims to be the Son of God, as recorded and already mentioned in Peter’s confession and in his trial before Caiaphas. He also implicitly claims to be God’s Son in his parable of the vine-growers. In this story, a man (who is clearly God) plants a vineyard and places it in the care of vine-growers. At harvest time, he sends a slave (or prophet) who is beaten by the vine-growers and sent away with nothing. This happens a few times until the man finally decides to send his son, thinking they will respect him. “But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard” (Mark 12:7-8). This parable clearly tells us that Jesus thought of himself as God's only Son and the final messenger of God. Jesus’ Son of God self-concept is even stated more explicitly in Matthew 11:27: “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." There are numerous other examples, especially recorded in the gospel of John, in which Jesus claims to be the one and only Son of God. Finally, it should be noted how this self-reference was interpreted in Jesus' day. John records in his gospel: "For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (5:18, italics mine). Therefore, the Son of God self-reference implied divinity.

3. Son of Man - Without question, the most often used self-reference for Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of Man. In fact, this title is found over 80 times in the Gospels. When James and John ask for preferential treatment in God’s Kingdom, Jesus ends his response, “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). This is one of numerous examples in which Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. Without question, this title is an allusion to a vision of the prophet Daniel:

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

In this passage, the Son of Man approaches God Himself in His throne room and is given an eternal Kingdom and authority over all people. The Son of Man is thus a claim to divinity. Perhaps one of Jesus’ strongest allusions to this vision of Daniel 7 is during his trial with Caiaphas. After affirming that he is, in fact, the Christ and the Son of God, Jesus goes on to say, “…nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed!’ ” (Matt. 26:64-65). The high priest’s reaction is very revealing, in that, Caiaphas clearly believed that Jesus was making a strong claim of divinity. In fact, these words would be the basis for Jesus’ condemnation by the Sanhedrin. This claim, in conjunction with the Roman condemnation, would lead to his execution on the cross.

4. "I Am" statements - Jesus states "I am" nearly two dozen times and joins it with a metaphor in at least seven instances: I Am the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I Am the Light of the world (John 8:12); I Am the Door of the sheep (John 10:7, 9); I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14); I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25); I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6); I Am the true Vine (John 15:1, 5).

This "I Am" statement is an allusion to God's personal Name as He reveals it to Moses in Exodus 3:14. It's the name "Yahweh," (or the latinized "Jehovah"). In this passage, God says to Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I Am' (Yahweh) has sent me to you."

In a very telling and dramatic moment toward the end of Jesus' ministry on earth, soldiers and officials of the chief priests come to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asks them, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. Your Bible probably then states Jesus' response as "I am he." If you're lucky, it might state it as "I am he" (note the italics). The reason "he" is italicized (in most translations) is because it doesn't actually belong in your Bible. Here's how it really goes down:

Jesus asks them..."Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am" Jesus said. When Jesus said, "I am," they drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:4-5).

A powerful enough name to knock you off your feet.

It is clear who Jesus thought He was. Check out Part 2: The teaching and behavior of Jesus.

Faith Pyramid Strategy In Action (Example #1)

Before reading this post, I recommend you read the three introductory posts - (1) Why The Faith Pyramid? and (2) What Is The Faith Pyramid? and (3) FP Methodology: Engage, Listen, & Adjust.

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to share Christ with someone while on a mission trip to Argentina. I hope this encounter will illustrate for you how the Faith Pyramid strategy works in the "real world."

Since I did not know this person (let's call him "Joe"), I engaged him by simply asking if he went to church with our mutual friends. Joe said he didn't, so now it was my time to listen. I simply asked Joe a series of conversational questions that helped me discover his "location" on the Pyramid. (Understand that the logic of the Faith Pyramid is second-nature to me, so I don't have to consciously think about the FP when I'm sharing with someone.) I also asked Joe about himself (because I was genuinely interested in getting to know him), and Joe told me that he was in school to be a math teacher (this fact was helpful to me later). Through the course of asking questions and listening, Joe told me that he did believe in God (first layer already laid), but he clearly had indirect issues with a trust in the Bible. Joe is the quintessential postmodern thinker. Although he did believe in God, religion is incapable of providing knowledge for Joe (i.e. real facts). This is what is called the fact-value distinction. In essence, science and math are "good" because they provide us with facts (or knowledge), whereas religion is good because it can be valuable to a person; therefore, religion does not provide a path to truth - it provides a path to meaning (for some people). If you view Christianity as merely an exercise in finding meaning (and not an exercise in discovering truth), you can probably see how someone might be perfectly comfortable holding such a view if value-searching is the furthest thing from their mind. For Joe, he believed he could please God without adopting any particular religion or faith. His good works were sufficient. I decided Joe shouldn't be comfortable holding this view anymore, but I was going to have to adjust, and meet him at his worldview.

Since Joe's lack of trust in the Bible was not based on skepticism of it's truthfulness, but more about his ignorance of it's contents, I knew I could appeal to the Bible to throw a wrench in his worldview. Joe needed to understand that the Bible is not merely a "value-finding" document, as opposed to his math textbooks, which exist to help you gain facts.

When someone holds to this fact-value distinction (and applies the value half to religion), this usually means they believe the Bible to be full of only religious jargon and is not attempting to tell us accurate history. A good short passage to turn to, in this case, is Luke 3:1-2, which states:

"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness."

Now does this sound like someone who is making up something or who is only interested in uttering religious jargon? Clearly, Luke's intention here is to share accurate history. The Bible gives us true narrative, as well as spiritual truth claims.

In Joe's case, I told him I recognized that he must appreciate mathematics and the way in which you can come to a universal truth on a piece of paper. He agreed that was something very appealing to him. I told him that, likewise, the Bible espouses universal truth claims on it's pages as well. The Bible's opening verse is, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (which he supposedly believed), and the rest of the book goes on to make certain truth claims that we have to decide what to do with - claims such as Jesus stating, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV). I told him that such a claim made by Jesus is either true or not true. If it is true, then Christ really is the only way to God (and Joe's works would not suffice). But if he was not telling the truth, then we should disregard the Christian faith (because either Jesus was lying or saying something crazy). The question is then thrust upon us, "What do I do with Jesus?" This is the ultimate question, and the one I wanted to leave him with, as our conversation was naturally coming to a close.

I engaged Joe in a very simplistic way, by asking if he attended church and what he believed about God and religion. I listened to his thoughts on the purpose of religion (to find personal meaning), as well as his view that adopting any particular set of beliefs is unnecessary to please God, because good works is good enough. After discovering that Joe ultimately had a lack of trust in the Bible (although this being based on a clear misunderstanding of its content and purpose), I then adjusted to meet him at his worldview and clear up his misconceptions of the Bible's make-up. I showed Joe that the Bible, indeed, declares universal truth claims, and that the ultimate question for all us is truly, "What do I do with this Jesus?"

Although Joe never "moved up" the FP, (hopefully and prayerfully) I left him with some important things to think about. And I continue to pray for "Joe" as the missionaries in Argentina continue to engage him with the gospel message.