John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
2 Peter 1:12-21
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
John 14:6-7
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
St. John writes that Jesus is the Word, and that the Word was with God from the very beginning...And St. John was an eyewitness to Jesus and that Jesus came to earth...And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...St. Peter wrote that they did not follow clever or made up stories about Jesus...No, he and many others saw and talked to Jesus...For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty...Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My Son, whom I LOVE; with Him I AM well pleased.”...We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain."...We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a Light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts...Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things...For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit...
The most important question that matters to the human race is: "Is there a God?"...You have only two choices on this question...One is that you believe...The other choice is not to believe...Man has thought about this from the very beginning...And the vast majority of men and women since the dawn of civilization have believed in one religion or another...Those people believed in the important prophetic message as Truth...So if one does not believe, then they are in a small minority -and they do not believe in the sacred and holy prophetic message and the words of the Bible...The vast majority have believed in one God or another god, or a group of gods...And when one takes the position that there is no God, then you must believe that the entire human race from the beginning, who have believed in God and other gods, (and they are by far the vast majority), that you are right, and somehow that vast majority is wrong...All the vast majority in the past have gotten it wrong about their God or their gods...And you have gotten it right...So when one is a disbeliever they must persuade themselves in their beliefs and thoughts that the people of the past centuries have continued to be wrong about God, and also all their past ancestors were wrong, and somehow all these things were made up about God, and you know and understand this better than those people of the past...Because if even if just one of these ancient thoughts are right, God could exist...So none of their thoughts, or beliefs, or ideas can be true...And you understand this better than those who have experienced these things...And you understand that better than those who were eyewitnesses of these things while they lived...Somehow these old-ancient people, even those who experienced Someone Divine have made a huge mistake...St. John and St. Peter somehow failed to get it right, about Jesus -and what they said when they wrote about Him...
Richard Dawkins, the atheist talks about this and God and gods of the past...Dawkins says, “We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in...Some of us just go one god further.” ...So there cannot be only One True God in his opinion...I doubt Dawkins would believe that the only to God is through Jesus, since he is an atheist...
C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that "If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake...If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all those religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth...When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view...But, of course, being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong...As in arithmetic-there is only one right answer to a sum, and all other answers are wrong, but some answers are much nearer right than others."...
If you believe that there was a Man named Jesus and He had Twelve Disciples and that two of them wrote about Him, among many others who have also written about Him, then you can believe that He existed...If you believe that Jesus existed, then you can believe what He said was Truth or not truth...But for me, it is very hard to understand how a Man, if it is fair to call Him a Man, could teach more about God than anyone ever...But my understanding, does not make God and Jesus not exist...A Man who would go about helping person after person and healing person after person -it would seem be a good ...And because He was helpful and good and knew so much about God -I find some Truth in that Man and the things He said and did...And One who tried to get us to know more about His Father God -how could He be a liar?...Plus, He could do miracles, that gave Him this authority about Him...If I put together all these things about Him, it makes Him Divine...
God created and made the universe and earth...He sent His Son to help us better understand these things...And He sent His Son, because the world is broken with sin, and needs fixed...Only He can fix the world...I believe there are things in this world both Sacred and Holy...I believe that the Bible is both of these -Sacred and Holy...And Jesus fulfills the Bible with its Sacredness and its Holiness...