Son of God
Ravi Zacharias was born in India with a Hindu ancestry. Ashamed of his poor grades, Ravi
attempted suicide at 17 by drinking poison. At the hospital he was led to Christ by a pastor who
read John 14:19 to him, “Because I live, you also will live.” In 1966, Ravi’s family immigrated
to Canada and then to the US where Ravi graduated from Trinity International University with a
Master of Divinity degree. Ravi has traveled to over 70 countries preaching the gospel.
Three Foundational Facts That Establish Jesus As the Son of God:
1. Jesus Is ___________(100% God).
a. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God…Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made.” John 1:1,3. This is the clearest and most direct
affirmation of the deity of Christ found anywhere in the Bible.
b. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that John 1:1 should be translated, “The Word
was a god.” But this defies several laws of Greek grammar. The given
wording is the only way to communicate that Jesus is of the same essence as
God the Father and yet they are still two distinct persons.
c. “…In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..., through whom he made
the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
Hebrews 1:2-3. Jesus not only created the world, he continues to sustain it on
a continual basis.
d. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth…He gives all men life and breath and everything else…he determined
the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” Acts
17:24-26. Jesus is the giver of physical and spiritual life (“zoe”).
2. Jesus Is ___________(100% Human).
a. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14. When Jesus
became a man, he didn’t cease to be God. He was still omnipresent (Matthew
18:20; 28:20), omniscient (Matthew 11:27; John 16:30), omnipotent (Matthew
28:18), and unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8).
b. As Jesus matured, Luke 2:52 tells us that he grew in wisdom (mentally), in
stature (physically), in favor with God (spiritually), and in favor with man
(socially). Yet he experienced human limitations such as getting tired (John
4:6), sleepy (Matthew 8:24), hungry (Matthew 21:18), and thirsty (John
19:28). He wrestled with weakness and temptation (Hebrews 4:14-15).
c. Jesus “dwelt” among us, which means “to pitch your tent”. In Exodus 40:34,
God dwelt in a tabernacle and in I Kings 8:10, he dwelt in a temple. At
Bethlehem, God was pitching his tent via the person of Jesus, who promised
to be with his people eternally (Matthew 28:20). In heaven, God will
permanently dwell with his people (Revelation 21:3-4).
3. Jesus Is ___________________(100% Grace and 100% Truth).
a. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.
“In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Colossians 2:9.
Jesus did temporarily set aside some of his divine attributes (Philippians 2:7),
not even knowing the time of his own return (Mark 13:32).
b. Unlike us, Jesus is self-existent (John 5:26), infinite in being and perfection,
eternal, holy, righteous, and just. But the two attributes most closely
connected with our salvation are grace and truth.
c. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth.”
Ephesians 1:13. You must know the truth of the death, burial and resurrection
of Christ, and you must agree that it is true. But that isn’t enough as even the
demons believe that (James 2:19). True, saving faith requires that you know,
believe, and experience the truth, accepting Jesus as your personal Savior.
d. Salvation is absolutely free. Jesus came to earth as a gift, lived a perfect life
as a gift, died a wretched death as a gift, and rose from the dead as a gift,
triumphing over sin, Satan, death, and hell, all for you!
The personal testimony of someone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ is
the most powerful evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity. Jesus changes lives! He
changed Ravi Zacharias, plucking a lonely, suicidal teenager out of a sea of humanity in
India, and molding him into one of the most brilliant minds in history, and appointing him
to preach the gospel in the halls of academia. Will you place your trust in this Jesus?
Discussion Questions
Son of God
1. Have you ever heard Ravi Zacharias speak, on the radio or in person? Were you aware
that he had tried to commit suicide as a teenager? What was most inspiring to you about
Ravi’s journey to faith in Christ?
2. Read John 1:1-14. How does verse 1 clearly state that Jesus is God? Why is it important
to understand that Jesus is the Creator of the universe? How do the Jehovah’s Witnesses
mistranslate verse 1? What is taught in Hebrews 1:1-3 about Jesus being God? Why is it
important to understand that Jesus not only created the world, but he continually sustains
it? What is taught in Acts 17:24-26 about the detail with which God reigns over our
world? Why do you think John 14:19 was so instrumental in leading Ravi to Jesus?
3. Look at John 1:14. How does this teach that Jesus is also 100% human? Why is it
important to understand that Jesus still remained being God even as he put on a human
body? What evidence is there that Jesus was still God even as he walked our earth?
Read Luke 2:52. How did Jesus grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and
man? Why is it important for us to grow mentally as well as physically? Why is it
important for us to grow spiritually as well as socially? What do John 4:6, Matthew 8:24,
Matthew 21:18, John 19:28, and Hebrews 4:14-15 teach about the humanness of Christ?
When John 1:14 says that Jesus dwelt among us, it means that he “pitched his tent”
among us? How did God pitch his tent among man in Exodus 40:34-35 and I Kings
8:10-11? How did Jesus pitch his tent at Bethlehem? How, according to Revelation
21:3-4, will God pitch his tent among us in heaven?
4. Look again at John 1:14 and Colossians 2:9. What does the Bible mean when it says that
Jesus was full of grace and truth? Of what did Christ empty himself in Philippians 2:7?
What is taught in Mark 13:32? Which attributes of God are also true of Christ? Why are
the attributes of grace and truth pointed out in John 1:14? What does Ephesians 1:13
teach about the importance of truth in coming to Christ? What is taught in James 2:19?
Why is it important that we not only know and believe the truth, but that we also
experience it? Why is it also important to know that Jesus is 100% grace? Why are all
these truths important as we seek to understand how God changed Ravi’s life? How is
the story of Ravi’s conversation encouraging to you? Are you placing your trust in Jesus,
the Son of God? Which is most inspiring to you – knowing that Jesus is 100% God or
100% man or 100% truth or 100% grace?