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How would you respond to someone who says that Jesus Christ was a wonderful teacher but nothing more?
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Jesus Christ was a great teacher along with other responsibilities, occupations and building relationships with people. Saying that he is just a teacher is placing a single focus label on him. Just like I (and everyone else who teaches) am not just a teacher, but a person with many talents to be the hands and feet to others.
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I would hopefully speak truth with grace and love. I would ask penetrating questions that would hopefully lead to a greater understanding of why they believe that Jesus Christ was a wonderful teacher and nothing more. And I would hopefully be able to guide the discussion in a direction that would allow for scripture to speak to who Jesus really is. Lastly, I believe this needs to be done in a relational manner.
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I would begin by asking why they believe He was merely a great teacher. Then, I would ask whether He would still be considered a great teacher if He was a consistent liar. For, if Jesus Christ was just a teacher and not the Son of God, then He is a liar and, thus, the rest of His teaching cannot be trusted either. Jesus being the Son of God is what makes Jesus’ teachings worth listening to and believing whole-heartedly, even unto death. For a person to acknowledge Christ as a wonderful teacher means they also need to acknowledge His deity.
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I would first respond with questions to try to understand where they’re coming from better. Once I got to know more, I would be better equipped to minister to them accordingly. I would want to know if they believe there is any other man who lived here on earth and sacrificed his life the way Jesus did for us. I would want to know how they believe they are redeemed if they think Jesus was merely a teacher and nothing more. I would share with them that the bible states these very tactics of deceit would be used by the enemy to steer people away from the saving grace of Jesus. I’d want them to know that the battle for our soul has always existed, and that our enemy knows God’s Word better than most people, therefore, he knows very well how to deceive people. I’d want them to know how grievous it is to God’s heart to know that some people think the sacrifice He made might have been in vain. No other “teacher” compares to the character and sovereignty of Christ. History backs up the miracles Jesus performed, even by multiple accounts according to the gospels. I would likely even point them toward the book Dr. Black mentioned “Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel, as this man also doubted the deity of Christ at one time.
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Jesus was a great teacher, but he was so much more. We know this through his actions of sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins, his resurrection from the grave, and the promise of his coming again. No other “teacher” has done that or could do that. He was and is and will forever be the Son of God.