Who Is Jesus?
Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Introduction:
Who is Jesus? Many believe He was just a good man. Others believe He was a prophet. Comparatively few, even professing Christians, seem to believe He is who He said He was. Today we will take a look at What the Bible really says about who Jesus is. I do use “is” rather than “was” because Jesus did rise from the dead and is living today.
Firstly, let’s look at what Jesus Himself said about who He is.
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
This verse bothered me for a long time, as on the surface it seems like Jesus is saying “Why are you calling me good? Only God is good, and I am not God.” But we know that from other things Jesus said, that He was good, and also that he was God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
While there are men and women we call “good”, they are good only comparatively and by our own standards. Compared to God’s standard, we all come up short and no human being is good.
What Jesus is really saying here is “Why are you calling me good if you don’t believe I am God? Only God is good. Therefore if I am good, I must be God.” If you acknowledge me as being good, you must also acknowledge me as being God.”
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
Joh 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
There are those who would claim that when Jesus claimed that he and the Father were one, He only meant they were one in spirit, or one in their methods or goals. These verses clearly blow that argument out of the water. The Jewish leaders not only clearly understood what Jesus was claiming, but they understood it so clearly they were prepared to stone Him to death for blasphemy!
How about what the Bible says in other places about who Jesus is?
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This verse clearly speaks about the coming of Jesus, but the names given, particularly “The Mighty God” and “The Everlasting Father” are names reserved exclusively for God. They identify Christ as God long before he was even born as a man!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
This verse also speaks clearly about Jesus Christ. He was with God in the beginning and participated in the creation. He WAS God.
So we can see from all these verses that the Bible does clearly teach that Jesus was God, not that He was just a good man, or merely a prophet, though He was these things as well.
What application can we make from the fact that Jesus was God? Well, if He was just a man, he couldn’t have been a good man because He said that Himself! He might have appeared good by human standards, but He would have been a sinner like any other man, and would have had to die for his own sins. He couldn’t have taken on our sins and died for them, so we would still be lost. Unless Jesus is God there is no salvation. One would have to keep the law perfectly for their entire life, but the Bible teaches clearly this is impossible:
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
If we put our faith in anything but Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are lost! Keeping the law won’t save us. Our good works won’t save us. Our own righteousness won’t save us. God will not overlook sin and save us.
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
If we put our faith in another Jesus – one who is just a prophet, or a good man – we are not putting our faith in the real Jesus and so it is futile.
Let us keep our faith in the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus the Bible claims is God, and who Himself claimed to be God. Don’t let the heresies of this age, and the smooth talkers of the cults lead you astray. Salvation is through faith in Christ only, and only in faith in the Christ of the Bible. It will not be found in the liberal “good man” Jesus, or the prophet” Jesus.
Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Introduction:
Who is Jesus? Many believe He was just a good man. Others believe He was a prophet. Comparatively few, even professing Christians, seem to believe He is who He said He was. Today we will take a look at What the Bible really says about who Jesus is. I do use “is” rather than “was” because Jesus did rise from the dead and is living today.
Firstly, let’s look at what Jesus Himself said about who He is.
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
This verse bothered me for a long time, as on the surface it seems like Jesus is saying “Why are you calling me good? Only God is good, and I am not God.” But we know that from other things Jesus said, that He was good, and also that he was God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
While there are men and women we call “good”, they are good only comparatively and by our own standards. Compared to God’s standard, we all come up short and no human being is good.
What Jesus is really saying here is “Why are you calling me good if you don’t believe I am God? Only God is good. Therefore if I am good, I must be God.” If you acknowledge me as being good, you must also acknowledge me as being God.”
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
Joh 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
There are those who would claim that when Jesus claimed that he and the Father were one, He only meant they were one in spirit, or one in their methods or goals. These verses clearly blow that argument out of the water. The Jewish leaders not only clearly understood what Jesus was claiming, but they understood it so clearly they were prepared to stone Him to death for blasphemy!
How about what the Bible says in other places about who Jesus is?
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This verse clearly speaks about the coming of Jesus, but the names given, particularly “The Mighty God” and “The Everlasting Father” are names reserved exclusively for God. They identify Christ as God long before he was even born as a man!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
This verse also speaks clearly about Jesus Christ. He was with God in the beginning and participated in the creation. He WAS God.
So we can see from all these verses that the Bible does clearly teach that Jesus was God, not that He was just a good man, or merely a prophet, though He was these things as well.
What application can we make from the fact that Jesus was God? Well, if He was just a man, he couldn’t have been a good man because He said that Himself! He might have appeared good by human standards, but He would have been a sinner like any other man, and would have had to die for his own sins. He couldn’t have taken on our sins and died for them, so we would still be lost. Unless Jesus is God there is no salvation. One would have to keep the law perfectly for their entire life, but the Bible teaches clearly this is impossible:
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
If we put our faith in anything but Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are lost! Keeping the law won’t save us. Our good works won’t save us. Our own righteousness won’t save us. God will not overlook sin and save us.
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
If we put our faith in another Jesus – one who is just a prophet, or a good man – we are not putting our faith in the real Jesus and so it is futile.
Let us keep our faith in the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus the Bible claims is God, and who Himself claimed to be God. Don’t let the heresies of this age, and the smooth talkers of the cults lead you astray. Salvation is through faith in Christ only, and only in faith in the Christ of the Bible. It will not be found in the liberal “good man” Jesus, or the prophet” Jesus.
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