With
that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers
with the most important issue they would ever face. He had
spent much time with them and made some bold claims about
His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them
either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who
do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not
only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as
well. Consider what the Bible says about Him
JESUS IS GOD
While Jesus was on earth there was much confusion about who
He was. Some thought He was a wise man or a great prophet.
Others thought He was a madman. Still others couldn't decide
or didn't care. But Jesus said, "I and my Father are
one."
(John 10:30). That means He claimed to be nothing less than
God in human flesh.
Many people today don't understand that Jesus claimed to be
God. They're content to think of Him as little more than a
great moral teacher. But even His enemies understood His
claims to deity. That's why they tried to stone Him to death
(John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified (John
19:7).
C.S. Lewis observed, "You can shut Him up for a fool, you
can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at
His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up
with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend
to" (Mere Christianity [Macmillan, 1952], pp. 40-41).
If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God!
JESUS IS HOLY
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore
He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13).
As God, Jesus embodied every element of God's character.
Colossians 2:9 says, "For in him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily." He was perfectly holy (Hebrews
4:15). Even His enemies couldn't prove any accusation
against Him (John 8:46)
God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says,
". . . Be ye holy; for I am holy. "
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR
Our failure to obey God--to be holy--places us in danger of
eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The truth is, we
cannot obey Him because we have neither the desire nor the
ability to do so. We are by nature rebellious toward God
(Ephesians 2:1-3). The Bible calls our rebellion "sin."
According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: ". .
. for there is no man that sinneth not . . ." (1 Kings 8:46). "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And we
are incapable of changing our sinful condition. Jeremiah
13:23 says, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the
leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil."
That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of
human kindness. We might even be involved in various
religious or humanitarian activities. But we're utterly
incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our
own. The Bible says, "As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one."
(Romans 3:10-12).
God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished
by death: ". . . the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4).
That's hard for us to understand because we tend to evaluate
sin on a relative scale, assuming some sins are less serious
than others. However, the Bible teaches that all acts of sin
are the result of sinful thinking and evil desires. That's
why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our
sin problem or eliminate its consequences. We need to be
changed inwardly so our thinking and desires are holy
Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us,
thereby delivering us from the power and penalty of sin:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved." (Acts 4:12).
Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love
has provided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for
sinners: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,
the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit:" (1
Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's
justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who
place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John 3:16 says, "For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. " He alone is "the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ;" (Titus 2:13).
JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE OBJECT OF SAVING FAITH
Some people think it doesn't matter what you believe as long
as you're sincere. But without a valid object your faith is
useless
If you take poison--thinking it's medicine--all the faith in
the world won't restore your life. Similarly, if Jesus is
the only source of salvation, and you're trusting in anyone
or anything else for your salvation, your faith is useless.
Many people assume there are many paths to God and that each
religion represents an aspect of truth. But Jesus said, "I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me. " (John 14:6). He didn't claim to be
one of many equally legitimate paths to God, or the way to
God for His day only. He claimed to be the only way to
God--then and forever.
JESUS IS LORD
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution.
But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to
love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him
The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created
everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He also
owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has
authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance,
obedience, and worship.
Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. " Confessing Jesus as Lord means
humbly submitting to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11).
Believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves
trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection--the
pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed
the deity and authority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts
17:30-31).
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin.
Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is
agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins
to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and
pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, "If ye love
me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15); and ". .
. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; "
(John 8:31).
It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even
Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19),
but they don't love and obey Him. Their faith is not
genuine. True saving faith always responds in obedience
(Ephesians 2:10).
Jesus is the sovereign Lord. When you obey Him you are
acknowledging His lordship and submitting to His authority.
That doesn't mean your obedience will always be perfect, but
that is your goal. There is no area of your life that you
withhold from Him.
JESUS IS THE JUDGE
All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day
face Him as their Judge: "And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every
where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31).
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and
from the glory of his power; "
HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living God, the Holy
One, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the
sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge.
Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question.
He alone can redeem you--free you from the power and penalty
of sin. He alone can transform you, restore you to
fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose.
Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior?
WHAT DO YOU DO ?
It may seem simple but this is all you have to do to be
saved . . . Pray and ask tell God that you believe that
Jesus is His Son and died on the cross to pay the penalty
for your sins. Ask God to forgive you for the things that
you have done that have displeased him. God will save you
and give you a home in Heaven - just believe and trust Him
to save you.
If you have made this decision, please email us and let us
know. We would love to pray for you as you begin your new
life in Christ Jesus.
