He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Mat 16:15-17
There is no question more important. Who do you say Jesus is? There are many ways men would answer that question today. Some would give an answer of respect while others would blaspheme, but on this point we must be clear. Jesus was not merely a good man, a gifted teacher, a prophet of God, or only the Son of God. He was and is the Christ. He is both the Son of God AND God the Son. He is the ONLY access to the Father. Along these lines, let us make three points of clear distinction between what Christ taught about Himself and what multitudes accept today.
1) He is THE great Prophet
Many years ago, I worked closely with a man who was a Muslim. I had never spent much time with anyone of that persuasion, and so, as I always try to do, I asked him what he personally believed rather than assuming something based on what I had heard. One thing that surprised me was the great respect this man had for Jesus. As I encountered other Muslims, I learned this attitude to be common. In corresponding with one man, he wouldn’t even write the name “Jesus” unless he followed it with “PBUH”, or “Peace Be Upon Him”. But though Christ was well-respected, to them, He was merely one of many messengers God had sent to specific groups of people over the ages. It was clear that Muhammad, the greatest and last of their prophets, was held in higher esteem for he came with a message for all mankind. Only through Muhammad’s teachings could men know Allah, their word for God. Even with all the respect they gave to Jesus, we must understand that Jesus claimed to be more! He was not merely one of the prophets, He is the great Prophet, the one of whom Moses said, “‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” (Act 3:22-23) It is to Christ that all the other prophets pointed. He is the One Prophet to whom you must be rightly related.
2) He is God the Son
The Son of God and God the Son…does the distinction really matter? Absolutely! Nicodemus described Jesus in a pretty lofty manner: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (Joh 3:2) He acknowledged Christ as a great teacher, one who came from God, and one with whom God was, but Jesus says in the next verse that Nicodemus hadn’t made it yet. He still needed to be born again! Jesus wasn’t simply a teacher come from God. He was God Who had come to teach! God wasn’t just with Him. He was God! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (Joh 1:1-2) In case there’s any doubt Who the Word is, v. 14 reads, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Many will accept Jesus as the Son of God, but you’ve gone too far if you claim He is God the Son. Just ask any Jehovah’s Witness. But, what did Jesus think? If He was not God the Son, surely He would have rebuked Thomas who addressed Him as, “My Lord and my God!” (Joh 20:28) When John fell down before the angel to worship him in Rev 22:9, the response was immediate: “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Jesus confessed the same thing when Satan said he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. Jesus responded quickly, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” (Mat 4:10) But just a few chapters later, after Jesus walked on the waves and calmed the wind, Mat 14:33 tells us, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’”
3) He is the ONLY access to the Father
In this day of political correctness, such a statement is not very popular, but this truth has been set forth in the Scriptures over and over again. Jesus never claimed to be a way to God. Rather, He boldly declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And just in case there was any doubt, He makes it clear in the next statement that He is the only Way! “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Joh 14:6) This message was repeated by the apostles. Peter testified of it in Act 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Even if Oprah Winfrey is confused on this issue, there’s no excuse for any student of the word of God to be. As Paul writes to Timothy, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…” (1Ti 2:5)
Christians, we are called to be closed-minded on these points. There is no room for deviation. The message of Christianity is Christ! Just prior to His ascension, Jesus spoke of the effect of the Holy Ghost in this way: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Act 1:8) To make it plain, if we’re not witnesses of Him, we don’t possess the Holy Ghost! He is the only hope for mankind. To water that message down is to depart from the faith because He is the object of our faith. Men are lost and need saving. There is only one answer when a man asks as the Philippian jailer did, “what must I do to be saved?” May we be just as clear as the apostle Paul was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” (Act 16:30-31)
Jamie
Those who profess that Jesus is Lord run the risk of rejection. That is sometimes the price of teaching the truth.
You are right! “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2Ti 3:12) It is a privilege to suffer on His behalf when He suffered so willingly for me. I hope our prayer will be the same as the church in Act 4:29: “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word…” Thanks for the comment!