The Most Important Question
Who Is Jesus?
Without a doubt, this is the most important question anyone will ever ponder, and the way you answer it has eternal implications. Who do you say Jesus is? Is He just a good man, a good prophet, or a good moral teacher? Is He a cultural revolutionary or a rebel? For over 2,000 years, this question has been asked.
Ultimately, you must decide whether what Jesus said about Himself is true. C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.” Lewis goes on to argue that Jesus must be either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Let's now look at what Jesus said about Himself and ask: Is this man crazy? Is He lying? Or is He telling the truth?
His Identity
Who Did Jesus Claim to Be?
Jesus claimed to have existed even before He came to earth (John 8:58) and that He came down from heaven (John 6:38). He claims a unique unity with God the Father in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.” Later, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” He goes on to say that no one comes to the Father except through Him.
This last statement is one of Jesus' most controversial claims. He says He is the only way to the Father. Now, this is where you must ask yourself: Is Jesus telling the truth, or is He a confused, misguided, or even malicious man who has set out to deceive as many people as He can?
His Purpose
Why Did Jesus Come?
Jesus also made remarkable claims about why He came to earth and what He came to accomplish. In John 12:47, Jesus says He came to save the world, and in Luke 19:10, He says He came to seek and save the lost. We also read that Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) and that no one takes His life from Him, but He willingly lays it down of His own accord (John 10:17–18).
These extraordinary claims bring us to a question we must answer: Was Jesus telling the truth?
If Jesus sincerely believed He was equal with God and the Savior of the world, but He was mistaken, then He was profoundly misguided about His own identity. We could not simply accept Him as a trustworthy moral teacher while dismissing these extraordinary claims.
If Jesus knew He was not equal with God and knew He was not the Savior of the world, but deliberately claimed otherwise, then He was a liar. We could not accept Him as a trustworthy moral teacher while overlooking such deliberate deception.
Or Jesus is who He claimed to be. He is one with God the Father, the Savior of the world, and the only way to the Father. If His claims are true, then we ought to trust what He said!
The Resurrection
Why Do We Believe His Claims?
Why do we believe Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Savior of the world?
Because He rose from the dead, just as He said He would.
In several passages, we read that Jesus told His disciples He was going to suffer, be killed, and rise from the grave on the third day (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19). His followers did not fully understand what He meant, but after His resurrection, they understood what Jesus had been telling them all along.
And this is the message we pass on to you!
Jesus Christ—Christ is not His last name but His title, meaning Messiah or Anointed One—was born of a virgin. As He grew into adulthood, He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
He lived a wholly blameless and sinless life. He devoted His life to teaching the crowds the truth about who God is, what it means to live a life pleasing to God, and warning them against the hypocritical, false teachings of the religious leaders of His day.
Those same religious leaders hated Him not because of the miracles He performed but because of the words He spoke. They hated Him for claiming He was God in the flesh and the long-awaited Messiah and Savior. These same leaders had Him nailed to a cross to silence Him.
But this was exactly what He intended to happen!
The Cross
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
You see, you and I stand guilty of breaking God's law and deserve punishment for being lawbreakers. We have all lied, cheated, selfishly disobeyed our parents, and coveted something that was not ours.
Jesus taught a deeper understanding of God's standard of goodness. He taught that someone who looks at another person with lust has already committed adultery in the heart, and that anger and contempt toward another person also violate the heart of God's command against murder (Matthew 5:21–28).
The Bible tells us that if we have broken even one of God's laws, we are guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10).
You might be thinking at this moment, “The whole world is guilty of breaking God's law!”
And to that, the Bible says, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT!
There is no one who is perfectly good and blameless before God.
The Bible tells us that the sinless, spotless Lamb of God—Jesus—was crucified on our behalf. Second Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for our sake so that, in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of the Father and the punishment that you and I deserve because of our sin, not His own. He did this willingly, out of His great love for us—and not just His love for us, but the Father's love for us as well.
Romans 5:8 tells us that “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus paid the penalty for the sin we have committed so that we can be reconciled to and forgiven by a holy God. His death is sufficient to rescue you and me from the penalty of our sin. We are called to repent of our sin and place our full trust and faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone.
Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.
Your Response
What Will You Do with Jesus?
Our plea to you today is that if you have not confessed Jesus as Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, do not wait.
Tomorrow is not promised. None of us knows when we will die and stand face-to-face with Almighty God.
Today, turn from your sin and place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. God promises to give His people new hearts that desire to do His will and please Him. He makes them new creations and gives them the Holy Spirit to dwell within them, helping and guiding them as they grow in righteousness.
You must answer the question: Who is Jesus?
Where to Go From Here
Reach Out
If you have questions or would like to discuss anything you have read, please do not hesitate to reach out.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).