Which Jesus are They Talking About?

People sure do have erroneous ideas of who Jesus is. Muslims think he was a prophet. Nominal Christians figure he was a good teacher. Some folks think Christ was a sort of first-century hippie who got killed for telling people how to be nice to one another. All of these views are misinformed because they'ren't biblical.

This is nothing new. The Bible tells us how many people in Judea were misinformed about Jesus. Luke 9:18-20 (BBE) reads, "And it came about that when he was in prayer, by himself, and the disciples were with him, he put a question to them, saying, 'Who do the people say I am?' And they, answering, said, 'John the Baptist; but others say Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has come back.' And he said, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter, answering, said, 'The Christ of God.'" Jesus didn't deny it but praised Peter for the revelation God gave him.

A woman in Samaria also realized who Christ was. In John 4:29 (BBE) she spread the news to her village, saying, "Come and see a man who has been talking to me of everything I ever did! Is it possible that this is the Christ?"

The villagers also believed when the Lord spoke to them. John 4:42 (BBE) records, "And they said to the woman, 'Now we have faith, but not because of your story: we ourselves have given ear to his words, and we are certain that he is truly the Saviour of the world.'"

Other disciples of Christ likewise believed he was the Saviour as well. John 1:41 (BBE) tells us about Andrew's revelation. "Early in the morning he came across his brother and said to him, 'We have made discovery! It is the Messiah!' (which is to say, the Christ)."

Better still, we learn that Jesus is God. The Pharisees became angry when, in John 10:30 (BBE), he said he was of the same essence as God. "I and my Father are one." The Pharisees thought it was blasphemy but he truly was part of the Trinity.

Paul also expressed the truth that Jesus is god in Colossians 1:16-19 (BBE). "For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him; He is before all things, and in him all things have being. And he is the head of the body, the church: the starting point of all things, the first to come again from the dead; so that in all things he might have the chief place. For God in full measure was pleased to be in him;"

I'll be emphasizing the divine nature of Christ in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Accepting that Jesus is part of the Godhead is crucial to salvation. If he's a mere person, faith in him is pointless and blasphemous.

On Thursday, I'll post about the downside of devotional books.