John 17:3
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 20:28
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”
Thomas confirmed who Jesus is when he saw the marks of the crucifixion in His hands. He said, “My Lord and my God.” What signs, then, do you need to see before you will confess who Jesus is?
Jesus’ response to this confession was, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Blessed are those who do not see but believe in who He is and confess it with their mouths.
Jesus Christ is the most influential person in human history.
Throughout the world, people hold different views of Jesus. To some, He is one of the prophets God sent to correct, rebuke, and direct humanity toward the right path.
To others, He is a good and righteous man, but not worthy of worship. They believe worship belongs to God alone and that no human being, including Jesus Christ, should share in it.
Some regard Him as a great figure and invoke His name in prayer, believing that God will answer them.
In certain religions, He is highly respected but never regarded as equal to the Almighty. Those who believe in Him are labelled infidels and considered worthy of death.
Some use His name in prayer without believing that He is God. They acknowledge His ability to do all things and follow Him for material provision, but not for eternal life. They do not believe that He has any meaningful role in their lives, much less in their eternity.
The purpose of the gospel is to present Jesus Christ to the world as the only way to the Father and the only solution to humanity’s deepest problems.
Cornelius served God and did good to those around him, yet he needed to understand one essential truth: without Jesus Christ, his good deeds were insufficient for salvation.
That is why Jesus sent Peter to him, so that his devotion and service could be brought into the knowledge of Christ and become acceptable before God.
What Jesus Christ means to you has profound implications for both your life and your eternity. The place you give Him determines the purpose and direction of your existence.
Knowing Jesus Christ merely as one thing or another is not the fullness of knowledge. Knowing Him as He truly is, however, is the foundation of deliverance from the power of sin and its consequences.
There are people in hell who knew about Christ, preached about Him to others, and ministered in His name, yet failed to acknowledge who He truly is.
Salvation of man depends on believing in who he truly is, not on who you think he is. Those who are in hell didn’t believe him as their saviour and their God; that is why they find themselves there.
If they had believed in Him as the Son of God and the only true God, they would have surrendered their lives to Him, submitting to His authority.
If they had believed in who He truly is, they would not have treated His Word lightly and lost their souls.
If they had known who He truly is, they would not have exchanged their souls for things of no eternal value.
God is the Creator of heaven and earth. He created all things for the benefit of humanity, whom He made in His own image.
To understand who Christ is, you must study the Bible beginning with the book of Genesis. You must understand the origin of humanity and the essence of iniquity and the nature of sin, and the sacrifice God made to destroy its power and deliver humanity from its consequences.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they studied the Scriptures, which testified about Him, yet they still failed to understand what was written. They knew the letter, but they did not grasp the revelation.
Truly, God has concealed Himself from those who do not sincerely seek Him and reveals Himself to those who genuinely desire to know Him. He withheld this revelation from the Pharisees, yet revealed Himself to the woman at the well.
He instructed the Jews to search the Scriptures because they believed that in them they possessed eternal life, yet those very Scriptures testified about Him.
If the Jews had truly believed the writings of Moses, they would also have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Their unbelief revealed where their allegiance truly lay. It was not in God but in themselves, because they sought honour from people rather than honour from God.
This is what creates divisions within the church of God. Our understanding of who Jesus is determines our attitude toward His Word.
Those who do not fully obey His Word often accept one aspect of His character while rejecting another.
They know Him as a merciful God but refuse to acknowledge His justice and judgment, both of which are central to His throne and character.
Partial faith in His Word is equivalent to no genuine faith in His person. Until you believe Him to be who He claims to be, you have not truly answered the question of who He is, and you have no share in His inheritance.
If you do not believe that He is God, you cannot give Him the honour due to Him as God.
If you do not believe in His Sonship, you will not be able to believe in His atonement and sacrifice for humanity.
These truths constitute His essence and define His identity. When you remove them, you reduce Him to nothing more than what your imagination allows Him to be.
This is what the heathen do to Him, placing themselves as His enemies and under God’s wrath.
Some have turned Him into an object of mockery even in the church of God because they do not know who He truly is.
Had they known that He holds their lives and determines their eternity, they would have accorded Him the same respect they have for God.
So, who is Jesus Christ to you?
Your answer is not merely a statement of belief. It determines how you live, whom you obey, what you value, and where you will spend eternity.
Prayer: Father lord, reveal yourself to me and to all your children in the world, in Jesus’ name, amen.
