Jesus Christ: Who Is He?

Chuckle: TEACHER: "Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago." WINNIE: "Me!"

Quote: "Apart from Christ we know neither what our life nor our death is; we do not know what God is nor what we ourselves are." --Blaise Pascal

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

    "But what about you?" he (Jesus) asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:15-16 NIV).

You may be wondering why I would raise this question to my readers, most of whom are born again believers who have answered, to their own satisfaction, the question about the identity of Jesus Christ. Not only have they settled the issue of who Jesus is, but they are so sure of their conclusion that they have committed their lives to Him and placed their eternal souls in His hands -- trusting Him to fulfill His promise that they will spend eternity with Him in a place the Bible calls heaven.

While Jesus was here on earth, there was much confusion about who He really was. Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about His identity. "Well" they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets" (vs. 14). It took Peter's enlightened answer for Jesus to say, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven" (vs. 17). It is faith like Peter's that forms the very foundation of God's kingdom.

Even today, the identity of Jesus Christ is a matter of much disagreement. Some discount Him all together, while others acknowledge His importance in history because of His wise teachings. Many deny that He is God incarnate who lived on earth as a man and died to redeem mankind from enslavement to sin. What would your answer be if Jesus were to ask you, "Who do you say I am?"

Do you believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to the virgin Mary? "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel! -- which means 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:23).

Do you believe He, as God, came to earth as a human being to "save his people from their sins?" (Matthew 1:21). 

Do you believe He suffered and died to pay the penalty for your sins and mine? "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Do you believe He rose again on the third day victorious over sin, death and the grave? "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said" (Matthew 28:6). 

Do you believe He is coming again someday to claim His church -- all believers? "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24:44).

Do you believe that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved?" (Acts 4:12).

If you believe these truths and have a personal testimony concerning your own relationship with Jesus Christ, you should have no trouble answering Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?"

Love, Jerry & Dotse