One of The Most Controversial Questions We Can Ask!
The question that comprises the title of this page is, without doubt, one of the most controversial and confusing questions that we can ask. It is confusing, not because the evidence surrounding the answer is unclear, but because so many, because of their preconceived ideas and prejudices, have insisted on their own diverse and unproved answers. Not only do those who disbelieve in Jesus give various answers to His identity, but many who claim to believe in Him also give diverse answers about His identity. Many groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Moslems all claim to believe in Jesus, but all end up denying His true identity and the very evidence that supports His identity.
Even in the days when Jesus walked the earth, this question provoked the same diversity of answers that we find today. Just read the following passages and you will se what I mean:
JOH 7:12 And there was much grumbling among the multitudes concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the multitude astray.”
JOH 7:13 Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
JOH 7:40 Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.”
JOH 7:41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.”Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?
JOH 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
JOH 7:43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him.
JOH 7:44 And some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
JOH 7:45 ¶ The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?”
JOH 7:46 The officers answered, “Never did a man speak the way this man speaks.”
JOH 7:47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you?
JOH 7:48 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he?
JOH 7:49 “But this multitude which does not know the Law is accursed.”
The Importance of Answering This Question Accurately
Why is this question so important? It’s important because our salvation (being delivered from the consequences of sin) rests on how we answer it. Also, whether we will be able to spend eternity in the glorious presence of God depends on how we answer this question and how we respond to Jesus after answering it.
Jesus Himself underscored the importance of acknowledging who He was in the following passages:
JOH 8:23 And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
JOH 8:24 “I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.”
MAT 16:13 ¶ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
MAT 16:14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
MAT 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
MAT 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
MAT 16:17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
MAT 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.
MAT 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In these pages, we seek to give some of the major claims of Jesus – who He said He was and what did He say He would do for our salvation. Also, we seek to provide evidence for why we should believe these claims? Do we just have to take Jesus’ word for who He is? Then, finally, in a section of its own, we will look to the ultimate proof for Jesus’ claims and some major theories posed by those who reject the New Testament evidence concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Who was Jesus? Was He a good man, a liar, an angel, a lunatic, a prophet, a teacher of philosophy, or was He the Son of God – God’s chosen King (Messiah) who holds all authority in His hands and the key to our salvation and hope of eternal life? We urge you to consider the following evidence and put your obedient faith in Him.
In This Section
Why Should We Believe Jesus’ Claims?
Ultimate Proof For Jesus’ Claims
By Gary Hunt
