Which Jesus?

 (by Lorie Codispoti)

If we claim to be Christians wouldn’t it seem reasonable to assume that we have a basic understanding of Christianity’s central figure, Jesus Christ?

Author, Randy Alcorn said, “If you get it wrong about Jesus, in the end it won’t matter much what you got right.”

SURVEY

I found the results of Ligonier Ministry’s 2020 TheStateOfTheology.com survey sobering. While there are some encouraging trends among the American evangelicals surveyed, when you factor in that these numbers are from those claiming to know and follow Christ, there is cause for concern.

Consider these responses:

~ 30% believe that Jesus was a great teacher, but not God.

~ 63% believe that “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.”

~ 46% believe that most people are good by nature.

~ 42% believe that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”

~ 60% believe that “God counts a person as righteous not because of one’s works but only because of one’s faith in Jesus Christ.”

~ 59% believe that “The Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.”

~ 55% believe that “The Bible has the authority to tell us what we must do.”

~ 56% believe that “It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

~ 72% believe that “Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.”

~68% believe that “Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.”

~ 78% “Jesus Christ is the only person who never sinned.” (2018)

What does that say about the people sitting in the pews of our churches? What does it say about those leading and teaching these people? What does it say about some of our “churches”? If the majority believe Jesus was a created being, with some denying His deity and placing Him among sinners, then is it any wonder why they don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant authority in a believer’s life? If we don’t believe and teach the basic tenants of the Christian faith, then we shouldn’t be surprised to read of those among us who embrace heresies.

MISREPRESENTATION

The God of the Bible has not only made Himself known (in a general sense through creation), but He has done something no other god has ever done - He invites us to know Him on an intimate level. God wants to make our relationship with Him personal. Why? Because God IS love (1Jn.4:8). No other god can identify with or embody this attribute.

What’s worse than getting God wrong? Thinking that you’ve got Him right and then misrepresenting Him to others.

“Acquaint yourself with Him.” That’s what Eliphaz encouraged Job to do during his intense time of suffering and loss (J.22:21a).

On the surface, this might appear to be wise counsel, but remember, Eliphaz was one of Job’s three friends who got it wrong. As we near the end of Job’s story, God rebukes his friends, and speaks this to Eliphaz, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." (J.42:7)

Misrepresentations of the one, true God are nothing new. They started with the serpent in the garden and will continue until everything is renewed by Christ.

Interestingly, if you study the major world religions (Muslim, Judism, Hindu, Buddhist), and some of the well known cults (Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon), you’ll find that each one honors Jesus. They don’t question the fact that He existed. The problem isn’t whether they honor and believe in His existence; the problem is that they misrepresent Him. Like Eliphaz, they are acquainted with Jesus, but the don’t really know Him.

Every good lie is interwoven with truth, otherwise you’d never believe it. Do you know enough about the Jesus of Scripture to differentiate Him from false representations?

GET IT RIGHT

In one Barna study that I read, two out of every three adults (random selection of Americans) claim to have an active and influential personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Wow! At first glance that sounds awesome. But then comes the question: which Jesus?

After Jesus warns His disciples of the false doctrine being preached by the religious leaders of His day, He asks them two questions: 1) “Who do men say that I am?” And 2) “Who do you say that I am?” (Mtt.16:13-16)

I find it interesting that the general populous identified Christ in much the same way as many of the false religions of our day, but when Jesus asks His inner circle who they think He is, we read that it’s Peter who responds with the correct answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (A survey in that moment might of said one out of twelve knew who He was. Thankfully, those numbers flipped, with only one out of twelve denying.)

There are many anti-biblical versions of Jesus. Some have reconstructed Him to fit an image of who they want him to be. Some serve an alternative Jesus, offered by those who have redefined Him. And some want to lump Him in with other gods (religious pluralism), thinking that He’s one of many ways to heaven.

What Jesus’ disciples got right went beyond their perceptions, and we can trust their eyewitness accounts.

John’s historical account records Jesus identifying Himself in His seven “I Am” statements (Jn.6:35, 8:12, 10:9&11, 11:25-26, 14:6, 15:5). They confirm what we read throughout Scripture: that Jesus is part of the triune, one and only God - that He predates time and created all things - that His word is authoritative and true - that He, being sinless, became sin on the cross - that He rose from the dead by His own power to rescue us from eternal damnation - that He is the only way - and that out of His great love desires to have a relationship with us.

He is all this and more! In 1John 3 we read that when Christ is fully revealed to us “we will see Him as He is.” (There’s more to discover.)

John could write all of this, not only because He was an eyewitness, but because he had a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Unlike, Eliphaz, John got it right. Will you? In the end nothing else will matter.