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What The Bible Says About Christ
Recently LIFE MAGAZINE carried an article dealing with the question, "Who Was
Jesus?" Let me share with you a few excerpts from that article.
Jon Murray, president of American Atheists said, "There was no such person in
the history of the world as Jesus Christ. There was no historical, living,
breathing human being by that name. Ever. [The Bible] is a fictional book, non
historical narrative. The myth is good for business."
Susan Haskins (author of Mary Magdalene; Myth and Metaphor.) said: "He was a
feminist. He cured ill women, allowed them to become people who related his
truths, forgave a repentant prostitute, allowed her to touch him. Women gave
their money to support him. Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the
Resurrection -- what is more important than that, in Christianity? She was an
apostle to the apostles, told by Christ to go tell them he had risen. There
should be a role for women to preach and teach today -- a role too often
denied."
Regarding His resurrection, Barbara Thiering (Dead Sea Scrolls interpreter and
author of Jesus, The Apocalypse) said: It's in the scrolls if you really study
the codes: It was not a resurrection. He was put on the cross. Those within his
own party, trying to help him commit suicide, gave him poison -- the sponge
dipped in vinegar. He was unconscious but not dead. His side was pierced, blood
came out. A dead body does not bleed, so his followers knew he was not dead.
They put him in a cave. He lived until his seventies, and it was he -- Jesus
acting behind Paul -- who led their party out of Judaism and to Rome. He married
Mary Magdalene and had four children."
I will be honest with you friends, I do not remember ever reading anything more
ridiculous as these statements about Jesus Christ. Obviously these writers have
no respect at all for the Bible even as an accurate historical document. Instead
of going to the Bible to learn the truth, they have twisted it to suit
themselves. While I may have an interest in what others may have written about
Jesus Christ, I am more interested in what the inspired word of God records for
us. So let's spend our time considering what the inspired record has to say
about this One called Jesus Christ.
Who Do Men Say That I Am?
There was a time in Jesus' life here on earth that Jesus posed an interesting
question to His disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (Matthew
16:13b). Jesus' disciples were very candid with Him in their response concerning
what they had heard others say about Him. "And they said, 'Some say John the
Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'" While that
is certainly an interesting collection of personalities that some men associated
Jesus of Nazareth with, it is Jesus' second question that really gets to the
core of the matter. "He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Simon
Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And
Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'" (Matthew
16:15-17). Exactly what was it that the Father in heaven had revealed about
Christ? And precisely how did the Father make it known?
Christ In Prophecy
First we have the voice of the prophet Isaiah writing some seven hundred years
before the days and events of the first century. Notice with me a few things
that the inspired writer Isaiah wrote. First consider his inspired words in
Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin
shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Next in Isaiah
9:6-7 he went on to say, "For unto us a child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the
increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of
David and His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice
from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform
this." Obviously the New Testament passages that correspond to these words of
Isaiah are abundant. In examining some of those NT verses, we find acceptance
and fulfillment of Isaiah's prophetic words. Consider these passages and notice
how the wording corresponds with Isaiah's words. (Cf. Matthew 1:23; 28:18; Luke
1:27-33; John 1:45; 7:42; 1 Corinthians 15:25-28; Titus 2:13; Revelation 12:5).
Words And Phrases Defined
Any frequent reader of the NT has already recognized that there are many names,
words and phrases that the writers use to refer to Christ. Of course in the
definition of these there are many things to be said about Him. First is His
designated name from the prophecy that we have just observed in Isaiah and the
angel's repeating of that name in the early books of the NT when his birth is
being announced to the virgin and her soon to be husband. His name will be
called "Jesus, the Son of the most Highest and Immanuel," (Cf. Matt. 1:23; Lk.
1:31-32). Christ means the anointed one, i.e., the Messiah. Immanuel is defined
in the verses where
it is found as literally "God with us." On a number of occasions in the NT
whenever Jesus referred to himself as God's Son the Jews correctly recognized
that in doing so He put himself on an equal plane with the Father, i.e., Deity,
God. The writer John would add to this in John 1:1-2, 14, "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth."
Whenever the Bible speaks of being God, or being a member of the Godhood, it
speaks in terms of One's Divine nature. There are three specific Bible passages
that I have in mind at this time, (Cf. Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9).
Paul in Colossians 2:9 says concerning Christ, "For in Him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily." When you speak of Jesus' Divine nature you are
talking about who and what He is, i.e., His very essence. While one may change
his personality or appearance, one does not change who or what his is nature is.
When Jesus emptied Himself (Cf. Philippians 2:7), He did not divest himself of
His
nature for that would have been impossible to do.
His Deity remained while He took upon himself human flesh. This was clearly
evident in a number of different ways, but especially in the fact that He
accepted worship (only God is to be worshiped), and He demonstrated His power to
forgive sins (Mk. 2:5, 7), again something that only God can do.
Christ Our Savior
Probably one of the more important revelations about Jesus Christ that is given
is the fact that He is our Savior and actually of the world (Cf. John 4:42).
Jesus even said of himself, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His
life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Paul further explains that it is in Christ
Jesus that we experience, "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our
sins" (Cf. Colossians 1:14; Ephesians 1:7). In another place Paul says
concerning Christ that He has "abolished death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). But let the reader of this please
understand that even though He is indeed the Savior of the world, He remains the
"author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9).
Christ was prophesied of, He was born of a virgin, lived as a man for some
thirty-three years, performed numerous wonders, signs and miracles for literally
thousands to see, taught great truths to a multitude, He was mistreated,
rejected and denied, He was crucified on a tree, He shed his precious blood, was
buried in a tomb, arose from the grave the third day according to the
Scriptures, returned to the Father and now sits at His right-hand ruling
(present tense) over His appointed Kingdom. And at the appointed day He will
return in the clouds to judge the world according to His word (Cf. John
12:48-49).
By Randy Reynolds
From Expository Files 2.2; February, 1995
