When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16
Apologetics
Apologetics is giving a defense of your faith, having a ready answer for anyone who asks of the hope within you (1 Peter 3:15). And there is no answer or defense more important to have ready than—who is Jesus Christ?
The most important answer
If Jesus is truly the only way to salvation like the Bible tells us, then it is imperative to know the truth about who He is. What we believe about Jesus is quite literally a matter of life and death.
Did you know that many religions aside from Christianity also believe in Jesus? Many acknowledge His name and hold Him in reverence. But what do they say about who He is?
-If you ask a Muslim if they believe in Jesus, they will say yes; He was a great teacher and prophet, and they may even call Him Lord. But they do not believe that Jesus is God. -If you ask a Mormon if they believe in Jesus, they will say yes, we believe He is the Son of God and died on the cross. However, they also believe that Jesus was the spirit baby of God the Father, the spirit brother of Lucifer and that He became a God separate from God the Father. -Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe in Jesus, but they believe that He is a created being, not equal and co-existent with the Father and that He is Michael the archangel. Seventh Day Adventists also believe Jesus is Michael the archangel. -Many Hindus and Buddhists also believe in Jesus as an enlightened man and wise teacher. -The New Age and similar beliefs say that Jesus was a man who became aware of His “christ-consciousness” to become a god, and that we can also become a god. -Many who even claim to be Christian see Jesus as a good and moral teacher, but not much else.
-And of course, there are those who do not believe Jesus ever actually existed.
What does the Bible say?
Many people and religions “believe in” and acknowledge Jesus, but they all deny the absolute most important thing—His eternal deity as the one and only God.
Christianity (and I’m talking about real Bible believing, Christ following Christianity, not the watered-down world-pleasing Christianity of today) and the authority of the Bible hinge on this question—Is Jesus Christ God the Most High, and has He always been?
1 John chapter 4 verses 1-3 give us the litmus test for how we can know whether something is of the spirit of truth, or the spirit of error and antichrist. It says this:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
In the time that this chapter was written, there were Gnostic teachings that affirmed Jesus was God, but denied that he was a real man. Today we seem to have the opposite problem, many affirm Jesus was a man but deny that He is eternally God.
The point here is that to deny to truth about all of who Jesus is, is the spirit of antichrist. Jesus’ deity and humanity are both essential to our salvation through His sacrifice on the cross for our sins and His bodily resurrection.
So, let’s look at just a few things that Scripture has to say about this.
The gospel of John was written by one of Jesus’ closest companions, one who saw Christ transfigured, and the one who received the Revelation of Christ and the end times on the island of Patmos. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to Jesus.
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse is a parallel to Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John is making it clear that the Word is the same God that was in the beginning and created all things. The next 13 verses go on to show that he is referring to Jesus and verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” Jesus was God and then became flesh, not the other way around.
In Colossians 2:9 Paul writes of Jesus, “For in Him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Jesus- fully God, fully man. The Godhead- Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
In Malachi 3:6 God says, “For I am the Lord, I change not…” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” God told us He does not change. If Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever then if He is God, He always was and always will be.
Old Testament prophecy foretold that the Messiah to come would be the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.
Isaiah 9:6 prophesies of Jesus around 700 years before His birth, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream he told him that this baby would come and that His name would be called Emmanuel which means God with us.
When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, His deity is evident. He spoke with absolute truth and authority. He healed. He performed miracles. He had power and authority over demonic spirits. After His resurrection, He told His disciples- all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. We are also told many times that Jesus would rule as judge, this could not be so if He was not God.
What did Jesus say?
Now let’s look at some of the claims that Jesus made about Himself.
In John chapter 14, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father and Jesus answers him by saying, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” and “I am in the Father, and the Father in me”. In John 10:30 He says, “I and My Father are one.”
In Mark 14 when Jesus is on trial before the high priest and the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas the high priest asks Jesus, “art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
This infuriated the high priest and Sanhedrin because they knew He was claiming to be God, they said He was blaspheming. Saying “I am” was recognized by them as the name God gave for Himself to Moses. Calling Himself the Son of Man and saying He would sit at the right hand were all a claim to deity.
This isn’t the only time Jesus makes an I Am statement.
the bread of life (John 6:35)
the light of the world (John 8:12)
the door (John 10:9)
the good shepherd (John 10:11)
the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26)
the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
the vine (John 15:5)
Do you notice a theme in what John wanted to emphasize in his gospel about Jesus?
Yes, Jesus is the eternal Most High God. He came to earth in the flesh, to lay down His life for us to pay the penalty for our sins, and then rose again because death cannot hold the King. And He will return to rule over His Kingdom.
In fact, John even writes in his gospel account, chapter 20:31- But these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.
That’s the difference between Biblical Christianity and every other belief and religion out there. So, the next time you encounter someone who tells you they believe in Jesus, dig a little deeper and find out what they truly believe about Him.
If you're looking for a way to introduce apologetics to your children and equip them with answers for their together as a family, you'll love Ready Answer: A Family Book of Questions and Answers for the Christian Faith, see more about it here!
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