Thursday, June 9, 2011

Which Jesus Do You Believe In?

JESUS APPEARS TO THOMAS


When you ask the average person whether or not they believe in Jesus Christ, most people will say yes. The problem comes with the particular Jesus they believe in; people have different definitions of who Jesus is. Below is a list of some of the various definitions of who Jesus is:

  • The Jesus of Islam is a human prophet of God (like Abraham and Moses) who was a lesser prophet than Mohammad (who was the greatest) and is not divine.
  • The Jesus of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the Archangel Michael, a lesser god, the first and greatest creation of Jehovah.
  • The Jesus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) is the spirit brother of Lucifer, whose plan to save mankind on Earth was approved by a counsel of the gods.
  • The Jesus of the Unitarian Universalist Church was not god or divine, and is not worshipped; he was simply an incredibly good man.
  • The Jesus of the Baha’i Faith is just one of several manifestations or messengers of divinity that God used to reveal himself to the world.
  • The Jesus of Eastern religions is basically a guru; someone who is a teacher and helps people discover their own way to work towards enlightenment and Nirvana (heaven).
  • The Jesus of the United Pentecostal Church is simply one of the three modes that God takes-on when he interacts with humans.
  • The Jesus of Liberal Christianity is not god or divine; he was only a human being who wasn’t resurrected, but gave moral teachings that we should follow, especially those pertaining to helping the poor.
  • The Jesus of modern American youth (whose philosophy is called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” by Sociologist Christian Smith) is not really important or necessarily divine, since they (the youth) believe all good people go to heaven anyway and morality is basically the same in all religions.

The belief systems above, while having mostly contradictory ideas of who Jesus is, have an underlying commonality: Jesus is not almighty god and mankind needs to achieve salvation by their own means. The Jesus described in the definitions above fall far short of the description of Jesus in the Bible and Christianity.

In the 1st chapter of the book of Hebrews in the Bible, we get an unmistakable and compelling description of Jesus and how glorious and wonderful he really is. The writer of Hebrews is reminding Hellenistic Jewish believers who Jesus is. In Hebrews 1, Jesus is described as follows:

  • God spoke to people in the past through prophets, but has now spoken to us in these last days by Jesus, who is His Son.
  • God appointed Jesus to inherit all things (in heaven & earth).
  • God created the world through Jesus.
  • Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.
  • Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature.
  • Jesus upholds the universe (and all creation) by his powerful word.
  • Jesus made purification for our sins.
  • Jesus sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
  • Jesus’ nature and name is superior to angels (who are created beings).
  • God calls Jesus His son.
  • God tells all the angels to worship Jesus.
  • God calls Jesus God, and says that Jesus’ throne will last forever.
  • God has anointed Jesus more than anyone else.
  • God says Jesus laid the foundations of the Earth and created all things.
  • God says Jesus remains the same forever.
  • God tells Jesus to sit at His right hand of honor.
  • God says He has humbled all of Jesus’ enemies at his feet.

It should also be noted in this chapter that the writer applies numerous Old Testament Scriptures that refer to Messiah and God directly to Jesus. (see Ps 2:7, Ps 45:6-7, Ps 102:25-27, Ps 110:1, Deut 32:43)   

It is clear from the Biblical text that Jesus is the Son of God and God the Son, the one who died for our sins and rose again, the one who lives and reigns forever more, and is the only one worthy of our worship.

Our response? Repent and believe.

Below are links to Hebrews chapter 1 so you can read it in several different translations:

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