Who Do You Think I Am ?

Who Do You Think I Am?

"Who do you think that I am?" With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine notonly your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well. Consider what the Bible says about Him
JESUS IS GOD
While Jesus was on earth there was much confusion about who He was. Some thought He was a wise man or a great prophet. Others thought He wasa madman. Still others couldn't decide or didn't care. But Jesus said,"I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). That means He claimed to be nothing less than God in human flesh.
Many people today don't understand that Jesus claimed to be God. They're content to think of Him as little more than a great moral teacher.But even His enemies understood His claims to deity. That's why they triedto stone Him to death (John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified(John 19:7).
C.S. Lewis observed, "You can shut Him up for a fool, you canspit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feetand call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizingnonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that opento us. He did not intend to" (Mere Christianity [Macmillan,1952], pp. 40-41).
If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God!
JESUS IS HOLY
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannotcommit or approve of evil (James 1:13).
As God, Jesus embodied every element of God's character. Colossians2:9 says, "In Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form."He was perfectly holy (Hebrews 4:15). Even His enemies couldn't prove any accusation against Him (John 8:46)
God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, "Youshall be holy, for I am holy."
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR
Our failure to obey God--to be holy--places us in danger of eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The truth is, we cannot obey Him because we have neither the desire nor the ability to do so. We are by nature rebellious toward God (Ephesians 2:1-3). The Bible calls our rebellion "sin."According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: "There is no manwho does not sin" (1 Kings 8:46). "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And we are incapable of changing our sinful condition. Jeremiah 13:23 says, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil."
That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. We might even be involved in various religious or humanitarian activities. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God onour own. The Bible says, "There is none righteous, not even one; thereis none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one" (Romans 3:10-12).
God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death:"The soul who sins will die" (Ezekiel 18:4). That's hard forus to understand because we tend to evaluate sin on a relative scale, assuming some sins are less serious than others. However, the Bible teaches that all acts of sin are the result of sinful thinking and evil desires. That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problemor eliminate its consequences. We need to be changed inwardly so our thinkingand desires are holy
Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us, thereby deliveringus from the power and penalty of sin: "There is salvation in no oneelse; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given amongmen, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love hasprovided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for sinners: "Christ... died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order thatHe might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfiedthe demands of God's justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and savethose who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believesin Him should not perish, but have eternal life." He alone is "our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:13).
JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE OBJECT OF SAVING FAITH
Some people think it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere. But without a valid object your faith is useless
If you take poison--thinking it's medicine--all the faith in the world won't restore your life. Similarly, if Jesus is the only source of salvation, and you're trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, your faith is useless.
Many peopleassume there are many paths to God and that each religion represents anaspect of truth. But Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). He didn't claim to be one of many equally legitimate paths to God, or theway to God for His day only. He claimed to be the only way to God--thenand forever.

JESUS IS LORD
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoyendless fellowship with Him
The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything(John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He also owns and rules everything(Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Confessing Jesus as Lord means humbly submitting to Hisauthority (Philippians 2:10-11). Believing that God has raised Him fromthe dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection--the pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed the deity andauthority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts 17:30-31).
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentanceis more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that youare sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choiceto turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15); and "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine" (John8:31).
It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satanand his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine. True saving faith always respondsin obedience (Ephesians 2:10).
Jesus is the sovereign Lord. When you obey Him you are acknowledging His lordship and submitting to His authority. That doesn't mean your obedience will always be perfect, but that is your goal. There is no area of your life that you withhold from Him.
JESUS IS THE JUDGE
All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Himas their Judge: "God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proofto all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31).
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealedfrom heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel ofour Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction,away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Who does the Biblesay Jesus is? The living God, the Holy One, the Savior, the only validobject of saving faith, the sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge.
Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question. He alonecan redeem you--free you from the power and penalty of sin. He alone cantransform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
©1991 by Graceto You. All rights reserved.
Used by permission.
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