Who Is the Real Jesus?
He is Better Than Any Other
There are many false Jesuses that we have created throughout church history. The demonic forces at play in this world work hard to have us believe in them and deny the real Jesus because these Jesuses cannot save anyone. The devil is in the business of deceiving and destroying. But Yahweh Almighty is in the business of saving and restoring. His Word will never fail or pass away. The Bible gives us a clear, trustworthy, pure, and true picture of who the real Jesus Christ is. I cannot write everything the bible tells us about Jesus Christ; it would take me years because the entire bible testifies of him (John 5:39). Instead, I will focus on the aspects of Jesus’ person and work that are central to the gospel and his saving works. In other words, if any of these things about Jesus were not true, the Gospel would not be good news and it would not be the Gospel proclaimed in the New Testament. So, who does the Gospel reveal Jesus to be and how is it contradictory to the other Jesuses?
Come take a look with me at who the real Jesus is, as revealed in the Word. See His unmatched Glory. See that he is the only one who can save. See that he is the strongest, most beautiful, and better than any other.
Potayto, Potahto?
I keep saying ‘other Jesuses’ and you may be wondering what I mean. I am trying to emphasize that there is indeed a difference between the Jesus revealed in the bible and the way Jesus is described in popular culture or by other religions. One summer, I led a study of Luke on my college campus and two Muslim friends of mine attended. As the study went along, the gospel was naturally being proclaimed: ‘Believe in Jesus and you will be saved’, ‘Jesus is the only way to salvation’, etc. At one point, one of my Muslim friends said: ‘We Muslims do believe in Jesus as well’. The statement was false in two ways: 1) they believed information about a Jesus but did not place their trust in him and 2) they did not believe in the same Jesus as the Jesus of the bible. According to Islam, Jesus did not die on the cross. According the Christianity, he did. These two cannot be the same person. Unfortunately, it is a popular belief that all religions that mention Jesus are referring to or believe in the same Jesus. No. There is only one Jesus who can save us and we must know him and believe him alone. This is why distinguishing is so crucial.
The Other Jesuses
The false Jesuses are a combination of one or more of the items below. This (non-exhaustive) list includes beliefs from Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, the New Age, and Progressive Christianity. There is the Jesus who:
is not divine and not eternal but simply a man who was a great teacher/prophet and lived a highly moral life
is divine in a sense but not equal to God. He achieved his divinity status (e.g. enlightenment) and came to show us how to do it
is a creature just like any other human. He had a beginning.
is not human but only has the appearance of being human
did not die on a cross and therefore did not rise from the dead
died on the cross but not for our sin (no substitutional atonement)
stayed dead and did not rise from the dead
did not come to save us but to simply show us an example of love
The Real Jesus: He Is Better!
This is my favorite part of the article. The Jesus revealed in the bible is not only the real one, the Messiah sent from God, but he is also better, stronger, and more trustworthy than any of the other Jesus. Why? Simply read through the following bullet points and see his Glory shine. The real Jesus*:
Is fully God, sovereign and above all other. He is:
The image of God, the radiance of his Glory and the exact imprint of his nature. All the fullness of God dwells in Him.
Eternal and everlasting. He was in the beginning with God. He has no beginning and no end
The creator of everything that is in existence, visible or invisible. In him all things hold together. For him, through him and by him all things exist. He upholds the universe by the word of his power.
Enthroned forever and ever
The heir of all things and has dominion over all things
The author of salvation and the very Son of God
Superior and worthy of more glory than any other prophet, high priest, apostle, teacher, and beings, including angels.
Is fully Human. He:
Became man
Was made like his brothers (humans) in every respect
Suffered in his flesh
Has been tempted as we are in every respect, yet without sin
Is Righteous/Sinless
In him there is no sin. No deceit was found on his lips.
Holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens
The devil has no claim on him
Came to save us. He atoned for our sins on the cross. He reconciles us to God through his life, death, and resurrection. He:
Died on the cross
Came to take away sins. He offered himself as a sacrifice to bear the sins of many and made purification/propitiation for sins
Secured an eternal redemption by offering himself without blemish, through the eternal spirit
Rose from the dead. He defeated the devil, all demonic powers, death, and sin. He holds the keys of life and death.
Is the source of eternal salvation to all who believe in him
Is the Perfect high priest, seated at the right hand of God making intercession for us
Friends, who can compare? Why would we want to place our trust in any other but this Glorious and Victorious Jesus!
