Jesus is the Anointed One, the Christ
There is only one God. He is our Father. That much seems pretty clear but there is a lot of confusion about exactly who Jesus is and Christians have been pondering this for milennia. The debate about Jesus’ identity goes back a long long way. Was Jesus God Himself… the Father incarnate? Or perhaps a co-equal and co-eternal “person” in a triune Godhead? Some even speculate that Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel. Or was He simply who He claimed to be… no more and no less than the Anointed One, the Christ? Isn’t it enough to declare that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God? The miraculously conceived and virgin born Messiah? This wonderful simplicity got obscured and complicated thanks to the work of the so-called church “fathers” who gave us a near lethal dose of theology based on Greek philosophy.
Jesus Spoke His Father’s Words
Jesus said a lot of things that sound like how only God could talk. That shouldn’t surprise us since He did say the words He spoke were not His own. The Father had plainly declared “I will put my words in his mouth!” (Deuteronomy 18:18) Jesus confirmed this by saying “The words that I speak are not mine but my Father’s.” (John 14:24) Jesus came in His Father’s name, spoke His Father’s words and did His Father’s works, but that didn’t make Him God.
No Other Man Ever Spoke Like Jesus!
No other man ever spoke like Jesus. People who heard Him speak were amazed at His words. Hearing Jesus talk was like hearing God Himself! Even unbelievers said “Never a man spake like this man!” (John 7:46) Jesus’ enemies accused Him of claiming to be God but is that really true? His enemies said a lot of things about Him that weren’t true. The chief priests even paid people to tell lies about Him! Jesus never claimed to be God but He did claim to be the Christ. He said He was the Son of God and that was more than enough to stir the hatred of His enemies.
What is Jesus’ True Identity?
Jesus’ identity has been an issue from the very beginning. One day Jesus asked his disciples “Who do men say that I am?” They replied “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets. Jesus asked again and said “But who do you say that I am?” Peter had the right answer. “You are the Christ! The son of the living God!” Jesus replied “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah! This wasn’t revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my Father in heaven! And upon this rock I will build my church… and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” If anyone ever asks you about Jesus just recite the words of Peter. “Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of the living God!” That’s enough. Jesus is not the Father incarnate, Michael the Archangel or a hypothetical second “person” in the trinity…. He is the Christ, the Anointed One.
Christ Was Truly a Man
We believe and declare “There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5) Hang on to this truth and never let it go. Believe it. Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten and unique Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Anointed One. He was crucified and then rose from the dead! He was one of us and He was truly a man. Indeed Christ came in the flesh!
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Copyright 2022 by Bob Shutes
Jesus had to be truly and fully a human man or satan would have been able to cry “foul” at the atonement.