Jesus in no uncertain terms proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 16:6). No other human in the history of humans ever dared to make that claim. When He said, “I am the truth,” Jesus declared that all other perceived truths were no truth at all. In a world that seeks inclusivity Jesus asserts exclusivity. He alone stands as truth and truth is absolute. Jesus personifies truth. Jesus makes the truth true.
Christ reorients all of life. What we believe about Him changes how we view our world, our friends, our family, ourselves and ultimately God. What we believe about Jesus defines our actions, our mindset and our wellbeing. What Jesus said about Himself alters any other notions we may have regarding His identity and of truth. And He punctuated His proclamations with His resurrection from the dead.
Christ has proven to be a contentious and polarizing figure. He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first.” (John 15:18). No wonder, since humanity has been engaged in all-out rebellion against God since the beginning and Jesus is God incarnate. Atheism maintains persistent animosity towards something it denies even exists and most of society openly opposes the authority of God. Human nature is sinful nature.
The Bible confirms the divinity of Jesus was recognized in the first century. In Romans 9:5, Paul writes, “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!” Other scriptures concur, including John 1:1, 14, 18; John 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-8; Colossians 1:16, 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20 and in Revelation 1:17-18, 22:13.
DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF JESUS
There are many different versions of Jesus being promoted in our world today and only one is correct. Muslims teach that Jesus was merely a prophet and a messenger from God while the Latter-Day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses preach about Jesus being a created son and not the incarnate Son. Judaism accepts that Jesus was a rabbi, a popular teacher and a miracle worker but rejects the notion that He was the Messiah.
Hindus perceive Jesus to be a holy man, a spiritual teacher or a divine incarnation, but just one god among many. Buddhists believe Jesus was a fully enlightened being or a reincarnation of Buddha. The Bahai faith believes Jesus was a manifestation of God, that He was born of a virgin, was a wise teacher, a miracle worker and that Jesus had both a human nature and a divine nature.
Among Christians today there is uncertainty as the message preached from many pulpits has drifted away from biblical exposition and towards social commentary. Many believers question whether Jesus is the only path to heaven or if the concept of God includes the beliefs of other religions. There are calls to revise Christianity and rewrite the Bible to reflect cultural “progression.”
In February of 2025, Rev. Brent Hawkes, senior pastor emeritus of the Metropolitan Community Church in Toronto, proposed that the term Savior to describe Jesus was problematic and a stumbling block to nonbelievers. He suggested the removal of the word Savior to characterize Jesus and prefers the term guide. Not the only guide, but a guide. Is Jesus nothing more than a mentor?
This year the popular rock opera production of Jesus Christ Superstar became yet another secular attempt to render Jesus as fictional and mythical. Christ was portrayed by gay, black actress, Cynthia Erivo in a controversial depiction of the man from Galilee. The pernicious drift away from the biblical Jesus over the last two thousand years has resulted in a dramatic trajectory of error that now sits far removed from the original impetus of the gospel (John 14:26).
In Matthew 24:23-24, Jesus warned concerning the latter days, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
NO MIDDLE GROUND
There can be no middle ground when it comes to Jesus Christ. He declared in Matthew 12:30, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” Jesus demonstrated His divinity when He calmed the sea in Matthew 8:26-27. He disclosed that He was eternal in John 8:38 and had the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7). The doctrine of hypostatic union states that Jesus is both fully human and fully God.
Furthermore, Jesus accepted worship and is worshipped as God by Christians around the world. “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Philippians 2:9-10).
Yet in His humanity, Jesus experienced human emotions and fatigue. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus and was weary and thirsty at Jacob’s well in John 4:6-7. But Jesus was no ordinary man, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).
Christ’s humanity is crucial for our salvation because He fulfilled the requirements of the law for us and became the unblemished Lamb that was sacrificed as atonement for our sins. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
In order to reconcile man to God, Jesus was both man and God. Paul writes of Jesus, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).
Jesus could not reveal the Father unless He was God. John 1:18 asserts, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” Additionally, unless Jesus is fully divine then worshipping Him would be idolatry. Jesus has proven time and time again that He answers prayers and has the ability to save, therefore validating His divinity.
PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING
In His humanity, Jesus was Prophet, Priest and King. As Prophet, He reveals the truth about God (Deuteronomy 18:18-19; John 6:14; Hebrews 1:13). As Priest, He sacrificed Himself in our place and reconciled us to God (Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-10; 6:20; 8:1-2; 9:11-14; 10:12). As King, Christ rules over God’s people and conquers His enemies.
Jesus is the Prophet who is greater than Moses and all of the Old Testament prophets, the Priest who is greater than Aaron and the entire Levitical priesthood and as King, Jesus is greater than David and all the kings of Israel. As Messiah, Jesus Christ completes the relationship between the Old and New Covenants in terms of promise and fulfillment.
Jesus reveals the heart of God by showing us His own heart. In Matthew 11:28-29, He discloses His loving nature. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus doesn’t simply meet us in our place of need – He lives in our place of need.
The Bible illustrates that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together deconstruct our preconceptions about God and present infinite perfection, gentleness, love and truth. To know about Jesus changes nothing in our lives. However, truly knowing Him leaves nothing unchanged. Knowing the truth sets us free (John 8:32). To know Jesus is to know truth.
Our perception of humanity is distorted and our definition of humanity is biased because of our brokenness. We say “to err is human,” and believe that society reflects true humanity. Yet only Jesus exemplified true humanity. Humanity without error – without sin . He showed us what humanity was created to be. The truth about what humanity should look like.
Jesus gives to God the obedience that we could not give, or refuse to give. And in doing so, He becomes our righteousness and offers it to God on our behalf. He offered His blood instead of our blood and was the perfect atonement that God required to redeem us. Not a counterfeit sacrifice but a genuine sacrifice, a true sacrifice.
Get to know the true Christ. Jesus is revealed in the pages of the Bible through intertwined confessions and testimonies that span over 1600 years and forty authors. Over 350 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in His birth, life, death and resurrection. The biblical Jesus is at times notably humble and conspicuously simple, at other times He is ambiguous and complex, often candid and always unequivocally honest. Seek to know Jesus because He is truth. And only truth can be true.
