Jesus Christ is not merely a good man. Nor is He an angel, a
preexistent spirit, God’s highest creation. He is not one of many
special prophets or manifestations of God, or an eastern guru or avatar,
or a corruption of the mystery religions or a half-God/half man. As we
documented in our book Ready With An Answer (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House Publishers, 1997), He is the incarnate second person of the
Trinity, the prophesied Messiah predicted hundreds of years in advance
through very specific prophecies. He is unique in all creation, virgin
born, sinless, deity and the only incarnation of God there is or will
be. He is the world’s only savior, the only one who died for our sins on
the Cross to offer eternal salvation as an entirely free gift. He rose
from the dead as proof of His claims, and He is the final judge, the
only one who will return personally on the last day to judge every
person who has ever lived. Scriptural testimony is clear as to the
authority and uniqueness of Jesus Christ:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew
28:18)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities: all things were created by him and for him. He is before
all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of
the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among
the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
(Colossians 1:15-18)
[He is] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in
the one to come. (Ephesians 1:21)
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, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe
stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16, 18)
Scriptural testimony is clear that Jesus is the Savior of the world:
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be
the Savior of the world. (1 John 4:14)
In the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ
the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what
you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man
really is the Savior of the world." (John 4:42)
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners…. (1 Timothy 1:15)
[But] it has now been revealed through the appearance of our
Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:10)
This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only
Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have
the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)
But Christ is not just a savior, He is the
Savior, the only Savior. Because only Christ died for our sin, only
faith in Christ has the power to save us from the consequence of our
sin. Jesus Himself and the inspired writers of the New Testament teach
this so clearly that it is surprising that so many people deny it:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.... I am the
gate; whoever enters through me will be saved…. I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:7-11)
If you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will
indeed die in your sins. (John 8:24)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be
saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself as a ransom for all me—the testimony given in its proper time.
(1 Timothy 2:3-6)
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
The doctrine of the incarnation and its corollary, the virgin birth,
are crucial doctrines related both to Christ’s deity and our redemption.
If Christ was neither incarnate nor virgin born, He could be neither God
nor Savior. In other words, if He was not incarnate and virgin born He
had to be born like every other man and thus could only be a man, even a
sinful man. For reasons related to God’s revelation of Himself in the
Old Testament, a finite sinful man, or even a preexistent spirit or an
angel, could not redeem the world from the wrath of an infinite God
against sin. Jesus had to be both divine and human to satisfy the divine
requirements of redemption and to become a satisfactory propitiatory
substitute for man. Only an infinite being could satisfy divine wrath,
and only a sinless man could become a substitute for others’ sins. The
Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is incarnate deity:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
[God with us]. (Isaiah 7:14; see Matthew 1:23)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…. And he will be
called… Mighty God…. (Isaiah 9:6)
Does not the scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s
family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived? (John 7:42)
As it is written in the second Psalm: "You are my Son; today I have
become your Father." (Acts 13:33)
For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today
I have become your Father?" (Hebrews 1:5)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14)
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared
in a body…. (1 Timothy 3:16)
[The] second man [is] from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:47)
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8)
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and
offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me." Hebrews
10:5)
Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendent of
David…. (Romans 1:3)
For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives
life to the world…. I am the bread of life…. For I have come down from
heaven…. I am the bread that came down from heaven…. I am the living
bread that came down from heaven. (John 6: 33, 35, 38, 41, 51)
