Believing the Truth: Christ

Hi, I’m David Feddes, and this talk is about believing the truth about Christ.

The Christian Leaders College and Institute Statement of Faith says:

Jesus, the Promised Messiah of Israel, is fully God and fully man. Jesus was born of a virgin, obeyed God perfectly, worked great miracles, died on a cross, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and reigns over all things.

Christianity is all about Christ. The focus of our faith is Jesus Christ, so it is absolutely essential that we believe the central facts about Him.

Jesus the Messiah

Jesus is the Promised Messiah of Israel.

• Messiah means “anointed one.” In Old Testament times, kings, priests, and prophets were all anointed. To be anointed meant being set apart for a special position.

• Jesus is the Messiah anointed to be our Prophet, Priest, and King.

Matthew begins: “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” and then gives the genealogy back through David to Abraham. Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham, through whom all nations on earth would be blessed.

When the wise men came, they asked: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” When Jesus was nailed to the cross, the sign above Him read: “King of the Jews.”

The angels announced: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

So whenever we say “Christ,” we are saying “Messiah.” Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew “Messiah”—the Anointed One, the Promised One. God keeps His promises. All His promises to Israel come true in Jesus of Nazareth.

Fully God and Fully Man

John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:14 says: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

That is the truth: Jesus is fully God and fully human.

False Teachings About Jesus

Throughout history, Satan has tried to corrupt belief in Christ by denying His full deity, His full humanity, or both.

• Arius (300s AD) taught Jesus was the first and greatest created being—not equal with God, not eternal. Jehovah’s Witnesses follow this idea, teaching that Jesus is really the archangel Michael who became human for a time. But such a Jesus is neither truly God nor truly man, and therefore cannot connect God and humanity to save us. Athanasius, Arius’ great opponent, warned: if Christ is not God and man, we lose salvation.

• Islam teaches that Jesus was a great prophet, the third greatest. But that is still far too low. Jesus is not just a prophet—He is the God of the prophets, the second Person of the Trinity.

• Other heresies have denied His humanity, saying He only seemed human, or that He was some spirit-like being. But the Bible says such denial is the spirit of the Antichrist (1 John 4:2–3).

The letter to the Hebrews emphasizes both truths:

• “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

• “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.”

Jesus became fully like us, except without sin, so that He could be one of us and bring God’s salvation to us.

The Witness of 1 John

The book of 1 John is especially powerful on this truth.

• Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

• He came in human flesh to take away our sins and destroy the devil’s work.

• He is without sin.

• He is “the true God and eternal life.”

John says: “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.”

If we deny Jesus as the true God who came in the flesh, we do not have eternal life.

The Central Facts of Christ

Our Statement of Faith summarizes what the Bible and the creeds teach:

• Jesus is the Promised Messiah of Israel.

• He is fully God and fully man.

• He was born of a virgin. Mary bore Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, free from human sin, ready to be the second Adam who would save His people.

• He obeyed God perfectly. His obedience is credited to us when we trust in Him.

• He worked great miracles. These were real, not myths. God in the flesh displayed His divine power.

• He died on a cross.

• He rose from the dead, conquering sin and death.

• He ascended to heaven, to the right hand of the Father.

• He reigns over all things.

Conclusion

This is what we believe about our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah, fully God and fully man, the One who lived, died, rose, reigns, and saves.