Returning to the Christ of the New Testament
Throughout the history of Christianity, man has tried to mold Jesus into a myriad of incongruous images. People have found in Him a hero for a hundred political causes. They have seen in Him a founder for a thousand diverse denominations. At the other end of the spectrum, some have denied that He even existed; but to deny His existence is to deny the irrefutable testimony of history. Returning to New Testament Christianity means returning to the Christ of the New Testament.
Who is Jesus?
This is the question many people ask: “Who is Jesus?” He is not just a man. He is not just a good man. He is “the only begotten Son” of God. 1 John 4:9 To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is not a step of blind faith. Belief in Jesus is belief based on evidence. Jesus proved Himself to be the Son of God.
The evidence:
- Fulfilled prophecy of the Old Testament – Hundreds of years before Christ came, prophets began to predict the details of His life and death. Then when Jesus came, He dramatically fulfilled them all.
- His miracles – The miracles Jesus performed were indisputable evidence that He is the Son of God.
- His teaching – The teachings of Jesus demonstrated such power and wisdom that only the Son of God could possess.
- His Resurrection – The resurrection was an historical event that even the enemies of Christ could not deny. It was the ultimate demonstration that He is who He claimed to be.
The Real Question
Since Jesus has proven that He is the Son of God, the real question is not, is He the Son of God? Instead, the real question is, what will you do about the fact that He is the Son of God? How will you respond to Jesus? You can either accept Him or you can reject Him. Once, after a group of half-hearted disciples turned back from following Him, Jesus turned to His remaining disciples and asked, “Do you also want to go away?” Peter gave the answer for all of us when he said, “But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:68-69
If you reject Jesus — to whom shall you go? No one else can lead you to God. To return to New Testament Christianity, we must return to Jesus. Jesus is the only way!