Whom say ye that I Am?

If the one God of the Christians is God the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), so who is Jesus? Christians know that Jesus is the Saviour, the way, the truth and the life. They also know and have heard that Jesus is “the Son of God.” Even non-Christians have also heard about these things, notwithstanding their rejection or acceptance of the same. But it is a sad thing to observe that many acquire the truth that is at the surface only, the truth that dwells in the mind but not in the heart.

We also find that there were misconceptions concerning Jesus’ identity among the people while He was here on earth as a man. And perhaps, in order to serve as a point of discussion for us living today, Jesus took the opportunity to ask His disciples what they had heard other people thought He really was. They told Him that they had heard some say that He was Elijah, and others took Him to be Jeremiah and so on. But when He asked them what they took Him to be, Peter said that Jesus was the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:13-17 “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

According to Christ, it was not “flesh and blood” that had revealed Peter that He was the Son of God, but the Father in heaven. When Jesus said this, He not only referred to man but also to man’s wisdom and interpretations. We cannot come to the knowledge of Jesus because it is impossible for man to know Him without the light that comes from God the Father (Matthew 11:27). Is Peter’s answer your answer too? Any answer that is, in any degree, lesser than the answer that Peter gave is proof that we do not know Christ the way that He wants us to know Him. And for those of you who believe that Jesus is “the Son of God,” do you receive understanding from the living God? Are you sure that the source from which you have come to know about Christ is truly the light of God the Father? Is it in line with the Bible? The reason that I am persuaded to ask these questions is because, in my observation, the phrase, “the Son of God” to most Christians is but a “title” but not a “literal” thing. The saying that Jesus is the Son of God is the truth but their understanding on this issue is a false one.

The Bible is the light of God. This we read in Psalms 119:105 and 2 Timothy 3:16. The answer of Peter that Jesus is “the Son of the living God” is the light that comes from the heavenly Father. So, what does the Bible say about this? Let us take a look by first asking the question: Who else is called “the son of God” in the Bible?

Luke 3:38 “Which was the son of Enos, which was the son Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”

1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.”

Adam is the son of God by creation (Genesis 5:1) and so are the angels (Job 38:7). The sinners that have received forgiveness are the sons of God by adoption. (Rom 8:15). What about Christ? How is He the Son of God? There are many answers to this question among the Christians. There are those who say that Jesus was created. Then there are those who say that He is a Son in name only or He simply plays the role of a Son. Still some say that He is both the Father and the Son at the same time and so on. Which one of these is in line with the Bible? Are their explanations or their understanding according to the teachings of the Bible? We can find the answer in the most popular verse in the Bible, and this is John 3:16

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Jesus is “the only begotten Son.” He is neither a Son by creation, as Adam, nor a Son by adoption, as we are, but a Son by birth. Jesus is not God the Father and the Son of God at the same time. If we believe this, we turn God into a false god who tells us a lie by saying that he has a son to give for our sake when he does not really have one. This verse is not metaphorical in nature, otherwise God’s love should also be metaphorical. And one more thing, as per this verse, it is clear that God had a Son before He could send Him to this world. Jesus does not simply play the role of a son but He is the literal Son of the Father, in truth. (2 John 1:3). Jesus was ‘begotten’ of the Father. In other words, He ‘came out’ from God. God had, from Himself, brought forth or given birth to His Son, in a similar manner as we came out from our parents. It is in this way that Jesus is the Son of God in truth.

When Jesus was in the flesh, did He teach that He came out of God?

John 8:42 “And Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from the Father: neither came I of myself, but he sent me.” (also read John 16:27)

The phrase, “proceeded forth,” in this verse is not pointing to the coming out of Christ from heaven to come to the world, but it refers to the coming out that is similar to the coming out of the evil spirit from the man who was demon possessed. (Read Luke 8:27-33). And speaking of the coming out of Christ from God, it points to His birth from the Father. Yes, we do not know or understand how God gave birth to the Son, but it is imperative that we believe for Jesus has spoken a vital truth. This is what makes Jesus divine, who is worthy of praise and worship. (John 10:33, Colossians 2:9).

As a means to solidify the divinity of Christ, I wish that you ponder on the truth concerning the nature of inheritance in this manner: My humanity is not based on my behaviour as a man but it is based on the human nature that I possess inside of me, and I can possess this only through inheritance made possible only by birth. I cannot be a human if I was born of an animal species. A father gives birth to a child who possesses the same nature as himself, an animal gives birth to an animal, a human gives birth to a human. The Bible has a lot of evidence to prove this fact. God has ordained it to be so in order to serve as a teaching tool that illustrates the relationship that He has with His beloved Son. God gives birth to a Son who possesses the same divine nature that He possesses. The works and life of Jesus, here on earth, testify that He is God in the flesh even before He performs miracles. He performs a great miracle because He possesses divine nature. And this great miracle is His victory over sin in fallen flesh. Jesus is God because He comes out from God, the only true God.

It is this sonship that makes Jesus equal to the Father in all respects, with exception to rank and age. As an example, my father is superior than I because he is senior to me. But even though I am inferior to him with respect to age and rank, my humanness is equal to that of my father’s. I do not possess, let’s say, 70% of the 100% of my father’s humanity. This is contrary to the law of nature. Through this illustration, link this fact with the relation that exists between the Father and His Son. Jesus says, “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28). And the apostle Paul says that Jesus is “equal with God.” (Philippians 2:6).

Then what happens to His divinity after He becomes a man? Does it undergo any change? Does it decrease because of this reason? The divinity of Christ does not decrease or change as a result of Him becoming a man. It remains the same, and He still is the only begotten Son of God.

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld the glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The Word that became flesh is Christ. The only begotten of the Father became man. The Son of God now becomes the Son of man. Just because He is the Son of man, it does not mean that He is no longer the Son of God. From this time onwards, Jesus now receives the tile of the Son of God in a new sense, for He is both the Son of God and the Son of man at the same time. The divine nature that is without compromise is mixed with the uncompromised human nature within Him. But what makes him “Wonderful”, special and peculiar; our Saviour, Comforter, Advocate and Counsellor is because of the fact that He possesses the title and the nature as ‘the Son of the living God.’ The apostle John does not consider Jesus only as a man or someone who is inferior to the angels, though he does not deny this fact, but he elevates Jesus higher than man. He says that the disciples have seen the glory that can only be found in the only in the Son of God the Father. What the apostle wants to say is that, the glory of the Son of God cannot be found in any other being except in the only begotten Son of God. Here, John the beloved displays his joy that the seeds of Abraham can now prove to others that they have seen the One whom they have waited for so long, who “shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

Do you receive Him as the Son of the living God? Have you invited Him to dwell in your hearts? Do you believe that when you have Him, you have eternal life? I implore you, take the word of God as it reads, for it has power if you only believe. My brothers and sisters, if you know who He really is and from where He came and how much He has sacrificed to show you that God is love, you would certainly seek to know Him better, and to deny everything in order to know Him, who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.

1 John 5:10,11 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

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