"What Think Ye

of

Christ?"

 


by Ed Stevens

 

THIS QUESTION was asked by the Lord Jesus speaking to the Pharisees who did not believe in His Deity. It is a most important question to this very day. What various religious groups think about Christ is as follows, with Bible quotations:


JUDAISM:

The Jewish nation to whom Christ came nearly 2,000 years ago "came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11, as foretold in Isaiah 53:3). Jews all along held Christ to be an imposter, not believing His Deity, that He was the Son of God, the true promised Messiah.


THE BIBLE: Blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Romans 11:25. "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced (as described in Psalm 22:1-18) and shall mourn for Him . . . and shall be in bitterness for Him ... " Zechariah 12:10. The pronoun "ME" here refers to the speaker mentioned in verse 1: " The burden of the word of JEHOVAH concerning Israel. Thus saith JEHOVAH . . . " (Revised Version). Thus Christ is here designated as JEHOVAH, just as in many other
0. T. passages.


MOHAMMEDANISM, OR MUSLIMS:

"It is not for God to take a Son unto Him." The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was only the messenger of God and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not 'Three.' Refrain; better is it for you. God is only One God." (Quotations from "The Quran".)


THE BIBLE:

"And God said, Let US make man in OUR own

image . . . " Genesis 1:26. Kiss THE SON lest HE be angry and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust IN HIM." Psalm 2:12. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name IMMANUEL" (meaning, "GOD with us"). "For unto us a child is born, unto us a SON is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder-' and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, the everlasting FATHER, The Prince of Peace." Isa. 7:14, 9:6.


THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY, OFFSHOOT OF RUSSELISM:

"It was not until the time of his consecration even unto death, as typified in baptism at thirty years of age, that He (Jesus) received the earnest of his inheritance of the divine nature" (i.e., that he became the Christ at His baptism). (Vol. 1, "Divine Plan of the Ages", p. 179; "Let God Be True", p. 41, 1948). "Christ was not Jehovah God." ("Let God Be True", p. 34.) Also Christ's BODILY resurrection is denied; but see John 2:19, 21 and 1 Corinthians 15:14, 15.


THE BIBLE:

"For unto you is born this day in the City of David a SAVIOR which IS CHRIST THE LORD" ("Messiah Jehovah", in Hebrew). Luke 1:35, 2:11. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, says JEHOVAH GOD, the One who is and who was and who IS COM­ING, THE ALMIGHTY." Revelation 1:8, Watch­tower's "New World Translation." Verses 12, 13, 17, 18 show the speaker here to be JESUS CHRIST. "In Him dwelleth the fullness of THE GODHEAD BODILY." Colossians 2:9.


CHRISTIAN SCIENCE:

"Jesus, as material manhood was not Christ." (Science And Health, p. 84.)


THE BIBLE:

"The first man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man (Christ) is THE LORD FROM HEAVEN." I Cor. 15:45, 47. "For there is one God (the Father) and one Mediator between God and men, THE MAN JESUS CHRIST." I Timothy 2:5.


THE MORMONS:

"Jesus Christ was the son of Adam-God and Mary. Jesus was not begotten of the Holy Spirit." (Journal of Discourses," Vol. 1, p. 50.)


THE BIBLE:

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When His Mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child OF THE HOLY GHOST . . . But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appear­ed unto him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived (`begotten', margin) in her IS OF THE HOLY GHOST," Matthew 1:18, 20. See also Matt. 16:15-17 and Romans 1:3, 4, "Con­cerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be THE SON OF GOD with POW­ER, according to the spirit of holiness, by the RESURRECTION from the dead."


SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS:

"The sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact to the heavenly sanctuary . . . the scapegoat typified Satan, the author of sin, upon whom the sins of the truly peni­tent will FINALLY be placed . . . Satan must bear the penalty . . . in 1844 Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the CLOSING WORK OF ATONEMENT preparatory to His coming . . . it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the (investigative) judgment at which their cases are to be investigat­ed" (to determine who are "WORTHY" to have their sins placed upon Satan who) "will be blotted from existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners"— ANNIHILATION! (Textbook: "The Great, Controversy," pp. 421, 422, 483, 485.)


THE BIBLE:

".. . when He (Christ) had by Himself PURGED our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." "For by ope offering He HATH PER­FECTED FOREVER them that are sanctified." Hebrews 1:3; 10:14. "And ye know that He was manifested to TAKE AWAY our sins." I John 3:5. "Who HIS OWN SELF bare our sins in His own body ON THE TREE." I Peter 2:24. See also I Cor. 6:11; I John 1:7 and Rev. 1:5. On the cross Christ said, "IT IS FINISHED, and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost." John 19:30. The atonement for sin WAS FINISHED then and there! The only sin He did not take away is the damning sin of UNBELIEF.


Now let us make the question PERSONAL: what do YOU think of Christ? Do YOU believe that "the
Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world," and YOUR Savior? I John 4:14. The Lord Jesus pliinly stated that there is- no salvation for anyone who denies His Deity and Saviorhood, as portrayed in the above quoted Bible passages, thus: "If ye believe not that I AM HE ye shall DIE IN YOUR SINS." John 8:24. Oh, BELIEVE "the gospel . . . wherein ye STAND; by which also ye ARE SAVED . . . how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that HE ROSE again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that HE WAS SEEN" of many witnesses. I Cor. 15:1-8. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus AS LORD, and believe in thine heart that God bath raised Him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED: for with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans  10:,10.

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