Who do you say I am ?

Who do you say I am ?

Who is Jesus? This is a very important question. It is a question that divides the opinions of the three Abrahamic religions. Jews say he is just another failed prophet, failed prophets are not prophets, they only claimed to have been. Muslims say Jesus was the Messiah, but not the son of God, nor God. Trinitarian Christianity proclaims him to be the Messiah, the son of God but also one person of the triune God, and so he is God. 100% man, but also 100% God. As a unitarian I proclaim Jesus to be the Messiah, the son of God who was a man but not God. 

But what does the Bible say? Who does the Bible say Jesus is? 
 

Jesus once asked his disciples that question, who did they say that he was?

The question was answered by Simon Peter, which is recorded in the synoptic gospels. 

Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mark 8:29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

Luke 9:20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

The answer by Peter was that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God./ The Christ/ The Christ of God. All three gospels record the answer in a slightly different way. 

We can understand this as Peter having said all 3 sets of the recorded words, It then could be said Peter responded, you are the Christ, the Christ of God, the son of the living God, or we can understand that all of these saying mean the same thing. The Christ, the Christ of God and son of God all meaning the same thing. 

While the synoptic Gospels record the statement by Peter in slightly different ways, all have the exact same understanding. Jesus was understood to be the Christ. The added information in Matthew tells us that he was understood to be the Christ, the son of the living God, clearly not the living God himself. Luke reads that Jesus is the Christ of God. 

This is similar language found in 1 Corinthians 3:23 

1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Christ is of God, the Christ belongs to God. Just as we belong to Christ. This does not make us Christ anymore than it makes Christ God. 

The Messiah was to be called Gods son, just as God had stated he would be called. 

2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

While others were saying he was Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah or one of the prophets, Peter was proclaiming Jesus the Christ. 

The statement of Peter was a factual statement. Jesus replied that it was his father that had revealed this to Peter. 

Matthew 16:17 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.

Clearly if the father revealed something this was truth. The truth of who Jesus was, the Christ had been revealed by the father. 

Jesus told the disciples that nobody knows the father but who the son reveals him to 

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus reveals the father so that those who know the father can know the son (and who he is) 

Jesus gave the words of the father, it was received by the disciples and by their receiving the words of Jesus given by the father they believed who Jesus was, that he was sent by the father. 

John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

Jesus also taught that those who received the disciples, received him, and ultimately received the one that sent him, the father. 

John 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

So receiving the disciples, was receiving Jesus which ultimately was receiving the father who had sent Jesus. This was done through the words that Jesus had spoken, which were the fathers. 

 

Jesus told Philip that seeing him was as if they had seen the father. 

John 14: 8  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Knowing who Jesus is fundamental to knowing who the father is, Jesus shows us the father. Jesus being the Christ of God, Gods Christ reveals the father who sent him. But only to those who the father reveals that Jesus is the Christ can accept him as Christ. Jesus never came to reveal a triune God, he never came to reveal himself as God, that’s never stated in scripture. Jesus only came to reveal the father. Through Jesus we see the father, not the trinity. 

 

Jesus made a very important statement to the Jews regarding who he was. 

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Jesus put the importance of salvation on knowing who he was and believing that he was he (who he was). In fact Jesus put salvation as being dependant of knowing who he is.

If we must believe that Jesus is he, who he says he is, it must be important to know who is the “he” that Jesus was referring to.

Many trinitarians will use this as evidence that we must believe Jesus is God. This is a case of circular reasoning. This is a common fallacy that trinitarians make when arguing that Jesus is God. They don’t actually demonstrate that Jesus is God, this is their starting position. 

We must believe Jesus is God because Jesus is God.

So again who is Jesus? This was the very question that the Jews asked Jesus right after Jesus proclaimed that they must know who he is,  and Jesus answered them, the one he told them he was at the beginning.

John 8:25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

 

So who at the beginning had Jesus said that he was? Did Jesus proclaim to be God at the beginning? 

 

At the beginning of his ministry Jesus walked into the synagogue and read from the scriptures and proclaimed to be the anointed one (the Messiah). 

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him

 

This being a quotation from the prophet Isaiah 

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GODisupon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison tothem that arebound;

This is a messianic prophecy. 

Jesus then claimed that the prophecy that was proclaimed in Isaiah was now fulfilled in their ears.

Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

So we see that from the beginning Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah. The one who fulfilled the scriptures regarding the Messiah. 

It should be asked why did Jesus not tell them that he was God at this point? 

 

When the Samaritan woman stated she knew the Messiah was to come, Jesus claimed to be him, the Messiah that she knew was to come.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things

Jesus replied that he was he (the Messiah) 

John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Jesus told the woman that he was the Messiah. His reply is recorded in the Greek as Ego eimi, the words many trinitarians claim is a reference to Jesus being God. (I have done a separate writing on John 8:58 and the words ego eimi). 

Clearly his response to the woman was understood to be a confirmation of him being the Messiah not God. This is exactly how the woman understood the statement. 

She went back to her home town and told the people that he was the Christ as after the people had heard Jesus talk they proclaimed that they believed that Jesus was the Christ, not because she had said but because they had heard him themselves. 

John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.


The woman did not understand the statement to be a claim that Jesus was God as she never makes any reference to Jesus being God and neither do any of the Samaritans that believed on him. 

A man in Jerusalem called Simeon had given a prophecy regarding the Christ, stating that it had been revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lords Christ. Simeon believed this had been fulfilled in seeing the baby Jesus when he was taken to the temple for his circumcision, which would have been when he was 8 days old. . 

Luke 2: 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose namewasSimeon; and the same manwasjust and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Further attestation that Jesus is the Christ. 

We are told in the book of acts that God made Jesus the Christ. 

Acts 2: 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and christ.

 

Jesus believed himself to be the king (of Israel)

Luke 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

The Messiah was to be the King of Israel. This was a prophecy given to King David. 

2 Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

Jesus being the King was proclaimed to Mary by the Angel before she was found pregnant. She was told that her son was going to be given the throne of David. 

Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Others understood that he was the king while Jesus was alive. 

The Magi had come to see the King of Israel when Jesus was a child. 

Matthew 2: 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The thief on the cross

Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

The mother of the sons of Zebedee asked that her sons sit on the left and right of Jesus in his kingdom.

Matthew 20:21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

 

At his trial, when the priest asked Jesus if he was the Christ, Jesus said he was (I am ego eimi )

 

Mark 14:61But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.


This was the accusation against Jesus at his trial. Nobody asked Jesus if he was God himself but if he was the Christ. 

Luke 22: 67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. 70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am


The son of God is linked with being the Christ. 

In Matthew we see the high priest calls upon the living God for Jesus to tell them if he was the Christ, the son of God.

Matthew 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

Nobody asked if Jesus was the living God. They wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah. 

Jesus clearly believed that he was the promised Messiah, the king of Israel.

 

Simon Peter wasnt the only disciple that claimed Jesus was the son of God/The Messiah/ The Christ. This is declared throughout the New Testament. 

MAtthew 1:1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Mark 1:1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Nathaniels statement links the son of God with the king of Israel

The crowd at the cross understood that Jesus had proclaimed he was the promised King of Israel 

Matthew 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

After Peter and John had healed a lame man people were filled with wonder how they had done such a thing. Peter told the people that it wasn’t because of their own power  

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

Peter continues that it was because of God who glorified his son. 

Acts 3:13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

 

Jesus had told why he was glorified by the father. 

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

The father glorified the son so that through the son the father would be glorified.

The glorification of Jesus was his resurrection. 

And we see they were not the only ones that proclaimed Jesu as who he was. 

The angel speaking to the shepherds when Jesus was Born pronounced him as the Christ

Luke 2:11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord

When Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead He asked Martha if she believed that whoever believes in him shall never die?

John 11: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 

Her reply was to call him the Christ the son of God, the one that should come into the world (The awaited Messiah) 

John 11: 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

After Jesus had fed the 5000 the men who had seen the miracle sated he was the Messiah the prophet who should come.

John 6:14Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

 

We are told that when the Ethiopian Eunuch wanted to be Baptised Philip told him he could if he believed with all his heart, the Eunuch declared that he believed Jesus was the son of God.

Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Even a roman soldier calls him the son of God.

Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

During the temptation in the wilderness Satan questions Jesus on whether he truly is  Jesus the son of God

Matthew 4: 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Matthew 4:6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Satan, who was an angel, and most certainly would have known who God was, why did he call Jesus the son of God? If anyone was going to know the pre existent son who was God, it would be Satan.

Now probably the most importation of mentions of Jesus being the son of God and not God or even pre existing comes from God himself.

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

At the transfiguration of Jesus God says Jesus is his son and to hear him.

Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

And probably Gods most powerful statement where he said he has CHOSEN his servant

Matthew 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

This is a reference back to Isaiah 42 

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Jesus Calls himself the son of God 

John 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

He claimed to be the Son of God/ The Christ/ The Messiah

 

So who must we believe Jesus is?

We are clearly told exactly who we must believe Jesus is many times in the Bible. 

Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

All of these verses tell us that we must confess Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the son of God. 

John states the reason for writing his Gospel is so that we will know that Jesus is the Christ the son of God…not God.

John 20:31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

This is fundamental to understanding the Gospel of John. Most trinitarians read the Gospel of John from the start with the preconceived belief of who Jesus is and totally miss John own statement of the purpose of writing his Gospel. John does not tell us he wrote it so that we would know Jesus is God. Yet we know that knowing who Jesus is of utmost importance. It would seem more than a little odd for John not to make that his reason, if Jesus was indeed God and that’s what he wanted people to know. 

John also states in his later letters that those who deny that Jesus is the CHRIST is a liar. 

1 John 2:22 is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son

John continues that he who denies the son denies the father also. 

1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also

This is an allusion back to the words of Jesus regarding those that reject him reject the father than sent him ( John 13:20) 

John Further states that those who confess Jesus is the SON of God has God dwell in him.

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

The one that overcomes the world is the one who believes Jesus is the SON of God.

1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

Jesus even goes as far to say that the only true God is the father and that eternal life is to know the father who sent Jesus AND (distinction between) Jesus.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Never, not even once,  are we told that we must believe that Jesus is God, despite Jesus’ own claim about the importance of knowing who he is. There is not ONE verse that states we MUST believe Jesus is God. If Jesus is God and knowing that Jesus is who he is is of such importance, which would mean we would have to know Jesus is God, why would we not get an explicit statement regarding Jesus being God? This seems beyond a possibility. To not get a statement that we must believe Jesus is God is simply not possible when such importance is placed upon knowing who he is. 

Yet we get many verses that declare we must know he is the Messiah, the Christ the son of God, which I fully accept Jesus to be. 

So it has to be to asked. If I confess Jesus is the son of God and Lord, the Messiah, the Christ , even if the trinity or oneness was correct, how I can be wrong as my faith and proclamation of who Jesus is, is Biblical. I shall continue looking for the verse that says I must believe Jesus is God to be saved.

Who would you say Jesus was? Would it be the same as those that followed him, learned from him and witnessed him? Or would it be something else?

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