“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.” Acts 16:30-31

I recently read an article on the Christian post entitled “Ten Heretical Views Regarding Jesus,” by Joseph Mattera. I encourage those who wish to read the article, find it on The Christian Post website. I will write the next several blogs about the biblical Jesus. The bulk of the content in this series comes from papers I wrote when studying Systematic Theology in seminary in 2001.

First, why is this important? Too many claim to believe in Jesus, but the “Jesus” they believe in is not the God of the Bible, nor of time-honored Christian orthodoxy. Belief in another “Jesus” will not save anyone.

Most of the ten heresies are not new. Most are reheated leftovers from centuries-old false doctrines that were debunked in the first four centuries of Christian history. This is a reminder of how important it is to know Christian history, since those who do not know history are frequently doomed to repeat it—including the errors.
Most of these heresies are wrong about the deity, person, nature, and will of Jesus the God-Man. These are not unimportant technicalities. One need not know all the details of the truth, but when one embraces error, all bets are off!

Second, what is the truth? The truths about Jesus were hammered out when the Church encountered error. These errors forced the Church to search the scriptures to define Christian orthodoxy. This was done in several Church councils that tackled specific errors.

A. The Deity of Christ: He is Worthy

John 1:1-5 says that Jesus is “the Word” and that the Word “is God” and is the Creator of all things. John 5 records several claims by Jesus that He is equal with God. John 11:25-46 declares Jesus’s authority over life and death. In John 14:7-9, Jesus claims that to see and know Him is to see and know God. John 20:28 recounts Thomas’s declaration that Jesus is God. Acts 20:28 refers to the “church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” God the Father did not shed His blood on the cross. That was done by God the Son, the “God-Man” Jesus Christ. Therefore since the blood that was shed was God’s, Jesus is God. Those who insist that Jesus never claimed to be God either do not know, or do not understand the scriptures. Jesus had to be sinless to be worthy to die for His people. But since God cannot die Jesus also had to be a human being…

B. The Humanity of Christ: He is Able

Matthew 1 and Luke 3 record the human genealogies of Jesus (Matthew, through Joseph, and Luke, through Mary). Luke 1-2 records the details of Jesus’s literal human birth. Galatians 4:4 says that the Messiah was born of a woman and born under the Law, as are humans. Hebrews 2:14 records Jesus as having flesh and blood. The Gospels record numerous human experiences felt by Jesus, including hunger and fatigue. Since God cannot die, Jesus had to be a human being to be able to die for His people.

Therefore, Jesus, the one and only God-man, is uniquely worthy and able to be His people’s Savior.

Next Time: The Two Natures of Christ