Is He Who He Claims to Be?

How can someone in His right mind confesses what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8?

I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus… (Phil. 3:8)

What did He know about Jesus that most people today ignore?

One of the great passages of Scripture is Hebrews one—written to equip the Church to stand against heresies that denied Jesus’ deity and against compromise especially in the face of persecution. Hebrews chapter one establishes Jesus’ supremacy and preeminence over all. It brings together the truths of Jesus as the royal Son (Ps. 2), the royal Priest (Ps. 110), and the royal Bridegroom (Ps. 45). You will discover the pre-existence of Jesus as God—His incarnation as a man and His eternal exaltation.

Did you know that there was never a time when Jesus did not exist? As the Incarnate One, He experienced human limitations in being hungry, weary, and even tempted. And He will be exalted forever as the God-Man who is King of kings over all the nations of the earth.

The Radiance of God

You can find seven “excellencies of Jesus” in Hebrews one: Jesus is the heir of all, creator of the worlds, radiance of God, exact representation of the Father, sustainer, redeemer and ruler of the universe. Each excellency is like a different angle of the most beautiful diamond you have ever seen—the majestic splendor of Jesus: “God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom… He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:1-3)

Plain and simple: God spoke to us by His Son. Jesus is the full and final message to humanity about God. To know and understand what God is saying you must look to Him. And to refuse to hear what God says in Jesus is to refuse God himself.

His Controversial Claims

Put differently, unless you believe Jesus is who He claims to be you are lost in your sins (John 8:24), now and forever. I’m sorry if I’m breaking the news to you, but all religions do not lead to God… Jesus is the only way… He clearly stated so:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John. 14:6.

But few people like to hear this…

Actually, the icons of this age (celebrities, philosophers, self help gurus, etc.) say the concept is too black and white. You bet it is! The truth is controversial and judgmental—a double edge sword that most folks don’t want to deal with. Famous stars like Oprah Winfrey boldly state on international TV: “I refuse to believe there is only one way to heaven”, and she is willing to gamble her eternity on that opinion.

Well… it’s the beauty of free will… you can form opinions and make choices—people have all kinds of ideas about Jesus—and all kinds of ideas about the Bible and eternal life.

But if you like to gamble with your eternity you should consider this: if Jesus is a myth and the Bible is a man-made illusion, then go ahead and be open-minded, all will be well with you… your energy will never die and one day, (depending on your karma) you might return to the planet re-incarnated as a Mosquito, like 100 years from now (:

BUT, and that’s an eternally relevant “BUT,” if Jesus is who He claims to be (the Creator, King and Ruler of the Universe) and you decide to ignore Him, then you have everything to lose… and I mean EVERYTHING… forever.

So, what would you believe?

Your life depends on it. Even if you are young and think you got many years to decide. The reality is—you could drop death tomorrow. So, be wise, and make your choice now. And make sure it’s the right choice.

God spoke to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3)—who is willing to hear?