Christ's Exclusive Claims

Jesus never seemed to worry about how people would respond to Him. In fact, quite the opposite seemed true. He made all kinds of statements that today would be deemed politically incorrect if not down-right offensive.

It’s ironic: Jesus never sinned, yet many took offense at the things He said and did. And the biggest offense people took had to do with the things He claimed about Himself, Who He was, and what He was on earth to do.

Here’s a partial list of what Jesus said about Himself, along with a few examples of where to find these claims in the Word of God:

The Son of God

Matthew 11:27 – All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

John 10:36 – Do you say of Him Whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

Mark 14:61b-64a – Again the high priest asked Him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need? You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?"

The Messiah, the Jewish Savior

Matthew 16:15-17 – He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.

Matthew 26:62-64 – And the high priest stood up and said, "Have You no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against You?" But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "It is as you say. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

John 4:25-26 – The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming, He who is called Christ. When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

The One Who Can Forgive Sins

Matthew 20:28 – even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many

Mark 2:9-11 – “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Luke 7:47-48 – Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

John 8: 24 – I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.

The Ruler and Judge of the World

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 5:22-27 – “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

The Only Savior of the World

John 3:13-17 – “No one has ascended into heaven except He Who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Yes, you read that last astonishing claim correctly: Jesus forthrightly claimed to be the only Savior of the world. As recorded in John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” As if that affirmation were not enough, He stated further, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” In other words, Jesus declared Himself to be not just ONE way to heaven, but that He was and is the ONLY way to heaven.

Oddly enough, some are offended by such claims. “How dare this Jesus make such a statement?” some say indignantly. “That’s not what He really meant” others maintain, as they engage in some form of interpretive chicanery in an attempt to circumvent the plain evidence of Holy Scripture.

It’s like this. Humanity is drowning in an eternal sea of our own sinful rebellion, and Jesus has jumped in to save us, calling out as He does so, “Trust Me. I’m your only hope of being saved.” How tragic that so many of the drowning respond to Him, “How dare you claim to be my only hope?!” even as they sink under the everlasting waves of their own perdition.

And so the exclusive claim of Jesus as the only Savior goes often unnoticed or ignored, hidden behind the offense people take at His having made such a claim. The offense is, I believe, a demonic ploy to cover up two more foundational issues: that humanity desperately needs a Savior, and that God’s willingness to save ANY of us is a complete and unearned miracle. The fact is, He wasn’t in any sense required to do even that.

And yet, He did. By virtue of His amazing grace, the Father sent His Son, Who alone has authority to judge the world and forgive sins, as humanity’s unique source of salvation.

Some say it’s offensive to think that He claimed to be the only way to heaven. I say it’s an undeserved wonder of God’s grace that He has offered us any way to heaven at all.

What do you say?

The Truth Shall Set You Free

When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), He wasn’t talking about just any old facts. And He certainly didn’t have some relativistic idea of an evolving kind of “truth” that supposedly changes from time to time and from place to place.

In contrast, today’s post-modern society is characterized by a refusal to acknowledge the concept of “absolute truth.” The irony is that no one has ever proven that there is no such thing as absolute truth: those who hold this view simply assume that it is so.

Please note, however, that denying the existence of absolute truth is a logical contradiction. When people say, “There is no such thing as absolute truth,” they are themselves making an absolute truth claim.

Let’s listen in on a brief conversation between Joe and Mary.

Joe: “There is no such thing as absolute truth.”

Mary: “Are you sure?”

Joe: “Yes I am.”

Mary: “How can you be so sure?”

Joe: “Because it’s true.”

Mary: “So . . . it’s absolutely true that there is no such thing as absolute truth?”

Joe: “Uh, yes, I mean, no - well, maybe.”

I’m sure you get the point. Postmodernists, in their denial of absolute truth, have come perilously close to cultural insanity. They assert with absolute certainty the notion that nothing is absolutely certain, thus sawing off the limb upon which they stand.

Sanity is restored by knowing the truth; or rather The Truth, with two capital T’s.

Among the many things Scripture says about The Truth, three stand out as being critically important to post-modern culture. First, there is the relationship of biblical love and The Truth, described in that great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Verse 6 says, “Love . . . rejoices in the truth.” Why? Because if you truly love someone, you don’t want that person to live in error, because living in error causes needless pain.

Second, Scripture tells us where to find The Truth. Ephesians 4:21 says, “The truth is in Jesus.” If you want to discover The Truth, develop a relationship with Jesus. All The Truth you need for life and salvation is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Finally, Jesus Himself made an immense claim in John 14:6, when He declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Me.” By declaring Himself to be identical with The Truth, and by claiming to be the only way to heaven, Jesus forced upon us a crucial decision: is what He said false, or is it true?

If it is false, then He was either a liar or a lunatic. If it was true, then He was, and remains to this day, the Lord of the universe, and the only hope you and the rest of humanity have for eternal life.

We’ll examine more on this subject next Friday, as we consider Christ’s exclusive claims.

What It All Comes Down To

A group of well-dressed mourners stands around the graveside of a major corporate executive. The funeral service was a testimony to his success and widely-felt influence. The coffin is beautiful, the headstone is imposing, and the crowd is large.

As the pastor finishes the benediction, a mid-level-management type standing at the back of the crowd leans over to whisper to one of his partners. He asks a question that has been in the back of everyone’s mind ever since Mr. Big’s health began to fail a few months before.

“How much do you think he left behind?”

His imagination is weighing the bequests, the will, the millions, and what he would do with that money if any of it were coming his way. He asks his seemingly oblivious friend again, “Hey, man, how much do you think he left behind?”

His partner turns his head to utter a hushed reply, “All of it.“

No doubt. However much he had, he has none of it now: he left it all behind.

Ironic, is it not? Our best efforts to be found successful in this world all come to naught if we consider success something to be found in this world. I’ve done lots of funerals, and I’ve never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse.

Indeed, when it all comes down, what it all comes down to is legacy and character: the legacy you leave behind in this world, and the character you take with you out of it.

Legacy is the heritage of lasting value we impart to those who follow behind us: not the temporary things like stocks and bonds, net-worth and annuities; but rather the non-tangible and eternal things, like faith in Christ, a pattern of Godly living and a commitment to family and church.

Each of us leaves a legacy, though many among us do so by accident. I want to leave a legacy on purpose. I want to be remembered for something worth remembering.

What do you want to be remembered for? When people meet at your memorial service, what do you want them to talk about?

In truth, your legacy is determined by your character. Character is who you are and what you do when nobody is watching. It’s the real you, the inner you, the you that is determined by your core values and what you believe to be true and important.

So let me ask you: how are you on the inside? Who is the real you? What are you like when nobody is watching?

If those questions make you a bit uneasy, join the crowd. We all fall short not only of God’s glory, but of our own aspirations too.

The good news is that God is in the business of continual transformation. I offer you this brief prayer asking Him to change you.

“Lord, I want to leave behind a legacy of Christ-like character. Please keep changing me. Make me more like Jesus today. In His name, Amen.”