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, “
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?
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