Perhaps the best place to begin is Matthew 16 where Jesus himself declared the truth about who he is to be the foundational rock upon which the church would be built. He asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (Incidentally, Son of Man was the title by which he referred to himself more than any other. This helps establish the fact that he was in fact part of the human race. Even though God was his Father, he truly was the son of Mary, the descendant of David, the seed of Abraham, just as so many scriptures testify.) The disciples responded, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." You see, there was still confusion among the populace as to who he really was. Jesus then asked, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" It was Peter who then declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Jesus’ response is with conviction, "...on this rock (foundational truth) I will build my church, and the gates of hades (the grave) will not overcome it!" If Jesus was God, and if there is any truth to that notion at all, wouldn’t you think Jesus would have here declared it? When he stated his identity upon which he would build his church, don’t you think this would have been the opportune time to say so?

If Jesus is not God, or God the Son, you might wonder, what did he mean in John 10:30, when he clearly said, "I and the Father are one?" The Jews who heard him say this were offended, and rightly so. They accused him of, "blasphemy, because you a mere man, claim to be God." If that was his claim, then they were right to pick up stones to execute him then and there, which they attempted. Such a claim would fly in the face of the monotheism on which they were raised, and which the Old Testament emphatically declares. Jesus reasoned with them, asking in verse 36, "Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son?’" Even his claim to be the Son of God was offensive, because they could not comprehend such a close relationship with God himself.

It’s in John 17 that we can fully understand just what Jesus meant when he said, "I and the Father are one." This chapter records Jesus’ prayer to God the night before he died on the cross. In verse 11 Jesus prayed for his disciples, "that they may be one as we are one." Then in verse 21 he prayed for all believers, "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." In verse 22 he again prayed, "that they may be one as we are one." In whatever sense it is that Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus wants and expects the same oneness amongst his believers. This would have to be oneness of purpose, a unity. Clearly he made no claim to be God.

Does any of this really matter? Jesus thought so. Consider John 17:3. He was praying to God, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Evidently Jesus believed it was a matter of salvation to know the God to whom he prayed, whom he identified as "the only true God." He also declared it to be essential to know himself, Jesus, whom God had sent. It’s clear that Jesus viewed the only true God as separate and distinct from himself.

You can read your Bible forwards and backwards, but you’ll never find the title God the Son. There’s good reason. Jesus is not God the Son. Yet, you’ll find over and over that Jesus is called and declared to be the Son of God. There’s good reason. That is the scriptural testimony as to who he is. We must be careful to never add, or take away from the identity as to just who Jesus is!

Perhaps there’s one more question for brief consideration. Can he be both? Can he at the same time be God, and Son of God? Many would say most certainly, that this is the case. One really big problem with this position is that it’s simply not supported in the scriptures. The other really big problem is that it goes against reason. In our last article (see our web site for all former articles, etc.) we found that in Christianity, there is only one God, and that he is the Father. I Corinthians 8:5,6 make that perfectly clear, "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."

For further study, ask for the free booklet, "Who Is Jesus". by Anthony Buzzard, or request lesson #5 from the free Bible study course (see below). As we said earlier, this may challenge you to think "out of the box," but this is good, if you’re searching for truth. We don’t ask that you accept anything blindly. Your responses, challenges, and questions are encouraged. Join us this Sunday as Pastor John addresses this teaching about who Jesus really is.