There is no other

The uniqueness of the Christmas event is well worth pondering. Has there ever been a serious claim that the one and only Creator God entered into human history and came to dwell among us? Such is the very essence of the Christian religion. 

Since the historic existence of Jesus of Nazareth cannot seriously be contested, the question of his full identity constitutes one of the most important that anyone can consider. Indeed, the whole search for authentic answers turns on this, for if it can be established that Jesus was, as he affirmed, the unique divine Son of God the Father, then we have in his words a revelation of divine truth about many vital areas of our human condition.

In previous blogs I have quoted many of Jesus’ sayings that express his teaching about his coming into the world from “the Father” to tell us truth that his Father had sent him to tell us. Jesus insists that he is speaking the truth, and the absolute truth of his words is a solid foundation for our faith.

As you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, you get the impression of reading of a real historic character – unique, certainly – even considerably different from normal humans, yet authentic, real, believable. The simplicity and yet the depth of his teaching make us wonder, as did his first hearers, “Where did this man get this wisdom?” (Matthew 13.54). The record of his amazing miracles corresponds perfectly with what only a divine Son of God could do. The disciples saw how his life fulfilled several predictions made about the Messiah in the Jewish Bible, and these can still be checked out today. His moral teaching, such as he gave in the Sermon on the Mount, has never been surpassed in twenty centuries, and millions of believers throughout the world can testify that following his guidance had led them to a life not only of purity but of profound well-being.

Indeed the most compelling proof of Jesus’ divine identity comes when a man or a woman in the grip of evil passions, realising the need of deliverance from their inner demons, cries out in desperate agony to the Lord Jesus to save them and experiences the radical transformation he operates in their own personal experience. Not everyone feels deeply their need of forgiveness and moral transformation; not many think of turning over a new leaf; not many realise that a miracle of redemption is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. But there are those who do feel their guilt before a holy and righteous God, who understand the seriousness of their position before the divine Judge of all the earth, and who, hearing that Jesus is a Saviour who receives sinners and frees them from their guilt and sin, cry out in earnest prayer, “Lord Jesus, save me”. Such converts can testify to their experience of the reality of the risen Saviour who came down to earth to set people free from their bondage to sin. 

The Bible’s teaching is clear: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2.5-6). “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12). “No one comes to the Father except through me”, said Jesus (John 14.6). 

The Bible’s promise stands valid for all: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved” (Romans 10.13). 

Clive Every-Clayton