Bernie L. Gillespie
© April 18, 1999 All Rights Reserved

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory. (Eph. 1:11-14 NIV)

The ‘Jesus’ Question

‘Who was Jesus?’ is the oldest issue for all Christians. Through recent centuries many religious groups have co-opted and defined Jesus after their image. For a good number, Jesus is a only prophet or teacher. The cults and sects have distinguished themselves by the identity they have given to Jesus. The Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus is a great angel. The Latter Day Saints believe, in essence, that Jesus is a highly evolved human.

A number of books catalog the varieties of images of Jesus in the last century. One book by Jon A. Buell & O. Quentin Hyder, addresses several major images in his book entitled Jesus: God, Ghost, or Guru?. John Wick Bowman, who wrote Which Jesus? [Philadelphia: Westminster Press, n.d.] uses his chapters to reflect the many modern images attached to Christ: 1) Apocalyptic Son of Man; 2) Existentialist Rabbi; 3) Essene-Like Teacher; 4) Nazorean Scheming Messiah; 5) Para-Zealot Revolutionary. Ken Samples, of Augustine Fellowship, conducts lectures on the subject: "Jesus Christ - Man, Menace, Madman, Myth, Mystic or Messiah?" Who Jesus is appears to be a complex subject.

It would seem to go without saying that of all the speculation the one thing we can be certain of is that Jesus was a Christian. After all, isn’t He where we get the idea of what it means to be a Christian? Or is it? Maybe we need to stop and think about that very carefully. One recent book This Jesus: Martyr, Lord, Messiah, asks a very penetrating and germane question: “Was Jesus a Christian?” Most people would say “Yes” without hesitation. Let me say, the answer you give will tell much about your understanding of the Gospel. It will tell significant things about your theology, your understanding about God, Sin, Humanity, and Salvation. I will not wait to the end to give you the answer. I will let the cat out of the bag now and say that the resounding answer is NO! “How could you dare say that Jesus was not a Christian”, you may ask. The immediate answer is found in understanding the Person of Christ. Two things about His Person make it impossible for Him to be a Christian.

[to continue reading link to Was Jesus a Christian?]