Jesus Is the Christ

Jesus Is the Christ

This is a strange statement that people usually do not dwell on! What does the apostle mean by: “That Jesus is the Christ”?

“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” 1 John 2:22. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.” 1 John 4:2. “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5. “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John, verse 7.

“Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience [despite the fact that He was Christ Himself!] by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him [to all who walk on the same way, who fight the same battle and gain the same victory].” Heb. 5:7-9.

This is the point! This is precisely what the spirit of all lies is denying: that Jesus is the Christ, that He who renounced being like God became like us in all things (Heb. 2:14, 17), that He is the Christ, God’s Son.

That Jesus is the Christ quite simply means that Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary and thus partook of flesh and blood like hers and like ours, and therefore had to fight against sin and learn obedience—He had to be perfected in it—He was and is God’s anointed, Christ, God’s Son from eternity by whom are all things! He, who partook of flesh and blood like us, He is the Christ, God’s Son!

When it says that He prayed to Him who could save Him from death and was heard, it cannot possibly mean being saved from dying on the cross of Calvary. Therefore it means being saved from sinning, being saved from death on the basis of having sinned.

Consequently, Jesus had a terrible battle to keep God’s commandments because of the flesh He had, and in this battle He was always victorious. His prayers were heard so that He was saved from death, the death that is the reward for having sinned. Glory to His name!

Christ, God’s Son, is that Jesus who was born of the virgin Mary and who, in the days of His flesh, with vehement cries and tears and prayers and supplications, overcame this flesh so that He always kept His Father’s commandments. This is the Christ who today lives and intercedes for us, strengthens us, and guides us by the Holy Spirit to fight the same battle in order to gain the same victory, so that we can always keep His commandments and observe everything that He has commanded us. Matt. 28.

This is what all flesh and all foreign spirit powers are bitterly opposed to. The usual religiosity and so-called Christendom rage against it! They do not know any better, and therefore they cannot do any better because they have been deceived by the liar and the Antichrist.

It is particularly significant to note the connection between verse 6 and 7 in the second epistle of John. The first word in verse 7 is “For.” It is a word that is followed by stating the reason for something. The reason for people not wanting to know that Jesus is the Christ, who came in the flesh, is that in the days of His flesh Jesus fought to keep God’s commandments. This is precisely what people want to avoid; they do not want to deny themselves in order to keep God’s commandments. It is obvious that if Jesus had to fight in order to keep God’s commandments, then His followers must also do it.

All deception leads away from this battle and this victory!!! All deception robs people of their reward!

Most preachers teach and proclaim that it is useless to think of being an overcomer; you have to try the “best you can,” but you will never succeed. Many of them even make fun of—mock—this good fight of faith, this precious way of self-denial, and they can (for example) ask if we want to help God with our salvation, or they use mocking words such as “slaves of the law” and “cross bearers.” Others teach that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God anyway so it doesn’t matter what we do with it; we might just as well enjoy our sinful lusts and have a good time in this world. And others are inspired by the most diverse doctrines and speculations so that their “worship service” consists of certain forms and customs in addition to studying and reading books and writings about these vain speculations and being enthusiastic for the art of clever deception they find in them.

All of this is essentially the same: people are deceived. They are led away from the only necessary thing and the only meaningful thing: keeping God’s commandments, overcoming all sin, and winning the reward. As a result, we have this exhortation: “Let no one defraud you of your reward”!

Therefore the banners of the warriors of Jesus Christ bear this inscription: Jesus is the Christ!

May many in these days receive grace to be gathered under this glorious banner!