"Thou Art The
Christ"
Matthew 16:16
We who believe rest our
immortal souls upon one thing. We build all our hopes of peace, pardon, and
eternal life upon one foundation. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph and Mary, who was crucified as a common felon at
(1.) If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, the Mesiah, promised
in the Old Testament Scriptures, then HE IS NOT THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD! The
prophecies of the Old Testament plainly declare that the Messiah, when he
appears, though he must be a man of the house and lineage of David (Psa.
132:11; Isa. 11:1), must also be the Son of God (Psa. 45:6-7). To deny the
deity of the Lord Jesus is to deny his messiahship. And to deny his messiahship
is to deny his deity.
(2.) If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, the Messiah, then HIS
OBEDIENCE TO GOD IS OF NO BENEFIT OR MERIT TO ANYONE. Though he was "holy,
harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," though he perfectly
obeyed the law, though he had no sin and knew no sin, if he were only a man,his righteous obedience is nothing more than a good
example. It could not be of infinite merit to make us righteous. It is the
deity of our Savior that makes his obedience to God as a man meritorious for
us.
(3.) If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, then HIS DEATH ON THE
CROSS HAS NO SAVING EFFICACY. The blood of one man, however innocent, cannot
atone for the sins of many. Only that Man who is himself God can make atonement
for and redeem a multitude of lost sinners. He must be man, or he could not
suffer and die. But he must be God or he could not satisfy the justice of God.
(4.) If Jesus is not the Messiah, then WE ARE ALL YET IN OUR SINS.
We have no hope, no pardon, no righteousness, because we have no Savior!
Don Fortner