Bible Q&A: Is Jesus the Messiah, or the Misleader of Millions?

Question: In the Old Testament the devil already exists, and God says that he will send others to test his faith. This person will be of good spirits and have the ability to perform miracles to stray the weak-minded. In the New Testament, Jesus arrives, a man who has the ability to perform miracles and stated the only way to God is through him. We have alters, huge statues, pictures, so many other items with Jesus on it that many kneel to pray to, while God says do not build alters or create images to worship him. There is no doubt that Jesus is real, but is he true or the misleader of millions? Just a question I have been thinking about.

Answer: Hi, this is Pastor Tim. This is a really good question, one that I began to ask myself about 25 years ago.

We will inevitably find imperfect people following Christ in imperfect ways as soon as we begin to look at the church. But I want to commend you, the place to look for the answer to your question is in the Word of God. What does the Bible say about the Messiah? Is Jesus the Messiah, or is he an imposter? A crazy man? Or the Son of God?

I believe there are at least two helpful ways to go about answering your question:

1. The four Gospels were written to answer this question.

Think for a moment about what the apostle John says, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). In other words, John’s Gospel and the other Gospels were written to provide evidence (for someone like you to weigh) to determine whether or not he is truly the Savior of the world. So, read John’s Gospel and ask yourself, “Does Jesus fit the profile of the Messiah (or the Christ)?”

2. Look at the Old Testament prophecies.

A second way to answer your question would be to look at the Old Testament prophecies that predict the coming Messiah. Does Jesus fit the profile? Or is he an imposter?

I’ve found this article very helpful in identifying some major prophecies concerning the Messiah. By all means, this is not the only resource, but it is highly accessible. An article that you might find even more helpful is this one. This article shows the Old Testament reference and prophecy, and then where it is fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament.

Praying that God will give you light as you open his Word,

Pastor Tim

This article originally appeared on UnlockingTheBible.org. Used with permission.

Tim Augustyn serves as the resident pastor, writer, and editor of Unlocking the Bible. He was born and raised in northern Wisconsin, came to faith in his 20's while working in the business world, and received a Masters in Divinity from Trinity International University. He is author of the children’s book “Man on the Run,” and co-author of “The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional” with Colin Smith. Tim and his wife, Janna, and their four kids live in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Image courtesy: Painting by Antonio Ciseri via Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: June 22, 2017