Who is Jesus?

Who do you believe Jesus is? Is there a right answer? When asked, Peter declares Jesus to be the son of God. Ok, most churches acknowledge that but they are still divided further. I am aware of at least seven different theological ideas of Jesus. Each one has a slightly (or sometimes hugely) different focus on the life and work of Jesus as well as how he saves the world. In America we largely hold the conservative protestant view that Jesus saved through his death on the cross. Other well-established Christian faiths, however, teach that the resurrection alone was the saving work. Some teach that it was Jesus’ incarnation and entry to the physical world that allowed salvation.

Brennan Manning asks, “How would you describe the Christ who is the still point of a turning world for so many people…?” I think that our description constantly changes as we grow and I wonder, if it does not change maybe that is an indication that we are not growing.

Personally, I would love to be able to understand more about how others see and understand Jesus. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how a church can reach out to other denominations within Christendom and, possibly more important, to those of other faiths. How can we reach out, not for the purpose of conversion but to partner as fellow faith-groups to help our community. How powerful could that be?

Explore posts in the same categories: Personal, Theology

Tags: Jesus, salvation, Theology

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