Who Says Jesus is the Messiah?

Two Wittenesses and Two Qualifiers

John 5:39 Search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Every Book in the Bible renders its testimony of Jesus the Messiah. His own words in John 5:39 show clearly that He knows that he is the Messiah; therefore, He also knows His mission. It remains for each to examine the testimony, accept or reject it, and live with the consequences of our decision.

The First Witness

The Old Testament books teem with prophecies of the coming Messiah. Many would conjecture that such a prophecy is the fanciful dream of people locked in a world of trial and tribulation. They dream of a Kingdom of peace and prosperity. But to counter that, Amos 3:7 declares, “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets. We may accept or reject Amos’s testimony.

Amos’s testimony is a significant reminder that one can be well-versed in the scriptures and fail to understand God’s secrets. If that were not true, the Pharisees would have been among the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. But it was left to God’s servants to see the testimony and see the Messiah revealed.

One of the most amazing evidences is Psalm 22. It was written a thousand years before the crucifixion, yet it gives a near perfect description of what would happen to the Messiah. It begins, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me,” and continues with the near-perfect description of the crucifixion.

Isaiah 52 and 53 tell stories of the Messiah that appear to describe the life of Jesus. “He was wounded for our transgressions and by His stripes ye are healed.” Points to the Messiah and shows Jesus fits that description.

There are many other references in the Old Testament that Christians believe point to Jesus as being the Messiah. For those who are interested, may Bibles show those prophecies in an appendix. Also there are many web cites that make the information available.

The Second Witness

The New Testament is the second witness that gives evidence that Jesus is the Messiah. Every writer declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew in particular connects the prophecies of The Old Testament with the life of Jesus. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are frequently referenced in the New Testament.

Acts 4:12 states, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Philippians 2:9-11 declares that God has given Jesus a name above every name and at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow …

Again the reader may check other documentation in the appendix of some Bibles or various web pages.

The Old Testament and The New Testament provide us with the testimony of two witnesses. That testimony would be sufficient in a court of law to render a decision. We would leave the courtroom believing we had made the correct decision. But is believing that we have made the correct decision enough?

Two Qualifiers

Jesus sent his followers to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. They obeyed His command and soon felt the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. That brings us to the first qualification:

The first qualification.

Christians cannot really be Christians without the Holy Spirit working in their lives. In Romans 8, Paul addresses the difference between the carnal man and the spiritual man. In verse 9 he states, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”And in verse 16 he declares, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

The second qualifier

1 John 4:2 tells us specifically how you can recognize the Spirit of God. He says that every spirit that confesses that Jesus has come in the flesh is of God. Believing that He has come in the flesh also means that one believes that he was resurrected from the dead. Without the resurrection Jesus would have been another prophet or teacher.

Conclusion

Is every church member required to believe these things? Theologians have struggled with church doctrine throughout the ages. There was a battle over circumcision before Christianity broke away for being another Jewish cult. And in Galatians, Paul is amazed that the Galatians have turned from the truth that set them free. Therefore, the true believer meets these qualifications knowing that he is not practicing a religion--he is maintaining fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.