In all of this mix, the identity of the One called Jesus of Nazareth has been confused. My desire is to bring to AP's attention once more, what God Himself says about His Son.

I have been facilitating recently a small group at my home church that emphasizes personal evangelism. The course we are following is called "Becoming a Contagious Christian". From the Contagious Christian CD comes an interview of a number of people who are asked simply, "Who is Jesus?" The answers range from the absolutely true to the absolutely outrageous. Here they are. Maybe your own answer is one of them.

"Jesus is God."

"Savior of the Christian faith."

"He died in Israel."

"He is one of the gods."

"Palestinian Jew living around the year 0-30."

"A religious leader."

"I think He was just a person that was really smart and wanted to make the world a better place or something."

"He's a topic that I don't want to discuss."

"Savior of the world."

"The man who's gonna lead us into the promised land in the next life."

"A higher power above all things that no one can understand."

"Jesus is a rabbi that was in the first century."

"I believe Jesus was a prophet trying to create a new branch of Judaism, and I believe that they took what His preachings were and later on made it into something which I don't believe it was at all intended to be. I don't think Jesus ever called Himself the Son of God."

"Probably He's a mythological figure that actually lived and I think we've developed His persona over the years."

"Possible fictional, possibly real person."

"My understanding is that He was a historical figure who played prominently in a whole lot of stuff."

"Jesus is a historical character."

"I'm sure He existed and was a great guy and stuff."

"He was a very enlightened and spiritual being, and I think He came to earth to teach us a few things."

"I kinda believe in my heart that He was probably the world's greatest prophet we ever had, you know, someone to learn from His lessons and kinda change the shape of mankind. There's no denyin' that. Big historical figure."

"Very holy man who lived a long time ago."

"Man who walks around in a robe. And sandals. Long hair. He looks like my uncle, actually."

"Can I say I'm not sure, I don't know? The guy in the Bible, I guess."

"Is that a trick question?"

"Jesus is the Son of God."

"Some people believe He's the Son of God. I don't."

"That's a good question, and I don't think I have an answer, Who Jesus is."

How about you? Do you have an answer? Let me suggest some answers, that come from the pages of the Christian Bible.

1. He is the Son of God.

Did Jesus ever call Himself the Son of God?

The narratives about Jesus certainly did. Matthew 1:23, for example. Matthew believed that the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy 700 years before, that a virgin would give birth to a Son Who would be "God-with-us", or as we say, Emmanuel. Sounds like Son of God to me.

Luke follows up with an even clearer i.d. An angel appears to Mary and simply declares that the child being conceived in her womb is to be called the "Son of the Highest." Later that conception is said to be by the Holy Spirit.

When God's Spirit creates a seed inside of a woman, that seed is Divine. Jesus is the Son of God.

But what about Jesus Himself? Did He ever say He was that Son? It is true that it was not a constant theme of His teaching. But it is far from the truth that He never made the claim.

Look at Matthew 22:41 ff. It is Jesus vs. the Pharisees, in a rivalry that lasted His entire ministry.

Jesus asks them, "Whose Son is the Messiah?"

" David's," they replied.

"David's? But look at what David said:

'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand...' "

David calls the Messiah "Lord." So how could the Messiah also be the son of David?

The obvious solution to the riddle is to find a person in history who was descended from David (David's "son" or descendant) but also was born of God.

Jesus is that person. His line is described in Matthew and Luke, proof that He was from David's family. His miraculous birth is recorded in prophecy and in the famous Christmas narrative... "a virgin will conceive and bear a Son..."

Matthew 26 makes it even plainer. He is on trial. Jesus is asked by the ruling Jewish court, if He is the Messiah, the Son of God (see how these two terms, "Son of God" and "Messiah" come together again?). Without blinking He admits that He is as they say, and He is immediately condemned to death for blasphemy.

Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be the Son of God! Let no one today say that he never claimed it! That's why He was crucified!

There's no question about the record of Scripture. Jesus is the Son of the living God, and He claimed to be such.

2. He is God the Son

Here is where we lose a lot of people. Many are willing to mouth the words, "Son of God", in reference to Jesus. But most don't comprehend that what your Father is, you are. My children are human. God's Son is Divine. He can only give birth to Divinity.

I was adopted into the family of God, and filled with God's Spirit, but I am not God. But my Big Brother Jesus is God, because His real Father, not adoptive Parent, is God Almighty.

As you see by the image on page 1, Jesus is called many things in the Bible, things like Creator, I AM, Mighty God, Lord of Lords, the Rock, the Savior, The Forgiver, the Judge, the King, the Shepherd, the Sun, the Light, the First & Last, the Redeemer. And He is all these things, and more, so much more.

And did you notice as I was going through that list, that these names given to Jesus in the Bible are the same names that belong to the Father, the one we call "God" or "Jehovah" or "Yahweh"? Jesus is Creator, but God the Father is Creator. Jesus calls Himself the "I Am", but so does Yahweh. Jesus is Mighty God, Lord of Lords, and so is the Father. Jesus is the Rock, the Savior, the Forgiver, and all these things are said of God the Father.

Now, If the Father and the Son wear the same titles, what does that tell you?

Here's one for you. Seven hundred years before Jesus came to Earth, the prophet Isaiah saw Him and wrote down what he saw. You will hear this verse quoted a lot around Christmas time.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given."

But the verse does not end there! It goes on to say this "...and the government shall be upon His shoulder."

What government? The government of the whole world. This is the Messiah that every good Jew was called to believe in. But when He came, they crucified Him!

Isaiah goes on to say: "His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God..."

What? The Messiah is going to be God? The Jewish prophet said it to the Jewish people seven hundred years before it happened.

Then Isaiah said that this Messiah would be called "Everlasting Father..."

The coming Son is somehow going to be one with the Father. And that is exactly what Jesus said to the people of His day: "I and My Father are one!" "He that has seen Me has seen the Father!"

I submit to you that there is only one thing we can believe about this Jesus: He is God Almighty. He is to be worshiped and praised. There is no other Name given among men whereby we must be saved!