Years ago, I read some interesting results of research conducted by the Barna Group. It addressed what Americans believe about the person of Christ. It goes without saying that not everybody in Christendom agrees on who Jesus was and is. That’s one of the reasons we have the many Christian denominations we currently do.
But the Bible reveals certain truths about Jesus that uniquely qualify Him to be the Savior of the world. That’s why what we believe about Jesus is important. In this post, I will be referring to Barna Group’s research as I touch on the theology of the person of Christ.
According to Barna’s research, most Americans believe Jesus was a real person. Ninety-two percent of adult Americans believe that. On the other hand, only 56% believe in the deity of Christ. Twenty-six percent say He was just another religious or spiritual leader.
Why is that a problem? Because if Jesus was only another religious or spiritual leader, He would not have been qualified to save us. Instead, He would have needed a Savior Himself.
Also, according to Barna’s research, most Americans believe Jesus was human and committed sins during His earthly life. Fifty-two percent believe either strongly or somewhat that this was true about Jesus.
The Biblical Truth About the Person of Christ
The truth about the person of Christ is this: He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” according to the Bible (Hebrews 4:15, KJV).
Note those last two words, “without sin.” The word without is from the Greek word Χωρις (pronounced CHOE- ris), meaning separate or apart from. Jesus was not born with indwelling sin as we are. All of His temptations were external. He never succumbed to any of them.
This is the Jesus the Bible talks about. Any other version of Jesus reduces Him to just another human being. Based on Barna’s research, 52 percent of adults in America strongly or somewhat believe Jesus was merely human.
I might add that the percentages mentioned above are reflective of all adults. If we were to look at Barna’s findings for millennials only, for example, the percentages for that group would be even less favorable to the biblical teachings on the person of Christ.
What I find encouraging about Barna’s research is that 92 percent of Americans believe Jesus was a real person. That means most don’t need to be convinced that He was born and lived on earth. What they need, however, is to know the truth about this person who came and dwelt among us. He was not just a human being who lived and sinned on earth.
Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. He was tempted in all points like we are—yet without sin. This is the Jesus the Bible proclaims. More importantly, this is the only Jesus who is qualified to be the Savior of the world.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.