To know Jesus truly is to be safeguarded against deception. In an age where counterfeits abound, where many preach a Jesus but not the Jesus of Scripture, we must be so intimately acquainted with Him that any false Christ is immediately exposed. If we are to stand firm in the true gospel, there are three foundational truths about Christ that must be known, believed, and proclaimed without compromise.
First and foremost, Jesus is God—the second person of the Trinity. This is non-negotiable. To deny Christ’s divinity is to deny the very essence of the gospel. John’s gospel opens with this unmistakable declaration: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, NASB). Any teaching that reduces Jesus to merely a prophet, a good man, or a created being is a gospel that cannot save. If Christ is not fully God, then He has no power to redeem sinners.
Secondly, Jesus is the God-man—fully divine, yet fully human. He is “God Incarnate”, the eternal Son who took on flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). Any attempt to separate His deity from His humanity, or to diminish either, leads to a false gospel. This is why John warns so strongly: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.” (1 John 4:2-3, NASB). A Christ who is not truly God cannot save, and a Christ who is not truly man cannot stand in our place. The gospel demands that we hold fast to both.
Thirdly, Jesus is the only Savior of lost men. The exclusivity of Christ is essential. Any teaching that presents another way to God—whether through human effort, another mediator, or an alternative path—is a gospel that is powerless to save. Jesus Himself declared: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6, NASB). There is no salvation apart from Him. Peter, standing boldly before the religious leaders, proclaimed: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NASB). To deny Christ as the sole Savior is to deny the gospel itself.
Spurgeon rightly observed: “Another gospel: which is not another; for there are not two gospels, any more than there are two gods. There is one only message from God, of good news to men; and if you turn away from that, you turn away to a falsehood, to that which will bring you trouble, to that which will pervert you, and lead you astray.” The gospel is singular—there is no alternate version. Augustine put it plainly: “If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”
How do I know if I have the right gospel? I must follow the confession of Peter, who declared with certainty: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16, NASB). This is the rock upon which our faith must rest. No rival Christ, no distorted gospel, no other way—Jesus alone.
May we be ever found standing firm in the truth, knowing Him deeply, and never straying from the gospel that saves. Amen.
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