False ideas about Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind and everlasting Son of the Living God, are nothing more than ideas of man and doctrines of devils. But what does God’s Word say? Who is Jesus?
Who is this Jesus, whose Name holds such power? Many think they have the answer. Doctrines of other religions present such ideas as, “Jesus was a human man who demonstrated Christ.” Or “Jesus Christ Himself was nothing more than a medium of high order.”
Some groups claim, “Jesus Christ, a created individual, is the second greatest personage of the universe, the first and only direct creation by his Father, Jehovah.” Other groups say, “Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the first-born among spirits of the children of Elohim, to whom all others are juniors.”
Many modern theologians say, “Jesus was a man so good, his deluded followers took him for a god. Jesus was divine in the same sense that all are divine.”
These false ideas about Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind and everlasting Son of the Living God, are nothing more than ideas of man and doctrines of devils. But what does God’s Word say? Who is Jesus?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word [Jesus] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1,14)
That’s Who Jesus Is!
Did you know that in modern times, controversy rages among various religious organizations and denominations about whether or not Jesus is really deity? In fact, some denominations have publicly stated that they don’t really know whether or not Jesus was the Son of God! Others deny the Virgin Birth. I’m talking about major denominations that were originally built and established upon those fundamental beliefs!
A leader in one of the larger denominations wrote an article, stating, in effect, “After nearly fifty years in the ministry, I no longer believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. I’ve come to the conclusion that you don’t have to believe in the deity of Christ [to be saved]. I’m not going to discuss it, but I will say that I do not know whether Jesus was the Son of God or not.”
When people get to the point they are questioning basic elemental truths from Scripture and the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Name of Jesus means nothing to them. If Jesus was not virgin-born and if He is not deity, then He is not God. And if He is not God come in the flesh, then His Name holds no meaning or significance in spiritual matters.
The deity of Jesus, the incarnation of the Son of God in human flesh, is the anchor of all Christianity. If these things are not true, we have lost the very heart of the message; there is nothing left.
However, it is true that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born of a virgin, taking upon Himself human flesh, human likeness. He came to this earth, lived, and died a cruel death on the Cross of Calvary as our Substitute. According to God’s own plan to redeem us, Jesus shed His blood so that those who would believe on Him could be saved and receive eternal life through Him.
The effects of the controversies that have risen, challenging the Virgin Birth and the deity of Christ, are felt in our world today in the lawlessness of society as compared to years gone by. We would be considered fools if we did not at least recognize that crime is sweeping our country in unprecedented measures.
But that is not a surprising statistic in light of the fact that many have tried to take the heart of the Christian message, which people have believed and adhered to for years, and “rip it to shreds.” Apart from Christ and Christianity, man has nothing left but fending for himself in life without God. That condition can breed every kind of illicit act imaginable (and many that are not imaginable!)
You cannot believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and live a promiscuous life. You cannot believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and intentionally harm your brother.
You see, if Jesus is not God come in the flesh, then there’s no use to follow His example or His precepts. There’s no use following the morals of the Word of God. There’s no use following only business dealings that are moral and upstanding.
Every individual on the face of the earth has to answer the question, “Is Jesus deity, or was He just a man?”
Jesus Christ is deity; He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. There’s no disputing those facts if you believe that the Bible is the holy, infallible Word of God. And it is. God has given us His Word to live by. It’s an imperishable and unchanging guide that we can stand on, adhere to, and trust unwaveringly amid the uncertainties of life.
But no one can make a person believe something. The decision to believe belongs to each human being separately. Each man, woman, boy, and girl must make the choice in his or her own heart. The Bible says that all must stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10)
The problem is, when people don’t believe in the deity of Christ, they usually don’t believe the rest of the Bible either. Therefore, they follow their own impulses, instincts, and devices along the road of life. Many live by the popular saying of the ’60s and ’70s, “Do what you want to do. It’s okay as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.”
Without a person’s knowledge of Jesus as Savior and of the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, he will lose in the fight to live holy and without sin. The Bible says that our own righteousness, apart from the righteousness that God imparts, is as filthy rags. (Isa. 64:6)
I want you to understand that Jesus Christ is deity. He is the One of whom the Apostle John said “was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1) Jesus is the Son of God. He was God manifested in the flesh. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) He is alive today, and His Name means something!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Rev. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, a son of the late Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.
In August of 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God's Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas.
In 1937, Rev. Hagin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began ministering in Pentecostal churches. During the next 12 years he pastored five churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van. In 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist.
During the next 14 years, Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1966, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he opened a ministry office. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio—on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, is also heard on the program.
In 1968, Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 250,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Hagin Jr., and several other authors worldwide. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching tapes and CDs.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include RHEMA Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Hagin; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; RHEMA Supportive Ministries Association; the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center; and a prison ministry.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA and in 1976 moved the school and ministry offices to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where they remain. To date, RHEMA Bible Training Center USA has 23,000 alumni, and RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 13 other nations: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 28,000 graduates worldwide.
RHEMA Bible Church, pastored by Rev. Hagin Jr., began holding services in October of 1985 on the RHEMA campus in Broken Arrow and has since grown to become a thriving congregation with more than 8,000 members.
Rev. Hagin's daughter and son-in-law, Pat Harrison and the late Doyle "Buddy" Harrison, founded Harrison House Publishers in 1975 and Faith Christian Fellowship International Church in 1977. Both organizations are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Until shortly before his death in September 2003, Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths' Crusades and other special meetings.