We can hear the word, the Savior Jesus Christ, everywhere throughout the world today; however, the circumstances 2,000 years ago were very different. The Savior Jesus Christ, who came to this earth in the flesh, was accused of being part of the “Nazarene sect,” and was subjected to persecution and rejection by the Jews. Only a few disciples recognized and followed Jesus as the Savior.
How can we recognize the Savior who comes to this earth to save humankind? The obvious standard and evidence that can be used to discern the true Christ is the Bible. Jesus testified about Himself through the Bible, and the disciples, too, realized and testified about the Savior Jesus Christ, through the prophecies of the Bible. The Bible testifies about Christ, the Savior. This is God’s main purpose for giving us the Bible.
“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” Jn 5:39
The Savior Jesus Christ said, “The Bible testifies about Me.” The Bible testifies about the Savior. Thus, the Savior and the Bible are inseparable. The reason people deny the Savior whom the Bible testifies about is that they do not truly believe in the Bible.
The Savior Jesus Christ Testifies About Himself Through the Bible
As Jesus said in John 5, He testified about Himself through the Bible, not by any other means.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself [Jesus]. Lk 24:27
In this scene recorded by Luke, Jesus appeared before two apostles traveling to Emmaus and testified about Himself to them after His resurrection. Up until that point, they had not been convinced that Jesus was the Christ. To restore their faith, Jesus testified about Himself, beginning with the writings of “Moses and all the prophets.” The “prophets” such as Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah refer to those who wrote the Bible. Jesus testified that He was the Savior, through the Bible.
The Apostles, Too, Testify About Jesus Through the Bible
The apostles who believed in Jesus, too, used the Bible to testify that Jesus was the Savior.
As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. Ac 17:2–3
Apostle Paul preached that Jesus Christ was the Savior through the Bible.
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Ac 8:35
In this scene, Philip was preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great status and power. Philip began with “that very passage of Scripture” and testified about Jesus. In verse 30, we can understand the reference to “that very passage of Scripture” is referring to the book of Isaiah in the Bible.
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. Ac 8:30
Jesus and the apostles testified that Jesus is the Christ through the Bible because no one can recognize the Savior without the Bible. The Christ who the Bible testifies about is certainly Jesus. As the apostles and the prophets of the New Testament times absolutely believed in the testimonies of the Bible, they were able to recognize Jesus as their Savior and receive Him.
People Deny the Savior Because They Do Not Believe in the Bible.
Why were the religious leaders unable to recognize Jesus during His first coming? Despite having the testimonies of the Bible which prophesied that Jesus was the Christ to come, they still rejected their Savior and crucified Him. They were consumed with pride and arrogance due to having so much knowledge about the Bible; however, they neither knew nor believed the Bible correctly, even though they claimed to. They did not truly know God whom the Bible testifies about or believe in Him.
“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” Jn 5:46–47
Jesus said that the reason people did not believe in Him was that they did not believe what Moses wrote concerning Him. Moses wrote the Pentateuch, which includes the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They did not believe that Jesus was the Christ because they did not believe in the Bible. They appeared to believe in the Bible, but in actuality, they did not. They believed in the Bible from a literal perspective, but did not believe that the words of the Bible were being fulfilled in reality in front of them.
In the Bible, there are many prophecies about God who comes as Christ. Although they witnessed Jesus fulfilling these prophecies one by one, they still denied Him. They were not people who truly believed in the Bible. Since they denied the Savior whom the Bible confirms, this is the evidence that proves they did not believe the Bible correctly.
“Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” Jn 15:20–21
Why did the people persecute Jesus and His disciples? Jesus said that it was because they did not know the “One who sent me,” that is, God. Only through the Bible can we know God correctly. The religious leaders of those days boasted that they knew God. In reality, they did not know God at all, but instead tried to make God fit into their own thoughts and concepts of who God should be. They made no effort to understand God whom the Bible testifies about.
According to the Bible, it is not difficult for God Almighty to appear as a man; however, they only acknowledged that God is almighty with their mouths, and denied God coming in the flesh. They only knew God as the One sitting on the throne of glory in Heaven. They could not accept God coming to this earth in the flesh. Consequently, they persecuted their Savior, Jesus Christ, who came as a man according to the prophecies of the Bible, and ultimately crucified Him.
The reason the religious leaders did not recognize Jesus at the time of Jesus’ first coming was that they did not know the Bible and God. In this age too, only those who correctly know the Bible and truly believe in God will be able to recognize and receive Christ—God who comes to this earth in the flesh.