Who is Jesus? Is he God in the flesh, a good man who lived long ago, one of many of God’s prophets, an angel, or any number of other descriptors people use to describe Jesus? Who you say Jesus is, is the most important question you can answer. The answer will lead you to either life or death, blessings or curses, one with God or separation from God. 

Today we are going to take a look at how different religions answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Islam

Muslims believe Jesus was a messenger sent by God. They deny the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. They think of him as a prophet like Abraham or Moses. Since they view Jesus as just a man, Jesus could not die for our sins and raise himself back to life. He was a good man who gave good advice. 

Mormonism

The Mormon religion describes Jesus as the brother of Lucifer. The Heavenly Father and one of his many wives had each of these sons. After a battle, Lucifer and his followers came to earth as spirits, while Jesus and his followers came to earth with flesh and blood. When Jesus came to earth in the form of flesh and blood, he came to save mankind. 

However, what you may be thinking of salvation may not be the same as what a Mormon thinks of as salvation. Salvation to a Mormon is achieving godhood. You become a god of a planet (only if you are a male). You and all your wives and children will rule that planet as gods. (By this logic, Adam and Eve are the gods of the planet Earth.) In order to become a god, one must follow all the rules and work his way into godhood. 

According to the Mormon faith, Jesus did come to earth to save mankind. How did he do this? Well, Jesus provided personal salvation in the Garden of Gethsemane (before going to the cross), which allows people to achieve godhood so long as you follow all the rules and regulations of the Mormon faith. Salvation then, is achieved by works, not grace. When Jesus died on the cross, he provided “general salvation” which allows people to be resurrected and face judgement. 

There is so much more to the Mormon faith. We simply don’t have the time to dive in deep. This is just a brief synopsis of who the Mormons say Jesus is. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Who is Jesus to a Jehovah’s Witness? Like the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was a created being. In fact they believe he is actually the Archangel Michael. They believe that Jesus only resurrected in spirit, not in the flesh. According to a Jehovah’s Witness’ theology, only 144,000 people will make it to Heaven. The question then becomes, what happens to the 144,001st person? Do they go to Hell? Not likely as they believe Hell is simply the grave and nothing more. I personally cannot answer this question, and I suspect a Jehovah’s Witness can’t either. 

Of course, there is so much more to the Jehovah’s Witness theology. I encourage you to do more research on your own regarding all of these religions, not just these but many different doctrines. I believe it’s important for us to know what various religions believe. It’s like I always tell my kids. We need to know what the Bible says about things. How else will we know if what we are being told is a truth or a lie? So dig in and discover for yourself what the Bible says about Jesus. Don’t take my word or anyone else’s for that matter! 

Who Did Peter Say Jesus Is

In Matthew we can read about a conversation Jesus had with Peter. Jesus wanted to hear who Peter thought he was. This is the first recorded verbal profession of declaring Jesus as both Messiah and the Son of God. 

“Then he (Jesus) asked them (the disciples), “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:15-17‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

Peter stated that Jesus was both the Messiah and the Son of God. Peter recognized the deity of Jesus and was blessed because of his belief. 

Who Do You Say Jesus Is

The question becomes, who do you say Jesus is? The way you answer this question will determine which path you find yourself on. 

I can tell you who I say Jesus is. Jesus is the Messiah. He is my Savior. He is God who came down from Heaven in the flesh. Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. While living on earth Jesus lived a perfect life. He never sinned, not even one single time. When the time was right, he willingly gave his life and took all my sin on himself. On the third day he rose himself from the dead, proving that not even death has any power over him. Jesus is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere all the time. Jesus is the only son of God, who was never created because he is God. He has no beginning nor ending. He is the creator of all things. Jesus is the ONLY way to be right with God the Father and live in Heaven when I die. Jesus is worthy of all praise, worship, and my whole life. He is my boss, and I obey him. 

Note: Several years ago my husband Brett gave me a book to read. It is called, Fast Facts on False Teachings by Ron Carlson and Ed Decker. This book talks about all sorts of world religions. They discuss the fundamental beliefs of religions from atheism to satanism and the occult. This is where I found my information on what Islam, Mormonism, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe regarding Jesus. I find it to be an excellent resource to have on hand.