JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

3
PREFACE
If we miss who Jesus is, everything else will be off kilter. Every cult and heresy has
demonstrated this. Only orthodox Christianity recognizes Jesus for who He is:
GOD THE SON or SON OF GOD
SON OF MAN
GOD-MAN
"He is what God means by man. He is what man means by God."1
--J. S. Whale
Today in America there are about 4,000 different cults with about 30 million adherents,
representing a missionfield on our doorsteps. Our society and culture has also become fascinated
with the lure of the occult. This is seen most vividly in the horrific pace of growth of the New
Age movement. It has been estimated that there are 50-60 million practicing some aspect of
the occult. A recent magazine stated that some 40 million Americans check their horoscope
every morning to see what their zodiac sign says about how to live that day.
Our universities and colleges, which for the most part actively or passively teach
agnosticism, are also filled with students who are helplessly adrift in this sea of religious
pluralism and moral relativism. Many of these confused students are desperately seeking for
some kind of meaningful religious experience, for transcendence and personal significance.
Others focus more on objective truth. Most, if not all, look for some semblance of moral and/or
spiritual certainty.
We dare not remain passive in the face of so great a challenge that is before us!
Christ offers all of these! To know Him who is the Truth is to experience life to the full
(eternal life—God's kind of life) with the certainty that He is who He claimed to be: the
Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God or God the Son, the God-Man.
The purpose of this book is threefold. First and foremost, the purpose is to present an
accurate portrait of the Person of Jesus Christ—the God-Man. Hopefully this will lead to a
richer worship of Christ, a deeper devotion to Him, and more zealous service in His name.
I have heard too many Christians who have testified that they were thankful that they
were in the shower and didn't hear the doorbell when the Jehovah's Witnesses came knocking.
Why were they thankful? Too often it is because they were not prepared biblically to address the
arguments marshaled by such an evangelistic cult. I have also personally seen Christians who
were twisted into theological pretzels by proof-texting Jehovah's Witnesses. This is a tragic
confession.