In Matthew 16:13-25, Jesus asks His disciples who people say the Son of Man is. They answer John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. He then asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” It’s Simon Peter who says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Who Jesus Christ is, who He truly is, is in His glorious, humble, worship-worthy, gracious role as Messiah and Son of the living God, who holds all authority. Later on in Matthew 16, Jesus explained what would be happening to Him soon, that He would be killed and raised to life three days later, but the disciples did not believe Him. He brought the salvation that the entire world desperately needed. It’s over 2,000 years later, and we still need to know who Jesus is.
This fall semester in Campus Community, our weekly Wednesday night service in the Vines Center, we have been asking the question of who Jesus is through our series, “Behold.” In today’s culture, there are a lot of ideas of who He is. The secular world says that He was just a great guy, a good teacher, a good philosopher. But he is far more.
Our students see and hear Liberty’s mission, Training Champions for Christ, countless times while they are here on campus, but no one can become a Champion for Christ if he or she does not fully grasp who Jesus Christ really is. That’s why myself, other leaders at Liberty, and guest pastors have been opening God’s Word this semester to encourage our students to dig deeper into what the Bible says about who Jesus is. He’s not a god, He is the God. Many churches, maybe even some churches that we’ve attended, believe that Jesus is our buddy, that He is our best friend and personal mentor. We believe that Jesus is by us all the time; He is someone we can learn from, someone we probably ought to be more like. All of those things are true, but if that is the only perspective you have of Jesus, then you’re missing one very important thing that sets Him apart from every other teacher, leader, moral example, and advisor: He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Our beliefs about who Jesus is dictate how we follow Him. If all we believe are the really good things about Him and not that He is the Savior who was crucified and resurrected so that we all may be free, we will not be following Jesus Christ for who He truly is. Despite what the world and Satan want us to believe, Jesus is not trying to lead us to the place where we save ourselves. When we have nothing to give or offer, when we are not good, when we cannot do enough, God loves us anyway, and Christ died for us anyway. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died and rose again, then you will be saved.
On Aug. 23, the first night of Campus Community, I delivered this message to thousands of students. We had the highest attendance of any Campus Community in our history. But the number of people in the room was not what made that night special — it never is. That night, I saw several students come forward, in front of their peers, and make decisions to fully follow God and believe in Christ for who He truly is.
The Holy Spirit is transforming the lives of young people here. That is the ultimate goal, the ultimate prize. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and we praise Him for the work of His hands on Liberty Mountain every single day.
Campus Community is held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Vines Center. Stream the services on the Liberty University Office of Spiritual Development Facebook page.
Jonathan Falwell was named Chancellor in March. He has spent his lifetime associated with the ministries of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty, serving at TRBC for nearly 30 years and as its senior pastor since 2007. He has also served on Liberty’s Board of Trustees for over 30 years.
