Matthew   22:42 “Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David.”

  There are many differences of opinion concerning Biblical teachings, doctrine.  There are many reasons for this including a lack of studying God’s Word , being guided by the flesh instead of the Spirit, but the greatest reason for such confusion is the devil himself and his ministers.  II Corth. 11: 13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel: for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”  How can we know if we are dealing with a minister of satan who has been transformed into a minister of righteousness, or someone who just hasn’t studied out the subject, or someone that is not saved and interpreting the Bible by the flesh? I John 4: 1-3 gives us the answer. “BELOVED, believe not the spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and is that spirit of antichrist…” This is the way God has given to us to try the spirit.

  So what does it mean that “….Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…”?  We must allow the Word of God to answer that question, for many are the answers of men!  In our text of Matt. 22: 42 we are asked a question, “…what think ye of Christ?...” One just can’t ask “do you believe in Jesus” for the majority of false prophets will answer that question “yes”, but what do they believe about Jesus, what do they think about Christ!  So let’s allow the Word of God to answer this question that we may properly try the spirits according to the Word of God.  We must begin at the beginning of Scripture in Gen. 1: 1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” After a few days of creation on day 6 God created man which is found in Gen. 1: 26 where we read, “And God said, Let US make man in OUR image…” This is not only the first mention of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, but it also is the first teaching of the eternal Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is backed up in John 1: 1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” Again in I John 1: 1-2 we read “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” The Word of God teaches us that Jesus, is the Word, which according to the Scriptures was (1) in the beginning with God, (2) was with God, and (3) was God, and (4) there was a time that Jesus was made manifest unto mankind. Of course that occurred when the Holy Spirit placed the seed in the womb of the virgin Mary. This Truth is also backed up in the Lord’s prayer found in John 17. In John 17: 5 Jesus is praying to His heavenly Father and says “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Case closed! Jesus did not have His beginning in the manger, Jesus is not a created being, Jesus is not the brother of satan, Jesus did not become the only begotten Son of God after satan fell! The Lord Jesus Christ is, always has been, and always will be God the Son, the eternal Son, in whom is life!  When someone comes knocking on your door and wants to speak about Jesus, ask some questions, try the spirit, whether they be sent of God or not!

Pastor Gray, Anchor Baptist Church