Who Is Jesus? Part 1

Who Is Jesus? Part 1
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / Thought for Today / Truth telling

Who is Jesus? Today, January 6, is Epiphany, the last day of the Christmas season. We are finishing the celebration of Christ’s birth, born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. The emphasis has been on Jesus’s humanity, his human birth.

Nevertheless, it is critical to remember that for Christians, Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. If Jesus is not both fully man and God, he cannot be the means of our salvation.

What do those outside of Christianity say about Jesus’s identity?

During Christ’s lifetime, most of the Jews believed one of the following: 1. Jesus was thought to be the return of Elijah; 2. Jesus was thought to be the return of one of the other prophets; 3. Jesus was thought to be John the Baptist risen from the dead (see Mark 8:28). That Jesus would be considered John the Baptist risen from the dead is especially odd, given that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

What about other religions?

In most Eastern religions, Jesus is an enlightened ascended master. Through diligence, we too can potentially achieve his status. Jesus is just a human example for us to follow, one who uttered religious truths that apply to all religions, not just Christianity. Jesus isn’t unique, he isn’t the Savior of the world.

Who is Jesus in ancient Gnosticism: those who have secret special knowledge (Gk.: gnosis)? The Gnostics were prominent from the second through the fourth centuries, predating Islam.

The Gnostics were all over the place when it came to Jesus. For some, Jesus was divine, merely appearing to be human. He was not really crucified, but only appeared to be; it was possible someone else took his place and was made to appear like Jesus. In a couple accounts, Jesus is depicted as laughing at the one being crucified.

For other Gnostics, Jesus was merely human, sometimes known for uttering pithy sayings. The gnostic gospel of Thomas is perhaps the best-known gnostic gospel, and it takes that approach. At no point does Jesus ever claim to be God.

In the gnostic writings, sometimes Jesus is portrayed as possibly having some sort of sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, something Dan Brown picked up on in his “Da Vinci Codes.” In one particularly famous surviving scroll, Jesus is doing something with Mary Magdalene, but there is a hole in the manuscript right where what he was supposedly doing was disclosed, hence all the wild speculation.

In all cases, for the Gnostics, Jesus was not both fully human and fully God. What Jesus had was special hidden knowledge, something we too, according to the Gnostics, could attain.

Who is Jesus according to Islam and Mormonism? We will continue our religious survey about Jesus in the next post.

Personal note: I’m still having some health issues, so posting may continue to be a bit sporadic for awhile longer.

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