Is Jesus Just a Prophet?

Prophets come in all shapes and sizes. If you speak of prophets in Christian circles, they will
recall Old Testament folks like Isaiah and Jeremiah. But what about Jesus? Was he just a prophet
among the many prophets?
Generally, prophets are known by their claim to speak about secret events or to reveal some
divine truth not known by their hearers. And since it is unknown, there could be many so-called
prophets who will say interesting things. But who is to know if they are speaking from
supernatural, inspired knowledge, or just making stuff up? When prophets predict some future
event that doesn’t come true, it certainly causes us quickly to lose confidence in their claim to
have a special ability as a prophet. The Bible hasn’t changed in over 3000 years, and still every
prophecy holds true. Jesus was called a prophet. Matter of fact, Moses told God’s people to be
looking for this prophet Deuteronomy 18:18. When Jesus lived on earth, he did prophesy about
the coming of the kingdom of God and about his purpose to save the world. He often spoke
about his own suffering and death. Other prophets spoke of these things too, but what sets Jesus
apart from all the other prophets is the fact that all the other prophets directed their attention to
the promised Savior - to Jesus.
Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about the promised Savior. He was born from a virgin in
Bethlehem; he descended from the Tribe of Judah; after his birth there would be a massacre of
babies; he rode a donkey into Jerusalem; he was betrayed by his friend for 30 pieces of silver; he
was rejected by his own people; and he was accused and condemned unjustly. Then came the big
fulfillments. He suffered on a cross while the soldiers cast lots for his clothes. He died and then
had his side pierced without one bone being broken, Jesus was buried with the rich and rose
again from the dead - everything just as had been prophesied about him.
No other prophet, either Christian or non-Christian, has come close to fulfilling what Jesus did.
No other prophet has come close to proclaiming accurately the secret things of God like Jesus
did. No other prophet has come close to fulfilling prophecy like Jesus has.
Jesus is a prophet. But he is much more. He is the Savior of the world. He has freed us from the
punishment of sin and hell. Jesus is our Savior.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Savior?

In most superhero movies, the hero must intervene in a dangerous situation to rescue a powerless
victim. At the end, the victim might exclaim, with all the force of a well-worn cliché, “You’re
my hero!” In this moment, the grateful person is acknowledging that the hero has, potentially
with great sacrifice, rescued him or her from mortal danger. Christians mean much the same
thing when they refer to Jesus as the Savior, but on a much grander scale. In the Bible, the
word Savior simply means “someone who saves someone else.” In the Old Testament, God is
frequently referred to as the Savior, rescuing His people from all kinds of danger, Deuteronomy
32:15; 1 Chronicles 16:35; Psalm 18:46; 38:22.
What does Jesus rescue us from?
And what does He rescue us for?
To understand Jesus’ role as Savior, we must understand our own desperate situation. Humans
have sinned against God, rebelling, and voluntarily separating themselves from the God of life
Romans 3:23; 5:12. Sin produces death, and so everything in our world is now dying Romans
6:23; James 1:15. Because God is holy, He will punish sin, leading to eternal separation from
Him Matthew 10:28. Without Jesus, humans are helplessly enslaved by sin and cannot ever
achieve holiness on their own Romans 3:9–20. We were born on a one-way track to hell, rightly
condemned for our sin Ephesians 2:1–3.
That is where Jesus steps in. Being God, Jesus is perfect and never sinned. He lived a perfectly
righteous life, and therefore did not deserve to die 2 Corinthians 5:21. However, He chose to die
a horrific death on the cross for us, paying the price for our sin Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 2:24; 1
John 2:2. Then He rose again three days later, establishing His victory, and He is coming back
soon to remove evil from the world completely. Because of His death and resurrection, anyone
who trusts in Him can have eternal life. To the person who trusts in Him, Jesus Christ becomes
the Savior.
If you are a human being, you needed rescuing. Jesus came to save you. He saves us from sin by
forgiving our sins Luke 19:10; Acts 10:42–43; 1 Timothy 1:15. He saves us from God’s
righteous punishment by justifying us with His blood Romans 5:9. He saves us from death by
giving us eternal life. He saves us from the degradation of the world by separating, empowering,
and sanctifying us Titus 3:3–8. He saves us from the devil, who deceives the world 1 John 3:8.
For all these reasons and more, Jesus is rightfully worshiped as the Savior of the world John
4:42; 1 John 4:14.
Jesus did not simply save us from something, He saved us for something. He saved us for a
relationship with God, who loves us John 3:16–18; Romans 5:10. By saving us from our sins,
Jesus made reconciliation with God possible, allowing us to approach God as our heavenly
Father 2 Corinthians 5:18–21; Hebrews 4:16. By His grace, and not by our works, we are saved
for an eternity with God, worshiping Him, enjoying Him, and being loved by Him forever
Ephesians 2:5–10.
Jesus’ death and resurrection make all these things possible, demonstrating that He is the Savior
of the world. But is He YOUR Savior? God makes it clear that we can only be saved by trusting
in His Son John 14:6. No other person, philosophy, or work can reconcile us to our holy Creator.
When we submit to the truth of Jesus, confessing our sin and trusting Him, we receive eternal
life, an intimate relationship with God, and grace to cover all our sins. If you have not trusted
Jesus as your Savior, come to Him today. He is gracious, regardless of your past 1 Timothy 3:3–
5. Believe in Him and trust Him for salvation.