They appeared at my front door and engaged me in religious conversation.

After they spoke for a couple of minutes I cut to the chase. I asked them who they thought Jesus was.

I knew what they would say because I had already spotted their Bible with their unique inscription on the cover.

When they had finished saying that Jesus was a mighty god but not the almighty God.

I pointed them to passages like John 1; 5:18; 8:58 where it clearly shows that Jesus is declared to be God and He claimed to be God. Their response was that my English translation was not accurate because in the original Greek New Testament it says something else.

I excused myself for a moment, grabbed a couple Greek New Testaments from my study, returned and gave them one copy and said, “Turn with me to John 1 and show me how my English translation of the Greek is wrong.”

Immediately they confessed they could not do it as they did not know New Testament Greek.

They did produce an interlinear copy of the New Testament (that followed the English translation they preferred) and I gently informed them that of all the interlinear Bibles I knew of, their version was the only one which supported their particular doctrine of Christ.

Then they asked me, “Who are you anyway?” I informed them that I was a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. I went further and said that I had several years of classes in New Testament Greek.

I assured them that if they wished to study the Bible’s teaching on who Jesus was I would be happy to oblige them. Sadly, they politely declined.

Not only is there confusion in society about who Jesus is but there are some muddled thoughts on who are the true sheep of the Good Shepherd. In John 10 Jesus gives us several traits of true Christians.

1. Jesus said that His sheep, “listen to His voice”. So, if you listen to the voice of Jesus you know who you are.

If His voice is music to your ears and you love to listen to Him, you know who you are.

2. The second way to tell who are Jesus’ sheep is if the “sheep follow him”. Jesus clearly says that His sheep that they follow Him. It is as simple as that!

Some loving Christians will say that some “sheep” follow the Good Shepherd from a distance.

This is how they seek to explain how they insist that someone who has “made a decision for Christ” is both a sheep and looks and behaves like anything but!

Jesus never says that you can be His and live for the world or follow at a distance. If you seek to follow Jesus and if you repent quickly when you sin, then you know who you are.

3. Jesus said that His sheep “won’t follow strangers” so if a person follows those who do not belong to the Good Shepherd Jesus tells us that they are not His sheep. Do you know someone who follows the world but they, and/or their loved ones claim they are Christians?

This statement by Jesus is a categorical statement, no exceptions no other categories of sheep. His sheep always follow the Good Shepherd according to Jesus.

4. Jesus says that another critical characteristic of His sheep is that they fear strangers and “flee from them”. So, genuine believers are afraid of any voice but that of the God Shepherd. Think of that!

Jesus said that if you are listening to other voices than His, and you are not afraid, you are not His sheep! Do you know who you are?

At the end of John 10:28 Jesus tells us who the people are to whom He gives eternal life i.e. “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life…” 

They listen to Him and they follow Him. Do not be deceived by clever arguments. Jesus is crystal clear in His teaching. Do not add to or take away from such obvious doctrine.

Do you know who you are?