09/22/2025
THE UNDEBATED CHRIST: KNOWN IN HEAVEN, FEARED IN HELL, YET QUESTIONED ON EARTH
When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, He met opposition from Pharisees, unbelief from His own townspeople, and indifference from many who heard His words but never let them pierce their hearts. Yet, there was one realm where no debate ever arose about His identity—the realm of darkness.
Not once in the gospel accounts do we see a demon pausing to ask, “Who is this man?” Unlike the scribes, unlike the Sadducees, unlike Pilate who asked, “What is truth?”—the demons never needed clarification. They knew. They trembled.
“What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29).
The demons never mistook Him for merely a prophet or a teacher. They never confused Him with John the Baptist or Elijah. From the moment they beheld Him, they recognized what many human eyes could not see: the eternal Son of God clothed in flesh. So much so that Jesus often had to silence them, forbidding them from announcing His true identity prematurely (Mark 1:34).
Early Christians were struck by this same reality. Tertullian, writing in the second century, marveled:
“The devils themselves bear witness to Christ. They confess Him to be the Son of God, even before the Jews had decided what to think of Him.” (Apology, 23)
In other words, the underworld had no debate about Christ’s identity—it was humanity that struggled to recognize Him.
Heaven and Hell Agree
There is no debate about Christ in heaven. The Father thundered at His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Angels worship Him, as Hebrews 1:6 declares: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
There is no debate about Christ in hell. Demons recoil at His presence. Satan himself tried to tempt Him, not because he doubted who He was, but precisely because he knew He was the Son come to crush his head (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 4:3–10). In Acts 19, the evil spirit told the presumptuous sons of Sceva, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (v. 15). Hell has no confusion about the identity of Jesus or those who belong to Him.
Justin Martyr, one of the earliest defenders of the faith, even used this reality as evidence for the gospel:
“Though a host of demons have been subjugated in the name of this Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, yet you, when exorcised by His name, could not endure those who used it.” (Dialogue with Trypho, 30)
For Justin, the undeniable submission of demons to Christ’s authority was proof enough of His divine identity.
Earth: The Only Place of Doubt
Strikingly, it is only on earth—this temporary testing ground of humanity—that Jesus’ identity is debated. Here, the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebub. Here, skeptics reduced Him to a mere moral teacher, a political rebel, or a myth. Here, even today, His divinity, historicity, and resurrection are questioned by professors, philosophers, and pulpits that have grown cold.
Athanasius, the great defender of Christ’s divinity in the fourth century, captured this tension perfectly:
“The demons, seeing Him, confessed to what they knew: ‘We know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ Yet men blinded in mind, though they see His works, remain ignorant of Him.” (On the Incarnation, 32)
Why? Because earth is the only realm where redemption is still possible. Heaven’s verdict is sealed. Hell’s defeat is certain. But here, on this fleeting earth, the souls of men hang in the balance. To accept Christ is to receive eternal life; to reject Him is to embrace eternal loss (John 3:36).
The Cost of Doubt
You may doubt many things in this life. You may question the sincerity of men, the reliability of governments, or the security of economies. But one thing you cannot afford to doubt is the identity of Jesus Christ. To reject Him is not merely to hold an opinion—it is to gamble with eternity.
The demons know Him and tremble (James 2:19). The angels know Him and worship. The Father knows Him and affirms. Only humans still question the One whom God sent in infinite love to rescue a perishing world.
Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostle John, summarized the mystery of Christ with breathtaking clarity:
“There is one Physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and unborn, God in man, true life in death, both from Mary and from God, first subject to suffering and then beyond it, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Letter to the Ephesians, 7:2)
How tragic that demons confess what so many humans still debate.
A Plea to the Doubter
Friend, eternity is too long, and the stakes are too high, to live in uncertainty about Jesus. He is the same Jesus who healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, died for your sins, and rose again in victory. He is not debated in heaven. He is not debated in hell. Why should He be debated in your heart?
You may doubt everything else—but do not doubt the source of eternal life. The cost of that doubt is far too costly.
“These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31).
By Samson Ajilore
