Who is Jesus?
Although many have tried to explain who Jesus was, it is best to learn about Jesus from those who followed Him, served with Him, listened to His teachings, and saw His miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection – the apostles. Peter said, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty” (2 Peter 1.16). John said, “…what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled… what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us…” (1 John 1.1-3).
The Bible says: Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God, and He is God (John 1.1); He is one of the three personalities in Scripture that are presented as God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - Matthew 28.19); all things were created by Him, and for Him, and He sustains all (Colossians 1.15-18); all of history is directed towards Him; the history of this world will culminate in His return (Revelation 1.8; 1 Corinthians 15.24). Yet, He was born (John 1.14)! In some way that only God can fully understand, Jesus yielded up the glory He had with the Father and became a man; He became fully man while being fully God (Matthew 1.23; John 10.30-33).
Jesus is the Savior, the Christ, and the Messiah. He is the chosen One of God. He came to fulfill the requirements of the law for us (Romans 3.21-22), that we might be restored to a right relationship of faith in God. And He is God’s only way to eternal life (John 14.6, Acts 4.12). By His death on the cross we can have forgiveness of sins. The One that is without sin became sin for us, that we could be cleansed and forgiven (2 Corinthians 5.21). And through faith in Christ, we are born of the Spirit. One becomes a child of God, a part of God’s family, a member of the Body of Christ when one receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior (John 1.12-13; 1 Corinthians 12.13). A person must make a decision of the heart to commit himself/herself fully to Christ, receiving the salvation and new life promised (John 1.12, 3.3).
One cannot fully understand the significance of Jesus without accepting that He is truly God in the flesh, Immanuel, God with us. To believe only that He is a good example, teacher, or a savior, without believing in His deity, is to completely miss His significance. But to accept that God died on a cross is a scandal for some, and ridiculous for others. It takes faith to follow Jesus Christ, not just in what He did, but in who He is (Matthew 16.16-17).
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Then Jesus added, “Do you believe this?” (John 11.25-26).
What do you believe about Jesus? We invite you to place your faith and trust in Him, and to begin your own journey of faith in Jesus the Christ.