WHO IS THIS JESUS?

 

          Who is this man Jesus? The Bible accurately teaches that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (Acts 8:37) At His baptism God acknowledged Him as His Son. "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) This was also the case on the mountain where Jesus was transfigured and spoke with Moses and Elijah. "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." (Matthew 17:5) Peter was correct when he confessed, "We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:69) Let us be convinced from scripture that Jesus is the Son of God.

 

          Who is this Jesus? He is God among us. In the Bible Jesus is called God. Jesus was asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 to answer their question. He said, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." In John 1:1 the Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is the one that was called "the Word." Thomas called Jesus "my Lord and my God." (John 20:28) In Titus 2:13 Paul referred to Jesus as "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The Father, Jehovah, and the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have the same nature of divinity, the nature of God.

 

          Who is this Jesus? He is the One that reveals the Father. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” In Colossians 1:15 we read of Jesus, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” How can we know God? We know God by leaning of Jesus. Jesus Christ has come to reveal God to us. Paul summed it up well when he wrote of Jesus, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9) The only way to know the Father is to know Jesus the Son. Jesus said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)

 

          Who is this Jesus? He is the only Savior. The gospel is the good News that Christ suffered sin's penalty in man's place. "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:1-4) The announcement of the angels was true, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) Jesus is more than just some religious tradition. He is our Savior. He knows our needs, feels our pain, and sympathizes with our weakness. If we will trust and obey Him He will forgive our sins, intercede for us and bring us to His Father in Heaven. He died for us and rose from the dead to save us from our sins. Because of Jesus man can have hope of eternal life.

 

          Who is this Jesus? He is the fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus had a very real belief that He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He believed that the prophecies that had been written must come true. “For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.” (Luke 22:37) It was written that the Messiah would, (1) Be born of the tribe Judah (Genesis 49:10), (2) Be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), (3) Be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), (4) Work miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6), (5) Teach in parables (Psalm 78:2), (6) Be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9), (7) Be wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:5), (8) Have His side pierced (Zechariah 12:10), and (9) He would rise from the dead. (Psalm 16:10) These are only a few of the prophecies about Jesus, but they prove, without a doubt, that Jesus is the Messiah. 

 

          Who is this Jesus? He is the Lamb of God. John pointed people to Jesus saying, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) It is by the precious blood of the Lamb of God that we are saved. (1 Peter 1:18-19) When Jesus is called the Lamb of God it is in reference to His being the faultless and ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. The sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. "And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36) Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. By Him God provided atonement for the sins of the people. There was nothing greater ever seen than that God Himself should provide the Lamb, His only begotten Son, to die for our sins.


          The heart and substance of our preaching must be Christ and Him crucified. "We preach Christ crucified." I want to always remember who Jesus is, what He has done for me and what He can mean in my life. To be saved from sin hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus (Mark 16:16), repent of sins (Luke 13:5), confess Jesus as Lord (Matthew 10:32), and be baptized into Christ. (Romans 6:3-4) Who is this man Jesus?  He is the Son of God. Jesus changed the history of the world. He has had such an impact on the lives of people that many would gladly die for Him. What does Jesus mean to you?

 

By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street,
Greenville, Alabama 36037 USA