Who is Jesus pt2

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5)

We live in a time where there are many Christs being preached.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:4).

We need to know the Real Jesus of the Bible. Last week we made just a few observations about the True Christ. It is impossible for a few articles to say all that could be said about Him. “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25).

This article will look at a few more things we learn from scripture about Jesus.

Here are the observations from last week:

Jesus is the Savior of the world. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14).

Jesus is a Sympathetic and Understanding Savior. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18).

Jesus is the Son of God. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:2-3).

Who is Jesus? Part 2.

Jesus is the Express Image of the Godhead. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col 1:18-19). “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).

While much could be said about this, I want to focus on the fact that Jesus is Divine, He is Deity, He is God. Some religions do not see Jesus as God, but as a created being. This simply is not true. Jesus is God.

The Scriptures teach “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In this passage Jesus is called “the Word.” Note the Scriptures said Jesus “the Word” was “God.” Some will use their rewritten bibles to argue about “definite articles” and misquote passages in attempt to make Jesus not God, but “a God.” We know better.

The Scriptures affirm the deity and godhood of Jesus. Jesus calls Himself the name “I AM” which is the name used for God (John 8:58; Exo 3:14). Jesus said God is “My Father” which made “Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Jesus accepted the identification “My Lord and my God!” from Thomas (John 20:28). Jesus’ agreement with Thomas in verse 29 is a shattering deathblow to the false doctrine that Jesus is only “a god.”

Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (20:29). Jesus affirmed what Thomas “believed” was in fact the truth; Jesus is “Lord” and “God.”

There are other Scriptures that confirm the deity of Christ. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6; Acts 20:28; Matt 1:23; Heb 1:8).

Jesus is the final Judge of the world. While living on earth He did not come to bring judgment at that time. Now that He has Died, was Buried, and is Resurrected, He sits on His Judgment seat and everyone will appear before Him. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2Cor 5:10-11a).

It will be a terrifying thing to appear before Him if we’re found to be disobedient. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31). But, how can we appear before His throne with confidence? “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). We can know when we know His word.

Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). Jesus has given us His Divine word to guide us. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2Tim 3:15-17). “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

These are comforting words. We can know the Real, Living, & True Jesus.

Do you remember the list from that social media post last week? Could you verify the validity of them? Did you look them up? Here’s what I found.

  • Joy Giver, John 17:13.
  • Eternal life Giver, John 10:28.
  • Strength Giver, 2Cor 12:9.
  • Unconditional Lover, Rom 5:8. (this one is often misleading)
  • Sins forgiver. Mark 2:10.

–Spencer

Who is Jesus

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”    (John 14:6).

Years ago, we were driving home from worship. We had a young relative with us and he asked, “Who is Jesus?”

His question broke our hearts. While he was not under our care, we felt a responsibility toward him and our other relatives.

I’m not surprised anymore if a person has this question. In reality, most of the people who claim to believe in Jesus do not know the Jesus of the Bible. They only know a different Jesus.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:4).

Who is Jesus?

One person posted to social media that Jesus is…

  • Joy Giver,
  • Eternal life Giver,
  • Strength Giver,
  • Unconditional Lover,
  • Sins forgiver.

They posted this without any scripture references, which is typical. Here’s a little homework: is the above true? If so, how would we know?

This got me to thinking about our own study about Jesus. The scriptures say, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25). While one bulletin article is insufficient to fully answer the question, I’ll give just a sampling about who is Jesus.

Jesus is the Savior of the world. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14). I was talking to someone and they asked if one could be saved in a religion that doesn’t believe in Jesus. I asked what this verse meant; “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). He said that Jesus is the only way to God. Only Jesus is the Savior of the world.

Jesus is a Sympathetic and Understanding Savior. “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18). “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16).

This is a hugely comforting quality. It points to the fact that Jesus walked this earth and experienced the pain and suffering common to all. He hungered, He wept, He thirsted, He was alone. He knows what we’re going through, and He Understands.

Jesus is the Son of God. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:2-3).

The demon world acknowledged this truth, “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time (Matt 8:29; Mark 3:11)?

This understanding is essential. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Jesus, as the Son of God, is God. “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18).

There are two more qualities of Jesus I’d like to share next week.

The Jesus of the Bible, the Savior, The Understanding Son of God is amazing. He’s more than we can even imagine, but He is not a figment of our imagination. We need to be careful to make Him into something He’s not by overlooking the whole council of God. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2Cor 9:15)

–Spencer