Who Is Jesus?
Who is Jesus Christ? Is Yeshua (Hebrew for "Jesus") really the promised Messiah of Israel (Hebrew for "Christ") of the Old Testament?" Is Jesus Christ truly the Son of God … literally God Himself, the Divine living within human flesh? Were Jesus Christ’s claims that of a Liar or Lunatic … or is He really Lord of the universe?
A Preview of Jesus: What were people saying before Jesus was born?
The Old Testament (the part of the Bible written before Jesus' birth) was completed in 450 B.C., hundreds of years before Jesus was born. A large number of prophecies were made in astonishing detail by many people throughout these books. In fact, fulfilled prophecy is one of the distinguishing marks of the Bible, authenticating its claim to be the inspired Word of God.
For instance, the Old Testament indicated Jesus would be betrayed by someone He trusted: "Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who has shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9). The New Testament, which records Jesus' life and resurrection, reveals that one of the 12 people Jesus chose to be part of His inner circle betrayed Him: "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them" (Mark 14:10).
More than 300 Messianic prophecies like this were made in the Old Testament and then fulfilled through Jesus' life, death and resurrection. The chances of one person fulfilling a mere 8 of these prophecies are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. For one person to fulfill 48 of these prophecies, the number becomes staggering--1 chance in 10 to the 157th power (1 with 157 zeros after it). Add to that the 250 other prophecies, and it becomes impossible for any other person except Jesus to ever fit that particular sequence of time and events.
Tour of Jesus' Life: What are the highlights?
Some people claim He's a great teacher. Others think He's a prophet. Some dismiss Jesus as a liar or even a madman. Millions hail Him as Savior and Lord. Whatever people think of Jesus Christ, nobody can deny that He stands at the very center of human history.
The biblical record of His life shows that Jesus was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught throughout Palestine for about three years, was crucified and then rose back to life three days after His death. The Bible claims that more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after this miraculous event. How could a mere man have lived such a life? The miracles Jesus performed, His death on the cross, His resurrection, His ascent to heaven--all point to the fact that He was no ordinary leader.
Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, prophets predicted His coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains more than 300 such prophecies. All of these details came true, including Jesus miraculous birth, His sinless life, His many miracles, His death and His resurrection.
By His own account, Jesus claimed He had the power to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to determine people's eternal destiny. He even declared that He Himself was God!
Declaring that He was God so angered the religious and political leaders of His day that they had Him crucified. They buried Him in a borrowed grave, and three days later, Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus is what makes Christianity unique and radically different from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, and Islam. In fact, the validity of Christianity hinges on the proof of the resurrection of Jesus. If the resurrection never took place, then the Christian faith is based on a lie and people have no true hope for life after they die. But if it is true, then we can do nothing else but accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and receive His gift of love and forgiveness.
Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe, that Jesus is alive.
Why Did He Come: A look at His origin and purpose
How can we be sure about the Bible accounts?
In the days of the first Christians, there were many writings about the life of Jesus. But some had special quality--they had been written by Jesus' followers or their close friends. These gospels and letters were carefully copied by hand. Over the years, archaeologists have found thousands of manuscripts of bits of the New Testament and even some complete copies. By comparing these, we can get very close to what the New Testament writers originally wrote. Some of these copies are dated less than 100 years after the original gospel or letter was written.
For an idea of how good this evidence is, compare the New Testament with other writings that are about as old as the New Testament. For example, Julius Caesar wrote a book called The Gallic War about 50 years before Christ was born. We obviously do not have the original copy. Yet, we do have nine or ten copies, and the earliest of these was made about 900 years after the original. This is a typical gap for ancient writings.
When, however, we examine the historical evidence relating to the Bible, one learns that there are thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament books. Therefore, we have good reason to believe that we know almost exactly what Luke, Paul and the others wrote.
Who wrote the Gospel of Luke and why use it as reference?
The author of this gospel, Luke, also wrote another book in the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles. He was the only New Testament writer who was not Jewish, and he was a doctor. Independent evidence confirms that he was a very careful and accurate historian.
If we read Luke 1:1-4, we can see that Luke's purpose of writing the Gospel was to give an accurate, unbiased account of what happened in the life of Jesus:
[1] Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
[2] just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
[3] Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
[4] so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Where did Jesus come from?
Luke1:26-38
[26] In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
[27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
[28] The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
[29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
[30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
[31]You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
[32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
[33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."
[34] "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
[35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.
[36] Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
[37] For nothing is impossible with God."
[38]"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Jesus explains His purpose
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the south of Palestine. He grew up in a very ordinary town, named Nazareth, located in Galilee which was in the north of Palestine. Jesus was a carpenter, but at the age of 30, he became a religious teacher, moving from town to town.
In Luke 4:14-22, we read what happened when Jesus began teaching. He went to the synagogue, which was the local place of worship. Although he probably had no more religious education than the average Jewish man, people wanted to hear him. He was asked to speak at the synagogue in Nazareth.
[14] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
[15] He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
[16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
[17] The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
[18] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
[19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
[20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
[21] and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
[22] All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.
Jesus In Death: Why did He have to die?
God created earth and man perfect. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commands, He had to punish them. A judge who pardons law-breakers isn’t a righteous judge. Likewise, overlooking sin would make the holy God unjust. Death is God’s just consequence for sin. "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Even good works cannot make up for wrongs against the holy God. Compared to His goodness, "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6b). Ever since Adam’s sin, every human has been guilty of disobeying God’s righteous laws. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin is not just big things like murder or blasphemy, but also includes love of money, hatred of enemies, and deceit of tongue and pride. Because of sin, everyone has deserved death – eternal separation from God in hell.
Although God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He didn’t leave them without hope of heaven. He promised He would send a sinless Sacrifice to take the punishment they deserved (Genesis 3:15). Until then, men would sacrifice innocent lambs, showing their repentance from sin and faith in the future Sacrifice from God who would bear their penalty. God reaffirmed His promise of the Sacrifice with men such as Abraham and Moses. Herein lies the beauty of God’s perfect plan: God Himself provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son fulfilled God’s perfect requirement of God’s perfect law. It is perfectly brilliant in its simplicity. "God made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
To bear our own sins would be to suffer God’s judgment in the flames of hell. Praise God, He kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to bear the sins of those who trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He is the only one who can pay the penalty for our sins.
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins... He was buried... He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).
We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth
[1] Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
[2] He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
[3] In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
[4] "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
[5] Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
[6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
[7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
[8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer
It is only through Jesus Christ that we are saved. There are no mystical words the bring salvation, however here is a prayer to use as a guide:
Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that You created everything. I realize that Jesus is the only Son Jesus Christ, shed His blood on the corss, died for my sins, and rose again on the third day. I am truly sorry for the deeds I have committed against You. Cleanse me and forgive me of my sins, as I forgive anyone who has sinned against me. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. with my heart, I believe that God the Father raised His Son Jeus from the dead. I accept my salvation and I thank you Jesus for coming into my life and hearing my prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Additional Questions
After all is said and done, the key question for you is, "What does all this information about Jesus Christ have to do with my life?" Or, you may have other questions. If you need more help with understanding who Jesus Christ is and what He can provide for you, please Contact Us today. We are