The Person of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Man does not have the capability to fully understand God. God is perfect and holy, while man is morally flawed and sinful. To bridge the gap and to connect God and man, God took the form of a man in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus there would be no possibility of having a relationship with God.

15 He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. 17 And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] 18 He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. 19 For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son), 20 and through [the intervention of] the Son to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace [with believers] through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven. Colossians 1:15-20 AMP

To be the complete expression of God, Christ had to be God. To be seen and understood by man, He had to be human. Jesus Christ has a dual nature—He is the God-man. To begin to understand who Jesus Christ is, let us begin to explore His deity and His humanity.

The Deity of Jesus Christ

Some people have said Jesus Christ was just a great man (as if He died and that was that). Some people have said that He was the founder of a new religion. Some people have said He was a prophet and a good man. Some people have said He was merely a man. Some people have said He was out of His mind. These things have been said by people for hundreds, even thousands of years, to this day.

But Jesus Himself claimed that He was and is God. He also authenticated that He was and is God. If anything Jesus said is not true, He could not even be called a good man, but would be an imposter and a liar.

Let’s begin to explore what God has revealed to us about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is Superior to Angels

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father, or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? Hebrews 1:1-5 CSB

Jesus is Worshiped by Angels

6 Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, And let all God’s angels worship him. Hebrews 1:6 CSB

13 Now to which of the angels has he ever said: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:13-14 CSB

Jesus is the Creator of all things. Jesus is Eternal. Jesus is Righteous. Jesus is Unchangeable. These truths from Hebrews 1:8-13 prove that Jesus Christ is God. Verses 8 and 10 reveal what God the Father says about Jesus the Son of God.

8 But of the Son He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.
9 “YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”
10 And, “YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;
11 THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,
12 AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.” Hebrews 1:8-12 NASB

Jesus’ Ability to Reveal God

How do we know that Jesus has the ability and authority to reveal Who God is?

1 God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, 3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4 LSB

30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He determined, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31 LSB

The Relationship Jesus Promised to Those Who Believe Him

27 The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are One. John 10:27-30 AMP

How does this make you feel? Are you fully assured of your salvation and are you resting in the words the Lord Jesus has spoken?

Jesus is God

Jesus said He was one with God the Father, which means He has to be God. Since He claimed to be God, there aren’t many logical reasonings a person can use to try to figure out if what Jesus said about God and Himself are true.

Now some of you will remember this from one of the Journey 1 sessions. If the claims Jesus made about Himself are false, then He cannot be God. If the statement is true that He is not God, there aren’t many reasonable choices that remain when deciding what to think about Him.

  • He thought He was God, but He was mistaken, which means He was a lunatic.
  • He knew He was not God, and He lied, which means He did not tell the truth about Himself or what He said about God.

If you don’t believe He is God, it is impossible to accept Him as some great moral teacher. Great moral teachers aren’t liars and they aren’t lunatics.

If the claims Jesus made about Himself are true, then He is God, and He has truly revealed the way to have a relationship with the Living God.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 If you have come to know Me, you will know My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7 LSB

Jesus is the Way to become reconciled to God and to have a relationship with God, He has spoken the Truth about all things because He is the Truth, and He is the One who gives eternal Life.

Now there have been quite a few people who claim to be someone, and in the end it becomes plainly known that they were not who they said they were. All of their words were a bunch of hot air and could not be backed up. This is a fundamental problem with religions the world has cooked up. None of them have proven their claims about themselves. Not so with Jesus!

25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. John 21:25 CSB

Jesus Backed Up His Words With Demonstrations of Power That Only God Possesses

The New Testament provides a myriad examples of Jesus showing that he is God and that He is speaking truthfully about all things. Even John the Baptizer questioned if Jesus was the One to come.

2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Matthew 11:2-6 NIV

After observing Jesus’ life, power, and preaching, what did Peter conclude about Him?

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 NIV

Later in Acts 4, Peter said this:

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 CSB

Jesus Was Born, Lived, Died, Rose From the Dead, and Ascended Back Into Heaven

34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Romans 8:34 CSB

The Humanity of Jesus Christ

Can you see the humanity of Jesus in these very few examples?

11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 CSB

6 And Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired as He was from His journey, sat down [to rest] by the well. It was then about the sixth hour (about noon). 7 Presently, when a woman from Samaria came along to draw water, Jesus said to her, Give me a drink— John 4:6-7 AMP

16 And the scribes [belonging to the party] of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with [those definitely known to be especially wicked] sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and [notorious] sinners? Mark 2:16 AMP

15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. Hebrews 4:15-16 AMP

Some of the Prophecies Jesus Christ Fulfilled

Fulfilled prophecy helps verify the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Even though these prophecies preceded Jesus by hundreds of years, Jesus fulfilled them in every detail—proving that His claims were and are true. The table below lists a few of the many prophecies Jesus fulfilled.

Topic Prophecy Fulfillment
Place of birth “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2), 700 B.C. “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea.” (Matthew 2:1).
Born of a virgin “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), 700 B.C.” His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).
His triumphal entry “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9), 500 B.C. “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it” (John 12:13-14).
Betrayed by a friend “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9), 1000 B.C. “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them” (Mark 14:10).
His rejection “He was despised and rejected by men… Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3), 700 B.C. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).
Crucified with sinners “He… was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12), 700 B.C. “Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left” (Matthew 27:38).
Hands and feet pierced “They have pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16), 1000 B.C. ”Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side” (John 20:27).
His resurrection “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10), 1000 B.C. “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead” (Acts 3:15).
His ascension “You ascended on high” (Psalm 68:18), 1000 B.C. “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

Points to Remember

  • Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God.
  • When you see Jesus you see the Father.
  • He has authority over all things.
  • Many of the things He experienced were similar to what we have experienced. He suffered and was tempted. Because He never yielded to sin, He understands our struggles when we are tempted and He is merciful to us. When you fail, confess your sins to Him (1 John 1:9).
  • Through Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God. There is no other way or alternative given to humanity.

Things to Ponder

Jesus said He will meet a wide variety of our needs. Spend some time reading and meditating on how the Lord Jesus referred to Himself in these Bible passages and how they apply in your relationship with Him and His relationship with you.

  • John 4:10-14: The living water
  • John 6:32-35: The bread of life
  • John 8:12: The light of the world
  • John 10:7-10: The door
  • John 10:11-18: The good shepherd
  • John 11:17-27; 32-44: The resurrection and the life
  • John 14:1-7: The way, the truth, and the life
  • John 15:1-17: The true vine