People say many things to say about Jesus Christ. There is much to say about Him. God the Father has much to say about Him. Those who saw Him had much to say about Him. Many say He was a prophet. Many say He was a good teacher. Many say He was crazy. Many rejected Him. Few say He did not exist; there were too many witnesses and too much written about Him. But we all have to decide who we think He is. I know with all my heart that He is God the Son, sent to this earth by God the Father to pay for our sins. Jesus Christ is our Salvation.
John 1:1-5, 10-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
John pretty much says it all. Jesus Christ is God, the Son of the Heavenly Father, the creator of the universe. He became flesh, like you and me, fully human, fully God. He came to earth to fulfill the law and offer salvation by grace. He paid for our sins by dying on the cross and declaring us righteous.
Colossians 1:13-23
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Jesus has delivered us. He has reconciled us. He has redeemed us. Jesus, who is God the Son, came to this earth for that very purpose. It has already been done. He is our salvation. Nothing we can do will earn it except to receive that gift and believe (see John 3:16 among others). That is who Jesus is. Though He is God, He loved us so much to be a sacrifice for us. He took our sins upon Him and he paid the penalty for them so that we can be saved. So that we can be free from sin and live in eternity with Him.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus, who is God in the flesh, came to this world to reconcile us to God. He humbled Himself and became fully God and fully man, suffered, was tempted, and gave His life for us.
Hebrews 1:1-4
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
As John said, God the Son dwelt among us. No longer do we have to go through a priest or do anything else but call on the name of the Lord to be saved. Jesus is our only priest. Jesus took away our sins.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is the One in the Trinity that allows us access to the Father. He came to this world for that purpose.
John 14:6-11
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.“
We believe by faith. Jesus says we can also believe by His works. Not only all of the great miracles He did, but that He gave His life for us. Though He was sinless, He took all of our sins upon Himself and died on the cross with them, as a payment for our sins. Not only that, but He was raised from the dead. How do we know that actually happened. It is recorded in the Bible. Others died proclaiming that truth. And many witnessed it.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
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, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Paul says that He has seen the resurrected Christ, and for anyone who doubts, there were over 500 people that they could ask because they saw Him too. For us, we have the gospels that were eyewitness accounts as well. Not only did many witness His resurrection, but some saw Him in His glory.
2 Peter 1:16-18
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
Peter, along with James and John, saw Jesus in all His glory. You can read the detailed account in Matthew 17:1-9. One day we will see Him in all His glory. He will return one day and judge the earth. He will take His people home and he will remove evil. Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who is, and who was and who is to come.
My Daily Scriptures 