 |
WHO
IS JESUS CHRIST?
Lesson 25
page 1 of 1
An angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him
the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins. Matthew 1:20,21
Introduction
Perhaps the most
controversial person to ever live on earth was
Jesus Christ. Some people say He was a
blasphemer. Others say He was a prophet.
Some people say He was a troublemaker and others
say He is the Son of God. Not long after He
ascended to Heaven, His followers began to
disagree about His teachings, prerogatives and
identity. So, who is Jesus? Where did He come
from? Where did He go? What was He all about?
Jesus is a challenge to explain because the bible
says so many things about Him.
Jesus remains a
controversial figure because of the claims He
made and the things He did while on Earth. If
He is not the Son of God as He claimed (Matthew
26:63,64), then He has to be the greatest liar
who has ever lived. Conversely, if any person
denies that Jesus is the Son of God, the Bible
says that person is a liar! (1 John 2:22,23)
Jesus leaves no one straddling the ideological
fence. He is either all that He says or Hes
the worlds greatest imposter.
Interestingly, either people love Him or hate
Him. There is no middle ground. The birth, life,
death and resurrection of Jesus play a pivotal
part in Earths destiny. One man, Jesus
Christ, changed the course of human destiny.
Jesus brought the assurance of salvation and
eternal life out of the tomb. Of course, the
promise of salvation existed before Jesus died on
the cross, but after the resurrection, we have
living proof that the penalty for sin
has been paid and the promise of eternal life is
a coming reality. Jesus taught that this life is
but a prep school for the life to come. The
differences between the life we know right now
and the life to come are almost to good to be
true. Life will be very different when we finally
dwell in Gods physical presence because the
curse of sin and every blemish on Creation will
be removed. Jesus will no longer be veiled from
our eyes. We will see His face and rejoice in His
instruction. Everlasting life will be filled with
everlasting joy and endless vistas of learning.
In the earth made new, we will build houses and
inhabit them. We will know each other even as we
are known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) The redeemed
will live forever without seeing death, sorrow,
sickness, injury or suffering! Better yet, the
redeemed will live forever seeing the One who
made life possible. The experience of everlasting
life and all that goes with it is only possible
because one man, Jesus Christ, changed the
destiny of a planet in rebellion.
The Alpha and Omega
Less than 27% of the
worlds population claims to be Christian.
This indicates Jesus is either unknown to most of
the world or He is not considered to be the Son
of God by billions of people. Although Christian
denominations may not agree on the teachings of
Jesus, lively debate has no bearing on whom Jesus
really is.
The source of
disagreement among Christians about Jesus seems
to be quite simple. Jesus Christ is so
magnificent and so awesome that people cannot
understand Him. He is the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and end of everything that exists.
Jesus is the artist that paints the sunsets with
properties of light. Jesus is the biological
engineer who put the worlds ecological
systems into operation. Jesus is the designer of
lifes DNA; the One who put the intricate
chemistry of the human body into motion. He is
the author of life. He is the executor of
Gods justice. Jesus Christ is everything.
He has no beginning and no end. Therefore, it is
not possible to fully define Jesus! He is simply
too much to comprehend.
Although God has
completely demonstrated His love for mankind
through the life and death of Jesus, we still
have much to learn about Gods love. Even
more, Jesus Christ is not through revealing the
love of God! He has plans. He has authority and
power. And most of all, He is not limited by time
or space. He lives forever and the people who
love Him will someday enjoy His presence forever!
I believe that because Jesus Christ is so
magnificent, the Bible allows some wiggle room
for variations in our understanding of His
mission and teachings. Every question that we
might have about Jesus is not answered in the
Bible, but we will soon be able to ask Him any
question that we might have.
Test all things
When it comes to
religious ideas, I have observed that many people
use the sour milk method for testing.
In case you were not raised on a farm, the
sour milk method of testing works
like this: A five-gallon bucket of milk can be
tested with one teaspoon of milk if the
milk in the teaspoon is sour, all the milk in the
bucket is sour. It is not necessary to drink five
gallons of milk to know whether all the milk is
sour. Unfortunately, people often test new ideas
with teaspoons or sound bites. I
mention this because you will probably find some
new ideas in this study about Jesus, and at first
these ideas may appear to be sour, but please do
not throw the whole Bible lesson out just yet. I
would prefer you use another farm method for
testing. I call it the rotten apple
exam. This method requires the examination
of each apple in the barrel so that bad apples
can be separated from the good ones. This method
of investigation can produce very good results
because the good apples are not discarded with
the bad! Really, the spiritual difference between
these two methods of investigation is attitude.
If you find an idea about Jesus that is different
from what you have heard before, look up the
Scripture references in your Bible. Do your best
to glean as much from this study as you can.
The God of Both
Testaments
For many years, I assumed
the God of the Old Testament was the Father and
the God of the New Testament was Jesus. In other
words, I assumed they were two different Gods. I
concluded that the Father was grumpier than
Jesus. Perhaps my assumptions began during
childhood because I remember hearing preachers
say the God of the Old Testament was more likely
to kill people than the God of the New Testament.
Today, my view about the Father and Jesus is very
different. One is not grumpy and the other
gracious. They are both gracious beyond
comparison. Jesus said that He and the Father are
one. (John 10:30) I know some people interpret
this verse to mean Jesus and the Father are two
manifestations of one being, but I disagree. I
understand the oneness of the Father and the Son
to mean that they are perfectly united in
purpose, plan and action. For example, a man and
his wife are one (Genesis 2:24), yet the two are
separate human beings. So I do not understand
Jesus words to mean that Jesus is the
Father and Jesus is also the Son, as some people
believe. My study has led me to conclude that the
Godhead has three distinct and separate members
in it: God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit. Each member of the Godhead shares in
the name God because each member of
the Godhead has the same prerogatives and
attributes as the other two, yet they live and
function harmoniously in different ways.
What Did Jesus Do before
He Was Born?
I did not question my
early assumptions about the Father being the God
of the Old Testament and Jesus the God of the New
Testament until I began to wonder about the life
and actions of Jesus before He came to Earth as a
baby. As I studied the topic, I made an amazing
discovery. The God of the Old
Testament is not the Father, but actually Jesus!
(John 1:1-14; 5:37-40; Colossians 1:17,18) More
than 90% of the references found in the Old
Testament pertaining to God refer to
Jesus Christ! This discovery profoundly changed
my understanding of the Bible and Jesus.
Consequently, I now have a much different
perspective about the words and teachings of
Jesus. It is wonderful to understand how Jesus
discussed themes and issues when He was on Earth
(as recorded in the Gospels) that He previously
discussed with Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah
and other Old Testament prophets before He came
to Earth. As we proceed through this study on
Jesus, I will provide scriptural references that
demonstrate why I believe, in most cases. The God
of the Old Testament is Jesus.
One Theme
Most Christians do not
question why the Bible is divided into the Old
and the New Testaments, but after studying both
testaments for many years, I have concluded the
division is artificial. Actually, the New
Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament.
Neither Testament should be exalted above the
other nor is one book in the Bible inferior to
another. The Jesus I find in the Old Testament is
a Jesus of love, compassion and long-suffering.
This is consistent with what I find about Him in
the New Testament. The Old Testament reveals a
history of Gods people repeatedly rejecting
their Benefactor, but the same story is also
found in the New Testament (and throughout church
history, I might add). I find a God of justice
and deadly judgments in the Old Testament, and I
also find the same thing in the New Testament.
As I said earlier, I believe the New Testament is
simply a continuation of the Old Testament. The
actions and testimony of Jesus in both Testaments
reveal what the Godhead is like. (John 5:37-40)
Jesus, the Creator of
Heaven and Earth
The Bible begins,
In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) The first
verse in the Bible explains Earths origin.
This verse also introduces our Creator and we
call Him by several titles or names: Jesus, God,
Lord, The Word, Son of God, Master, Jehovah and
Savior. Did you know that the creative agent of
the heavens and Earth is not the Father, but the
Son? Notice what Paul wrote, In the past
God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets
at many times and in various ways, but in these
last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things, and through whom he
made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1,2) Jesus is
the hands-on creative agent of the
Godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were in
perfect harmony about the creation of Earth, and
yes, all three were present! The Father was
observing, Jesus was creating, and the Holy
Spirit was hovering over the Earth, ready to
dwell within the hearts of a new creation called
man. (Genesis 1:2) Notice this statement by Paul
affirming that Jesus is the creative agent within
the Godhead, For by Him {Jesus} all things
were created: things in Heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things were created
by him and for him. He is before all things, and
in him all things hold together.
(Colossians 1:16,17, insertion mine.) In the
fourth commandment, the creative works of Jesus
are recognized: Remember the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy
For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, but rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and
made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)
John places the creative
handiwork of Jesus beyond dispute by writing,
He was in the world, and though the world
was made through him, the world did not recognize
him. (John 1:10)
Three points need to be
highlighted in the texts just presented. First,
Jesus is the creative agent of the Godhead.
Second, Jesus is called by many different names
or titles because one title cannot describe all
that Jesus is! Last, Jesus is a name that we use
to identify a member of the Godhead after He was
born of Mary. In other words, the name
Jesus as it applies to the Son of
God, is only 2,000 years old. Jesus, of course,
is much older.
continue
to page 2
|





|