In our previous lessons, we have presented overviews entitled “Who Is God” and “Who Are We.” Today, we present a lesson entitled, “Who Is Jesus?”

Because it is theologically sound, the following Creed, formulated by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D., is presented in its entirety:

“Following the holy fathers we all with one consent teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in deity, and the same perfect in humanity, truly God, and the same truly Man, of reasonable soul and body, of the same substance with the Father as to His divinity, of the same substance with us as to His humanity, in all things like to us, except sin, before the ages begotten of the Father as to His deity, but in the latter days for us, and for our redemption, begotten (the same) of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, as to His humanity, one and the same Christ, Son, Lord. Only-begotten, manifested in two natures, without confusion, without conversion, indivisibly, inseparably. The distinction of natures being by no means abolished by the union, but rather the property of each preserved and combined into one person and one hypostasis; not one severed or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son and only-begotten, viz. Logos, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Robert Clarke, “The Christ Of God” pp. 41-42).

Jesus is the “Logos” or expression of God, the only begotten of the Father - Jesus is God. As God incarnate, Jesus reveals God to us (John 14:9). The Bible declares that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, existing always with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

We see, as presented by Henry Thiessen in “Lectures in Systematic Theology” (p. 286), in quoting from Strong, that: “The redemption of mankind from sin was to be affected through a Mediator who should unite in Himself both the human nature and the divine in order that He might reconcile God to man, and man to God.”

The incarnation was necessary because man sinned and as a result, came under the penalty of death (Gen. 2:16,17). Man needed someone to redeem him from death. Immediately there is a problem; all are born of Adam in sin and no person born of Adam can redeem another person (Ps. 49:7,8; 51:5; 58:3). To be redeemed, a man must die for another, but not just any man – a sinless man. God could not redeem man as God; He had to become man. To do otherwise would violate the nature and character of a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. God’s answer was the miracle virgin birth of Jesus. In so doing, Jesus did not inherit the fallen, sinful, corrupt nature of man.

We see that:
* Man sinned and the penalty for sin is death (1 Cor. 15:21; Rom. 5:12-21; Gen. 2:16,17).

* Man would have to die for man, but no one born of Adam would be qualified because they would inherit the sin nature of man (Job 14:4; 14:14; 25:4; Ps. 51:1-5; 58:3).

* Only God is qualified to redeem man, but not as God because God cannot die as God, but only as man. God became a sinless man by incarnation to redeem man to Himself (Gal.4:4,5; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus assumed the nature of man without ceasing to be God – Jesus never ceased to be God; He was fully God and fully man.

Jesus had a human spirit (Luke 23:46; Mark 2:8; 8:12; John 13:21), soul (Mth. 26:38; Luke 23:43; John 12:27-31; Is. 53:10; Mark 14:34), human body (Heb. 2:14; John 1:14; Mth. 26:12; Luke 22:19; John 2:21; 23:52-56; Heb. 10:5,10) and was born of the Spirit (Luke 1:35; Mth. 1:18-20), filled with the fullness of the Spirit (John 3:34), led by the Spirit (Mth. 4:1; Luke 4:1), empowered by the Spirit (Luke 4:14), anointed by the Spirit (Luke 4:18), spoke and taught by the Spirit (Luke 4:18), and lived His life entirely in the Spirit (Mth. 12:28; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 9:14; Rom. 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18; Acts 1:2; 5,8; Rev. 2:7,11).

Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Jesus said he is the only way to God the Father: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Jesus is not a way, but the way.

The most conclusive evidence establishing the deity of Christ is the historically verifiable resurrection of Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote that Jesus "was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead." (Romans 1:4). Paul summarizes the Good News about Jesus Christ: 1) Jesus came as a human by natural descent; 2) Jesus was part of the Jewish royal lineage through David; 3) Jesus died and was raised from the dead, and; 4) Jesus opened the door for God's grace and kindness to be poured out on us through the New Covenant of Grace (Romans chapters 1 – 16).

100 Truths About Jesus (adopted from Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry):
* Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:24; 56-59; see Ex. 3:14; John 10:30-33)
* Jesus is called God (John 1:1,14; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8)
* Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Heb. 1:3)
* Jesus abides forever (Heb. 7:24)
* Jesus created all things (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17)
* Jesus is before all things (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:17)
* Jesus is eternal (John 1:1,14; 8:58; Micah 5:1-2)
* Jesus is honored the same as the Father (John 5:23)
* Jesus is prayed to (Acts 7:55-60; 1 Cor. 1:2 with Ps. 116:41; John 14:14)
* Jesus is worshipped (Mth. 2:2,11;14:33 ;John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6)
* Jesus is omnipresent (Mth. 18:20; 28:20)
* Jesus is with us always (Mth. 28:20)
* Jesus is our only mediator between God and ourselves (1 Tim. 2:5)
* Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant (Heb. 7:22; 8:6)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Bread of Life" (John 6:35,41,48,51)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Door" (John 10:7,9)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11,14)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Way the Truth and The Life" (John 14:6)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Light of the world" (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46; Luke 2:32)
* Jesus said, "I AM the True Vine" (John 15:1,5)
* Jesus said, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" (John 11:25)
* Jesus said, "I AM the First and the Last" (Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
* Jesus always lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25)
* Jesus cleanses from sin (1 John 1:9)
* Jesus cleanses us from our sins by His blood (Rev. 1:5; Rom. 5:9)
* Jesus forgives sins (Mth. 9:1-7; Luke 5:20; 7:48)
* Jesus saves forever (Mth. 18:11; John 10:28; Heb. 7:25)
* Jesus discloses Himself to us (John 14:21)
* Jesus draws all men to Himself (John 12:32)
* Jesus gives eternal life (John 10:28; 5:40)
* Jesus resurrects (John 5:39; 6:40,44,54; 11:25-26)
* Jesus gives joy (John 15:11)
* Jesus gives peace (John 14:27)
* Jesus has all authority (Mth. 28:18; John 5:26-27; 17:2; 3:35)
* Jesus judges (John 5:22,27)
* Jesus knows all men (John 16:30; John 21:17)
* Jesus opens the mind to understand scripture (Luke 24:45)
* Jesus received honor and glory from the Father (1 Pet. 1:17)
* Jesus reveals grace and truth (John 1:17 see John 6:45)
* Jesus reveals the Father (Mth. 11:27; Luke 10:22)
* Jesus bears witness of Himself (John 8:18; 14:6)
* Jesus' works bear witness of Himself (John 5:36; 10:25)
* The Father bears witness of Jesus (John 5:37; 8:18; 1 John 5:9)
* The Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus (John 15:26)
* The multitudes bear witness of Jesus (John 12:17)
* The Prophets bear witness of Jesus (Acts 10:43)
* The Scriptures bear witness of Jesus (John 5:39
* The Father will honor us if we serve Jesus (John 12:26 see Col. 3:24)
* The Father wants us to fellowship with Jesus (1 Cor. 1:9)
* The Father tells us to listen to Jesus (Luke 9:35; Mth. 17:5)
* Everyone who's heard & learned from the Father comes to Jesus (John 6:45)
* We come to Jesus (John 5:50; 6:35,37,45,65; 7:37)
* The Father draws us to Jesus (John 6:44)
* The Law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24)
* Jesus is the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
* Jesus is the Savior (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14)
* Jesus is the King (Mth. 2:1-6; Luke 23:3)
* In Jesus are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2-3)
* In Jesus we have been made complete (Col. 2:10)
* Jesus indwells us (Col. 1:27)
* Jesus sanctifies (Heb. 2:11)
* Jesus loves (Eph. 5:25)
* We sin against Jesus (1 Cor. 8:12)
* We receive Jesus (John 1:12; Col. 2:6)
* Jesus makes many righteous (Rom. 5:19)
* Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (John 15:26)
* Jesus offered up Himself (Heb. 7:27; 9:14)
* Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins for all time (Heb. 10:12)
* The Son of God has given us understanding (1 John 5:20)
* Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2)
* Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Heb. 1:3)
* Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1-4)
* Jesus is the Light of the world (Rom. 9:5)
* Jesus has explained the Father (John 1:18)
* Jesus was crucified because of weakness (2 Cor. 13:4)
* Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33)
* Truth is in Jesus (Eph. 4:21)
* The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:11)
* Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10)
* Disciples bear witness of Jesus Christ (John 15:27)
* Jesus died for us (1 Thess. 5:10)
* Jesus died and rose again (1 Thess. 4:14)
* Jesus was a ransom for many (Mth. 20:28)
* The Christian dead have fallen asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:15)
* Jesus rendered the devil powerless (Heb. 2:14)
* Jesus is able to save completely (Heb. 7:25)
* Jesus came to serve (Mth. 20:28)
* Jesus came to be a high priest (Heb. 2:17)
* Jesus came to save (John 3:17; Luke 19:10)
* Jesus came to preach the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43)
* Jesus came to bring division (Luke 12:51)
* Jesus came to do the will of the Father (John 6:38)
* Jesus came to give the Father's words (John 17:8)
* Jesus came to testify to the truth (John 18:37)
* Jesus came to set us free from the Law (Rom. 8:2)
* Jesus came to die and destroy Satan's power (Heb. 2:14)
* Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Mth. 5:17)
* Jesus came to give life (John 10:10,28)
* Jesus came to taste death for everyone (Heb. 2:9)
* Jesus came to proclaim freedom for believers (Luke 4:18)

Every person is separated from a perfect, holy God by sin. According to God’s requirement, either the individual must pay the penalty for sin – death – or he must find someone who is willing and able, who has no sin, to pay the penalty for him (Hebrews 9:14,22). Jesus Christ was both able and willing to do this, as demonstrated by His death on the Cross. Jesus is the only way to God.

Will you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and choose to follow Him today?

Next lesson we will look at “Who Is The Holy Spirit?”

Grow in grace and truth,

Doug Morrell

CORE Notes From Doug