Who is Jesus?
THIS WEEK we will observe Ash Wednesday, which marks the official start of Lent, which leads to Easter. As Christians, it’s important, even critical, for us to have our beliefs solid in our minds for ourselves, but also so that we will be able, even on a basic level, to answer anyone who asks us about what we believe. The Word admonishes us: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).
Who is Jesus Christ? Of all the questions that might be posed to any person, none is more important than this. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the central question of history and the most important issue anyone will ever face. Who is Jesus Christ? Where did He come from? Why did He come? And what difference does His coming make in our lives? In the end, every person must deal with Jesus Christ; no one can escape Him. We can avoid the question, delay it, stonewall it, or pretend we didn’t hear it; but sooner or later we must answer it.
It’s not enough to say, “I believe in Jesus”. Millions of people claim to believe in Jesus but don’t have a clue about what the Bible says about Him. Many have opinions about who Jesus is, but opinions are just opinions. What matters is what the Bible tells us about Him, so we must clarify our beliefs. Sometimes we may have to challenge some of our beliefs so that they align with Scripture.
The Christian faith is all about Jesus. He’s the heart and core, and is the touchstone of all that we believe. We can be mistaken on some secondary issues and still be a Christian, but if we’re wrong about Jesus, we’re wrong in the worst possible place. Our faith in Jesus can’t just be an emotional experience of ‘having Jesus in our hearts’. As Christians, our faith must rest on, and we must believe in, the biblical revealed truth about Jesus Christ, God’s only Son and our Lord.
This statement is full of theology, but is the gateway to other statements made about Jesus. Jesus is the human name given to God the Son. This is a statement of His humanity. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is fully human. He had a human birth and ancestry which is explained in Luke 1:26-35.
Jesus’ humanity is affirmed by the Scripture because He was born in the regular way all humans are born – from a woman. The circumstances were miraculous, but the process was like every other human being. “…she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger…” ( Luke 2:7 NIV). Jesus developed like a normal human being “…as Jesus grew taller, he continued to grow in wisdom. God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him” ( Luke 2:52 ERV). Growing in size and intellectual ability is also a human trait. He didn’t get a skip in the line. This summary statement of His early years testifies of His humanity.
Jesus’ humanity ensures that He was not a bystander to our sin problem. He experienced the life we live, experienced betrayal, rejection, hate, and the death of loved ones as humans do. If He were not human, He couldn’t save humanity from sin by becoming the punishment for us. We must believe in the humanity of Jesus.