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WHO IS JESUS?
Who is Jesus? Why It’s Important to Know!
Who is Jesus, and why is it important for us to know? We live in an age of religious pluralism and moral relativism. The popular spiritual philosophy, is that all religious belief systems, as long as heart-felt, are equal. Pick one and follow it sincerely, and you’ll get to Heaven. That’s what the world believes, but Jesus teaches otherwise. Therefore, we need to examine who Jesus is by looking at some of the questions people frequently ask about Him. The answers are found in the Bible, the historical evidence people have trusted for over 2000 years.
Who is Jesus? He Was 100% Man
According to John 1:14, Jesus became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Why is His humanity so important? In Hebrews 4:15, Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are. As such, Jesus can sympathize with our weakness as humans. What can we learn from the way Jesus handled temptation? According to 1 John 3:5, Jesus came to earth in human form so that He could die a physical death and take away our sins. How would we all be affected, if we had no potential for escape from our sins?
Jesus is the key to membership in God’s family. When He stooped to our level by becoming a man, He made it possible for us to relate to Him and for God to relate to us through Him.
Who is Jesus? He Was 100% God
Who is Jesus, and how was it possible that Christ’s human body held the whole deity and glory of God?
According to John 1:1-3, Jesus existed from the beginning. From the beginning, Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Here, the Bible establishes the inseparable nature of Jesus and the God of the Universe. The following verses provide further evidence that Jesus is 100% God:
Highlights of Christ's Time on Earth & the verses:
· Miracles: Luke 7:22
· Eyewitnesses to His perfect life: Matthew 16:13-17
· Fulfillment of Prophecy: Matthew 13:14, Luke 24:44
· Jesus' own identification/claim: John 10:30-38, Matthew 16:13-
17, Mark 14:61-64
· Claims of Christ's followers: Hebrews 1:8, Colossians 1:16, John
12:40 (quoting Isaiah 6:1-10)
· Resurrection: Luke 24:39, Mark 8:31, Acts 17:32
Jesus is the key to membership in God’s family. When He established His deity by rising from the grave, He made it possible for us to have forgiveness from sin and a renewed relationship with God.
Who is Jesus? He is the Way to Heaven
Who is Jesus, and why is He the only path to salvation?
In John 14:6, Jesus declares: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Why is it important to know that NO other religious leaders throughout history have ever made these claims? According to Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
How does Christianity contrast with other world religions which are based on “works” versus faith in Jesus and the resurrection? If we can’t build a relationship with God by doing good deeds or repeating rituals, what must we do? Acts 4:12 is clear, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
What is Christianity?
Some believe it is living by a set of rules. How well you keep those rules will determine your eternity. Others believe that Christianity is belonging to a certain religion or living up to some moral standards. I am a member of a church, so I must be a Christian, OR I am a good person, so I must be a Christian.
The problem is that none of these beliefs are supported in the Bible.
The fact is that Christianity has everything to do with RELATIONSHIP. It doesn’t really matter how much I know about God—But do I know Him?
Do I have a living, growing relationship with Him?
Why do I need to know God?
In us, God created a great need. That need is to have connection (relationship) with Him. We may have all that the world has to offer—we may not lack anything material, but none of that will fill the need that we have for God. If you have ever tried to fill that God shaped hole with anything else, you know what I am talking about.
How can I connect with God?
You must know 3 things:
1. The truth about God…
Jesus Christ—He is God who came to earth, lived a perfect/sinless life, and voluntarily gave His life on the cross to pay for our sin debt. When He died on that cross, He was literally taking the punishment that our sins deserved. He stood in our place.
God’s Love—God loved us before we were even lovable. Romans 5:8—“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He has done everything He can to show His love for us. That love and forgiveness awaits each of us, but should we reject it—then God’s justice awaits us.
2. The truth about us…
Sinners—Every one of us has chosen to reject God and to seek our own happiness apart from Him. We have decided that we can run our lives better than the One who created us. In making this decision, we have turned ourselves over to sin and put ourselves under its control.
Separated from God—Our sin has made it impossible to have a relationship with God. Our sin has separated us from our loving Creator. The only way to remedy this problem is if God reaches down and offers us a redeeming hand. By the way, He did that through Jesus!
3. What we must do…
Admit—Realize and acknowledge that with all of us, you have sinned and fallen short of God’s required perfection. (Romans 3:23)
Believe—Believe that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross and was raised from the dead on the third day. He did that to pay the price for our sin and to reconcile us to God. Make it personal…accept that Jesus died on the cross for you. (Romans 5:8)
Confess—Respond to what Jesus has done for you. Receive Him into your life by confessing your failure and submitting your life to His control. Then tell others about your decision. (Romans 10:10-13)
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