Who Is Jesus?

by Whitney V. Myers

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Mount Sinai in Early Morning - Photo 123RF - With John 8:58

Copyright: georgemuresan / 123RF Stock Photo

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15).

"Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58).

     Consider.  On the evening before his death, Jesus spoke with his disciples.  Jesus told his disciples that he was about to leave them (John 13:33). 

Who was this Jesus that was speaking to his disciples?  Was he just a great teacher or a prophet?  Or, was he God as he claimed? 

Let's explore several scriptures that tell us who Jesus is.
 

     Jesus is the begotten and only Son of God.  When the time came for the second person of the Trinity (Ref. 1) to become flesh, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin named Mary (Luke 1:26-27).  Gabriel informed Mary, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus" (Luke 1:31).

Mary replied, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)  Literally, Mary asked Gabriel, "How can this be since I do not know (sexual intimacy) a man?" (Ref. 2)

Gabriel answered Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). 

John describes Jesus as the only begotten Son of God in John 3:16.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  The Greek word for "only begotten" is monogenés, which means "one (monos) of a class, genos (the only of its kind)."  Therefore, Jesus is unique (Ref. 3).

The above scriptures establish Jesus' title as the begotten, unique, and only Son of God.    

     Jesus is fully God and fully human.  John begins his gospel by describing the Deity of Jesus Christ.  "In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself" (John 1:1). 

John also describes the Word made flesh.  "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). 

The Apostle Paul states, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9).

These scriptures tell us that Jesus is fully God and fully human.

     Jesus is the visible image of God.   Throughout Scripture, Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, is the visible image and visible expression of God.  "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15).  Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

The New Living Translation of Hebrews 1:3 explains that Jesus expresses the character of God.  "The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God."  The Greek word is "charaktér," which means an exact impression (likeness) which also reflects inner character.

The Preincarnate Son of God was "exceedingly active in the Old Testament" (Ref. 4).  Consider these examples where Christ appeared in visible form:

• The Lord appeared to Abraham (Genesis 18:1)
• The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar (Genesis 16:7-13)
• The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:1-6)
• The Lord spoke face to face with Moses (Exodus 33:9-11)
• The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon (Judges 6:11-23)

In Exodus 3:13, Moses asked God to tell him God's name.  God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you' " (Exodus 3:14).

Jesus confirmed that he is the same God who appeared to Moses and said, "I AM WHO IAM." "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am' " (John 8:58).

We began this post with a question.  Who was this Jesus that was speaking to his disciples on the evening before his crucifixion? (John 13:33)

The Jesus who said to his disciples, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6) is the same God who appeared to Moses and said, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14).  

     Apply.  If someone asked you to explain who Jesus is, how would you answer?

To learn more about these topics, please visit the About the Way page:

• The Remedy for a Troubled Heart (also see the post for April 22, 2018)
• Who is Jesus?
• Walking in God's Way (Old Testament Perspective)
• "The Way" - The Name of the Early Christian Church
• Why is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?
• Are You Ready to Believe in Jesus?
  
  

References
1.  http://biblehub.com/topical/w/word.htm
2.  http://biblehub.com/greek/1097.htm
3.  http://biblehub.com/greek/3439.htm
4.  https://bible.org/seriespage/a4-preincarnate-son-god