Who Is Jesus?
Christology
Who is Jesus? It seems like a simple enough question, doesn’t it? If someone were to ask you this exact question, how would you respond? Would you be able to tell of His historical background? Do you feel confident that you can explain how this man was fully man and yet, fully God? What about His place in the Trinity? As much as we all want to say yes to these questions, if we’re being honest, it gets tricky if we’ve never done it before. That is why we are taking this month to dive into a study of our very savior Himself. You heard right, this whole month we’ll be studying Christology. A huge reason for this is because very quickly we can realize that the only reason we know certain aspects about Christ is because it’s what we were taught growing up. We don’t know where we should point to in the scriptures or how we should be able to explain this point to someone who does not know the gospel. John Piper addresses this question in great light when he mentions, “Who is Jesus? It is a perennial question. And there must be as many diverse answers to that question as any other person who ever walked on this planet. Even during his life on earth, Christ’s very presence was a point of remarkable debate.” I fully agree with Dr. Piper that this question must have as many diverse answers as possible as this is the most important and glorious person to ever walk the earth. So how do we answer this monumental question in just a few paragraphs? Obviously, we cannot address every single aspect of Christ’s character in full detail in this post otherwise this would turn into the longest book ever written. However, we will address 3 main characteristics and facts that define our Lord that every believer must know if they wish to explain who Jesus is to the lost.
History
First, let’s look at Jesus’ history. Luke 2:4-6 tells us, “4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.” From this passage and from multiple prophecies in the Old Testament, we can see that Jesus was born in Judea and more specifically Bethlehem. His parents were Mary and Joseph, however, Mary was not impregnated by Joseph, but rather by the Holy Spirit. Many people know some if not all of these facts due to the story of Christmas but these facts are not just important simply because they have to do with a holiday. The fact of Jesus’ virgin birth, the location of His birth, and even His name were prophesied years before the event ever took place. These prophecies aren’t just crucial in understanding the Christmas story, but they quite literally prove that this child is who the prophets prophesied of, the Messiah. The fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His mother was Mary, and His name is Jesus (Immanuel), just goes to show that His historical background backs up His title and personhood. If Jesus didn’t fulfill the prophecies of what was said about Him, then we have full reason to believe that He isn’t the promised Messiah from God. But He did. In fact, not only did He fulfill the historical prophecies made about Him, but He fulfilled every prophecy made about Him, including His human and divine nature. Let’s look at what scripture says about these characteristics.
Fully Man & Fully God
Luke 19:10 says, “10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” This is the title that Jesus most often refers to Himself as. Not only that but this title is used about 80 times to describe Jesus throughout scripture. Since this man was physically born, the fact that He was a man is usually the less complicated aspect to grasp about Christ but it is one that still must be acknowledged. Jesus didn’t just overcome sin because He was never tempted by Satan like mankind, or becasue He never experienced the hardship that humans do. He experienced both of those hardships in full measure. This is what makes Jesus the perfect atonement for our sin, the fact that He was human like you and me, and yet without sin. It’s easy to look at the majesty of Christ in His absolute deity as the Son of God, but we can’t forget that this man was the Son of Man as well. Jesus came down to earth and related to His people in order to be the sacrifice they needed to pay for their sins. This is why John 1:14 also says, “14 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.” Jesus being described as the Word becoming flesh is just further evidence to see why He was fully human when completing the work of the gospel. The Word of the prophets didn’t become spiritual in order to be applied at a later date, but rather it became flesh by being 100% fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Anyone who wants to know who Jesus really was, needs to know that He wasn’t just fully God, He was also fully man. But what about being fully God? This aspect of course must be addressed and realized as well. When it comes to the deity of Christ, I can’t think of a better passage to support this than Luke 23:3 “3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” Jesus being the Son of God is at the center of the gospel and it’s what all of scripture points us to. This passage in particular, however, is when Jesus is standing before Pilate, with life and death on the line. Yet, when asked about His deity, Jesus makes it clear that He is no ordinary man, but He is in fact the promised Son of God. If someone you would like to witness to doesn’t know Jesus and you don’t know where to start, I believe these three points are a solid foundation. Knowing Jesus’ history, His humanity, and His deity are 3 of the most crucial points to knowing who Jesus really is. As John Piper says so well, “He is the exact representation of the divine nature of God.”
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Piper, J. (2023, November 28). Who is Jesus to you? Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/who-is-jesus-to-you
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