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This is the age-old question that many people try to answer: “Who is Jesus?”

Many people have different ideas and perceptions of who Jesus is. But what does the Bible actually say about who He is?

In order to answer these very important questions, lets first look at who Jesus is according to the Bible. We all know the Genesis story: God created man in his own image, He gave them a covenant to keep, and when they broke that covenant, mankind fell into sin and were separated from God. But did you know that Jesus was there when God created mankind? Did you also know that Jesus was first prophesied to come in human form to save us from our three fundamental problems? (Satan, Sin, Separation) Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.

The Bible

I’ve talked with lots of Christian men and women over the years, and lots seem to say that the Old Testament (OT) is about how judgmental God is and how wrathful He was. They also will say that the New Testament (NT) is filled with God’s love and is what we should be focusing on. A lot of people just think the OT was written for the people of that time, and how it doesn’t apply to us since now we have the NT and Jesus Christ.

But if we believe that all scripture is God-breathed, then we have to believe that it is written for a purpose. Scripture is not something that we can only pick what we want to hear and what fits our life best. No, God gave us the bible so that we would fully know and understand His great plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

Who is Jesus?

Let’s now, seek to answer the first question: who is Jesus?
I think the best way to start this off is to read John 1:1-6 NIV, which says:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Notice the way John starts his book. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. What does he mean by “Word“? Look at what John continues to say in John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John doubles down by answering the question, the Word is Jesus. Jesus Himself confirms this in Revelation 19:13 NIV: “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” The Word of God is Jesus.

Now, let’s go further back to Genesis and the story of creation. Genesis 1:26 NIV: Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[fn] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Notice the three instances God uses plural language. Who was he talking to? Well, if we see the way John opens his book, it lays it out for us clearly. Since Jesus is the “Word,” we can change the language in V.1 & 2. “In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

Jesus in the garden

Lastly, Jesus was prophesied in the earliest book of the bible. Right after the fall of man, we see God pronouncing judgment on the Serpent (Satan), Eve, and Adam. But, within the judgment is a promise. A promise of one to come who will crush the head of the Serpent and save us from our sins. Genesis 3:15 NIV says: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (or seed) and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” When God gives this promise, He is talking about the coming messiah that will redeem mankind by reconciling us back to God through his sacrifice ( “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”). God’s plan has always been for us to be back with Him; it was not a matter of “we messed up His plan”. The plan was set forth before the creation of the universe, with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit all at the center of it.

Now we see that Jesus is more than just a man sent from God; He is God in the flesh, and He came to save us from Satan, Sin, and our Separation from God.

Now I want to ask you again, who is Jesus? Is He just a carpenter from Nazareth? Is He just a healer? This is what we hope to share with the world around us. Who Jesus is and what He has done for us matters big time. Let us lean into searching and seeking the kingdom to fully understand who He is and what He did for us.

Here’s a question for next time: What does Christ mean?

Blessing
J.B