Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus? There can be no more important question for men and women to answer. The Scriptures tell us, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’ (Acts 16:31), but how shall we believe on Him if we don’t know who He is? Many people think that they know. To some He is a great teacher; to others, He is a prophet; still others declare Him to be an angel, but to Christians down the centuries, He is both man and Almighty God, and this is the testimony of the holy Scriptures which testify to Him.
There are several Scriptures that plainly state Him to have been God:-
John 1:1-2. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.'
John 14:9. ‘Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.’
John 20:28. Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”’
Romans 9:5. ‘…..And from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever praised.’
Titus 2:13. ‘While we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.’
Hebrews 1:7. ‘But about the Son, He says, “Your throne, O God, will last forever.”’
2Peter 1:1. ‘Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, have received a faith as precious as ours.’
But how can God also be a man? It seems impossible, but the Scriptures explain it to us:-
Philippians 2:5-8. ‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped [ie. ‘held on to’], but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even the death of the cross.’
So when The Lord Jesus came to earth, He was God, but He became a Man for our sakes.
Galatians 4:4. ‘For when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, that we might receive full rights of sons.’
2Corinthians 8:9. ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich.’ He did not cease to be truly God, but He became truly Man as well. One episode in His life on earth explains this well.
Matthew 8:23-25. ‘Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Here we see the humanity of our Lord. He was tired, worn out and needed to sleep. Elsewhere we read of Him being hungry, thirsty and moved to tears. He was a man; man as if He were not God. But there is more:-
Matthew 8:26-27. ‘He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were completely amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!”’ Well might they ask, for who can control the weather with a word except God Himself? Jesus is God; God as if He were not Man.
When we come to compare the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, we often find that the same attributes ascribed to God in the O.T are ascribed to Jesus in the NT. Here are some examples:-
O.T. Reference. Genesis 1:1. ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’
N.T. Reference. John 1:1,3. ‘In the beginning was the Word……..All things were made by Him.’
O.T. Reference. Malachi 3:6. ‘I the LORD do not change.’
N.T. Reference. Hebrews 13:8. ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.’
O.T. Reference. Isaiah 44:6. ‘I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God.’
N.T. Reference. Revelation 1:17-18. ‘I am the first and the last. I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!’
O.T. Reference. Proverbs 16:4. ‘The LORD has made all things for Himself.’
N.T. Reference. Colossians 1:16. ‘All things were created by Him and for Him.’
O.T. Reference. Psalm 130:7,8. ‘ Israel, put your hope in the LORD……He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.’
N.T. Reference. Titus 2:13-14. ‘Our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.’
O.T. Reference. Isaiah 40:10. ‘See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and His arm rules for Him. See, is reward is with Him.’ Psalm 62:12. ‘Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.’
N.T. Reference. Revelation 22:12. ‘Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.’
O.T. Reference. Psalm 39:7. ‘But now, Lord…..my hope is in You.’
N.T. Reference. 1Timothy 1:1. ‘Jesus Christ our hope.’ Colossians 1:27. ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’
There are literally dozens of other examples that might be given.
The Scriptures also teach that the Holy Spirit is God. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples (John 14:16-17), “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever- the Spirit of truth……..The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name , will teach you all things.’
That the Spirit is truly God may be seen from the following text. Acts 5:3,4. ‘Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit……….? You have not lied to men but to God.’
That the Spirit is a Person is clearly shown throughout the Scriptures. He creates and gives life (Job 33:4 ); He strives with the ungodly (Genesis 6:3 ); He commands and forbids (Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2; 16:6-7 ); He appoints ministers in the Church (Acts 20:28 ); He ‘speaks expressly’ of things to come (1Timothy 4:1 ); He testifies along with personal witnesses (John 15:26-7 ); He approves with others (Acts 15:28 ); He may be grieved (Eph 4:30 ) and vexed (Isaiah 63:10 ).
Finally, the comparison of Scripture with Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is indeed God:-
Testimony to the Spirit. 2Samuel 23:2. 'The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me; and his word was on my tongue.’
Testimony to God. 2Samuel 23:3. ‘The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me.’
Testimony to the Spirit. Acts 28:25. ‘The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when He said through Isaiah the prophet.’
Testimony to God. Luke 1:68, 70. ‘The LORD god of Israel……..said through His holy prophets of long ago.’
Testimony to the Spirit. Acts 5:9. ‘How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?
Testimony to God. Deut 6:16. ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Testimony to the Spirit. Romans 15:18, 19. 'What Christ has accomplished through me……by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.’
Testimony to God. Psalm 136:1, 2, 4. ‘The LORD…..the God of Gods……the Lord of Lords……..who alone does great wonders.’
Yet the Bible is very clear that there are not three gods, but one God existing in three Persons. Deuteronomy 6:4. 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one!' 1Corinthians 8:6. 'Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.' Isaiah 6:3. 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD Almighty.' God is thrice holy; the Father is holy, the Son is holy and the Spirit is holy, yet there is only one LORD Almighty.
These are deep waters, but perhaps the best way to understand is to look at Matthew 28:19. 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' There is but one name, one Being; there is only one God. But He exists in three distinct Persons, each one being truly God. If we cannot understand this fully, there is no reason why we should be able to. Let us accept the clear testimony of Scripture that it is so.
So we return to our very first text: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.’ If you believe that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Lord God Almighty, as the Scriptures teach, and that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the one of whom the Old Testament speaks; that He died to pay for your sins and that He rose again from the dead; if you will turn from those sins and follow Christ, then they will be forgiven, you will experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, enabling you to live a life that is pleasing to God and you can know of a certainty that you will live forever with Him.
