The disciples told him that many ideas
circulated as to his identity: "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Things have not changed much in the intervening two millennia. Today--as then--people also hold many notions about who Jesus was. Some say that he was a great moral teacher, others that he was a bold social reformer. Still others claim he was a wise man or a charismatic leader. If you randomly asked ten different people, it is quite possible you would get ten different answers.
To get at the truth we can do no better than to go to the ultimate source and authority on his life. What we learn there may startle and surprise. None of the statements below, however, is a conjecture or a fanciful invention: they all come straight from the Word.
What follows is the Jesus of the Bible.
***
He was from the
beginning. He was with God and He is
God. He is the
firstborn over creation and in Him the
fulness of God dwells.
All things were
created by Him and for Him. He
laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of His hands. Without him nothing was
made that has been made.
He is before all things, and in Him all things
hold together. He
upholds the universe by the word of His power. It is through Him that
we exist. He is the
mystery of God who created all things by Jesus Christ.
In the
fulness of time God sent Him to be the
Savior of the world. He came to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of Himself.
He was made
flesh and dwelt among people. Full of
grace and truth, He was the
image of the invisible God and the exact
representation of his being.
Born in the
likeness of man, He took upon himself the form of a servant. He became
poor so that we may become rich.
The
radiance of God's glory, He
walked in love and
compassion. He was in the world, and though the world was
made through Him, the world did not recognize him.
Meek and gentle, He was treated harshly yet He did not
protest. Despised and forsaken, He was a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. Though He was
tempted as we are, He did not sin.
He came to deliver those who through
fear of death were all their lives subject to bondage. He humbled himself, and became
obedient to death, even the death of the cross. He assumed human form to
mediate between God and men.
He was
pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. He
bore our trespasses in His body and
washed our sins with His own blood.
He was made a
curse so that we could be made
right with God. He was
raised for our justification. It is by His
wounds that we are healed. It is He who
brings us back to God.
Manifested in the flesh, He was
justified in the spirit. Having been buried, He was
raised on the third day. He ascended on high and led
captivity captive.
To those who
receive Him He gave the right to become children of God. Whoever
calls upon Him name shall be saved and whoever
believes in Him has eternal life.
Salvation is
found in no one else, for there is no other name by which men may be saved. He is the
way, and the truth, and the life.
This is how God
showed his love for us: He sent His one and only Son that we might live through him. For God so
loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
In Him are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He
guides the meek and teaches them his ways.
Exalted of God, in Him is the
mystery of godliness.
He will
judge the living and the dead and every knee shall
bow down before Him. He will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and expose the motives of men's hearts. He will gather the wheat into his garner and burn the chaff with
unquenchable fire.
But to those who
thirst He shall give from the spring of the water of life, for He is full of unfailing
love and faithfulness. He who
believes in Him shall live.
He is the bright morning
star. Crowned with
glory and honor, He
holds all authority in heaven and on earth. It is through Him that God
brings everything back to Himself. It is through Him that God
speaks to us.
The
first begotten of the dead, He is the
heir of all things. He is the
light and the darkness has not overcome him. He is the prince of
peace and the
bread of life. His
love surpasses all knowledge. He is the
life of men.
His throne will last
forever and His days will never end. Righteousness is the
scepter of his kingdom.
He is the
one who is, who always was, and who is still to come. He is the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
He
fills everything in every way. He is the
Almighty One.
He who has ears let him
hear. Let those who are wise
understand, for these things have been
written that we may believe and by believing have life in His name.