Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? This is a life or death question everyone needs to ask and answer. It is a crucial question, because each person’s future depends on what he or she chooses to do or not do after they discover who Jesus really is. More about that later.

During His ministry, Jesus’ disciples and other people often wondered who He was. Usually, it was after Jesus taught some truth or performed a miracle. For instance, there was a storm when Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the sea, but Jesus was asleep. They woke Him up to let Him know they were in trouble. Jesus rebuked the storm, and there was instant calm. The disciples, surprised and impressed with what they had just witnessed, asked each other, “Who is this man?” Their question indicated they were sure Jesus was not an ordinary person; there was something more to Him. He is the Christ, Son of the living God!

Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), took on the form of man, was born of the Virgin Mary, and lived among men. As Mary’s first born son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born in a manger. Jesus lived with His mother and step-father, and was obedient to them. He found favor with God and men. Many testified about who Jesus was, and needless to say, Jesus Himself testified numerous times as to who he was.

According to God

Jesus’ coming was announced by God in the Garden of Eden when He confronted Satan for deceiving Eve, leading to her eating the forbidden fruit. He said to Satan, “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15 NLT). Jesus defeated Satan when He died on the cross.

At Jesus’ baptism, God announced, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy” Luke 3:22 NLT). God confirmed Jesus is His Son!

At Jesus’ transfiguration, in the hearing of Peter, James, and John, God said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him” (Matthew 17:6 NLT). Again, God made it very clear that Jesus is the Son of God, and needs to be obeyed.

According to the Prophets

Jesus’ trip to earth, and His agenda, were planned by God and announced by prophets years before they actually happened.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah prophesied, “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means God is with us)” (Isaiah 7:14 NLT). In chapter 9:6-7, he also prophesied, “A child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.”  

Likewise, Micah prophesied about Jesus’ place of birth. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past will come from you on my behalf” (Micah 5:2). And yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and yes, He’ll be coming back to set up His kingdom!

According to Jesus Himself

As the crowds argued with Jesus regarding His relationship with God, Jesus declared, “Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad. Before Abraham was even born, I AM” (John 8:58 NLT). So Jesus existed before Abraham; in reality Jesus was claiming deity. He also declared to the disciples, especially to Thomas who had asked to know the way to heaven, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). On one occasion, the crowds wanted to know for sure if Jesus was the Messiah. He admitted it, and went on to explain He gives eternal life to all who believe in Him (see John 10:22-29). He concluded by saying, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30 NLT). Jesus’ claims reveal He is one with God, He is the promised Messiah, and Faith in Him is the only way to God and heaven.

 As declared by Jesus’ disciples

Jesus once asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” After their response, He asked another question. “But who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:13, 15 NLT). Peter responded, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16 NLT).                    

Toward the end of His earthly ministry, many of Jesus’ disciples deserted Him. He asked the remaining ones, “Are you also going to leave?” (John 6:67 NLT). Simon Peter responded, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68 NLT). The disciples understood and believed the claims of Jesus. He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and our coming King!                                                            

What do I say?

I agree with the Psalmist who said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8 NLT). In order to experience firsthand what the Psalmist experienced, I placed my faith in Jesus, and that made all the difference. He is my Savior and the Savior of all who place their faith in Him.

Ever since I placed my faith in Jesus, I have experienced Him in amazing ways, and attest that the Bible is 100% the Word of God, and for that reason, I trust it! I believe Jesus is the Son of God, and the second Person of the trinity. He became man, suffered at the hands of sinful men, died a painful death, was buried, and rose the third day. He ascended to heaven forty days later. He’s at the right hand side of the Father, interceding for us. And one day, He’s coming back to take me (and all who believe in Him) to be with Him forever. I’m looking forward with great anticipation to His return, because then I’ll see Him face to face, and I’ll be like Him. This sinful world will be behind me; I’ll be out of this sinful and sickly body. In heaven, there’ll be no more pain, tears, or death, and life will be forever lived in his presence. Amazing!

What do you say?

Have you had my kind of experience? Are you eagerly looking forward to Jesus’ return? If so, I offer you the right hand of fellowship. Let’s love and serve Him, working tirelessly until He returns.

If you don’t quite understand my excitement about Jesus, let me take you back to Psalms 34:8 (quoted above). In order to experience God’s goodness, you’ll need to understand that you’re a sinner (see Romans 3:23), and as a result cannot have a personal relationship with God. To be able to have this relationship, you’ll need to ask God for forgiveness through Jesus who died in our place. He’ll credit you with His righteousness, thus opening up the way for you to have a personal relationship with God. With that done, you’ll begin to experience His goodness as you read and study His word, and live in obedience to Him. Then you’ll also be able to attest that, “Jesus is Lord!”

If for some reason you decide you don’t care for that experience, I’d like you to understand there are consequences for that position. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT). Not having a relationship with God means being outside the family of God and spending eternity in hell. Not believing there’s life after death will not keep you out of hell. The only thing that will keep you out is to have the relationship I’ve been talking about. Please think seriously about this; your future is at stake!  

So from your point of view, who is Jesus?