Got a question for you:
WHO REALLY IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU?
To the concierge, He is the One with the answers that can really help you.
To the tentmaker minister, he is the provider and ultimate Soul-winner.
To the cross-cultural Christian missionary, He is the church-planter and Establisher.
For me, daily and moment by moment.. He is my Savior, my Sactifier, my Lord and best Friend.
To the theologian, He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
To the weary laborer, He is the Giver of rest.
To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
To the Christian, He is everything.
And yet, perhaps the most important question is not simply, Who is Jesus to everyone else?
It is this:
Who is Jesus Christ to you?
“The Word became flesh and lived among us.”
John 1:14
And John continues:
“No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”
John 1:18
Jesus Christ did not merely come to tell us about God. He came to make the Father known.
He is the eternal Word who became flesh. He is the Son of the living God, the Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. His conception was miraculous. He was born in Bethlehem, laid in a manger, and raised in humble circumstances. As a child, He was taken to Egypt when Herod sought His life. He later lived in Nazareth, largely hidden from public attention until the time appointed by His Father.
When His public ministry began, He was misunderstood, opposed, rejected, and despised. He was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, crucified, and buried.
But the grave could not hold Him.
He rose bodily from the dead.
He appeared to His disciples, commissioned them to proclaim the gospel, ascended into heaven, and now reigns at the right hand of the Father. He has promised that He will come again.
That is the Jesus of the Bible.
That is the Christ we celebrate at Christmas.
And that is the Christ before whom every one of us will ultimately stand.
THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE IS INDEED ALIVE. BUT WHAT IS HE TO YOU RELATIONALLY?
People sometimes ask, How can Christ be so many things to so many people?
The answer is not that Jesus changes according to the person looking at Him.
Jesus does not become whatever we want Him to be.
He is who He is.
Our perspective may change, but Christ does not.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
The builder may see the Foundation.
The architect may see the Cornerstone.
The physician may see the Great Physician.
The weary may discover His rest.
The sinner may discover His mercy.
The disciple discovers his Lord.
But none of these descriptions exhaust Him.
What does it mean that no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit?
Jesus Christ is infinitely greater than any single description we can give Him.
As Paul wrote:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15–17
So let us look at some of the ways Scripture helps us see the glory of Christ.
TO THE BUILDER, CHRIST IS THE SURE FOUNDATION.
“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:11
A building may look impressive, but its true security begins where nobody sees it.
So it is with a life.
Build on Christ.
TO THE ARCHITECT, HE IS THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.
“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”
Ephesians 2:20
The cornerstone gives alignment to the structure.
Christ is not an accessory added to life after everything else has been arranged.
He is the One around whom everything must be rightly ordered.
TO THE GEOLOGIST, HE IS THE ROCK.
Scripture repeatedly uses the picture of God as the Rock.
“Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:4
And Christ Himself is the Rock upon which His people stand.
“And they all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”
1 Corinthians 10:4
When everything around us shifts, Christ does not.
TO THE SCULPTOR, HE IS THE LIVING STONE.
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.”
1 Peter 2:4
The world may reject what God declares precious.
Human rejection does not diminish Christ's worth.
He is precious because God says He is precious.
TO THE STUDENT, CHRIST IS TRUTH INCARNATE.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
John 1:14
Jesus did not merely teach truth.
He is the Truth.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6
TO THE PHILOSOPHER, HE IS THE WISDOM OF GOD.
The wisdom of God is not ultimately an abstract principle.
God's wisdom is supremely revealed in Christ.
“Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:24
The deepest wisdom is not merely knowing more.
It is knowing Christ.
TO THE TREASURE SEEKER, HE IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.
Jesus said:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:45–46
Christ is not something to be added casually to an already crowded life.
He is worth everything.
TO THE PREACHER, HE IS THE LIVING WORD OF GOD.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1
The preacher's calling is not to make himself impressive.
It is to make Christ known.
“We preach Christ crucified.”
1 Corinthians 1:23
TO THE DOCTOR, CHRIST IS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.
Jesus said:
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”
Matthew 9:12
He came not because humanity was healthy, but because we were desperately sick with sin.
The gospel begins with an uncomfortable diagnosis and ends with an infinitely gracious cure.
Jesus saves sinners.
TO THE SERVANT, HE IS LORD AND MASTER.
Jesus is not merely our Helper.
He is our Lord.
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.”
John 13:13
And wonderfully, the Lord Himself became a servant.
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
The King stooped to serve.
That is the kind of King He is.
TO THE THEOLOGIAN, HE IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH.
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
Hebrews 12:2
Our faith does not begin with human wisdom.
It begins with Christ.
And our confidence does not rest in our ability to finish well by ourselves.
We look to Jesus.
TO THE EDUCATOR, HE IS THE GREAT TEACHER.
People repeatedly called Jesus Teacher.
Nicodemus came to Him and said:
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God.”
John 3:2
Yet Jesus did more than teach information.
He taught people how to live before God.
And His teaching carried authority because He Himself is Lord.
TO THE JEWELER, HE IS THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.
The finest treasure in this world cannot compare with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.
Paul counted everything else as loss compared with knowing Him.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Philippians 3:8
TO THE ARTIST, HE IS ALTOGETHER LOVELY.
The language of the Song of Solomon speaks of the beloved as:
“altogether lovely.”
Song of Solomon 5:16
Christians have historically cherished this language as a beautiful picture of the loveliness of Christ, though we should remember that the Song of Solomon is first a poem celebrating marital love.
And Scripture plainly gives us this beautiful description of Jesus:
“You are fairer than the sons of men.”
Psalm 45:2
There is no beauty like the beauty of holiness.
TO THE HORTICULTURIST, HE IS THE TRUE VINE.
Jesus said:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”
John 15:1
And then He gives us the secret of fruitful Christian living:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself... neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
John 15:4
The branch does not produce life by struggling to become the vine.
It bears fruit by abiding in the vine.
TO THE FLORIST, HE IS THE LILY OF THE VALLEYS.
The Song of Solomon says:
“I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”
Song of Solomon 2:1
Again, this verse is directly speaking within the poem's love imagery rather than explicitly naming Jesus.
But Christians have long found the imagery of the lily a beautiful devotional picture of Christ.
And whatever metaphor we use, the greater truth remains:
Jesus is beautiful beyond comparison.
TO THE STATESMAN, CHRIST IS KING.
The Bible points us beyond every earthly ruler to the reign of Christ.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.”
Isaiah 9:6
His kingdom will not finally be established by human politics, human power, or human persuasion.
“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.”
Isaiah 9:7
Earthly governments rise and fall.
Christ rules sovereign and reigns.
TO THE CARPENTER, HE IS THE DOOR.
Jesus was a carpenter in His earthly life, but Scripture does not specifically call Him the "Eternal Door."
Rather, Jesus Himself said:
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.”
John 10:9
The image is wonderfully clear.
Jesus is the way into salvation.
TO THE PHILANTHROPIST, HE IS THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT.
Every generous gift we give is small compared with what God has already given us in Christ.
Paul exclaimed:
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15
We give because He first gave.
We love because He first loved us.
“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
TO THE LAWYER, HE IS THE LAWGIVER AND OUR ADVOCATE.
Scripture says:
“There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy.”
James 4:12
And for the believer who sins:
“We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
1 John 2:1
What a Great Savior!
The Christian's hope is not that he has never sinned.
His hope is that Jesus Christ is righteous, and Jesus Christ is his Advocate.
TO THE BIOLOGIST, CHRIST IS LIFE.
I love the abundant and eternal life that Christ has given as a free gift to me. Jesus did not merely possess life.
He said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6
John's Gospel declares that all things were made through Him.
“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
John 1:3
The One who gives physical life is also the One who gives eternal life.
TO THE ENGINEER, HE IS THE NEW AND LIVING WAY.
Hebrews speaks of entering God's presence through:
“a new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.”
Hebrews 10:20
Christ is not merely the destination.
He is the Way.
TO THE TOILER, HE IS THE GIVER OF REST.
Jesus gives one of the sweetest invitations in all Scripture:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Notice what He does not say:
"Come to me after you have fixed yourself."
He says:
Come.
The weary do not need another burden.
They need Christ.
TO THE SINNER, HE IS THE LAMB OF GOD.
John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching and declared:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29
This is where every beautiful description of Jesus finally becomes intensely personal.
Because my deepest problem is not merely weariness.
It is sin.
And my greatest need is not merely encouragement.
I need a Savior. Mary did too -- she called her son her Savior. He can be your Savior today!
Jesus did not come merely to make bad people better.
He came to save sinners.
He came to reconcile us to God.
He came to give His life as a ransom.
He came to die in the place of sinners and rise again.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
1 Peter 3:18
That is grace.
That is the gospel.
That is Jesus.
AND THERE ARE STILL MORE WAYS TO SPEAK OF HIM
This is not an exhaustive catalogue.
How could finite human language exhaust an infinite Savior?
To the baker, He is the Bread of Life.
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.”
John 6:35
To the judge, He is the righteous Judge.
“He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”
Acts 10:42
To the messenger of good news, He is the source of great joy.
The angel announced:
“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
Luke 2:10
To the one living in darkness, He is the Light of the world.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
To the soldier, He is strength and refuge.
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”
Psalm 18:2
And to the Christian?
He is the Son of the living God.
He is Savior.
He is Redeemer.
He is Lord.
He is our hope.
He is our peace.
He is our righteousness.
He is our life.
He is our Shepherd.
He is our Advocate.
He is our King.
He is our coming Lord.
He is worthy of far more than admiration.
He is worthy of worship.
BUT HERE IS THE QUESTION THAT SHOULD MATTER MOST FOR ANYONE
It is possible to study Jesus and never surrender to Jesus.
It is possible to admire His teaching without obeying His voice.
It is possible to discuss His miracles without trusting His power.
It is possible to celebrate Christmas without bowing before Christ.
It is possible to know many things about Jesus without actually knowing Him.
The question is not merely:
"Who is Jesus?"
The demons know who He is.
The crowds knew something about Him.
The religious leaders knew the Scriptures that testified about Him.
Even His disciples had to come to the moment when Jesus asked:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Matthew 16:15
Peter answered:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16
That is the question that eventually reaches every human heart.
Who do you say that Jesus is?
Not merely to the theologian.
Not merely to the preacher.
Not merely to the Christian family.
Not merely to the person sitting beside you.
To you.
Is He merely an interesting historical figure?
A moral teacher?
A religious leader?
A Christmas tradition?
Or is He what Scripture declares Him to be?
The Christ.
The Son of God.
The Savior.
The Redeemer.
The Lord.
And if He truly is Lord, then He deserves more than a place somewhere in our lives.
He deserves first place.
Paul wrote:
“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:17
Then he tells us why:
“That in everything he might be preeminent.”
Colossians 1:18
There it is.
Preeminent.
Not merely prominent.
Not merely important.
Not merely included.
First.
Jesus does not ask to be one of many treasures.
He is the Treasure.
He does not merely offer another way of looking at life.
He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
He does not merely point us toward God.
He brings us to the Father.
And He does not merely give us something to celebrate at Christmas.
He gives us Himself.
So let the theologian worship Him.
Let the worker rest in Him.
Let the student learn from Him.
Let the sinner run to Him.
Let the weary come to Him.
Let the preacher proclaim Him.
Let the disciple follow Him.
Let the Church exalt Him.
Let every redeemed heart sing to Him.
Because in the end, the greatest thing we can say about Jesus is not what He can mean to us.
It is what Scripture declares that He is.
He is Lord.
And because He is Lord, He is worthy of our faith, our obedience, our love, our praise, our allegiance, and our whole lives.
As the old hymn beautifully says:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
And as Scripture itself calls us:
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!”
Psalm 150:6
So...
Sing.
Praise.
Trust.
Follow.
Obey.
And above all, know Him.
For the Christian, Jesus Christ is not simply the answer to a theological question.
He is our life -- He is the zoe life-giver.
Be Real Honest With Yourself and God the Father: Who Is Jesus Christ to You Today?
There are questions we can answer merely with information. Then there are questions that demand something deeper from us. “Who is Jesus Christ?” is one of those questions.
It is not merely a question about history. It is not simply a question about religion. It is not even merely a question about what you happen to believe.
It is a question about reality.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Unlike the question, “Does God exist?” relatively few people seriously question whether Jesus of Nazareth actually lived. The historical evidence for Jesus is substantial, and virtually every major religion that speaks of Him acknowledges Him as a real figure of history. The deeper disagreement begins with another question:
Who was He, really?
Was Jesus merely a prophet? A remarkable teacher? A morally exemplary man? A religious reformer? A uniquely godly person?
Or was He something infinitely greater?
The Bible does not leave us with a Jesus who can comfortably be reduced to “a good man.” Scripture presents Jesus Christ as God the Son who became flesh, the promised Messiah, the Savior of sinners, the Lord of glory, and the only Mediator between God and humanity.
And that means we cannot approach Jesus merely as an interesting religious figure.
We have to decide what we will do with Him.
Jesus Does Not Leave Us the Option of Calling Him Merely a Great Teacher
C. S. Lewis addressed this question with remarkable force in Mere Christianity. He wrote:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.”
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Macmillan, 1952), pp. 55–56.
Lewis's point is not that every person must accept Christianity simply because Jesus made extraordinary claims. His point is that we cannot honestly take only the parts of Jesus we like and discard the claims He actually made.
Jesus Himself forces the issue.
If He is merely a man, His claims concerning Himself cannot be accepted as the words of an ordinary good teacher.
But if He is who Scripture says He is, then everything changes.
The question is no longer merely, “Do I admire Jesus?”
It becomes:
Will I believe Him? Will I bow before Him? Will I trust Him? Will I follow Him?
Who Did Jesus Say He Was?
Jesus did not walk around Jerusalem repeatedly saying the exact English sentence, “I am God.”
But that does not mean He never claimed deity.
The biblical evidence is much stronger and richer than reducing the question to whether Jesus uttered those precise three English words.
Jesus spoke and acted in ways that revealed His unique identity, His equality with the Father, His eternal existence, His authority to forgive sins, His authority over life and death, and His rightful reception of worship.
Consider His own words.
“I and the Father are one.”
Jesus declared:
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
The people who heard Him did not understand this as a harmless statement about merely agreeing with God.
They picked up stones to stone Him.
Jesus asked why they were doing so, and they answered:
John 10:33
“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Their response is important.
They understood that Jesus was making a claim about His identity that went far beyond being a prophet or teacher.
And Jesus did not respond by saying, “You have misunderstood me. I never claimed anything like that.”
Instead, the conversation continues with Jesus defending His claim.
The issue was not whether Jesus was claiming to be a nice religious man.
The issue was whether He was who He claimed to be.
“Before Abraham Was Born, I Am”
Jesus made an even more astonishing declaration in John 8.
Abraham had lived many centuries before Jesus walked the earth. Yet Jesus said:
John 8:58
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Notice what Jesus did not say.
He did not say, “Before Abraham was born, I was.”
He said:
“I am.”
That statement points us back to God's revelation of His own name to Moses.
When Moses asked what he should tell Israel God's name was, God answered:
Exodus 3:14
“I AM WHO I AM.”
The connection is profound.
Jesus was not presenting Himself as merely another person in the long line of human history. He was declaring an existence that preceded Abraham and identifying Himself in language deeply connected with God's own revealed name.
Once again, the response was dramatic.
John 8:59
“At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
The controversy surrounding Jesus was not caused merely by His teaching being unconventional.
He was making claims about Himself that demanded a verdict.
The Word Became Flesh
John's Gospel takes us even deeper.
The Gospel does not begin by introducing Jesus merely as a baby in Bethlehem.
It takes us back before creation.
John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Then John identifies this eternal Word with Jesus:
John 1:14
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Think about the magnitude of that statement.
The eternal Word became flesh.
The Creator entered His creation.
The One through whom all things were made entered the world He Himself had made.
John had already written:
John 1:3
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Jesus is therefore not presented in Scripture as a creature who eventually became divine.
He is presented as the eternal Son who took upon Himself genuine humanity.
This is the wonder of the incarnation.
Jesus is truly God and truly man.
Not half God and half man.
Not God pretending to be human.
Not merely a human being specially empowered by God.
The eternal Son of God truly became flesh.
His Disciples Called Him God
The testimony does not stop with Jesus' own words.
His followers came to understand Him in the same way.
After the resurrection, Thomas encountered the risen Christ and declared:
John 20:28
“My Lord and my God!”
Jesus did not rebuke Thomas.
He did not say, “Thomas, that is too much. I am only a teacher.”
Thomas confessed Jesus as Lord and God.
Paul likewise describes Jesus in terms of deity:
Titus 2:13
“While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Peter writes similarly:
2 Peter 1:1
“To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.”
And John begins his Gospel with the astonishing declaration that the Word was God, then tells us that the Word became flesh.
The testimony of the New Testament is not that Jesus was merely God's greatest messenger.
The testimony is that God came to us in the person of His Son.
The Father Himself Bears Witness to the Son
This truth is not merely something Jesus' disciples invented after His resurrection.
Hebrews records the Father's words concerning the Son:
Hebrews 1:8
“But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.’”
The writer is applying Psalm 45:6 to the Son:
Psalm 45:6
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
The Son is addressed as God.
Isaiah had already pointed forward to the coming Messiah:
Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The promised child would be called Mighty God.
This is not a minor detail.
It lies at the heart of the Christian gospel.
Why Does Jesus' Identity Matter So Much?
Someone might ask, “Why make such a big issue out of whether Jesus is God?”
Because everything depends upon it.
If Jesus is only a man, Christianity collapses at its foundation.
But if Jesus is God the Son who became man, then the gospel is the most glorious news the world has ever heard.
If Jesus Is Not God, His Claims Cannot Be Trusted
This is one of Lewis's central observations.
Jesus did not merely teach people to love their neighbors.
He claimed unique authority over humanity's relationship with God.
He claimed to be the way to the Father.
He claimed preexistence.
He claimed unity with the Father.
He accepted worship.
He forgave sins.
He spoke with an authority that belonged to God.
Therefore, Jesus cannot simply be placed safely on a shelf labeled “Great Moral Teachers.”
His identity demands a response.
If Jesus Is Not God (Though He Always Has Been), the Apostolic Witness Collapses
The apostles did not spend their lives proclaiming:
“Jesus was a wonderful man.”
They proclaimed the risen Christ as Lord.
They preached His death and resurrection.
They worshiped Him.
They suffered for their testimony concerning Him.
The New Testament repeatedly identifies Jesus in divine terms.
If their testimony concerning Christ's identity is false, then the foundation of apostolic Christianity is false.
But if their testimony is true, then Jesus is not merely worth admiring.
He is worthy of worship.
The Holy One Had to Come
The Old Testament anticipated a Savior who would be uniquely holy.
Isaiah speaks of the Messiah as the Holy One:
Isaiah 49:7
“This is what the LORD says—the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel.”
And Scripture is brutally honest about the human condition.
Psalm 53:1
“There is no one who does good.”
And David prays:
Psalm 143:2
“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.”
The gospel begins with the uncomfortable truth that sinners cannot save themselves.
We do not need merely another teacher telling us how to improve.
We need a Savior.
We need Someone who is righteous where we are not.
We need Someone who can stand between holy God and sinful humanity.
We need Christ.
The Cross Makes Sense Because Jesus Is the God-Man
This is where the identity of Jesus becomes inseparable from the gospel.
Jesus did not come merely to make us better people.
He came to save sinners.
John writes:
1 John 2:2
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Paul explains the wonder of the cross:
2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus was sinless.
That matters.
The One who died for sinners was Himself without sin.
He did not need saving.
He came to save.
Paul summarizes the love of God beautifully:
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The cross was not an accident.
It was not the tragic end of a failed teacher.
It was God's redemptive purpose accomplished through His Son.
Jesus willingly laid down His life.
He died.
He was buried.
He rose again.
And because He lives, the gospel is not a philosophy about death.
It is the proclamation of a living Savior.
God Alone Is Savior
The Old Testament makes another foundational declaration:
Hosea 13:4
“But I have been the LORD your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.”
There is only one Savior.
Yet the New Testament repeatedly identifies Jesus as Savior.
Peter calls Him:
2 Peter 1:1
“our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
That is not a theological side note.
It is the gospel's center of gravity.
God saves.
Jesus saves.
And Jesus is God the Son who came in the flesh to accomplish salvation.
Jesus Is the Mediator Between God and Humanity
Jesus is both divine and human.
That matters because He is the perfect Mediator.
Paul writes:
1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”
Notice Paul's language.
He calls Jesus “the man Christ Jesus.”
The Son truly became man.
Yet the One who became man is the eternal Son.
This is the mystery and glory of the incarnation.
He is not distant from human suffering.
He entered our world.
He experienced hunger, weariness, rejection, sorrow, temptation, suffering, and death, yet without sin.
And because He is God, He is not merely another human being trying to reach God.
He is the One who came from God to reconcile sinners to God.
“I Am the Way”
Jesus did not present Himself as one spiritual path among many.
He said:
John 14:6
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Those are not the words of someone saying, “Here is one option you might consider.”
Jesus did not say:
“I am a way.”
He said:
“I am the way.”
He did not say:
“I know some truth.”
He said:
“I am the truth.”
He did not merely say:
“I can show you how to live.”
He said:
“I am the life.”
Christianity is therefore not ultimately about adopting a religious system.
It is about knowing a Person.
Jesus Christ.
And eternal life is not merely endless existence. Jesus defines eternal life relationally:
John 17:3
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
This is why I do not want merely to give people information about Jesus.
I want people to know Him.
There is a profound difference between knowing facts about a person and actually knowing that person.
You can study a biography without ever meeting its subject.
But Jesus did not call us merely to study Him.
He calls us to come to Him.
To trust Him.
To follow Him.
To love Him.
To obey Him.
To worship Him.
“But Jesus Never Actually Said, ‘I Am God’”
Some people object:
“Jesus never actually said the exact words, ‘I am God.’”
That statement is technically true if we mean those exact English words.
But it misses the larger biblical evidence.
Jesus' claims about Himself are unmistakably extraordinary.
Consider again:
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
And the immediate response:
John 10:33
“You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Consider:
John 8:58
“Before Abraham was born, I am!”
And then the attempt to stone Him.
Consider Thomas:
John 20:28
“My Lord and my God!”
Consider John:
John 1:1
“The Word was God.”
And:
John 1:14
“The Word became flesh.”
Consider the Father speaking of the Son:
Hebrews 1:8
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.”
The question therefore cannot honestly be reduced to whether Jesus used one particular English sentence.
The question is:
What did Jesus actually claim about Himself, and what did His earliest followers believe about Him?
The answer of Scripture is unmistakable.
Jesus claimed a unique divine identity.
His apostles confessed Him as God.
And the Father Himself bears witness to the Son.
Jesus Received Worship
Scripture is equally striking when we consider worship.
An angel refused worship:
Revelation 19:10
“At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who rely on what they say. Worship God!’”
Angels are servants.
They are not God.
Worship belongs to God.
Yet Jesus receives worship throughout the Gospels.
The Magi worshiped Him:
Matthew 2:11
“Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
The disciples worshiped Him after He demonstrated His authority over the storm:
Matthew 14:33
“Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
After His resurrection, His followers worshiped Him:
Matthew 28:9
“They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.”
And:
Matthew 28:17
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
Luke records that after the ascension:
Luke 24:52
“Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
And when Jesus healed the man born blind, the man said:
John 9:38
“Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Jesus does not respond to these acts of worship by saying, “Do not worship me.”
That is significant.
Jesus receives worship.
Jesus Is Not Merely the One Who Shows Us the Way to God
Jesus is the One through whom we come to God.
He is not merely another messenger pointing beyond Himself.
He is the eternal Son who came from the Father.
He is the Lamb who takes away sin.
He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
He is the resurrection and the life.
He is the bread of life.
He is the light of the world.
He is the true vine.
He is the door.
He is the way, the truth, and the life.
And ultimately, He is Lord.
The Christian faith is not simply:
“Jesus taught some good things.”
It is:
Jesus Christ is Lord.
That is why Paul could write:
Philippians 2:9–11
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
That is where every discussion about Jesus ultimately leads.
The question is not merely whether Jesus existed.
The question is whether you will acknowledge who He is.
Jesus Christ: God Incarnate, Savior, Lord
So, who is Jesus?
The Bible's answer is breathtaking.
He is the eternal Word who became flesh.
He is the Son of God.
He is the Messiah promised in Scripture.
He is the Holy One.
He is the Savior.
He is the Mediator.
He is the Lord.
He is truly God.
He is truly man.
He is the One who died for sinners.
He is the One who conquered death.
He is the One who will return.
He is worthy of worship. And...
He is not merely someone about whom Christians have an opinion.
He is the Christ.
He is the living Lord.
He is the Savior of the world.
John's Gospel tells us why all of this was written:
John 20:31
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
That is the heart of the matter.
Not merely information.
Life.
Not merely admiration.
Faith.
Not merely religious interest.
Repentance and trust.
Not merely knowing about Jesus.
Knowing Jesus.
And Here Is the Question That Cannot Be Avoided
Perhaps the most important question is not simply:
“Who was Jesus?”
It is:
“Who is Jesus Christ to you?”
If He was merely a man, then ultimately He is only another figure of history.
But if He is the eternal Son of God who became flesh, died for our sins, rose from the grave, and reigns as Lord, then He cannot be safely placed in the category of “interesting religious teachers.”
He must be reckoned with.
And the beautiful thing is that Jesus does not call sinners to come because they have cleaned themselves up.
He calls them because they need Him.
He came for the lost.
He came for sinners.
He came to seek and to save.
He came because we could not rescue ourselves.
The Christian does not stand before Jesus saying, “Look what I have accomplished.”
The Christian comes saying, in effect:
“Jesus, I need You. You are my Savior. You are my Lord. You are my hope.”
That is why the gospel is good news.
Jesus is not merely the One who gives us something.
Jesus Himself is the treasure.
Forgiveness is wonderful.
Eternal life is wonderful.
Peace with God is wonderful.
The promise of heaven is wonderful.
But above every blessing stands the Blesser.
Christ Himself is better than His gifts.
The Christian's deepest hope is not simply that Jesus will improve our earthly life.
Our hope is Jesus Himself.
Paul could therefore say:
Philippians 3:8
“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
That is Christianity at its heart.
Not merely knowing about Christ.
Not merely agreeing that Christ existed.
Not merely admiring Christ.
But knowing Christ.
Loving Christ.
Trusting Christ.
Following Christ.
Proclaiming Christ.
And one day seeing Christ.
For the Jesus who came in humility will return in glory.
The One who was rejected will reign.
The One who was crucified is risen.
The One who was mocked will be worshiped.
The One who came as Savior will return as King.
And when that day comes, there will be no uncertainty about who He is.
Every knee will bow.
Every tongue will confess.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
And that confession will be “to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).
So the question remains, as personal and searching now as it was when Jesus first asked His disciples:
Who do you say that I am?
Matthew 16:15
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered:
Matthew 16:16
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
That is the confession upon which the Christian faith stands.
And for me, it is not merely a theological proposition.
It is personal.
Jesus is Lord.
He is the One I need.
He is the One I trust.
He is the One I love.
He is the One I want to know more deeply. And...
He is the One I want other people to know too.
Because people do not merely need more religious information.
They need the truth about Jesus.
And the truth about Jesus is the greatest truth we can ever tell them:
The eternal Son of God became man, gave Himself for sinners, rose again, and offers eternal life to everyone who repents and believes in Him.
That is not merely information to be deposited into someone's mind.
It is good news to be received by the heart.
And because I love Jesus, I want to speak of Him with truth.
Because I love people, I want to speak of Him with love.
And because Scripture is God's truth, I want neither to soften what He has said nor add to it.
Jesus does not need us to make Him greater than He is.
He is already infinitely worthy.
He simply needs to be faithfully proclaimed for who He truly is.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
The Bible teaches that Christ, the sinless Son of God, offered Himself once for all and fully accomplished redemption. He did for you what He needed to do. What will you do with Him?
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