Who is Jesus?

Very few people question whether the historical Jesus existed. It is readily accepted that He was a man who lived in Israel 2000 years ago. Almost every major religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man. But the Bible tells us that He was much more than that. It tells us that Jesus was the Creator God who became flesh to live among us so He could be our Savior, Friend, and Lord.

Here is some brief information that can help you discover more about Jesus.

We all understand that there are major struggles and failures in life. Yet, we may be unaware that there is a spiritual side to life that is having a significant effect on us every day. There is an evil one that offers us things that seem good but lead us to destruction. Jesus has a different desire for us.

John 10:10 states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

And John 3:16 shares “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Jesus makes a clear and undeniable claim to be God. He said in John 8:58, “...before Abraham was born, I am.” In John 10:30, He states, “I and the Father are one.” His identity as "I am" is a direct connection to the Old Testament name for God. John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh.” Scripture shows that Jesus is God in the flesh and that salvation is available only through faith in Him.

Jesus is the Savior of the world. But what does that mean? Why do we need a Savior? Each of us will live for eternity. God intended each of us to have a strong personal relationship with Him. However, just as the first created humans rejected Him, each of us has also. For many that is the simple step of denying the reality of God or refusing to submit to His direction. The Bible calls these attitudes sin. Most people only think of sin as something done that is very bad. The Bible helps us see that we should think differently. In James 4:17 we read, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Yes, bad things are sinful and so is not doing the right thing. Knowing this makes it easier to see why the Bible states in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Failure to follow God has consequences. The biggest one being death. Romans 6:23 declares, “For the wages of sin is death.” Death is not simply the end of physical life but also the eternal separation from God who loves us.

Our sin debt is so large we could never pay it. Our shame is so complete that there is no way for us to restore our relationship with God ourselves. God knows this is impossible for us. Because of His great love for us, He has provided Jesus as the way for our forgiveness and reconciliation.

The second half of Romans 6:23 states, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The joy is that Jesus is the Way for us. He is our Savior. Jesus lived as a perfect human. He was tempted in every way to fail, but did not. He became the perfect sacrifice and died on the cross in our place, to pay off the debt that we could not. When we follow Him, He removes the penalty of our sin and gives us salvation.

We rarely think that a perfect Savior would desire to be our friend. Yet, Jesus does! Jesus wants to be our friend! No matter what our past looks like or where we are right now, Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Following Him allows for a real relationship to begin.  

Romans 5:8 shows His desire, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Note that it says while we were sinners. God has always shown His love for us and His desire to have us with Him.  In John 14:3, Jesus states, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” This news should excite us! Even though we may know people around us who don’t want us, God does want us!

Jesus associated with sinners, and was even called their friend. Notable characters in the Bible (Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, and many others) have the friendship of God extended to them. Each of them had failure and rebellion at times in their lives, and God still wanted them.

Jesus also extends His offer of friendship to us. Even though we have failed, when we place our lives in His control, as He states in John 14:23, “... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” Jesus wants to be your friend today.

Believing that Jesus died on the cross for us is good. But, knowing and believing a series of facts is not enough. We must declare that Jesus is our Lord. One day every person will say that He is above all else. Philippians 2:9-11 reveals, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

When we think of the word "Lord" - it most likely brings up negative and oppressive images. But with Jesus, the opposite is true. We do not have to be trapped by life. Jesus can free us from our driven pursuits that enslave us. He offers us the opportunity to live the life He designed us to live. Our freedom and peace come when we follow Him as Lord.

His lordship requires our personal surrender of everything. Recognizing Jesus as Lord means we see Him as the ultimate authority in our lives. Every moment belongs to Him and we choose to pursue Him. When we follow Him, we receive His grace, mercy, forgiveness, wisdom, and guidance. He comes into our lives to teach us how to apply His word. In John 14:26, He reveals, “... the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” Jesus also gives us the confidence to respond to difficult circumstances. Luke 12:12 confirms, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The more we yield to the leadership of Jesus, the greater the joy and peace will fill our lives. It all starts when we declare Jesus as Lord in our lives. Romans 10:9 states, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Following Jesus is not the same as doing religious activities or keeping a set of rules. Remember that following Jesus is about having a personal relationship with Him. Jesus has paid our sin debt. He is offering us life. He has reached out to be our friend and desires to give us forgiveness. Now Jesus wants to make us whole when we make Him our Lord.

To follow Jesus, believe the truth about His life, death, and resurrection, and declare that “Jesus is Lord.” Now is a great time to follow Jesus. 2 Corinthians 6:2 states, “... Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.’”

One way to let Jesus know our desire to follow Him is through prayer. Here is an example of what might be said: “Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross to pay for the debt of my sins. I believe He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to give me life. I repent of my sin and turn to You. Jesus, I choose to follow You with all of my heart as my Lord. My life is Yours, take control. Thank You for forgiving me and walking with me from this moment forward! Amen.”

We want to help you learn more about Jesus!
- Pastor Butch, Senior Pastor 
Kowloon International Baptist Church