Who is Jesus?

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”— Matthew 16:13-16 KJV

Throughout the ages, many people have mistaken the truth of who Jesus is. Even in His lifetime, He was thought to be someone else other than who He truly was. Some people deny that He even existed at all, but historical accounts agree that there was once a man who was born in Bethlehem, and His name was Jesus. His birth, His life, and His death, are well known to most people; His teachings were copied and taught throughout the years. But was He merely a man? Was He just a teacher? Was He a prophet, like those in His lifetime thought He was? Who is He?

“Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” — Matthew 27:54 KJV

While it is true that Jesus was man, He was more than just a man. Yes, He was a teacher and a prophet, but He was more than that. The very fact that He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out devils, proved that He had supernatural power. He was God, robed in flesh to dwell among men. He made Himself of no reputation; He was born without fanfare, became a lowly carpenter’s son, and lived with no dwelling place. So why do we need to know who Jesus is?

Why Jesus?

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” — Psalm 51:5 KJV

“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” — Romans 3:9-10 KJV

Ever since the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the first people to live in this world, every single person who lived was born in sin. Whether we like it or not, we are born in sin, therefore making us natural liars, disobedient, and willing to do anything to satisfy our fleshly desires. Because of this sinful nature that we have, we have no ability to be with God, and no chance to be in Heaven, since He will have no unholy thing come before His holy presence.

Sin is the reason there is death and destruction in this world; death is the consequence of sin. Years ago, the Israelites, and anyone who would join them, had to pick a spotless lamb to pay the penalty of their sin in their stead. It was a sacrifice; the lamb had to die for them. But it wasn’t perfect; a lamb had to die every single time they sinned. We all have to pay the penalty for our sin, but even if we sacrificed lambs, or even if we offer our own selves to die, we would never make a perfect sacrifice. No one will ever be good enough to be the sacrifice before the high standard of God’s holiness.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” — 1 Timothy 2:5 KJV

But here is where Jesus Christ comes in! He is the mediator, the middle man, the bridge between the sinful man and the holy God. Jesus was the only way that anyone would be able to come in fellowship with God, so He came and died in our place. Since He was the Son of God, the only One who could meet the standard, Jesus was the Lamb that made the perfect sacrifice. He took our sins, past, present, and future, laid it on Himself, and paid the death penalty that we could never pay. He died for sins that was not His own, He was buried in a tomb that was not His own, but He rose again the third day to give hope to those who would be His own.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” — John 14:6 KJV

Believe in Jesus

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” — 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” — John 20:30 KJV

We all need to know Jesus for who He is—the Son of God, the Mediator, the Saviour of mankind. We know who He is; we must also know why we need Him. We are sinners, and because of our sin, we deserve hell and therefore need the Saviour. But we don’t just need to KNOW this; we need to BELIEVE. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day—this is the gospel by which we are saved. Believe that His death was enough to satisfy God’s penalty for your sin, the price you could not pay. Believe that He was raised to life again for our justification. Believe that He is the only way provided for you to have everlasting life in fellowship with God. This is the truth of who Jesus is and what He did for you.

Just believe.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” — John 3:16-17 KJV

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” — Acts 16:30-31 KJV