Who is Jesus?

We’ve learned that in the Christian worldview there is a huge distance between

sinful man and our holy God. Although God is relational he cannot enter into a

relationship with use because of our fallen nature. We, being sinful, can’t make

ourselves less sinful. The Bible- the inspired Word of God to humanity- reveals

the way we can have a relationship with God.

The answer? In two words: Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity: God the Son. He was born of

the Virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and was raised from

the dead on the third day. This combination of perfect life, willing death, and

resurrection provided the way for sinful humans to have a relationship with God.   

Jesus is our example for life, service, and faith. Look at his life. While Jesus was

working in his earthly ministry he had faith in God the Father. However, he is not

only our example of faith, but the primary object of faith. In his book, Christianity

and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen points out that Christ could no more be a

Christian than God could be a religious being. “God is the object of all religion,

He is absolutely necessary to all religion; but He Himself is the only being in the

universe who can never in His own nature be religious” (78). It is the same way

with Christ. Christianity is based on faith in the saving work and life of Jesus

Christ. The Christian faith is directed towards Christ, he could not have such

religious faith in himself.

How can he be an example of faith but not a Christian?

We must remember that Jesus is both fully man and fully God. As a human he

must have faith in God the Father. In Machen’s words, “Jesus had a religion;

without it His humanity would indeed have been incomplete…” but it is not a

religion we can experience (79). His was the religion of complete sonship. In

contrast our sonship is gained through faith in Christ. This sonship is what

shows his nature as fully God.

Many liberal preachers are willing to say Jesus is God, however, their definition

of God is completely different than the Christian definition. In their minds, God

denotes the object of man’s desires. It is unification and peace rather than the

Creator God. If confused on the liberal view of God you can refer back to my

post God and Man. Because their view of God is incorrect, their view of Jesus

is also wrong.

Faith in the true Jesus is what changes lives. He gives sinful man hope of a

future with our Father. Without faith like and in Jesus we have no chance of

encountering God. Jesus provides the way for broken man to be free of their

sin. In him alone is hope for all mankind.