For the last two thousand years or so, this question has been a global one. Christians are not the only ones who believe in or talk about Him. Muslims believe in Him, atheists fight Him, many Hindu’s believe in Him, agnostics wait to see Him, Jews deny Him, Satanists reject Him, and demons fear Him.
Without a doubt, Jesus Christ has had the greatest impact on the world of anyone in history. Whether we worship Him, hate Him, or deny Him, He has had some impact on us. The intent of this writing is to present the Biblical account of who He is.
For the sake of time, I will not argue whether He walked on the earth in human flesh. There is too much evidence to deny this. My argument will be whether He was who He said He was/is.
John 1;1-18 (New King James Version)
The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There is the argument that Jesus did not come into existence until His birth to Mary. If we believe that the Bible is without error (inerrant), than this passage clearly states that Jesus was from the beginning as Jesus is the “Word” that John speaks of.
Vs. 3 says that all things were made through Him, and nothing was created without Him. If we look back to Genesis, we see something interesting.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; -Gen 1:26a
If Jesus was not there, why would God say “Our?” I believe clearly God is referring to the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All of scripture is woven together and here is evidence of a meshing of Old Testament and New Testament. Everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. There is so much that I cannot possibly list every occurrence. However, I will list some passages.
In the account of Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 22), The Lord instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his son (Gen. 22:1-2). Verses 7-14 describe what happened:
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
“My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” And indeed He did; namely Jesus. This passage is somewhat difficult to comprehend, but God was testing Abraham’s faith. Not only that, God was pointing to the day that He would send “His only Son” as the eternal sacrifice; the only sacrifice that could ever truly cover our sins.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! –John 1:29
John 1:4-5 states:
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
This is John’s assessment of Jesus. Later on in his account, he quotes what Jesus said about Himself.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” –John 8:12
4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”-John 9:4-5
We will continue to look at other passages that support Jesus as the Christ over the next few lessons. If you have doubts or questions, I encourage you to pray earnestly and look through the scriptures. Jesus is the light of the world and He will light your path as you seek to know Him more.
