Some Of The Things That Jesus Christ Is

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Article • Some of the things that Jesus Christ is

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Some of the things that Jesus Christ is Without disputation, Jesus Christ is the central person of the Word of God. It is thus vitally important to have a look at the Word of God and see some of the things that this Word tells us that Jesus is. I say "some", because it is impossible in an article like this, to examine everything that the Bible says that Jesus is. However, I hope that the things that we will see today will help us to appreciate Jesus Christ and what he is for us better.

1. Jesus Christ: Son of God To start our survey on the things that Jesus Christ is, we will go to John 10:35-36. There, Jesus, during a conversation that he had with some Jews, said:

John 10:35-36 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming." because I SAID, "I AM THE SON OF GOD"

As we can see from this passage, Jesus said that he is Son of God i.e. that God was his Father. Therefore, the first thing that we see that Jesus is, is Son of God. The fact that Jesus Christ was indeed Son of God is also witnessed by many other Scriptures. Thus for example, when the angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus, he also told her that Jesus would be called Son of God. Really, Luke 1:35 tells us:

Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said to her [Mary], "holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

Furthermore, God two times, one in Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:16-17) and one on the mountain of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), publicly declared him as His Son. Really, the relative passages tell us:

Matthew 3:16-17 "When he had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

Also: Matthew 17:5 tells us "While he [Peter (see Matthew 17:1-4 for the context)] was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him"

Besides all these, another certificate that the Bible refers as a proof that Jesus is indeed Son of God is the fact that God raised him from the dead. Really, Romans 1 tells us about it:

Romans 1:1, 3-4 "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, .....concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, AND

DECLARED TO BE THE SON OF GOD, with power according to the spirit of holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD."

To all the above we could add many other records that declare that Jesus is Son of God1. Therefore the first thing that we see that Jesus is, is Son of God.

2. Jesus Christ: Saviour of the world Having seen that Jesus Christ is Son of God let us move ahead to see some other things that he is. To start we will go to I John 4:14. There we read:

I John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world.”

Also in John 12:47 Jesus said: "And if anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”

Salvation requires a saviour, someone that will make it available. As the above passage makes clear this saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ. Really, Romans 10:9 tells us:

Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (NKJV-KJV) 1

It is characteristic that the Bible calls Jesus as "Son of God" 46 times

Moreover Acts 4:12 tells us about Jesus: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Salvation is impossible without Jesus Christ for only in him there is, and cannot be obtained but only by confessing him as Lord and believing that God raised him from the dead. Therefore a second thing that we see that Jesus is, is the Saviour the only one in whom there is salvation.

3. Jesus Christ: Lord Apart from Son of God and Saviour, another title that is used for Jesus Christ is Lord. Regarding the word "Lord" this is a translation of the Greek word "kurios" that means boss, someone that is in authority position2. That Jesus Christ is indeed in authority position is shown by the fact that he is called "the Lord Jesus Christ" 82 times in the Bible. Apart from this, there are also many passages in the Bible that refer to his lordship and authority, such as Phillipians 2:9-11. There we read:

Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore God also has highly exalted him [Jesus] and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father." 2

The word "kurios" occurs 748 times in the New Testament and the KJV translates it as "Lord" 667 times, as "lord" 54, as master 11, as sir 6, as Sir 6, and with miscellaneous other words 4 times. Its formal meaning as it is given by the dictionary of the "On -Line Bible" is: 1) he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord 1a) the possessor and disposer of a thing 1a1) the owner; one who has control of the person, the master 1a2) in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor 1b) is a title of honour expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master 1c) this title is given to: God, the Messiah

Also I Corinthians 15:24-28 tells us: "Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God even the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For he [Jesus] must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For "He [God] has put all things under his [Jesus'] feet". But when he says "all things are put under him, [Jesus]" it is evident that he [God] who put all things under him [Jesus] is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to him [Jesus], then the Son himself will also be subject to him who put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (NKJV-KJV)

As the above passages make clear everything and everyone is or will be put under Jesus' feet. The only exception is God "who put all things under him" and to whom, Jesus himself is subject. Apart from God everything or everyone else is or will be under Jesus' subjection so "that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

4. Jesus Christ: the head of the church Not only Jesus Christ is the boss, the lord, of every man that believes in him, but he also is the head, the boss of the total of those that believe in him and who consist what the Bible calls "church". Really, as Collosians 1:18 tells us:

Collosians 1:18 "And he [Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church."

Also Ephesians 4:15-16 tells us: "but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head - Christ- from whom the whole body [the church], joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the effective edifying of itself in love."

As the above passages make clear, the church is not a building but a body consisting of each one of us that have confessed with our mouths the Lord, the boss, Jesus and believed in our heart that God raised him from the dead. As I Corinthians 12 says about this body and its members:

I Corinthians 12:12,14,18,27 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many are one body, so also is Christ.......For in fact the body is not one member but many.....But now God has set the members, each one of the them, in the body just as He pleased.....Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually"

Also I Corinthians 11:3 adds: "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God"

Each one of us is a member of the body of Christ and has Christ as LORD. All of us together consist the body of Christ, the church, that has Christ as HEAD who in turn has God as head (I Corinthians 11:3). As now in a literal body, the head is the part that makes decisions and is responsible for everything that the body does, so also is Christ in the church: he (and only he) is

responsible to decide how the body as a total, and each one of us as members will move. He is the head of the church, we are its members, and God is He who has placed us in the church as it pleased Him. As my hand is obedient to my head so we, as members of the church, should be obedient to the head of the church, the Christ. It is he that possesses the head position in the church. All the others we are members whose right operation is necessary for the smooth operation of the body as well.

5. Jesus Christ: The only way to God Though by now we have seen many things that Jesus is the list does not stop here. Really John 14:6 tells us:

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. As he said, no-one can go to God but only through him i.e. he is the only way to God. Evidently, this means that the view that supports that all the various religions are simply different ways that finally all drive to the one true God is entirely wrong. Really according to what we just read there is only ONE way to God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without him no-one can go to God.

6. Jesus Christ: the only mediator between God and men Apart from the only way to God, Jesus Christ is also the only mediator between God and men. Truly, I Timothy 2:5 tells us:

I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

As it is evident from this passage, as the "many ways to God" view is Scripturally wrong, so is the "many mediators between God and man" view3. Really as the above passage makes clear, there is ONE and only ONE mediator between men and God, the man Christ Jesus. Only him has God appointed to mediate on our behalf and only he is appropriate for this job.

7. Jesus Christ: The bread of life Further information on what Jesus is is given in John 6:35. There we read:

John 6:35 "And Jesus said to them [the Jews], "I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. HE WHO COMES TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME SHALL NEVER THIRST"

Also John 6:47-48 repeats: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE"

Jesus Christ promised that he who comes to him will never hunger and will never thirst. He said that he is the bread of life. We all know how vital food and water are for our lives. However, though even an abundance of them cannot give us more than an average of seventy or eighty years of life, the bread that is 3

Some well known names that in some denominations are offered as "mediators" in addition to Jesus are Mary, Peter as well as the so called saints

called Jesus Christ gives us ETERNAL LIFE. How? We already saw it: By confessing him as Lord and believing that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Since also he assures us that if we go to him, we will NEVER hunger and will NEVER thirst, this means that by believing in him we will always have all that is needed to live in this life. We will have eternal life AND all our needs covered.

8. Jesus Christ: the light of life Apart from bread of life that as we saw Jesus is, he also is the one whom if we follow, we will have the light of life. The gospel of John tells us:

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I'm the light of the world. HE WHO FOLLOWS ME SHALL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE."

John 12:46 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness"

As our survival requires bread and water, so our movements require light so that they may be made securely. However, they are not the only ones that need light. Most importantly, it is our walk in life that needs light so that it may be made securely and we may know where we go. As Jesus Christ characteristically said:

John 12:35 "HE WHO WALKS IN DARKNESS DOES NOT KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING."

When we walk in darkness we don't know where we go. That's why we need light. However, though the physical or artificial light is enough for our on foot walk, it is evidently not enough for our walk in life. For this walk we need a different kind of light, the light of life. How is it possible to have this light? By following Jesus Christ. Really as the above passages tell us if we follow Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the light, we will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

9. Jesus Christ: the door To see another thing that Jesus Christ is we will go to John 10. There we read:

John 10:7-10 "Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. IF ANYONE ENTERS BY ME, HE WILL BE SAVED, AND WILL GO IN AND OUT AND FIND PASTURE. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

Here Jesus Christ uses a figure of speech to give us more information about him and what will happen to those that will follow him. In this figure Jesus presents himself as the door. Regarding the meaning of this figure, we all know

that the door is something that enters us to a different place than the one where we are. Therefore when the Word of God presents Jesus as the door it wants to tell us that he is someone by whom if we enter we will be in a different place than the one where we were before we enter. And if one asks what kind of place is this, the answer was given by Jesus Christ himself. As he said: "If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." Taking each of this in turn, if one enters by the door that is called Jesus Christ i.e. if he confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in his heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9) he will be saved. Furthermore, he will be able to "go in and out" i.e. he will be free, which consequently means that as long as one stays outside Jesus' door he has no freedom. That this is the case, can be seen from II Corinthians 4:3-4 that referring to the unsaved man tells us:

II Corinthians 4:3-4 "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God, should shine on them."

Can you speak for freedom when you are blind. Can you move "in and out"? Of course not. Only if one enters by Christ's door he is really released from the bondage of the Devil and has genuine freedom. Finally, another thing that one finds when he passes Jesus' door is pasture. We can understand the importance of pasture if we recall that the figure that Jesus used was about sheep. The pasture for a sheep is what the food is for a man. If we imagine therefore how satisfied is a sheep when it finds good pasture we will get a picture of how much satisfied is also the man that passes the door of Jesus Christ.

10. Jesus Christ: The good shepherd Apart from the door of the sheep, Jesus is also the good shepherd that the sheep (we) need. Really, John 10:11, 14-15 tells us:

John 10:11, 14-15 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.......I am the good shepherd; and I know my sheep and am known by my own. As the Father knows me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

For the flock to be safe it is needed to have a good shepherd that will take care of it. Turning now to us, the question is: is there a good shepherd for our lives i.e. someone that will take care of us as a good shepherd takes care of his sheep? As we saw the answer is yes there is one: the Lord Jesus Christ. Really, Jesus Christ is the good shepherd whose guidance and care we need. As he said "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep", and he really gave his life for us. As Ephesians 5:2 tells us4:

Also Ephesians 5:2 "And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

Jesus proved how good he is by giving himself for us. However not only he is good shepherd, but he is also a powerful one, a shepherd under whose guidance we can feel safe and secure. As John 10:27-29 tells us:

4

See also Galatians 1:3-4, 2:20 and Titus 2:14

John 10:27-29 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand."

No-one can snatch us out of our shepherd's hand, for it is God that has given us to him as sheep, and no-one can snatch out of God's hand. Therefore, having Jesus Christ as our shepherd we can really feel secure and safe for we are under the protection of the mightiest One: God.

11. Conclusion In this article we examined some of the things that Jesus Christ is. Thus we saw that Jesus Christ is: i) Son of God ii) Saviour of the world iii) Lord iv) head of the church v) the only way to God vi) the only mediator between God and men vii) the bread of life viii) the light of life ix) the door x) the good shepherd

This list is in no way exhaustive. There are certainly more things that one can find by studying the Word of God. However, those that we saw in this

article are enough I believe to show us the great importance of Jesus Christ for us. May, as Paul prayed, we "be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width and length and depth and height" and to know his love "which passes knowledge" (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Tassos Kioulachoglou