><>...JESUS the CHRIST...><>
A. His Person.
Understanding Christ's person is no easy task, but there is general agreement on most aspects of the nature of Christ and His personality.
Five titles of Jesus reflect something significant of His person and/or work. The name Jesus (which is identical with Joshua and means “God is Savior”) emphasizes His role as the Savior of His people (Matt. 1:21). Christ is the New Testament equivalent of Messiah, a Hebrew word meaning “anointed one” (cf. Acts 4:27; 10:38). This title emphasized that Jesus was divinely appointed to His mission, that He had an official relationship to God the Father—that is, He had a job to do and a role to discharge at the Father's appointing.
Son of Man was the title used almost exclusively by Jesus Himself (cf. Matt. 9:6; 10:23; 11:19). Some feel He used it because it most clearly distinguished His Messiahship from the erroneous ideas of His time.
The name Son of God was also applied to Jesus in an official or messianic sense (cf. Matt. 4:3, 6; 16:16; Luke 22:70; John 1:49). It emphasized that He was a Person of the triune Godhead, supernaturally born as a human being.
Lord was alternately applied to Jesus as a simple title (somewhat like “Mr.”), a title of authority or ownership, or (sometimes) an indication of His equality with God (e.g., Mark 12:36–37; Luke 2:11; Matt. 7:22).
Today Christians believe that Jesus is both God and man—i.e., that He has two distinct natures united “inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably” in His one person (Chalcedonian Creed, a.d. 451).
This doctrine is not built on human reason, but on biblical revelation. There is much scriptural proof that Jesus is divine. Scripture states that there is only one God and no lesser gods (cf. Ex. 20:3–5; Is. 42:8; 44:6), yet it clearly affirms that Jesus is God (e.g., John 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8).
The Bible reports that Jesus was worshiped at God's command (Heb. 1:6), while lesser spiritual beings refuse to be worshiped (Rev. 22:8–9) because worship was to be rendered only to God. Only the divine Creator may be worshiped by His creatures. But Jesus Christ, God's Son, is cocreator with His Father (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2); therefore both must be worshiped. Again, Scripture declares that Jesus was the Savior of His people (Matt. 1:21), even though Jehovah was the only Savior of His people (Is. 43:11; Hos. 13:4). It states that the Father Himself has clearly called Jesus God (Heb. 1:8).
Scripture also teaches the true humanity of Jesus. The Christ of the New Testament is no illusion or ghost; He is human in every sense. He called Himself man, as did others (e.g., John 8:40; Acts 2:22). He lived in the flesh (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 John 4:2). He possessed a human body and mind (Luke 23:39; John 11:33; Heb. 2:14). He experienced human wants and sufferings (Luke 2:40, 52; Heb. 2:10, 18; 5:8). However, the Bible emphasizes that Jesus did not partake of the sin that characterizes all other human beings (cf. Luke 1:35; John 8:46; Heb. 4:15).
Nelson's illustrated manners and customs of the Bible
All praise and honor be unto God! |
