Jesus Christ

Therefore, Jesus is both fully God and fully man, as we saw above (see panel: Two Ancient Teachings).

Jesus is both the Creator and preserver of the world (John 1:3,10; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus did not stay in heaven, but He left the glory that He had there (John 17:1-5) and became man. There were two important reasons for this incarnation of Jesus as man.

The first reason for the incarnation is that by looking at Jesus we can see what God is like. No one has seen God the Father at any time (John 6:46). But Jesus showed the Father to us (John 12:45; 14:7-9). For example, by looking at Jesus and at what He said and did, we can know not only that the Father is good and loving and that He forgives our sins, but also that He is concerned about all our needs and problems as well.

The second reason for the incarnation of Jesus was His death and resurrection for our SALVATION. The Bible speaks of Jesus being our “redeemer,” meaning the one who redeemed us from sin and the curse of the law (see Mark 10:45; Galatians 3:13 and comments). Jesus did not pay the price for our freedom with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). This ransom rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13-14).

A holy God must reject and punish sin. But Jesus took our sin and its punishment upon Himself by His death on the cross. Therefore, Jesus is said to be our PROPITIATION, meaning that Jesus satisfied the just demands of a holy God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2). Jesus’ propitiation allows God to forgive sinners and yet remain holy, because He has punished sin instead of ignoring it. Because of our sin we were separated from God, but God reconciled us to himself through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18) and His blood (Romans 5:1,9-11; Colossians 1:20-22).

By Jesus’ death on the cross and His shedding of blood, we obtain forgiveness of sins, meaning not that God merely ignores our sins, but that God removes our sins (Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:17) and cleanses us (Hebrews 9:14,22; 1 John 1:7-9). By His death on the cross, Jesus drove out and destroyed the devil (John 12:31; Hebrews 2:14-15). Many Christians believe that Jesus also carried our diseases on the cross, thus providing healing for our bodies and deliverance from evil spirits (see Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark1:27; General Article: Healing and Deliverance). By His own RESURRECTION Jesus gives us bodily resurrection and ETERNAL LIFE (John 6:54,58; 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

All of the above blessings Jesus obtained for us by His death on the cross. But Jesus has an ongoing work as well. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower the church on the first day of PENTECOST (John 14:16-17; 15:26-27; Acts 2:1-4), and Jesus still sends His Holy Spirit (see Mark 1:7-8; General Article: Holy Spirit Baptism). He has promised to be with us always through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 14:16-18). Jesus is our intercessor and helper in heaven, praying on our behalf (Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1). Jesus remains as the “head” of the church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18), and the ruler of all things (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:20-22; Philippians 2:9-11).

Jesus is not like other religious leaders or founders of religions. Most other religious leaders have been considered either divine or human, but not both. Other religious leaders who were considered human have died and no one has claimed that they rose again.

Jesus is God’s true incarnation. Some people think that Jesus is only one incarnation, or avatar, among other incarnations. But this is not true. The true living God has only one incarnation: namely, Jesus Christ. A true incarnation should live a fully human life, yet show by his life that he is fully divine (Romans 1:3-4). A true incarnation should live a life without sin. Only Jesus lived a fully human life, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22). Other so-called incarnations were not both fully God and fully man, but a little of each.

Jesus is a true mediator between God and man, because He is both God and man (Hebrews 9:15). Jesus had to be truly man in order to make atonement on behalf of man (Hebrews 4:14-15), and he had to be truly God in order to live the perfect life needed to make an atonement sacrifice acceptable to God (Hebrews 9:14). And Jesus had to be truly man in order to defeat Satan on behalf of man (Hebrews 2:14-17), and He had to be truly God in order to be powerful enough to defeat Satan and his evil spirits (Colossians 2:15; Revelation 19:11-21). Jesus was not only a guide to the way of salvation, but He was also the actual way Himself (John 14:6). Jesus was not only a preacher encouraging us to live right; He also gave us the power to live right. He gave us the power to be righteous. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave us freedom from the bondage of sin. Jesus not only gave us good teaching; He also gave all believers eternal life.

Jesus is the only true way to God. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The Apostle Peter said: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).