The questions we like to ask about God are endless: “Is God real?” “Is what we know about Him really true?” and “what does He have to do with my life?” just to list a few.
The Bible may not answer every question about God and will often lead us to ask more, but one of the areas in which the Bible is quite definite, is the answer to the questions: "Why Jesus... and who is He?"
JESUS IS THE CREATOR
Firstly, Jesus is the Creator. Referring to him by the title, ‘the Word’, John 1:1-3 says,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
So, with God – that is, the Father – and as God, Jesus was totally involved in creating the Cosmos. So, he is the source of life.
Now, every time you buy a new car, you find the manufacturer’s manual in the glovebox. The car maker provides it to help you operate the particular model and maintain it safely. And because he made the car, the manufacturer knows the engineering and how it runs best. We’d be mad to ignore the manufacturer’s instructions.
In the same way, the Bible says Jesus is the Creator or Manufacturer of life itself. And the Bible is his instruction manual. Yet we’ve all rejected the Maker’s instructions many times. As it were, we’ve all driven irresponsibly through life, making up the rules ourselves, as we go along.
JESUS IS THE JUDGE
Not a popular topic! But the Bible says it many times over. E.g. in John 5:28-30, Jesus said,
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. […] I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
Three things to notice from these verses about Jesus and his judgment.
It is post-mortem. Everyone, believer or unbeliever, will rise from the grave and face God. So, we’ll all have to give an account for our lives.
If we’ve done wrong, Jesus says we’ll be condemned. And no one talked about hell more than Jesus, even though we notice it with tears.
But Jesus’ judgment is totally fair. He judges by exactly what he sees and hears. Not just on rumor. But with justice.
I tell you what: on that day I wouldn’t like to be explaining away all my evil thoughts and deeds before Jesus. My excuses are so pathetic.
And any sin is enough to condemn us. Imagine a doctor who murders his wife. He says to the judge, “Don’t my good deeds outweigh my bad? My operations have saved thousands from death. But I’ve only murdered one wife. Surely the good outweighs the bad.” How ridiculous! One act of rebellion against the holy God is enough to make us unfit for his perfect heaven.
JESUS IS THE SACRIFICE FOR SIN
Thankfully, the third point is that Jesus is the sacrifice for sin. In John 1:29, the famous preacher, John the Baptist, saw Jesus coming towards him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
In the Old Testament, God provided a system of sacrifice. It involved the literal sacrifice of animals. The symbolism was clear. You pick a perfectly white, unspotted lamb, healthy and pure. And you killed the animal. And God said you were forgiven for sins.
The animal died. That shows the punishment sin deserved. A spotless lamb died. That showed the sacrifice had to be perfect. The lamb died for your sins, instead of you. That showed God was willing to accept a substitute.
Of course, an animal can’t remove human sin. That was just a visual aid demonstrating God’s merciful attitude. But Jesus became truly human, lived a ‘spotless’ life, serving unselfishly and never violating God’s commands. So, when he died on the cross – though innocent – he was offering the one perfect sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away sin!
JESUS IS ALIVE
The Bible says that on the third day after his death, he rose again. Jesus is alive.
And John’s Gospel provides some eyewitness testimony to this amazing claim. Here’s the incident of ‘doubting Thomas’ in John 20:24-29.
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This shows it’s OK to have doubts. Thomas had a concern for solid evidence. And he got his wish. He got to see and feel it really was Jesus. Not just a ghost.
And plenty more evidence like this was written down in the New Testament within the same generation, with the names of the eyewitnesses often attached, so people could track them down and cross-examine them if they wished.
Thomas’ conclusion was to say, “My Lord and My God.” And that’s right! Jesus has conquered the grave. So, a true Christian treats Jesus as his Lord and God, just like Thomas.
JESUS IS MY FRIEND
As Christians we’re given the rights to a very special intimacy with God. Jesus reveals this precious truth to his followers in John 15:13&15.
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Jesus has let us in on God’s plans! And we know he’s our friend because he laid down his life for us, even while we were rejecting him. And through him, we can call God our Father in heaven! How deep the Father’s love for us!
To recap:
1. Jesus is … the Creator.
2. Jesus is … the Judge.
3. Jesus is … the Sacrifice for Sin.
4. Jesus is … Alive.
But can you say Jesus is My Friend? Would you like to?
To be made whole, or to be saved is to submit to God and His plan and purpose for our lives. It is a turning from our old ways and turning to Jesus, to ask Him for forgiveness from our sins and to give us new life in Him.
Romans 10:9 says:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Salvation is God’s free gift to us and we become His children.
It is an irrevocable acceptance into the family of God and it is an empowerment to live life wholly and fully with the purpose of reflecting God to the rest of His creation.
If you are not sure whether you are right with God or you know in fact that you need Jesus in your life, you can choose to follow Him right now by praying a prayer of surrender to Jesus.