We, as Christians, believe the entire Bible is the Word of God and the Gospel in particular is God’s final revelation to the human race. The Bible says:
"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."Hebrews 1:1-3
We also believe all the writers of the Bible who recorded God’s revelation were led and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
"And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is {a matter} of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:19-21
Thus, the Holy Spirit Himself is the author of the Bible. In his epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul says:
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16
With this said, I would like to present, to you, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed to us in the infallible Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point of Christianity. Without placing the person of Christ in the center of our faith there is no Christianity. As far as I know, there is no other divine, inspired religion in the world which is centered around a person as it is with Christianity. Our faith is based on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and not on doctrines or religious duties. Doctrines and religious duties are the natural outcome of our faith in the person of Christ. Without Christ, all His teachings alone would fail to save man from his sins.
So, who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
Jesus Deity
I do not think we can find a better definition of Him that the one stated in the prologue of the Gospel of John 1:1"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
In this amazing and divinely inspired verse, the Holy Spirit through the apostle John, conveys to us the nature of Christ. Christ is the Word of God or "Logos": R.V.G. Tadker says: "John 1:1 reveals the Word of God not as an attribute of God, but as a distinct Person within the Godhead, dwelling with the creator before creation and acting as the divine agent in creation." In other words, the "Logos" has been within the Godhead from eternity. This by itself is enough to make Christ divine. He was not a silent attribute, but an active agent in creation and is still active in human history. Thus, the Deity of Christ was established from the very beginning as being the "Logos" within the Godhead. Christ was born of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Matthew says:
"When His mother had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child by the Holy Spirit." In order to remove any doubt from Joseph’s mind about Mary’s chastity, the angel of the Lord appeared to Him in a vision saying: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit . . . " And the angel added: "Now all this took place that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall bear a Son and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means 'God with us.'" Matthew 1:18-24
We also read in the Gospel of Luke that the angel Gabriel told Mary:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35
I’d like to state here several significant observations: There is a great difference between being conceived of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit since he was in the womb of his mother; the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit too. Actually, Christians believe every committed Christian who lives a Christ-like life can be filled with the Holy Spirit. But no one would claim he is the Word of God or "Logos." The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is distinctively different from the creation of Adam. It is true Adam’s creation was a manifestation of God’s might. He was created without the aid of any human element, even a mother. But as the book of Genesis indicates:
"Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life . . . " Genesis 1:23
which is correctly translated in Arabic nasamat. This same term is used in the original Hebrew Scripture "Nesh-aw-maw." Remember, this account, as it is recorded in the Bible, is the most reliable divinely revealed source pertaining to the creation of Adam because all other references were dependent on it. Thus, Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit while Adam was created from dust and God breathed in his nostrils the breathe of life which is shared by all mankind. Otherwise, Adam would have been called the Word of God or the "Logos" or the Spirit of God. This title was only preserved and reserved for Jesus Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is another evidence of his Deity. Since the Lord Jesus Christ was the "Logos" and conceived of the Holy Spirit, His will and the Father’s will became one. The Father, the "Logos" and the Holy Spirit have acted in creation, history and the universe in perfect harmony; otherwise, they would contradict each other. The oneness of this will is the will of the Triune God.
The New Testament refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It does not allude to any physical relationship between the Godhead and Mary. The term used here is a figurative spiritual term denoting the relationship between the "Logos" and the Godhead. At the same time, it reflects the divine nature of Christ. When Christ asked His disciple "‘who do you think that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God.’" When He said so, the Lord Jesus Christ did not rebuke or prohibit him from saying: "No, no, Peter; don’t say that, this is blasphemy against God, I am not but a human being like the rest of the prophets." To the contrary, our Lord and Savior told him:
"Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." (Also see Matthew 14:33)
Also, after Jesus’ Baptism in which He sought to exemplify to the multitudes how to fulfill all righteousness: A voice came from heaven saying :
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (See Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11 and Luke 3:21-22).
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself claimed that He is the Son of God. For example, we read in Matthew 11:27
"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." (Also refer to John 1:18)
In John 3:16 & 17, Jesus talked about Himself as the only Son of God or the One and the only Son of God or the unique Son of God to distinguish Himself from the rest of the believers who by virtue of their faith in Christ became the children of God. Another striking incident which is recorded in Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 2:1-12; and Luke 5:17-26: A paralyzed man was brought to the Lord Jesus to heal him. When Jesus saw the paralytic, he told him: "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were present said: "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" But Jesus who was aware of their reasoning, answered and said to them: Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say; Your sins have been forgiven you, or to say; Rise and walk, but in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sin. He said to the paralytic: I say to you, Rise and take up your stretcher and go." The Pharisees and the teachers of the law knew no one could forgive man’s sins except God. This is why they accused Jesus of blasphemy. Yet, Jesus even as the Son of Man who in Him the "Logos" is contained, has the authority to forgive sins because of His Deity.
Even the evil spirits and demons could not deny Jesus was the Son of God. On many occasions, as people possessed by evil spirits were brought to Christ, they shout:
"What do I have to do with you, Jesus the Son of the Most High?" (See Mark 1:24-25; 3:11; 4:34-35; and 4:41, etc.)
Jesus did not reproach these demons or evil spirits or command them to stop their blasphemies against God. He accepted the acknowledgment as a matter of fact and ordered the evil spirits to depart from the possessed man. When in His dialogue with the Jews, the Lord Jesus Christ told them:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." (John 8:58).
He was emphasizing His eternity. Why did he not say, for instance: "Before Adam was created, I am," instead of saying, "before Abraham was born, I am?" Because He was responding to their argument. The Jews were boasting of Abraham before that, saying: "You are not yet fifty years and have you seen Abraham?" Then, as a response to the Jews question, Jesus said: "Before Abraham was born, I am." Had they boasted of Adam, Jesus undoubtedly would have responded, "Before Adam was created, I am." Also, in the book of Revelation 22:13, the Glorified Jesus Christ says:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the beginning and the End."
In the summary, the angels, the disciples, the Godhead, Jesus Himself and even the demons, all have acknowledged the Deity of Christ.
Jesus’ Miracles
It is true, other prophets and Jesus’ disciples did perform many great miracles similar to the ones performed by Jesus. Jesus Himself told his disciples if they had enough faith, they would be able to perform even greater miracles. Yet, what distinguishes Jesus’ miracles from other miracles performed by the prophets and the disciples, is that Jesus did these miracles by the power of the "Logos" contained in Him: He never prayed for a special power or a permission to do a miracle. He always used the first person singular pronoun, implicitly or explicitly whenever He healed a person or raised someone from the dead or ordered an evil spirit to depart from a possessed man. By His own personal power, He accomplished all His miracles because He was and still is the"Logos." (Refer to Matthew 8:3; 9:6; 12:13; Mark 1:41; 2:11; 5:8; 5:41; Luke 5:13; 5:24; 6:10; 7:14; 8:54 etc.) Also in other places where Jesus used the pronoun "I." "I say to you, arise." Moreover, in less than twenty days after Christ’s ascension to heaven, Peter and John, the two disciples of Jesus, went to the temple in Jerusalem where they encountered a lame man from his mother’s womb. This man began asking to receive alms. Peter and John fixed their eyes on him and Peter told him:"I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk." Acts 3:1-9
The man was healed. That man was healed by the powerful name of Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus as the Son of Man
The New Testament also presents Jesus to us as the Son of Man. Jesus Himself referred to His person as the Son of Man several times. Jesus as the Son of Man has inherited His human nature from His mother. As the Son of Man, he was like any other man with one exception: that is, in Him was the "Logos." Jesus as the Son of man was exposed and subjected to all the vicissitudes of life. In many ways, He was like Adam, the first man. Even the New Testament has called Jesus the second Adam. However, there is a great difference between the two. Jesus never sinned and in Him the "Logos" was contained. He never disobeyed God, was never seduced as Adam was, not as all the prophets of the Old Testament were. The Bible says:"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23,
except Jesus Christ
"...who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 3:15.
Jesus, as the Son of Man, was able to overcome every temptation and conquer every sin because in Him the Word of God was incarnate while in Adam it was not. Thus, Jesus was the perfect sinless and most righteous man whoever lived on this earth. As the Son of Man, He became the perfect image of God as Adam was before the fall. But Jesus as the Son of Man has experienced all types of agony and needs. He was sad. He cried. He prayed. He rejoiced. He fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Jesus as the Son of Man identified Himself with us in order to build the bridge between man and God. Through Him, man reconciled with God. When Jesus said:
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34; refer also to John 3:36).
He was acknowledging that His will was in full concert with that of the Father. Since the "Logos" will was in complete congruent with the will of the Godhead, then Jesus’ will, as the Son of Man was entirely conformed with the will of the Father. This is what the Bible teaches us. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ has two distinctive natures:
The divine nature
The human nature
The Bible asserts God created man in His own image; i.e. He bestowed on Him reason, will, ability of free choice, freedom of conscience and creativity. But man abused the freedom with which God blessed him and chose to rebel against God in the person of Adam. Soon, this rebellious nature dominated the will of mankind and corrupted it. Therefore, the fall of Adam was not a temporary defect, but rather a determinative event which had a tragic impact on the universe. Its effect has afflicted not only individuals, but the entire human race through the ages. Since this nature became subject to the condemnation of God, man was destined to suffer in an eternal hell forever because God’s holiness does not tolerate sin."The wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23.
This is God’s law and justice. Yet, God is LOVE. He created man in His own image which He would never dishonor for His own sake. Thus, he planned a way of salvation for mankind. His plan is the only straight path which delivers man from his dilemma. God’s holiness demanded justice while His love pleads for mercy and forgiveness. In order to meet the requirements of God’s holiness, justice and love, the living Word of God, Christ, with all His perfection, righteousness and goodness became incarnate because of His great love for all people and suffered in Himself the consequences of man’s sin. Man has failed to save himself from the bondage of his fallen nature; therefore, the Righteous One, the Christ, who is free from all iniquity, was determined to pay the price for man’s redemption. He, the living Word of God, became flesh and was crucified; that is, God’s judgment fell upon Jesus who by His own choice and because of His love, granted to us the gift of freedom and forgiveness of sin. The Bible says:
"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." Corinthians 5:19
Jesus' Atonement
In other words, Christ’s voluntary incarnation and His death on the cross opened wide the door of freedom for us because we became righteous in God’s eyes through Jesus. Christ has paid the price on our behalf by His atoning death. Our only obligation is to accept Him by faith. His sacrificial act of love enables Him to restore our pristine nature which was distorted by sin. II Corinthians 5:17 says:"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come."
Now, who died on the cross? Certainly the "Logos" is not subject to death. He is Divine and eternal. The One who died on the cross is the perfect Son of Man, and the "Logos" is the One who raised Him from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion with a glorified body. Jesus has accomplished God’s plan for the salvation of man and one day, He will return to judge the living and the dead and reign forever. This is what the Gospel tells us about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Finally, the Gospel of John states:
"For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
