Who is Jesus?
I was driving by a church and on the marquee out front it ask the question “Who is Jesus?” My first thought was God in the flesh. Then I thought how many people don’t know who He is. I am not just thinking non-believers there are believers who don’t know who Jesus is. So this is to help you get a perspective on Jesus. I want to be accurate so I’m going to give you what the Bible say’s on who he is, not what you or I may have heard over the years. Many inaccuracy and half-truths have been circulating and repeated for years, the problem is we often believe these inaccuracy as the truth and no solid foundation can be built on a half-truth.
Who do people say I am?
Before I get into who Jesus is, I want you to be aware of what you’ve heard about Jesus in the past and maybe even believed about Jesus. The Bible version of who Jesus is, probably won’t match what you heard elsewhere. Make sure you don’t question the Bible, just believe it.
- Jesus claimed to be a King, not a prophet – People put that label on him.
Matthew 2 (NIV)
2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
- Jesus came to bring us a kingdom not a religion – The kingdom is not about religion, matter of fact Jesus had nothing to do with any religion. People that don’t understand want to put him in the category of religion even believers that don’t know make this mistake; but the kingdom is not about religion. He didn’t come to create a group of people called Christians. Don’t let some man tell you different. Believe the Bible.
Matthew 4 (NIV)
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Isaiah 9 (NIV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Hopefully you noticed, neither one of these scriptures said he brought a religion. Don’t let anyone tell you that believing in Jesus is a religion; understand that you’re in the kingdom of God NOT a religion.
- Jesus’ message was about the kingdom not religion – If you were to go through the bible and see what Jesus preached, you would only see that he preached one topic, the kingdom that’s all he preached.
Matthew 4 (NIV)
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
As a believer don’t fall for the lie that the kingdom of God is a religion. I know people want to compare it to other religions, but the kingdom is not to be compared to them. When you’re in the kingdom the objective of Father God is to have a relationship with his kids (you and I) and to fulfill you’re purpose. I say learn all you can about the kingdom so you can take your rightful place, know who you are and function in the kingdom purposefully.
Matthew 24 (AMP)
4 Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. 5 For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me],
What the Bible calls him
I’m going to start with some words that describe who Jesus is, I will elaborate on them and then ask the question what was Jesus’ purpose? I believe who He is and His purpose go together, one in the same.
Here’s the list:
The Word, Wisdom, The Son, High Priest, Lamb of God, Son of God, The Christ (anointed one), He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, The only begotten son, Immanuel (God with us), Melchizedek (high priest), Everlasting father, Messiah, King of Jew, Carpenter.
Those are some of the names the Bible uses to describe Jesus. The Sprit/Being of Jesus had some other names and showed up in other forms before he is introduced as Jesus. Here are three examples.
In proverbs 3 and 8 the spirit Jesus shows up as wisdom.
Proverbs 8 (NIV)
“The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water;25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.30 Then I was constantly[e] at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, 31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
Proverbs 3 (NIV)
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
In Genesis 14 He shows up as Melchizedek high priest.
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
In John He shows up as the Word.
John 1(NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
That was just a glimpse of the spirit of Jesus showing up in other forms, the Bible is full of eye opening revelations and understandings. Get to know the word of God the Bible. God should be your highest priority. You have to seek in order find. Here are some scriptures to help you get a better understanding of Jesus.
Matthew 3 (NIV)
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Luke 2 (NIV)
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 4 (NIV)
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[f]20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
John 1 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1 (NIV)
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Fulfilled Purpose
So the question is what is the purpose of Jesus? It started back in Genesis, when Adam ate from the tree of knowledge. This disobedience separated Adam and mankind from God, but God had a plan for the disobedient act. That plan was Jesus, the bridge back to God. Jesus came to restore what was lost, in short these four things,1, access to God (Holy Spirit), 2,dominion (power and authority), 3,the kingdom (government) and 4,image and likeness (the ability to function like God). The Holy Spirit left Adam when he ate from the tree, up to that point he function with the Holy Spirit in him. After he disobeyed he was left with his reasoning thinking to live by. Let’s fast forward to Jesus showing up on the scene, again Jesus came to restore what we (mankind) lost. The Bible makes it clear what Jesus brought with him when he showed up at birth and when he rose from the dead. Here’s what He cane with at birth, it says in Isaiah 9 he is bringing the government/kingdom. During His lifetime, In Matthew he tells us to be born again in, after resurrection he gives us the keys to the kingdom (power) in Acts we must receive the Holy Spirit. Being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit is how you get access to reclaiming your image and likeness, you are a speaking spirit and you rule, dominate and control by speaking just like your father God does. Jesus is the example of how we are to function in the kingdom, how we use our words, how to perceive people and situations, how to operate in our authority and how to stay connected to the Father. Jesus shows us all of this and more.
These scriptures will help with this perspective.
Luke 4 (NIV)
43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Matthew 6 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
John 3 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
1 Peter 1 (NKJV)
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,[e]
Matthew 16 (NKJV)
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[d] in heaven.”
Matthew 24 (AMP)
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Romans 4 (NIV)
17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
Acts 2 (NIV)
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
Mark 1 (NIV)
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
1 John 3 (NIV)
8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
These versus are just a start to helping you understand how to function in the kingdom, as a believer you must know the foundation of the kingdom message.
Closing Statement
Knowing who Jesus is; is vital to being in the kingdom. Knowing how to live in the kingdom is equally as important. The more you understand about Jesus the closer you get to the kingdom. My desire for writing this blog is twofold, one is for you to see it for yourself and settle in your mind who Jesus is. Two is to encourage you to read the Bible. All the answers are available if you seek. As a believer it’s a must that you spend time reading the word, talking to Daddy God and using your words wisely. God wants to spend time with you, YES YOU! This is just a start on “who Jesus is” there is so much more to know. I’ll be writing more soon on this topic until then keep seeking.
Seek the word because the word works if you work it.
Randy McKinney