Who IS JESUS?
What does the BIBLE say about JESUS?
.. Grace to you and peace, from the One who is and who was and who is to come, .. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 1:4-5 excerpt LSB
Our evangelism of the gospel may present the Lord Christ Jesus more casually than the scriptural truth that HE IS GOD!
Christians and others sometimes talk of Jesus presumptively or perhaps even flippantly.
JESUS IS! just as the LORD told the Hebrews through Moses the explanation,
I AM THAT I AM!
Exodus 3:14 KJV אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה
- God IS! We certainly agree.
- Scripture is God’s written word. We agree that the BIBLE is truth.
- JESUS IS and was and will be.
JESUS defined
JESUS CHRIST LORD.
Without quibbling over the hundreds of NAMES Christians use to proclaim JESUS to unbelievers, let’s simply DEFINE and consider these three I have chosen today:
Ἰησοῦς
The KJV translates Strong’s G2424 in the following manner: Jesus (972x), Jesus (Joshua) (2x), Jesus (Justus) (1x).
Ἰησοῦς – Jesus
Lexicon :: Strong's G2424 - iēsous
Jesus = “Jehovah is salvation” Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate [in the flesh!]
Before, Then, Now & Forever
According to the GOSPELS of JESUS CHRIST
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word [logos] was with God [theos], and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Gospel of John 1:14 NKJV
Human History: ~4 B.C – ~A.D. 30
Consider the enduring testimony of Scripture recorded in approximately A.D. 50 through the A.D. 90's, soon after the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ more than 2000 years ago.
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. – Mark 1:1 [A.D. 50’s]
Prologue of the Gospel of Luke:
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea .. – Luke 1:1-5a ESV [~A.D. 60-62]
Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ Δαβίδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ
The book [Biblos] of the genealogy [genesis] of Jesus [iēsous] Christ [christos], the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Matthew 1:1 [A.D. 60’s]
Χριστοῦ – Christ
![[image of the Christ child] until Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10 with picture of sleeping baby](https://talkofjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/genesis-49-10-until-shiloh-come-e1577240197188-1024x683.jpg)
“Where is He that is born King of the Jews? – Matthew 2:2
Pilate said to them, “Then, what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said, “Let Him be crucified!”
Matthew 27:22 LSB, GNT
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος τί οὖν ποιήσω Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν
Christ defined
Χριστός Christós, khris-tos’; from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ.
Post-Resurrection – from A.D. 30’s – to ???? eternity
The BIBLE documents MANY post-resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles, Paul, and others.
In about A.D. 55 the Apostle Paul writes:
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:6 LSB
We may be familiar with the AWESOME appearance of JESUS to Saul [Paul] on a road to Damascus but read of a much later revelation of the risen Jesus to the Apostle John for UNDERSTANDING a more present, even future context of ALL CREATED MEN AND WOMEN appearing before the Throne of the Lord Christ Jesus!
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Vision of the Son of Man
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
But he laid his right hand on me, saying,
“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
HEAR the Apostle John’s description of the Lord, SON OF MAN, as Jesus had described His Person born into this world, the same RISEN LORD John had witnessed some SIXTY YEARS before when he was a young Apostle.
~ A.D. 90-95
.. and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
The revelation of Jesus Christ to John 1:12b-16 ESV
LORD, Lord, lord
Fallen flesh resists JESUS as Lord, born in flesh and blood, the Son of Man dying in suffering flesh and sacrificed blood on a Cross.
Is JESUS your Lord?
CREATED humankind have difficulty accepting ALMIGHTY GOD, born as a mere man, suffering for sinful souls condemned to death and hell.
THEREFORE, WE who would be EQUAL to ALL resist following JESUS as Lord.
Lord defined
What does it mean in the Bible?
And Abraham answered and said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.
Genesis 18:27 LSB – אֲדֹנָי ‘ăḏōnāy
And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master H113 Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master H113; as for me, Yahweh has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s H113 brothers.”
Genesis 24:27 LSB – Lexicon :: Strong’s H113 – ‘āḏôn ‘
The unused root of [אֲדֹנָי ‘ăḏōnāy] used by Abram’s slave or servant referring to his owner:
אָדוֹן
The KJV translates Strong's H113 in the following manner: lord (197x), master(s) (105x), Lord (31x), owner (1x), sir (1x).
Note the intended authority implied in each of these human roles, let alone those references to God:
- firm, strong, lord, master
- reference to men
- superintendent of household, of affairs
- master
- king
- reference to God
- the Lord God
- Lord of the whole earth
- reference to men
- proprietor of hill of Samaria
- master
- husband
- prophet
- governor
- prince
- king
- father
- Moses
- priest
- theophanic angel
- captain
- general recognition of superiority
- reference to God
- Lord of lords (probably = “thy husband, Yahweh”)
- my Lord, my Lord and my God
- Adonai (parallel with Yahweh)
ALL of these references to Lord are RELATIONAL. and ALL imply our UNEQUAL relationship as servants before a superior power.
kyrios – Lord
Moving from the Hebrew Scripture to the Greek of the New Testament we observe Jesus asking followers about their RELATIONAL loyalty to Him.
“Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Gospel of Luke 6:46 LSB – QUESTION of JESUS for followers
- Do the christians you encounter call JESUS Lord?
- OR something else?
κύριος –
– From kuros (supremacy)
κύριος kýrios, koo'-ree-os; from κῦρος kŷros (supremacy);
supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by implication, Master (as a respectful title):—God, Lord, master, Sir.
- source
he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
JESUS, Son of Man, the Son of God
“I and the Father are one.”
John 10:30 [Or a unity, one essence}
And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “You yourselves say that I am.”
“For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.
“But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. – Luke 17:24-25
ἐγὼ τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Jesus says to his disciples (followers): “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. – Revelation 22:14
To be continued…
NEXT: in Jesus Christ Lord part 2 – Christ, the Anointed One
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