Who is Jesus Christ?

Unfortunately, the Church has been less than stellar at presenting the identity of Jesus Christ, preferring to present him as “savior,” teacher, healer, friend, role-model, miracle-worker and all around good guy.  As a result,  respect for Jesus Christ, within or without the Church, fails to reflect His nature as God.

When Christians say “Jesus died for your sins” it fails to convey His full identity.  It is like saying “Bob’s kid was a Marine — he died for your freedom in Iraq.”   OK.  Commendable.  Thank you for the freedom. I truly respect and appreciate that. And my condolences to his parents.

But is that it? Unfortunately the Church has limited the expression of the full identity of Jesus Christ so as not to offend “people of other faiths,” which is another way of saying antichrist peoples or religions.   No one has a problem with the existence of Jesus Christ nor the idea that Christians hold Him in the highest esteem.  Moslems recognize him as a great prophet and the eastern religions are quite happy to add another deity to the pantheon of their gods.

Jesus Christ is the Creator, and Jesus Christ is the Lord God Almighty that appeared to Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Gideon and who spoke directly to all the prophets of God in the Old Testament.   Jesus Christ is not another god.  Jesus Christ is not the guy that showed up two millennia ago as a “Savior.” Jesus Christ is eternal, He predates the Creation of the world and is in fact One with the Father.  The Almighty Incarnated in Jesus Christ two thousand years ago as Jesus Christ;  that was not the beginning of Jesus Christ, simply the moment He was begotten as the Son of Man — God in the flesh.

So, when one reads of “the Lord” in Isaiah 2:19:

And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

This is speaking of Jesus Christ who has existed from before the creation.  This particular Scripture, by the way, inspires Revelation 6:16:

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

The “Lord” in Isaiah 2:19 is the “Lamb” in Revelation 6:16.  They are the same person — this is not a different God.

The first chapter of Hebrews breaks this down nicely:

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets and in many portions and in many ways (See Matthew 21:33-46) in these last days (we have been in the last days for two millennia) has spoken to use in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the word.  And He (Jesus Christ) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

God created the world through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God’s nature.

Jesus Christ upholds all things now by the word of His power.

When God brought His only begotten Son into the world, He commands all the angels to worship Him. God does not allow any other gods to be worshipped except Himself — there are no other gods before Him. Jesus Christ is Himself God.

Hebrews 1:8 says “your throne, O God, is forever and ever.” This is speaking of Jesus Christ.

In Hebrews 1:10, we see Jesus Christ at the creator again “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.”  

This is referencing Psalm 102:25 where it says: “Of old you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.”

Psalm 102:25 refers to Jesus Christ just as surely as Hebrews 1:10 and Hebrews 1:2.

The Gospel according to Saint John also identifies Jesus Christ as the Creator:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apartment from Him (Jesus Christ) nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3.   The only thing excepted is Him who never came into being with is God Almighty composed of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Other that that, Jesus Christ created all things including the angels and spirits and earth, stars, beasts and men.  This is no minor theological point — it is the fundamental identify of Jesus Christ. Before he was Savior, He was the Creator.

Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father. When was He begotten? At His conception by the Holy Spirit (which would also validate the Holy Spirit as a male persona, since Mary was the female).   Jesus Christ existed since the Creation, but he is begotten by God via the Holy Spirit and becomes the Son of Man.

Jesus Christ said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

Colossians 2:9 declares that “all the fullness of Deity dwells [in Jesus Christ] in bodily form.”

Jesus Christ declared Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, which means the source and origin of all things, as well as the purpose, destiny, and heir of all things, “who is, and who was, and who is go come, the Almighty.”  Jesus Christ reveals Himself in the Revelation as the Almighty God.

Jesus Christ “is the image of the invisible God . . . For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth — all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:15.

Who has seen God?

Another proof that Jesus Christ is God Almighty is illustrated in the appearance of the Lord to men.  Many times “the Lord” appeared to the Patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, Gideon and others.

And yet, it is very clear from Jesus Christ that “no man has seen the Father.”

It says in John 1:18 that “no man has seen God at any time.”

 John 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father,” said Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the image — visible — of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).  God the Father invisible (1 Timothy 1:17) except to Jesus Christ: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” John 6:46.

Yet it is very clear the Moses himself saw God face to face:

“When the Lord saw that he [Moses] turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:4-6

This is where God identify Himself as “I AM:” “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14, which Jesus Christ repeats and claims for Himself in John 8:58.  There is no question what Jesus Christ was claiming for the Jews immediately picked up stones to murder Him:

“ So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.” John 6:57-59.

“The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend,” it declares in Exodus 33:11.  There is no wiggle room here — “face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” This is no allegory — the Lord God spoke to Moses face to face like we would speak to a friend.

How is this possible if the Father is invisible? And if “no man has seen God?”

The answer is logical and simple: Jesus Christ is the Lord, and God, and the Creator, and the Almighty. Jesus Chris is the Creator — the primary attribute of God — and is the exact image of good and bears in his body the fullness of Diety.

Jacob also saw God’s face because He had a wrestling match (and lost) to Him.: “So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”  Genesis 32:30.

Who was this? Jesus Christ, pre-Incarnation. This is the Lord.

Abraham physically saw “the Lord” and spoke with Him.

“The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.” Genesis 18:1-2.

This was no dream or vision — the Lord “appeared,” Abraham “looked,” and “saw.”  And when he “saw” them he hurried from his tent to meet them and bowed low — these are all physical actions, not dreams or visions or metaphors.  Who is this “Lord?”  It is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Creator, the exact image of God and the exact representation of His nature.

The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord: “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies.
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,

“Woe to me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.”

 Isaiah 6:1-5

Who is this Lord of armies?  It is Jesus Christ who had at his finger tips command of twelve legions of holy angels (Matthew 26:53) and who is captain of the Lord’s armies the Joshua physically saw and spoke with:

1Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” And the captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15).

That the Lord used the same words with Joshua  — “remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy” — illustrating his identity as the same One who gave the same command to Moses in the burning bush of Exodus 3. This was a physical seeing, not an apparition or vision or dream incorporating the necessity to remove one’s shoes.

Now, many people do not recognize Jesus Christ being “one with the Father”(John 10:30) and this is even a problem in the Church.   When one hears of a man who died and Resurrected, one may not expect the Almighty. And yet clearly Jesus Christ is the Almighty and One with the Father.

Christians who struggle with this need to meditate on John 14:7-10

Jesus said:  “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet [f]you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works.

When you read the Prophets of old, the “Lord” refers to Jesus Christ, pre-Incarnation.

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the source and purpose of all things.  He is the Almighty.  He is One with the Father.  Those who come to Jesus Christ come to the Father.  The world needs to know this.

All who deny that Jesus is the Christ are liars and are the anti-Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son are liars and are the antichrist.   Anyone who treats those people as brothers shares in their wicked works. (2 John 1:9-11)

Blasphemy

Blasphemy is slander and lies about the Almighty, which means about Jesus Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Anyone who dishonors the Son dishonors the Father. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father.  Anyone who honors the Son honors the Father.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6). This is not theological rigidity any more than stating that 2 plus 2 equals 4 can be condemned as arithmetical rigidity — it is simply what is true in all universes, at all times. for all people.

Any allowance by the Christian Church to define Jesus Christ as less the fully God is a lie and a slander, and thus blasphemy.

Jesus Christ is God, the Creator, and the only begotten Son of the Father. That is our declaration, our faith, and the truth we have the honor of declaring.