The Lord Jesus Christ

WE BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune Godhead, who was and is the eternal Son of God; that He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary.

WE BELIEVE in His sinless life, miraculous ministry, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, glorious ascension, and abiding intercession – Isaiah. 7:14; Matt 1:23; Heb. 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; Acts 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb 9:12; Luke 24:39; 1 Cor. 15:4; Acts 1:9; Eph. 4:9-10; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:23.

Introduction

The understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, is an essential element in Christianity, mainly because it is through faith in Christ that we are saved. A distortion of this doctrine can jeopardise salvation because faith is placed in the wrong person. Consequently, the majority of cults have distorted this Bible teaching of who the Lord Jesus Christ really is.

1.        He is the second person of the Triune Godhead.

a. He was not a created being but is eternally existent.
John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.” (Note John 1:14 tells us that the Word is Jesus Christ).
b. There was never a time that the Father and Son were not together.
John 1:2, “He was in the beginning with God”.
c. Jesus is not a lesser god but of one substance and equal with the Father. Col 2:9; “For in Him, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

2.        The eternal Son of God.

a. Jesus is called the only begotten Son of God.

b. John 1:18, “…The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

c. Begotten, means sole child, only one of a kind. Begotten does not refer to His conception but to His uniqueness.

d. Jesus affirms the fact that He is eternal.
Revelation 1:8; “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

3.        The birth of Christ.

a. Jesus willingly left His domain in the form of God and took on the form of a man. Phil 2:6, “…who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of man.”

b. He was not conceived by man but through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:20, “…for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

c. Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin when Jesus was born.
Matthew 1:23, “Behold a virgin shall be with child and bear a Son and they shall call His name Emmanuel which is translated – God with us.”

4.        His humanity.

a. Jesus was not only divine, He was also human. However, it must be noted that His divine nature and human nature coexisted in the one body. 1 John 4:2, “Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is of God.”

b. Even though He was the Son of Man and lived on earth in human form and was exposed to the temptations that every human is exposed to, He did not sin. He led a totally sinless existence. Hebrew 4:15, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

5.        His miraculous ministry.

a. Jesus’ public ministry was accompanied by miraculous signs.

John 2:12, “This beginning of signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory and His disciples believed in Him.”
Jesus affirms He is the Christ by the miracles He performed.
Matthew 11:3-5, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.'”

6.        The death of Christ.

a. Jesus came to give up His life and to save the lives of mankind. He came to die so believers may have eternal life through His death.

Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

b. Jesus literally died on the Cross when His spirit separated from His body and He stopped breathing. Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend My spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last.”

7.        The resurrection of Christ.

a. Jesus died but on the third day He rose from the dead. 1 Cor 15:3-4, “…Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.“

b. The resurrection of Christ was not only spiritual but also physical. He had a physical body. Luke 24:39, “Behold my hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Handle me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones you can see I have.”

c. The resurrected Christ was seen by over five hundred people. He was not a figment of someone’s imagination but the victorious Saviour who was alive and had conquered death. 1 Cor 15:3-6, “…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once.”

8.        Ascension of Christ.

Jesus, in His physical body, ascended into heaven. Mark 16:19, “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”

9. His abiding intercession.

Jesus continues His work in heaven on the believers behalf. He has not separated Himself from us but is constantly interceding for us. We have an understanding, merciful and faithful Saviour in heaven.

Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He ever lives to make intercession for them.”

Conclusion

Paul said in Galatians 1:7, “…There are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” A good acid test of any belief system is how it matches up with the above. A correct Christology is essential to good theology.

Once we have discovered the “pearl of great price, the altogether lovely One”, Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, the only thing left for us to do is:

BOW OUR KNEE AND LET OUR TONGUE CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD!!!

Teaching Copyright (C) 1999 John Iuliano (MA Min). All rights reserved. Published here with permission.