Who is Jesus?
Jesus has been acclaimed as the greatest religious leader who ever lived, as being the most influential person to have lived on our planet, and as being unique to the degree that no one can be compared to Him.
But considering Jesus Christ merely on the basis of an exemplary life and His superior moral teaching will not remove the stumbling blocks to Christianity raised by an unbelieving world. The real test of what one thinks of Him must revolve around who He claimed to be and what He accomplished during His brief mission to our planet. Our conclusion must be that there is no Christianity without Christ; all centers in Him.
The predominant theme of the Scriptures is the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. He is God. He became a human being, died by crucifixion, and was buried. He rose again from the dead. He is the only, all-sufficient Savior of the world. He will come again to this earth. Removing this from the Scriptures robs them of all coherent meaning and continuity.
Jesus Christ is God:
Deity is the only explanation for all that He was and all that He did.
He was pre-existent with the Father.
He is the Son of God.
He was sinless, as only God can be.
He forgives sin, as only God can.
He performed miraculous works.
Jesus Christ Became Man:
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, KJV).
His miraculous birth was prophesied 800 years before His coming.
The prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.
Jesus demonstrated human characteristics.
Jesus Christ Accomplished the Works of His Father:
He died on the Cross. This is the fundamental theme of the Gospel.
He was resurrected from the dead: This is unique and fundamental to Christianity.
The Results of His Work:
He ascended to His Father.
He is our eternal Mediator.
He is our Savior.
The Consummation of His Work:
He shall return again to this earth.
Believers in Christ shall be bodily resurrected to begin a new, undying life.
He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords over His new creation.
The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook (Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1984), pp. 152-154
Baptism
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38