Who Is Jesus Christ

Human beings have an innate desire to search for answers regarding the deeper questions of life in the effort to shape a consistent worldview. The questions about Jesus Christ are the most important questions one can ask, because what an individual believes regarding the historicity, person, and work of Jesus Christ will have eternal ramifications. He promised that if we would only "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). It is necessary for each person to openly search if one is to ever find the answers.

I. Historicity

Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically due to the vast number of New Testament (NT) manuscripts available, as well as certain non-Biblical references that have persevered through the centuries. Any piece of ancient work that has survived to the present day is called a manuscript, and there are by far more Biblical manuscripts that have endured than any other work from antiquity. Most ancient writings have at best about a dozen manuscripts, but there are approximately 25,000 NT manuscripts written in various languages, which has enabled scholars to thoroughly cross-check them for accuracy. Comparatively, the second most are those of Homer’s Iliad at 1,827 with approximately 500 years between the first copy and the original. Almost all Biblical scholars concur that the NT writings were completed before the 2nd Century within approximately a 70-year timespan after the death of Christ and all properly describe 1st Century Middle Eastern culture and geography. Many of the writers were even eyewitnesses to the actual person of Jesus Christ and the events surrounding His life, death, and resurrection. The apostle John proclaimed, “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us and truly, our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). The NT evidence is primarily the 4 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the book of Acts, and the epistles to the churches. Once written by the authors, the accounts were very meticulously copied by scribes whose living depended upon their competency and accuracy. The copies were then disseminated throughout the Mediterranean area where the teachings quickly spread. Archaeologists have compared the numerous NT manuscripts that were copied and have astonishingly found them to be 99.5% textually pure, with only a half percent of any textual variation.

Additionally, the less time between the event and the writing would make the recorded details more precise and prevent corruption from taking place. The book of Acts is a history book of the early church, but it does not record the death of Peter which happened around 64 AD, the death of Paul which occurred around 68 AD, or the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which transpired in 70 AD, all of which would have been of utmost importance to the early Christians. One can reasonably infer that Acts does not record such important events because it was written before 64 AD. Luke, being the author, wrote his Gospel before the book of Acts. Matthew was written before Luke, and Mark was written even earlier than Matthew. Jesus was crucified in approximately 33 AD, so the first Gospels could have conceivably been written within 10-15 years of Christ’s death. Paul wrote many of the epistles within 20-25 years after Christ’s death and certainly knew that He was a real person. Paul was a devout Pharisee who intensely persecuted Christians even unto death. Something profound must have happened for him to completely change the beliefs he fervently held and suffer the harassment, beatings (almost to death), scourgings, and incarceration. The most likely event was that Jesus appeared to him after His death and resurrection, just as Paul claimed. He was confronted and struck with blindness on the road to Damascus where “he said, who are you Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5).

Although the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the Bible being God’s word, as well as being an accurate and trustworthy historical document, some are still reluctant to believe it unless there are non-Biblical sources that prove the historicity of Jesus Christ. The early Christian writers were not the only ones to have spoken about Jesus. Jewish and Roman historians also provide detailed evidence within decades of His lifetime. Flavius Josephus was an aristocratic Jewish priest and military commander in Galilee, who was imprisoned during the Jewish revolt of 66 AD by the Roman commander Vespasian. Josephus was later set free by Vespasian after he became emperor, but Flavius remained in Rome where he wrote a voluminous historiographical work about the Jewish people called Judean Antiquities in 93 AD. Jesus Christ is referenced as a historical person twice in the manuscripts of Judean Antiquities and has become known as the Testimonium Flavianum. The first reference to Jesus in the Greek version of Antiquities 18:63-64 has been disputed by some scholars due to possible Christian interpolation into the text; however, there is no proof that such insertions ever took place. The Arabic version is less disputed because it appears to have been written from a more Jewish perspective. Regardless, the core of both versions mention Jesus as a historical figure, who had many followers, died through crucifixion, but then was reported to be alive which confirms the Gospel accounts and acknowledges the Christian belief in the resurrection within 60 years of the event. The following quote is from the Arabic manuscripts with the disputed text from the Greek manuscripts in parentheses.

Antiquities 18:63-64 reads:

At this time, there was a wise man who was called Jesus (if indeed one ought to call him a man). And his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. (He was the Messiah) Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them (on the third day) after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.

The quote from Antiquities 20:200 has not been disputed because it shows no possible tampering with the text and it is present in all manuscripts. The entry mentions the death of Jesus Christ’s brother James, under the direction of the Jewish High Priest Ananus. James was a common name during the time of the writing and Josephus wrote about several men named James, so he needed to specify who he meant by associating him with his famous brother. The extraneous reference to Jesus would be senseless if he wasn’t an actual person. The entry does not even deal primarily with the death of James, but with the removal of Ananus as High Priest.

Antiquities 20:200 states:

Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king (Agrippa), desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a Sanhedrin without his consent. Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which King Agrippa took the high priesthood from him.

Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman senator who was known to be an ethnographer as well as one of the best Roman historians. Tacitus wrote his major work entitled Annals in 116 AD, and it included a biography of the Roman Emperor Nero who was suspected of secretly burning a part of the city so that a building project could take place. Nero tried to shift blame for the fire to the Christian minority.

Annals Book 15 says:

Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.

The manuscripts clearly corroborate certain historical details regarding Jesus. Tacitus refers to Jesus as “Christus”, although he mistakenly took it for a personal name rather than a title, and relates the name with beginning of the Christian movement. The text also cites the crucifixion as the “extreme penalty” to have occurred during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of Pontius Pilate, and then goes on to mention a “mischievous superstition” probably in reference to the belief in the resurrection.

The fact is that there is no evidence from antiquity that the existence of Jesus was ever denied by those in opposition to Christianity or otherwise. Even other belief systems that originated in the Middle East, such as Judaism and Islam, confirm His existence. The issue then becomes what one believes about the person of Jesus Christ. The abundant historical references leave little doubt that He lived and died, but the more interesting consideration is if He died and lived.

II. Person

The renowned author C.S. Lewis wrote in his book Mere Christianity that “either this man (Jesus Christ) was, and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse”. The point that Lewis was making is that there cannot be any neutrality regarding the person of Jesus Christ because He did not leave it open to interpretation. The recorded claims and miracles of Jesus clearly indicated His deity. The Son of God was a title used to convey His preeminence, holiness, and relationship to the Father. It is important to have a foundational understanding that God exists as a Godhead, in the 3 separate persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but as one unified God. The idea of the Godhead might be difficult for our finite minds to completely comprehend, but a simplistic way to grasp the concept might be to consider a human being that is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Every person is endowed with a spirit (personality), mind (will), and heart (emotions) that are all separate in design and purpose, yet function in total unity within one body. Jesus Himself quoted Old Testament scripture when He said, "hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). The term God can be used in reference to the totality of the Godhead or to ascribe the divine nature to each person. As the Son, Jesus Christ is God and possesses all divinity; “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

No other person in the scriptures called themselves the Son of God. Although Christians are called sons and daughters of God, there is only One who is called the Son of God. Jewish leaders knew exactly what He meant by claiming to be the Son of God and as a result "the Jews sought to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). He was later threatened by another group that said, "for a good work we stone you not, but for blasphemy, and because you being a man make yourself God” (John 10:33). However, the people would not succeed in Jesus’ death until He would actually allow it. He proclaimed, “no man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again” (John 10:18). Aside from the disciples, Jesus was also recognized as the Son of God by many others including John the Baptist who "saw and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34); a Roman centurion and those who were with him at the crucifixion that “saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54); angels speaking to His mother that told her, "the holy child that will be born of you will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35); and demons "when they saw Him, fell down before Him, and cried saying, you are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11). He even called Himself the revealed name of God as spoken to Moses approximately 1,475 years earlier at the burning bush. It’s recorded in Exodus 3:14, “God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, you will say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you” and John wrote, “Jesus said unto them, truly, truly, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).

He also claimed attributes that God alone possesses such as existing in glory before the creation of the universe when He prayed, “Father, glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). He claimed to have come from Heaven by stating, “you are from beneath, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this world” (John 8:23). He even professed omnipotence by saying, “all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Furthermore, Jesus spoke specifically of the power to forgive sins when He testified " but that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins; then He said to the paralytic arise, take up your bed and go unto your house” (Matthew 9:6); the power to exercise judgement over mankind when He stated that "the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgement unto the Son” (John 5:22); and the power to give eternal life as recorded in John 10:27-28, “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life, and they will never perish, neither will any man pluck them out of my hand”.

Christ’s power was further expressed through the 40 different miracles recorded in the NT, and He even performed many more that were not recorded. As John 20:30-31 says, “many other signs Jesus truly did in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book: but these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name”. A miracle is an extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause. Many miracles were performed by God through the prophets of the OT, but the miracles of Jesus were distinct because they authenticated His divinity. The supernatural acts of power and compassion captivated many and opened them up to the message of salvation. Christ showed that He had the power over nature when "He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased and there was calm” (Luke 8:24); power over healing as "He said unto them, go show yourselves unto the priests, and it came to pass that as they went they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14); power over the spirit realm during the time He rebuked a demoniac "saying, hold your peace and come out of him, and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him” (Mark 1:25-26); and power over death when "He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth, and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face bound with a covering” (John 11:43-44). Even the worst enemies of Jesus at the time admitted to the power of His miracles when they "gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees to council and said, what are we to do, for this man does many miracles and if we leave Him alone, all men will believe in Him” (John11:47-48).

Claiming to be the Son of God conferred upon Jesus the role of Messiah or Savior as well, which is a fact that He acknowledged at different times. After being questioned, one of the disciples "Simon Peter answered Him and said, you are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God: and Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed are you Simon Barjona because flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:16-17). During another encounter a "woman said unto Him, I know that the Messiah comes, which is called Christ, and when He is come He will tell us all things: Jesus said unto her, I that speak to you, am He” (John 4:25-26). Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah was worthy to receive worship. The Bible clearly indicates that God alone is to be worshipped in Exodus 34:14 that states, “for you will worship no other God: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”. There are recorded instances where people attempted to worship the apostles such as when "Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him: but Peter took him up, saying, stand up, I myself am also a man” (Acts 10:25-26); and attempted to worship angels as mentioned in Revelation 22:8-9, “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things, then he said unto me, see that you do not do that for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God”. Each time the person was warned against misplaced glorification. However, there are multiple examples where Jesus received adoration without refusing those involved. For example, when He met His followers "they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him” (Matthew 28:9); and a blind man that Jesus healed "said, Lord I believe, and worshipped Him” (John 9:38). Even the angels exalt Him when the Father "says, and let all the angels of God worship Him” (Hebrews 1:6).

Additionally, Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man, which He used more than any other title as an expression of His relation to humanity. One of those instances is revealed when He prophesied "the Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of men: and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised again” (Matthew 17:22-23). The voluntary act of the Son in which He assumed a human body is called the incarnation from the Latin word incaro, which literally means clothed in flesh. The greatest event in human history is that God in the person of His Son would choose to identify Himself with the human race making Him completely human and completely divine. "The birth of Jesus Christ took place this way: when as His mother was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). The incarnation is beyond natural comprehension and can only be made known by divine revelation to those who are illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Paul explained, "without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness that God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). It’s important to understand that God did not physically mate with Mary as humans would, but she was “overshadowed” by His power as mentioned earlier in the verse of Luke 1:35. Mary remained a virgin and fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 that disclosed, “the Lord Himself will give you a sign, behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and will call His name Immanuel (God with us)”. The incarnation where the Son of God became flesh is distinct from the virgin birth which is the method He chose to accomplish that purpose. Although the two events are different from each other, they are closely related and supportive of each other. Jesus Christ was virgin born so that He could assume the flesh of man without inheriting the sinful nature that every fallen child of Adam possesses, "for He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The following passage places it all in perspective

Philippians 2:5-9

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped onto: 7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.”

Jesus Christ before the incarnation was “in the form of God” because He had the very nature of God and existed as part of the Godhead from the very beginning, as mentioned earlier in the verse of Colossians 2:9. Although essential deity and equality with God could never cease to be, He did not “grasp onto” His position from eternity past, so “He made Himself of no reputation” by choosing not to leave His divinity, but to leave His heavenly position of glory to become a man. In a voluntary act of unparalleled love, He took the “form of a servant” to reveal Himself as one desiring to serve humanity, and made Himself “in the likeness of men” to relate to His creation in an intimate way that would not have been possible otherwise. “For we do not have a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but in all things, was tempted like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was “found in fashion as a man” as He associated with contemporaries, manifesting to all that He was a real man, while remaining perfect in every way. “He humbled Himself” by completely surrendering to the will of God the Father. Greater humility has never been expressed because it was true humiliation for the omnipotent Creator to be born as flesh and placed in subjection to His creation. “He became obedient unto death” and chose the cruel “death of the cross” to die as a criminal, even though He was innocent, so that through His sacrifice all humanity could be saved. The obedience of the first Adam would have been unto life, but his disobedience was unto death; the second Adam’s obedience unto death was to deliver all the disobedient unto life. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ will all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus as the Son of God was already “highly exalted” with a name “above every other name”, but His perfect sacrifice made Him the only way to receive redemption. Acts 4:12 proclaims, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.

III. Work

Sin is any immoral act considered to be a violation of divine law. Sin entered the world through disobedience against God in the beginning due to the actions of the first man and woman, which physically corrupted the human bloodline and spiritually separated humans from fellowship with our Creator. The moral law given by God from the beginning fully expressed the righteous nature of His being and as a just God, He not only rewards uprightness, but punishes transgression. The rebellion of sin is an insult to God’s holiness and He declares all such behavior and attitude to be worthy of death, which is both a physical death because it is the eventual separation of the soul from the body, and a spiritual death because it is the separation of the whole man from God in eternal torment. It’s written in Romans 5:12, “therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; so, death passed upon all men for all have sinned”. God never became the enemy of man, but man became the enemy of God because of unrighteousness. To commit sin means to miss the mark in the standard of perfect obedience established by God, so it’s clear that mankind is guilty in varying degrees "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, God is not just completely righteous, but also completely loving as the embodiment of pure love "for God is love” (1 John 4:8). He provides an escape from condemnation and death through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is not possible for a person to atone for their sin as the one who carries that sin. The penalty had to be paid by the One who knew no sin so the justice of God could be fully satisfied. God did not placate Himself or appease any anger against mankind through the sacrifice of His Son because His love for human beings and desire for fellowship never changed. The purpose of blessing man with salvation and the accompanying peace through a relationship with Him was God’s plan from the beginning, but sin was an obstacle that needed to be overcome. 2 Timothy 1:9 affirms that God saves "not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”. Jesus Christ is an infinite being and His sacrifice is of infinite worth.

The word atonement written in Hebrew would be kaphar, which literally means to cover. A constant covering of trespasses was needed for mankind during the period of time before Christ’s death. The first indirect Biblical reference to atonement occurs when “unto Adam and His wife did the LORD God make coats of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21) to provide cover for Adam and Eve after they became aware of their sin and nakedness through their rebellion. As God gradually revealed Himself to man, He introduced the substitutionary sacrificial system of animals during the time of Moses and the great exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. The system of sacrifice was a means of grace whereby reparations were made for a person’s sins without paying with his or her life and the broken relationship between God and humanity could be restored. Each sacrifice showed the seriousness of sin because it was a life for a life and the blood sprinkled upon the altar represented the innocence of the sacrificed animal taking the place of the person making the offering. However, the sacrifices were never completely adequate; it would only cover sins instead of removing them because "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The entire system pointed directly to the only sacrifice that could completely remove all transgressions, which would take place centuries later when the sinless Son of God would choose to pay the penalty for the sin of mankind and secure salvation for all who believe because only He is "the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The lamb was the animal used most often for sacrifice and it became a symbol of deliverance and forgiveness.

A lamb was sacrificed annually during the Feast of Passover and twice daily at the temple in ancient Israel. Passover was a Holy Day that God told His people to observe in remembrance of their divine deliverance from the bondage of Egypt and in commemoration of the destroyer who killed all the first born Egyptian children, but passed over the homes of the Israelites and allowed their children to live as a result of lamb’s blood upon the doorposts. As it’s accounted in Exodus 12:27, “you will say, it is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our houses”. The blood struck on the “lintel and on the two side posts” (Exodus 12:23) formed the shape of a cross and represented the blood Jesus Christ would later shed at His crucifixion for the deliverance from sin. The two daily sacrifices were sin offerings performed by the Levitical priesthood for the forgiveness of the people. The Levites were directed to "offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first-year day by day continually; the one lamb you will offer in the morning and the other lamb you will offer in the evening” (Exodus 29:38-39). The offerings took place at the temple during the hours of prayer at the 3rd hour and the 9th hour. Daytime as mentioned in the Bible was the 12 hours of 6am to 6 pm, and was described as the 1st hour being 6am, and the 12th hour being 6pm. Jesus once mentioned, "are there not 12 hours in a day” (John 11:9). It’s no coincidence that Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God died at the time of the evening sacrifice as it's recorded in Mark 15 verses 34 and 37, “and the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which is being interpreted, my God, my God, why have You forsaken me......and Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up His spirit”; and on the day of Passover after He had eaten the Passover meal with His disciples where "He said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

The atoning death of Jesus Christ is transcendently meaningful, but without the resurrection it loses all power. 1 Corinthians 15:17 proclaims, “if Christ was not raised, your faith is in vain and you are yet in your sins”. By resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God proved His absolute sovereignty over life and death because only He who gives life can restore it once it is dead. Jesus even prophesied His resurrection many times, even though His disciples did not fully comprehend it until after the event. One occurrence happened when He was with three of the disciples "and as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision (Transfiguration) to no man until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead” (Matthew 17:9). It was through His death that He claimed the victory over evil, and through His resurrection that He demonstrated the immeasurable power that is to be manifested in the establishment of His righteous kingdom on Earth. There is nothing more preeminent in human history than Christ’s death and resurrection. The resurrection established the atonement to be the sacrifice of sufficient value to remove all sin as Jesus Christ was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

The justification resulting from the resurrection has made a way for every person to possess newness of life, because without it we would be stuck in an unchanging cycle of sin and forgiveness. Jesus “was delivered for our offences and was raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Guilt, shame, and condemnation are the natural result when one tries to measure up to God’s perfect moral law, but because of the finished work of Christ every chain of bondage is broken. “If the Son therefore will make you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). The Son of God has liberated every person from the slavery of sin by His death, and through His return to life has restored the most important privileges that were lost because of sin. Faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done is the only way for one to be justified because it is the only way in which God can justify and be just at the same time. Not only are all transgressions forgiven, but they can be removed from each person as if the sins were never even committed. The assurance is given to every believer that "sin will not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). It is only through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that God can credit the righteousness of His Son to our account.

Death has been the enemy of mankind from the beginning and Christ rose from the dead to triumph over it and win the victory for all who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 exclaims, “oh death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory; the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. He literally rose from the grave in a bodily resurrection, was recognizable to those who knew Him before the crucifixion, and still bore the wounds of His torment, refuting the idea that they merely saw an apparition or spirit. He even told His followers, "behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have” (Luke 24:39). His return to life was attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses, providing further evidence that He is the Son of God. Paul communicated "that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, after that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:5-6). The power displayed through Christ nurtures and sustains hope for a believer because the promise has been given that if He rose again, so will the one who believes in Him. Jesus asserted, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet will he live” (John 11:25) and with that utterance claimed to be the source of both power and life.

His physical death and bodily resurrection are the cornerstone of redemption not just for mankind, but for all creation because "the whole of creation groans and travails in pain together" (Romans 8:22). The expectation is not of disembodied spirits in the kingdom to come, but redeemed spirits, in a redeemed body, existing in a redeemed world. God’s plan is not to discard His original creation, but to take the fallen and corrupted nature and restore it to His original design. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:53). A follower must inevitably arrive at the condition of their master and it's indicated that "if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5). Jesus Christ does more than give life, He is life because death has no power over Him and He leads the way in life after death, so He offers it to all who have faith. Apart from Christ there is no resurrection and no eternal life. “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). Furthermore, the fact that He is alive today means that "He is also able to save them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to makes intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Jesus walked the earth and “showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3) to prove the reality of His return to life and it changed the lives of those who saw Him so much that they were later willing to die to spread the good news. There was much that Christ’s disciples could not comprehend about His work and ministry until after His death and resurrection. He used the forty days to give His followers final directions and purpose as well. He told them, "you will receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). After Jesus had given His instructions and told His people what to expect, He ascended into heaven being “taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). His ascension was the introduction of a new phase in His work and ministry. It displayed the certainty of the coming kingdom, and serves as a connection between the work of salvation and sanctification because Jesus Christ now intercedes for His people "at the right hand of God" (Romans 8:34) as one who sympathizes with human weakness.

Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension are the keys to all of His present work as well as the consummation of the divine plan in the prophetic future. The guarantee was spoken by two angels present at the ascension that He will return just as He departed. Luke recorded, “this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, will also come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). At the end of the age, Christ will return as a conquering king to establish His eternal kingdom of righteousness, “and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16). His return was also prophesied numerous times in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His first appearance. For instance, Daniel foretold that there will be "given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and His kingdom will not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14). The kingdom that will be installed will be one of justice because Jesus will return not only as a conquering king, but as the righteous judge of humanity “to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:15).

The people on the earth will be judged concerning their relationship to Christ and those considered worthy will enter His kingdom while others will be purged out. It’s written that "before Him will be gathered all nations and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). Jesus further clarified the point as He said, "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you will see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” (Luke 13:28). The time of the end will only arrive at a time appointed by the Father because "of that day and that hour no man knows, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). However, a hint is given that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached unto all nations and then will the end come” (Matthew 24:14). As Christ’s followers continue to spread the good news about what He has done and what He continues to do for His people, it will hasten His return to this earth. However, that very return has been delayed for the profound purpose of mercifully saving more people. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Jesus Christ is the most influential and polarizing figure in human history. Some have discerned the intrinsic level of love, grace, and truth in His teachings and the events surrounding His life, death, and resurrection. Others have chosen to reject who He is and what He has done, but there can be no middle ground. The author Josh McDowell writes, “The evidence of His life and teachings demand a verdict: He is either Lord of all……or He is not Lord at all”. It is true that a crucified Savior dying for the real sins of real people is not popular, because it forces us to be humble and face the darkness of our own souls, but it’s absolutely overwhelming that the Creator who imposed the death sentence upon the world because of that sin is also the very One who made the choice to die the most excruciating death imaginable to pay the penalty. No greater act of love has ever taken place and there never will be.

“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.”

John 3:16