Who Was He?

The good news is that God personally provided a solution in the person Jesus Christ!

This is the central theme of the entire Bible. He is the only possible solution to our predicament basically for two reasons. First of all, because of who He was, and second because of what He did.

Let's start with who He was. There is one other major aspect that the Bible makes clear about Jesus Christ. He was GOD IN THE FLESH. According to the New Testament, He is the very one who created the whole world. Colossians 1:15-17 says "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

At a point and time in history, God became a man. Colossians 2:9 says "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

Here are a few of Christ's credentials that help validate this important fact.

First of all, Jesus repeatedly CLAIMED publicly that He was God. In John 10:30 He said "I and the Father are one." This was the reason the Jews wanted to kill Him, because they said it was blasphemy that He claimed to be God. John 10:33 says '"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."'

He also performed MIRACLES in broad daylight so all could see His power and believe He was God. In John 14:11, Jesus says "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."

Third, He lived a SINLESS LIFE. Not even His enemies, no matter how hard they tried, could come up with any valid accusations against Him. In John 8:46, Jesus says "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?" Those who spent the most time with Him later recorded that they could find no fault in Him.

Another convincing proof was the fulfillment of the numerous Old Testament PROPHECIES, or predictions concerning Him. After Jesus died on the cross, then rose from the dead, He spent some time with His followers. Luke 24:27 says "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Over 60 major prophecies were given in regards to the coming of the Christ, and Jesus fulfilled every one of them. These were all given for the the purpose of validating His identity as God in the flesh.

And as if that wasn't enough, He foretold many times both His death and RESURRECTION back to life as the final proof of His identity. In John 2:18-22, we see the Jews demanding that Jesus perform a miracle to prove his authority. "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy the temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'" The Jews thought He was talking about the actual temple but John clarified that Jesus was talking about His bodily resurrection.

And sure enough, it happened just as He had repeatedly claimed. Even though there was a special guard on His tomb, on the third day He rose from the dead and appeared to hundreds of people over the next forty days.