Who Jesus is

An early picture of Jesus

The Son of God

Before our universe was created God and His only son, Jesus, existed. Just as a fish can't comprehend the world of humans who live outside the fish tank, so we have difficulty grasping the concept of God before He created our universe. Just because we don't understand something, though, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, or couldn't have happened.

During the time of the Roman Empire God sent His son to live amongst us. Jesus experienced His 33 year life on earth as a human being, though He was still the son of God.

Some people have a problem with the fact that Jesus is said to have performed miracles. Anything that breaks the laws of science or flies in the face of statistical probability simply can't be true, they say. The miracles which He became so well known for were intended as a powerful way of demonstrating that He actually was the son of God, able to do things only the Creator could do. Of course, given His compassionate nature, the miracles usually helped people in need at the same time. Should we really be surprised that the God who designed the universe and defined the laws of physics and chemistry was able to perform the occasional miracle through His son? Just because 21st Century science can't begin to explain miracles doesn't prove they didn't happen. There is a tendency in science to assume that our current understanding of nature is pretty close to the truth. But they thought that way 200 years ago before radio waves were discovered, or electricity was understood. Science is still in its infancy.

God in Human Form

Although He was the son of God, Jesus was miraculously conceived within an ordinary woman, the Virgin Mary. He was born a human baby, grew up as a child in a normal family environment, probably learnt carpentry from His dad, Joseph, and was about 30 years old when He started His mission to bring salvation to the world.

The crowds thought Jesus was wonderful, though some of the politicians / religious leaders of the time perceived Him as a threat, so much so that they contrived to have Him executed.

Jesus was a good public speaker, a quick thinker, intelligent, kind, compassionate and honest. He knew when people were trying to trap Him with words and He responded with a skill that left His enemies dumbfounded. He experienced our emotions of happiness, misery, love, disappointment, wonder, fear and frustration. His close followers consisted of men, and, unusually for those times, women. There is no record in the Bible of Him ever being married.

Our Role Model

Jesus treated His fellow human beings with the kindness and respect they deserved, regardless of their status. He even forgave His deadly enemies. His golden rule was to do to others what you'd like them to do to you. He expects His followers to do their best to do the same. He urges us to be forgiving when we ourselves are treated badly, but to strive for justice when other people are wronged. He says that when we die and are judged, He will treat us the way we treated others during our lifetime. People who went through life being helpful, giving others the benefit of the doubt and being understanding can expect a different kind of judgment compared with those who were bullies, were selfish and were cruel. That's fair, isn't it?

The Way to Heaven

The verse in the Bible which many consider to be at the heart of Christianity is "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3,16). It's not too hard to grasp the idea that this life isn't the best there is. God wants us one day to have an ideal life in heaven, the free gift He gives to everyone who chooses Jesus.

When we die, as everyone must, we are all judged by Jesus. He decides who goes to heaven and who perishes. During His time on earth He described this as being like a farmer separating the wheat grains from the chaff. The valuable wheat is kept and the chaff is destroyed.

People of whatever religion are all judged by Jesus. As promised in the John 3,16 verse, all true believers automatically go to heaven because Jesus is their Saviour. People of other religions are a "law unto themselves" and are judged by how they behaved towards other people and whether they followed their God-given consciences. Jesus said that only one sin could not be forgiven and that was "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is the force here on earth which helps us to behave like good Christians. Perhaps blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would include trying to wreck Christianity, or the act of trying to destroy the faith of a believer, luring them away from the promise of heaven.

Jesus said that hell exists. He also said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was the unforgivable sin. Putting these two facts together spells very bad news for militant atheists and jihadists.

The One who showed that Death Is Not the End

If we really live in a Godless world, or if Jesus were a deceitful liar, then we could discount the idea that there is a better life ahead of us. The alternative idea is that we humans are no more than machines which break down completely when we die. It's an obvious fact that when someone has breathed their last, all that is left is a lifeless corpse. But is a human being more than just flesh and bones? Isn't it fairly obvious that every person has a spirit, a personality, a soul? When the physical body has gone, what is left? Are we saying that a person who is trapped inside a severely disabled body has no spirit? It is relatively easy to kill the body, but what about the soul? How could we set about killing that? Perhaps we are not simply machines that cease to function when we die.

If someone returned from death and confirmed that eternal life really does exist, would we believe them? Obviously a cynical person wouldn't, but what about an open-minded person, or a trusting person? If we saw a dear friend die, we would be dismayed and grief-stricken. But how would we feel about death if a couple of days after they'd been buried they came, large as life, into the room where we were eating? Suppose they then had a long conversation with us and asked if they might share our meal? According to various people who knew Jesus, in His case this is what happened.

When Jesus, who three days earlier had been crucified and buried, met with some of His disciples they were simultaneously astonished and overjoyed. When they told the other disciples what had happened, not surprisingly they were met with ridicule. This incredulity steadily vanished as more and more of them met Him during the following days. "Doubting" Thomas was the last to see Him, but after he saw the recent gaping wounds in Jesus' hands and feet, he too believed.

As would be expected, the people who had seen the risen Christ became transformed characters. After having been given such a visual proof that death isn't the end, their timidity and fear were replaced by great confidence and the enthusiatic desire to share the "Good News" (the Gospel) with the rest of the world. The New Testament is the result of this new-found purpose.

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