JESUS
'CP' denotes 'Compare Passage'
JESUS
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning "Jehovah is salvation" (CP Mt 1:21). Jesus is also called Christ, from the Greek word christos. Meaning Messiah, anointed one of God. (For a more detailed teaching on names and titles of Jesus, see author's study Name and Titles of Jesus, in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1)).
No other man, born of woman, has left His name so indelibly imprinted on the minds of men, and been the subject of so many written words and discussions, as Jesus. Though His life, as ordinarily understood, embraces the years He spent on earth as outlined in the four gospels, which are almost entirely the source of evidence for Him, Jesus' full career spans eternity. This study examines its several aspects: His pre-existence as God; His incarnation; His earthly life, ministry, death, resurrection and His present and future ministry. It must be remembered however, that a general study such as this can touch only briefly on individual incidents and issues, so during the course of the study readers are referred to more detailed teachings by the author on related subjects.
Numerous scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments attest to the pre-existence of Jesus as God, but in the main, New Testament scriptures will be used here (CP Jn 1:1-2). This underlines the pre-existence of Jesus as God and His co-equality with the Father. The Word refers to Jesus as the revelation of God. (In the Old Testament God spoke to His people through the prophets, but in the New Testament He spoke through Jesus (CP He 1:1-2). Jesus is the supreme and definitive word or revelation of God in the New Testament (CP Jn 1:18; 1Jn 1:1-2; Rev 19:13)). The phrases in the beginning in Jn 1:1, and from the beginning in 1Jn 1:1, do not refer to the beginning of time, but to the fact that Jesus existed before there was any beginning whatsoever (CP Jn 17:5). Here Jesus refers to His pre-incarnate glory which He shared with the Father from all eternity - before the world was (CP Jn 3:13). Before He came to earth, Heaven was the pre-incarnate Jesus' home. Jesus came down from Heaven at His incarnation and went back up again at His ascension, after the resurrection (CP Mic 5:2). Here the Old Testament prophet Micah attests to Jesus' eternal pre-incarnate existence and foretells His incarnate birth in Bethlehem as Messiah.
Jesus' self-titles of Alpha and Omega "the beginning and the end" and "the first and the last", also attest to His eternal pre-existence (CP Rev 1:8, 11; 2:8; 3:14; 21:6; 22:13). Alpha signifies that Jesus is the one who brought all things into existence, which scriptures clearly teach (CP Psa 102:25-27; Jn 1:3, 10; Col 1:12-17; He 1:1-3,10; 11:3). Omega signifies that Jesus is also the one who will bring all things to their pre-determined end, which scriptures also teach (CP Isa 51:6; He 1:8-12; 2Pe 3:10-13). The fact that Jesus applied the expression Alpha and Omega to Himself is sufficient proof of His pre-existence as God and co-equality with the Father. (For more detailed teachings on this subject refer author's studies, Jesus-Eternally God, in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), Names and Titles of Jesus, God - His nature, His names, His attributes, and The Doctrine of the Trinity, in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2)).
The next aspect of Jesus' eternal existence is His incarnation - when He took on human form … and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us - the event that changed the course of the world (CP Jn 1:14). It was at His incarnation that Jesus became God's son (CP Psa 2:7 with Ac 13:33; Isa 9:6-7; He 1:5-6; 5:5). Jesus' incarnation was the mystery of Godliness Paul described in 1Ti 3:16, "… great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh …" God was Jesus (CP 1Ti3:16). The incarnation centres on the virgin birth of Jesus. This is one of the central doctrines of the Christian faith (CP Mt 1:18-25; Lu 1:26-35). Mt1:18-25 fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of the virgin birth in the Old Testament, nearly eight hundred years before the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to interpret the prophecy as applying to the virgin birth of Jesus (CP Isa 7:14). Immanuel, meaning "God with us" is further confirmation of Jesus' Deity and His co-equality with the Father from all eternity.
(It should be noted here that Mary was a virgin in the strictest sense. She had never had a sexual relationship with any man when Jesus was conceived in her womb. She wondered of the angel, Gabriel, how she, a virgin, could give birth to a baby (CP Lu 1:34-35). After Gabriel explained what God had purposed for her and how it would happen, Mary unreservedly accepted it and completely submitted herself to God's will (CP Lu 1:38, 46-49). However, it should be noted also that Mary was not a perpetual virgin as many believe. Joseph and Mary did consummate their marriage after Jesus was born (CP Mt 1:24-25). Mary had at least seven children to Joseph after she gave birth to Jesus (CP Mt 12:46-47; 13:53-56; Mk 3:20-21; 6:1-3). Friends in Mk 3:20-21 (KJV), refers to immediate family members, which is confirmed in V 31-32 (CP Mk 3:31-32; Lu 8:19-20). Many professing Christians deny the virgin birth and are thus denying the plain fact of scripture. No one can be a Christian though after the New Testament order, who rejects the virgin birth of Jesus (CP Isa 8:20; 2Jn 9-10). Christians must accept the virgin birth exactly as recorded in scripture. Although it is contrary to the course of nature, Jesus was Divinely conceived in Mary's womb by the Holy Spirit. Mary was the only virgin who ever was, or ever will be, a mother in this way).
Jesus was circumcised eight days after His birth, and as required under the Old Covenant law, when Mary's purification was complete, she and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (CP Mt 2:1-11, 13-15, 19-23; Lu 2:1-12, 16-17, 21-22, 25-32, 36-40). After this there is no record of Jesus' boyhood in scripture other than that of His trip to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph at the Feast of the Passover, when He was twelve years old (CP Lu 2:41-52). The next record of Jesus in scripture is of His baptism by John the Baptist, when He was about thirty years old (CP Mt 3:1-3, 11-17; Mk 1:1-11; Lu 3:1-6, 15-17, 21-23, Jn 1:6-9, 15, 19-34). Here, represented for the first time in scripture, are the three distinct and separate co-equal members of the Godhead of Christianity. God the Father is represented by the voice from Heaven, God the Son is Jesus and God the Holy Spirit is represented by the dove. The Spirit, like a dove, alighting upon Jesus as He came up out of the water, was a sign that He was Messiah, the anointed one predestined by God from eternity past, who was prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament. This was the sign by which God told John the Baptist that he would know Jesus (CP Isa 11:2; 42:1-4; 61:1-4 with Jn 1:32-34). This teaching of a three-in-one Godhead is called the Doctrine of the Trinity, which also is a core truth of the Christian faith and central to an understanding of Biblical revelation and the message of the gospel (see The Doctrine of the Trinity, referred to previously).
(Jesus had no need to be baptised by John. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, signifying confession of sin by those who took part in it, and commitment to a Holy life in anticipation of the coming Messiah for whom John was preparing the way (CP Mt 3:1-11). John knew that Jesus was sinless and did not need to be baptised for the remission of sins, but Jesus insisted that John baptise Him to "fulfil all righteousness" (CP Mt 3:13-15). Jesus got baptised to identify with sinners, which fulfilled Isaiah's Old Testament prophecy. "He was numbered with the transgressors" (CP Isa 53:12). Jesus was to fulfil all righteousness by bearing the curse of the law for sinners, and He took His place with sinners in John's baptism as the pledge that He was ready to go down to death for them (CP Ro 5:8-10; Ga 3:13).