[This probably should have been my first post, but anyway… This is a simple post on Jesus. I took what the Westminster Confession of Faith said about Him and broke it down. Hope this is helpful!]
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
– John 11:25-27
“It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of His Church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the world: unto whom He did from all eternity give a people, to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.” – Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VIII
Who is Jesus of Nazareth? According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, Jesus is many things. Lets break down this great confession and look at Scripture to tell us about the person of Jesus.
Jesus is Lord:
“…You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” – Acts 10:36
Jesus is the Son of God:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
Jesus is our Mediator:
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5
Jesus is the Prophet:
“For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.” – Acts 3:22
Jesus is the High Priest:
“In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”” – Hebrews 5:5,6
Jesus is King:
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” – Luke 1:32,33
Jesus is the Head and Savior of His Church:
“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” – Ephesians 5:23
Jesus is the Heir of all things:
“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2
Jesus is Judge:
“For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus) he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him (Jesus) from the dead.” – Acts 17:31
The Westminster Confession of Faith does a great job of explaining who Jesus is, but Jesus is much more than is mentioned in the great Confession.
Jesus is God:
“‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” – Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14
“In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” – John 1:1,14
Jesus is Man:
“…the time came for the baby to be born, and she (Mary) gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” – Luke 2:6-7
The Westminster Confession of faith gives a great definition of Jesus being both God and man:
The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God, and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man.
– Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VIII, section II
Now, that the person of Jesus has been defined the question remains: what did He do?
Jesus was born into this world as a prefect sinless man (Hebrews 2:14; 4:15). He was and is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16), who humbled himself to the image of His creation and even to point of death, death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11). He died to redeem His people Israel and to extend this redemption to the Gentiles, so that when they believe in Christ, they become part of Israel, the children of promise (Romans 9). Through Christ the mediator, believers may approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive His grace and mercy (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus is also our great High Priest who intercedes with the Father for us, so that when we make a request to God, Jesus speaks to the Father on our behalf; He is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34). King Jesus reigns forever and is Lord of all. He is also the Head and Savior of the Church, His chosen people. He will empower His church with the ability to proclaim His gospel and to advance His kingdom. Jesus is also Judge and he will Judge humankind according to what they have done.
Jesus is coming soon, if you are reading this and you don’t think you have ever accepted Jesus as your Savior, then there is no better day to do that than today. For He says,
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
– Revelation 22:12-16
Eagerly Awaiting 