Who is Jesus Christ? — Rich Kelsey

Who Is Jesus Christ? Unknown Man artwork by Rich Kelsey

Who Is Jesus Christ, A Biblical Case for the Real Jesus:

In this study we look into the Bible to answer the important question: Who is Jesus Christ?

“After the suffering of his soul, he [Jesus] will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)

Understanding that Jesus Christ,

“… will justify many,” (Isaiah 53:11)

is oftentimes the first step in our spiritual journey. Having faith in Christ’s sacrifice and finding salvation from sin, no doubt places us on a spiritual path to glory. For those of us who want to know more about Jesus, let us consider what was written about him from scripture.

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ Has a God:

■ “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (Hebrews 1:9)

■ “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

■ “… so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)

■ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort …” (2 Corinthians 1:3)

■ “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:31)

■ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

■ “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Ephesians 1:17)

■ “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” (Colossians 1:3 NASB)

■ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ …” (1 Peter 1:3)

■ “… and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” Amen” (Revelation 1:6)

Jesus Christ’s own Apostles acknowledged that Jesus, in his resurrected heavenly glory, has a God.

These are not obscure, hard to understand, or figurative references. This is the gospel message of the early church.

Jesus Christ Has a God, Continued:

■ Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” (John 20:17 NASB)

■ “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” (Revelation 3:2)

■ “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

In the last two quotes from the section above, Jesus speaks

“… of my [his] God …”

five times.

Even After Death, Jesus Christ is Distinct from God:

■ “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19)

■ “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33)

■ “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31 NASB)

■ “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55)

■ “‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'” (Acts 7:56)

■ “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)

■ “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)

■ “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12)

■ “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

■ “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place… ” (Revelation 1:1, NASB)

The Head of Christ is God:

■ “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3)

■ “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-28, NASB)

The Father Is the Only True God of Scripture:

■ “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3 NASB)

■ “… yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)

■ “… one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:6)

■ “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:20)

■ “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27 NASB)

How the Apostles Described Jesus to the Early Church:

On the Day of Pentecost, the day the New Testament Church was born, the Apostle Peter inspired by the Holy Spirit said this about Jesus:

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” (Acts 2:22-23)

The first gospel message preached by an apostle to the New Testament Church, was about God working through Jesus Christ, who Peter described as

“… a man …” (Acts 2:22)

The Apostle Peter went on to explain:

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ— this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36 NASB)

In other words: God exalted Jesus to the position of Lord:

“… a person possessing supreme power and authority …” (KJV Dictionary Definition: lord)

The Apostle Paul explained:

“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” (Romans 14:9 NASB)

What Does the Word “Christ” Mean?

The very designation

“Christ”

means

“anointed.”

On this subject, speaking of Jesus, the Bible records:

“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'” (Luke 4:17-21)

This saying of Christ marked the beginning of his ministry.

Here is the passage from the Old Testament:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor …” (Isaiah 61:1)

When we see the word LORD in all caps, it indicates that the name YHWH, which is Yahweh without the vowels was originally in the text. Yahweh is the name of God from the Old Testament.

“By early post-biblical times, the name of Yahweh had ceased to be pronounced. In modern Judaism, it is replaced with the word Adonai, meaning Lord, and is understood to be God’s proper name and to denote his mercy. Many Christian Bibles follow the Jewish custom and replace it with ‘the LORD.'” (Yahweh, Wikipedia)

When Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1, he was proclaiming that God was anointing him.

On this subject in the book of Acts, Peter proclaimed:

“You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus Christ Was Sent from God:

There are many verses in scripture which speak of Jesus Christ being sent from God. Many people believe that for Jesus to be sent from God, it has to mean he was in heaven before he was sent!

Yet is this way of thinking based on scripture? The following short section will make the answer to this question as clear as water:

In the Gospel of John, it is written:

“There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.” (John 1:16 NASB)

That Bible verse is speaking about John the Baptist. Obviously, John the Baptist was not in heaven before he was:

“sent from God.”

Yet, the same exact words used to describe John being sent were also used to describe Jesus being sent.

On this subject, John the Baptist is quoted in the Gospel of John, saying:

“‘… He [God] who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'” (John 1:33 NASB)

Also: Jesus speaking about God sending himself, said:

“As You [Holy Father] sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18 NASB)

And again:

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.'” (John 20:21 NASB)

Those verses explain that each and every one of us has the potential of being sent,

“as the Father has sent [Jesus].”

Jesus Christ / The Last Adam:

“Although He [Jesus] was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8 NASB)

Like Christ, Adam’s father was God. Like Christ, Adam was called

“… the son of God.” (Luke 3:38 NASB)

The Bible calls Adam,

“… a type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14 NASB)

The

“Him”

in Romans 5:14 is a reference to Christ.

Jesus did what Adam failed to do, he remained obedient to God.

Now, if Jesus Christ were not an actual human being like Adam, then Adam would not have been

“… a type …” (Romans 5:14 NASB)

of Christ.

The word

“… type …” (Romans 5:14 NASB)

meaning:

“a category of people or things having common characteristics.” (Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press)

Note: Any understanding of Jesus Christ which does not allow him the possibility of disobeying God would place Christ in a category of people unlike Adam:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus Christ / Son of God:

While there are several verses in the Bible proclaiming that Jesus is,

“… the Son of God,”

in Luke’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel explains to Mary why Jesus is to be called that:

“… ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child [Jesus] shall be called the Son of God.'” (Luke 1:35 NASB)

Faithful Followers of Christ Will Also Be Called Sons of God:

■ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NASB)

■ “for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:36 NASB)

■ “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14 NASB)

■ “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19 NASB)

■ “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26 NASB)

The Father Manifested / Manifests Himself, in and Through, His Christ:

■ “… Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?'” (John 10:32)

■ “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.”(John 10:37)

■ “But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:38)

■ “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:49)

■ “I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:50)

■ “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'” (John 5:19)

■ “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30)

■ “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10 NIV)

■ “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'” (John 20:27-28 NASB)

■ “namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB)

■ “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9)

Jesus Receives Authority / Exaltation / Possessions from God:

■ “… He [the LORD] said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.'” (Psalms 2:7-8 NASB)

■ “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)

■ “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'” (Matthew 28:18 NASB)

■ “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)

■ “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Philippians 2:9-10 NASB)

■ “In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'” (Revelation 5:12)

Sound Teaching Skills:

The Apostle Peter, speaking about Paul’s epistles said:

“He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16 NASB)

While researching doctrine, a prudent seeker of truth should look up every bible verse pertaining to the subject in question. Some scriptures at first glance will often appear to run contrary to the subject’s general theme. Those scriptures should initially be set aside while the easier-to-understand proof texts are used to build a working concept; then after much study, the harder-to-understand bible verses should be brought into harmony with the main body of evidence. Using this systematic approach in our study, the following harder-to-understand bible passages have been set aside. Now is the time to bring those passages into harmony with the general tenor of scripture.

Here is an example of a hard to understand section from the bible which people often read Trinitarian concepts into:

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11 NASB)

Envision Jesus growing up:

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

Then, when Christ turns 30, he fully steps into his position as God’s anointed; with,

“… many good works from the Father …” (John 10:32)

being accomplished through his hands.

One thing is certain: After finding himself,

“… in the form of God,” (Philippians 2:6)

Jesus Christ took the right attitude.

That’s what this passage in Philippians 2 is addressing: The attitude Jesus Christ took, how he humbled himself; and, how we should follow his example by taking the same attitude. Any interpretation of Philippians 2 which takes the focus off of Christ’s attitude and presents circumstances which we cannot follow should be considered suspect.

The words:

“… but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant …”

does not demand a change in Jesus Christ’s nature; again, his attitude could still be the focus.

Also: The words,

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death …”

while difficult for many to understand, this verse could again be speaking of Christ’s attitude.

Envision, on any given day, when Jesus was performing great miracles, such as healing the sick, feeding the 5,000, walking on water, raising the dead, etc. Then picture Jesus marveling over his prophetic ministry:

“Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and, ‘God has visited His people.'” (Luke 7:16 NASB)

That must have been a humbling experience for Jesus; again: The main focus of Philippians 2:5-11 is about the attitude Jesus took; and, how we should have the same attitude. To read into Philippians 2:5-11 teachings of Christ’s supposed pre-incarnate nature, which is unlike anything we can associate with, is no doubt a departure from the general context of the passage.

Jesus Christ Spoke in Parables:

Let’s consider the following saying of Jesus to understand what he meant by it:

“Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:56-58)

Abraham saw

“… [Christ’s] day”

through the sacrificial act he and his son participated in. If those Jews had spiritual enlightenment, they may have understood what Christ was saying.

Having misunderstood the symbolism Jesus alluded to, these men asked Jesus if he had seen Abraham. When Jesus answered,

“before Abraham was, I am”

Christ was proclaiming divinity.

“I Am”

is a title that shows an attribute of God’s nature. It is a Hebrew name for the God of Abraham. Jesus was speaking as God’s Christ. Because of that saying, in the very next verse it is recorded that those men took up rocks to stone Jesus to death.

The bible explains:

“… He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.” (Mark 4:34 NASB)

Jesus used a parable that went right over the heads of those religionists. It was not the man who was preexistent. The Spirit of the Almighty God who is living in Jesus is everlasting! When we run across a passage in scripture where Christ is speaking, let’s ask ourselves, is Jesus speaking as God or man. Is his message literal or figurative?

His Name Will Be Called:

In the Book of Isaiah there is a verse that says Jesus’ name will be called,

“Eternal Father.”

“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NASB)

Yet, the person Jesus is not the Eternal Father. God gave Jesus His own name:

“… Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” (John 17:11 NASB)

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 KJV)

John Chapter 1— The Logos:

The position that the WORD or LOGOS in John 1:1 created the Universe while existing alongside the Father in a pre-incarnate state is called Logos Christology in the textbooks. Many people who maintain this doctrine call themselves Trinitarians. They also maintain that, at the time of the virgin birth, this Word became incarnate in the man Jesus. Add to this, additional Trinitarian convictions, and we have this “WORD” subsisting as the coequal and coeternal,

“God the Son.”

This perception of the nature of Jesus is based on a misinterpretation of the first chapter in the Gospel of John. It is a theory that is formed easily, and at first glance appears to be backed up by Scripture. This is how the theory is formed: Jesus is seen in the book of Revelation sitting on a white horse:

“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13).

From here, we go to John’s Gospel and make our connection:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

Because Jesus’ name is called,

“The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13)

in Scripture, many Christians in their minds, simply replace the word “WORD” in the gospel of John with the name Jesus. Once this is done the text supposedly indicates that Jesus was with God in the beginning creating all things. But this view is based on reverse chronology and a lack of comprehension concerning the concept God is representing in John.

Let us read the text again completely, with a fresh approach. The word “Logos” is the Greek expression of the word “word” in the text. This word “Logos” literally means thought or plan. It would make sense to substitute the word plan for “word” to get an idea of what this passage is depicting.

Verse 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;” verse 2, “The same was in the beginning with God;”

verse 3, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made;”

verse 14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

All things were made “by him” is a misnomer; in him or through him is a better rendition. John 1 is not saying that the “Logos” is a pre-incarnate Christ. What is being said is that God had a blueprint for creation. The image that Christ attained was the exact set of specifications the Creator had designated for His glory in this Creation. In John 1, where it reads,

“and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” 1:1,

the verse is indicating that the nature of God, even his image and likeness, will be revealed in God’s finished creation. That is just what we see happen in this creation as we are,

“… transformed into the same image …” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

This “image” was in the plan from the beginning, the image of Christ. And Christ is the express image of God. Therefore, in John where it reads:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” 1:14

the text is referring to Christ, as the express mirror image of the Father, Christ is also the exact representation of the original plan.

What many fail to see in verse 14 is that the plan became flesh. That happened either when, or sometime after, the child Jesus was conceived. To reverse this series of events violates the whole study. It would be like a great designer drafting a blueprint, then having a carpenter fashion the structure to the exact glory of the original plan. Then someone, later in history and completely unaware of the process, speculates that the structure itself was with the designer in the beginning.

The Figurative Meaning of John 17:5

Some of us may be wondering what Jesus meant with the saying:

“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5 NASB)

Note: Jesus uses the word glory in the above verse, then many verses later, yet during the same verbal discourse, Jesus uses the word glory again:

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.” (John 17:22 NASB)

The obvious question: When Jesus said,

“… the glory which I had with You …” (John 17:5 NASB)

could Jesus Christ have been speaking figuratively as the WORD from John 1?

Perhaps John 17:5 is about Jesus Christ speaking of himself symbolically as the personification of God’s original glorious plan?

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory …” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

Jesus is the Firstborn Among Many Brethren:

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
…
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:14-29 NASB)

We Will Be Like Him:

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He [Jesus Christ] appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

If Jesus Christ was never a man with a real human soul, we could never be like him.

Remember the opening quote in this study:

“After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)

Isaiah 53:11 speaks of Christ’s soul. It states that he (Christ) will be satisfied; and it implies that Jesus gained knowledge, this bible verse makes sense when one understands that Jesus Christ is a man:

“… For if by the transgression of the one [Adam] the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.” (Romans 5:15 NASB)

Jesus Christ was, and presently is,

“… a man …”

as the scriptures maintain:

“… He [God] has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31 NASB)

Speaking of himself, Jesus said:

“But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.” (John 8:40 NASB)

The Apostle Paul explained:

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Christ Is Our Redeemer:

Speaking of Jesus in the Bible’s Book of Revelation it is written:

“… for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9 NASB)

Jesus Christ died on the cross for a reason: So he could redeem every man, woman, and child, who puts their faith in him.

The following articles explain Jesus Christ’s role in our salvation and how we can enter in:

■ The Mortgage Of The Earth To Satan — Rich Kelsey

■ Through the Door of Christ — Kelsey