Facts Concerning Jesus

2,000 years ago, in Israel, Mary and Joseph, both descended from King David, were engaged to each other. The angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that “the power of the Most High” (Luke 1:35) would “overshadow” her, and that she would conceive a child. God’s power (the Holy Spirit) caused Mary to become pregnant. An angel also told Joseph about this great event, and instructed him to name the child “Jesus” (a Greek version of the Hebrew name “Joshua”, meaning “God will save”), because “he shall save his people from their sins”.(Matthew 1:21) Mary was a virgin, so the conception of Jesus was one of the great miracles of scripture. Mary and Joseph did as they were instructed, and the child was born in a manger (feed trough) in a stable in Bethlehem. (Luke 2:7)

Notice that Jesus was “born”. Scripture never describes His coming into human existence as “God turning into man,” or similar terms. Jesus had a very clear beginning of existence, at the point of his conception. So He was “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4) , Mary, yet God was His Father. He is called “Son of Man” (Mark 10:45) and “Son of God,” (Matt 27:43, 54) but never “God the Son”.

Jesus grew up as an ordinary child in an ordinary household. By the age of twelve, He had an extraordinary grasp of the Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament). He was able to confound the religious experts with His understanding of God’s word, yet at the same time He remained obedient to His parents.(Luke 2:41-52)

At the age of thirty, Jesus began His public ministry, teaching the good news (“gospel”) of the Kingdom of God. The ceremony that marked this beginning was His baptism, by His cousin John The Baptist.(Mark 1:1,9). John understood that Jesus was destined to great things, and initially thought that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus, but Jesus insisted that this was the appropriate manner for Him to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15) – in other words, to demonstrate His obedience to God.

Jesus conducted his ministry with the help of twelve hand-picked men called apostles. (Luke 6:13-16). After 3 ½ years He was put to death by crucifixion. (Luke 23:33). This was a form of criminal punishment used by the Romans. (Luke 23:39-41). The Bible is very clear in emphasizing that Jesus did nothing deserving of death. (Acts 2:23-24; Acts 4:10-12; 1 Peter 2:21-24; 1 Peter 3:18). In fact, he lived a completely sinless life. (Hebrews 4:15). By human standards, His execution was completely unjust. However, this was all part of God’s plan of redemption for mankind, and showed God’s complete righteousness. (Romans 3:21-26) We’ll explain
more about this in a later article, titled “The Role of Christ Today”.

After 3 days inside a tomb, Jesus was miraculously raised from the dead. Unlike others who had been raised before him, such as Lazarus (John 11:43-44), He was raised to immortality. After 40 days, He ascended to heaven, from the mount of Olives, which is a hillside overlooking the city of Jerusalem. His disciples watched His ascent, as two angels stood by and told them that, one day in the future, Jesus would return physically and visibly to that exact same spot, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth forever. (Acts 1:9-11).

Jesus is now an immortal, glorified being who sits at the right hand of God, as the head of the Church, and High Priest of all who believe in His name and follow Him. (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Summary of the facts

• Jesus was born
• Jesus lived a life of obedience to and dependence upon God
• Jesus was tempted, in the same ways all of us are tempted, but He never sinned
• Jesus died
• Jesus was raised from the dead by God
• Jesus was made immortal
• Jesus now sits on the right hand of God in heaven, waiting for the appointed time to return to earth.

These facts demonstrate the clear, simple truth of the Bible: Jesus was God’s son – a very special person, completely unique in mankind’s history- not only because of His family tree, but also because of His total obedience to God. But, Jesus was NOT God ! In fact, scripture is emphatic that He was a separate and distinct person from God:

Why Jesus Cannot Be God

The table below shows why Jesus cannot be God:

Jesus Christ Glorified

Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise and devotion because of His life of total obedience to God, and because of the great sacrifice He made on our behalf. Jesus opened the way to salvation for all mankind because He submitted even to the point of death on the cross. (Philippians 2:8).

The Bible explains that this is the reason that Jesus was glorified, and is to be worshipped by us – not because He was God, but because He overcame sin by His sinless life, and so conquered death.(Acts 2:24) Examine these passages closely:

Jesus Is Our Example

While it is true that Jesus was NOT God, He did show us, by His perfect life and character, what God is truly like. Before Jesus was born, people could know and understand God to a certain degree, but it required a completely obedient Son to fully demonstrate God’s character. (Hebrews 1:1-3). This is what John meant when he wrote “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (John 1:18 AV). The Bible also speaks of Jesus being the “likeness” of God, (2 Corinthians 4:4-6) just as Adam and Eve had been created prior to their sinning in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:27). He is a true and perfect representation of God’s character. As such, Jesus teaches us by His example how we can be like God – not just by the things He said, but by the way He behaved. And while none of us will ever be able to live completely sinless lives as Jesus did, it does not mean we should stop trying. God has provided us the best example we could possibly have to follow by giving His only Son. This is God’s ultimate expression of love to us,(John 3:16) and we should return that love by trying to live faithful lives of obedience to Christ’s commandments, for God’s glory.

1. Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
2. Promises to King David
3. Promises to Jesus Christ
4. Promises to Believers in Christ

We’ll look at each set in more detail:

Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Four thousand years ago God put into motion a major phase of his plan in calling out a people for his name. (Deut 28:9-10; Numbers 6:27. See also Acts 15:14). He did this by selecting a man, Abram (later named Abraham), and a woman, Sarai (later, Sarah), from Ur of the Chaldees, who were to be the father and mother of this nation. God spoke with Abram and told him to leave his country and go to a land that he would show him. (Genesis 12:1). He also promised Abram that he would be a great nation, and that not only would he be blessed, but that he would be a source of blessing for all the families of the earth. (Genesis 12:2-3). Abram and Sarai moved with other members of their family from Ur to Haran in Mesopotamia. It was here that Abram’s father Terah died. After this Abram and his relatives moved on to a land that was named after Noah’s grandson Canaan,(Genesis 9:18; Genesis 12:5) the son of Ham . This is the land we know today as Israel or Palestine.

After the journey from Haran, Abram and his family arrived in the town of Shechem where God promised Abram, that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:18-20; Genesis 17:7-8). This promise was repeated to him several times. In due time Sarai conceived and gave birth to a son who was named Isaac, in accordance with God’s will. Genesis 17:19; Genesis 21:1-3). He was to be the son through whom the promises that God had made to Abram would be fulfilled. Shortly before the birth of Isaac Abram’s name was changed from Abram (meaning “exalted father”) to Abraham (meaning “father of a multitude”) to symbolize the role that he was to play as the father of many peoples. (Genesis 17:5-6. Abraham was also the father of other nations through his second wife Keturah. See Genesis 25:1-4).

The first major event recorded in the life of Isaac involved a request that God made of Abraham concerning him. God asked Abraham to take Isaac to mount Moriah, which is close to Jerusalem, (Genesis 22:1-2; 2 Chronicles 3:18), and offer him there as a burnt offering. Abraham showed great faith in determining to comply with God’s request, although an angel prevented him from actually carrying it out. It was after he had proved his faith in this way that God gave him the promise that his descendants would have dominion over their enemies.(Genesis 22:16-17). Abraham becomes the father of the Jewish nation (the term “Hebrew” is first used of him,) – see Genesis 14:13. He becomes father of the faithful: all those who live by faith in God.

Here’s a sample of the passages that concern God’s promises to Abraham:

From these texts, we can summarize these important promises God made to Abraham:

• God promised the Land of Canaan (Israel) to Abraham and his offspring (descendants) forever.
• Abraham would be the father of many nations
• Abraham would have a great many descendants
• Those who bless Abraham and his descendants would be blessed, those who curse him would be cursed.
• Abraham and his descendants would be God’s people, and He would be their God, forever. (See also Revelation 21:3)

God is faithful, and does not break His word, so although these promises have yet to be fulfilled, they will be at some time in the future, and they can include us! We’ll see how later on.

Promises To King David

David was a faithful Israelite who was described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). He was also King of Israel for many years, and unlike many of the kings, he was considered righteous. David wanted to build a house in which to worship God, but instead God told him that He would make David’s lineage (his “house”) continue on forever.
This promise to David became an extension of the promises to Abraham, and introduced the notion of a future King and a Kingdom:

David had a son, Solomon, who did build a house, or temple, to God. However, Solomon’s reign did not last forever. Nor did his descendant’s. Even though aspects of this prophecy could be applied to Solomon, it has a more complete fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we shall see next.

Promises To Christ

Jesus was to be the subject of God’s promises to David. He would be the true Son of God, in a very real and special way, as He would be conceived by means of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, overshadowing Mary. (Luke 1:35).

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to bless her, and to explain how her Son would be the greater Son of David, spoken of in that prophecy to David 1,000 years before:

Clearly, Gabriel is echoing the words of 1 Chronicles 17:11-14. Another New Testament passage also makes reference to this promise directly, when describing Christ’s superior position in the order of creation when compared to that of angels:

The promises to Abraham also have their primary fulfillment in Christ. You may recall how we learned that the promises were made to Abraham and his offspring (Genesis 13:15, for example). The apostle Paul explains the use of this word “offspring” in this way:

So God’s promises to Abraham involved Christ – they pointed to Christ, and they were made for Him! To summarize, then, God promises Jesus Christ that he will:

• Be the true Son of God
• Sit on the throne of David
• Reign over a never-ending Kingdom
• Inherit the land promised to Abraham forever. (See Romans 4:13, where Paul identifies the “land” as encompassing the whole world.)

Although Christ was expected to come as a triumphant King during His ministry, instead He was subject to a humiliating death on the cross. But one day He will return from
heaven to claim what is rightfully His, what has been promised Him by His Father, and He will reign with the saints on earth forever.18 Concerning this Kingdom, the prophet Daniel writes:

Promises To Believers in Christ

Many of the promises that were given to Abraham and Christ also apply to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Earlier in Chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul writes about the association of those who live by faith, whether Jew or non-Jew, with Abraham:

We become associated with Abraham if we believe God’s promises. We become “blessed with faithful Abraham”. We are also closely related to Christ through these same promises:

“for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ… And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” – Galatians 3:26-27, 29

By belonging to Christ, through baptism (see article 8 ) and continued faith, we become the heirs of the promises made to Abraham, and will share in the rulership of God’s kingdom with Christ. This is the promise of eternal life, for all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful promise!

Without faith in God, our life is futile. We simply live, grow old and die. Despite all the accomplishments we may achieve in this life, the end is the same for rich and poor, wicked and righteous: death. The Bible describes life “under the sun,” or without God, (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3) as “vanity,” or “emptiness”. You have probably felt that sense of emptiness at one time or another, and felt that there must be more to life than a series of fleeting moments of joy and sadness.

The apostle James, in quoting from the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:6-8), expresses this truth eloquently: “

Faith in God is Essential to Please Him

Having faith in God gives purpose to our lives. The Bible definition of faith is that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1). Faith gives us something to hope for, and makes that hope a very real thing. It also provides us the “evidence” for those things we cannot see- such as God, the minute details of His creation, or the future. In order to have a relationship with God, we must have faith: “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”(Hebrews 11:6). The important point to note in this passage is that faith is possible by seeking God. Investigation, research and study of God’s plan as presented in the Bible is the means by which we gain true faith and understanding.

Most Churches Do Not Teach The True Plan of Salvation

If we understand and accept God’s offer of salvation, it is possible for us to live forever. The Bible explains this plan of salvation, which is freely available to anyone. (Romans 6:23). As you will soon discover, the true Bible message of hope is not what most people think it is.

The traditional Christian churches have taught many beliefs that came from pagan religion or Greek philosophy, but which are not found in the Bible. For example, the idea of the immortality of the soul was popularized by Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher. But the Bible tells us that the true hope is in the resurrection of the dead – the same hope that Jesus had! 1 Corinthians 15 covers this. A later article in this series, Resurrection, Judgment and Eternal Life, explains this hope.

We encourage you to approach the Bible with an open mind, and to consider carefully and prayerfully what is presented in these articles. If you do this, you will have a better understanding of what the Bible really teaches about God, what He truly requires of you. You will also recognize your need to accept these teachings so you can be saved from certain death and have a hope of everlasting life in the Kingdom of God on earth.

How To Be Saved

The way to salvation is simple. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but wants us all to repent and follow Him and His Son, Jesus Christ.(2 Peter 3:9). He requires us to:

1. Have a true understanding of Bible teachings.
2. Believe those teachings, repent and be baptized into Christ.
3. Live a life of obedience to God and Christ.

The Origin Of Sin

In the beginning, God created man and woman in His image (Gen 1:27), meaning that they bore His moral likeness. They were in a “very good” (Gen 1:31) state. While we aren’t told exactly what that means, we do know that Adam and Eve were innocent  (Gen 2:25) – they did not know what sin was. God gave Adam a simple commandment to follow:

Note the following about this law:

• It required obedience from Adam
• It was not onerous or oppressive- it was easy to obey
• It was simple to understand
• The instruction was clear (not ambiguous) – i.e. there was no way to bend the rules !
• It was designed to protect Adam
• It was designed to glorify God

God gave Adam free will: the ability to choose whether or not he would obey God. This is how God is glorified: by men and women exercising their free will to obey God. He doesn’t want pre-programmed robots who are forced to be obedient slaves. Rather, He wants us to respond positively to His call to obedience out of choice, and to trust and rely on God’s goodness throughout life.

God gave this law to Adam and Eve to protect them: Adam and Eve still had much to learn and experience. This instruction was to be provided by God on His terms, not by them attempting to grasp it, impatiently, when they were not spiritually prepared for that extent of knowledge.

In Genesis 3, the story of Adam and Eve’s sin is recorded.

As we shall see later on, the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience were severe and universal. Their act of disobedience was the first sinful act. John writes that “sin is the transgression (breaking) of the law” (1 John3:4), which describes exactly what Adam and Eve did.

Let’s consider each character’s role in this account:

The Serpent

God granted the serpent the ability to reason. What the serpent tells Eve is based on faulty observations, and therefore untrue. He contradicts what God had already told Adam: “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”(Genesis 2:17). He spoke with no power or authority. Nowhere is he described as a fallen angel, or as being given power by God to control people.

Eve

The New Testament tells us Eve was deceived by the serpent’s lie. (1 Timothy 2:13-14) John’s first letter (1 John 2:16) draws a parallel to her response and that of godless people’s (the Bible term is “the world”) attitudes towards life and God:

Adam

Adam follows his wife’s bad example, and eats, thus disobeying God’s commandment.

Consider the following:

• God told Adam, not Eve, about the commandment. Genesis 2:15-18.
• Eve was created from the side of Adam, to be a suitable helper. Genesis 2:20.
• Adam was responsible for Eve’s spiritual and physical welfare. 1 Corinthians 11:8-9

It is clear from this that Adam failed in his responsibility to look after his wife. In addition, he had been directly instructed by God, and so was not deceived when he ate the fruit. Therefore, he is held responsible for introducing sin into the world:

This is an extremely important passage. It teaches the following:

• Man (not woman, and not a supernatural devil) brought sin into the world.
• Death was the direct consequence of this sin. (See also Romans 6:23)
• Not only Adam died, but the condition of death and sin was passed on to all his children.
• Like Adam, we all sin.

The Consequences of Adam’s Sin

Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience brought severe and universal consequences upon them and all mankind. These included:

• Being afraid of God, instead of instinctively being His friend. (Genesis 3:8, 10)
• A loss of innocence. (Genesis 3:7, 10)
• Pain in childbearing. (Genesis 3:16)
• The earth is cursed, so that farming becomes a great struggle (Genesis 3:17-19).
• Adam and Eve would die: “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”21
• The need for forgiveness through the shedding of blood, and the demonstration of God’s grace (Genesis 3:21)
• Banishment and exile from God’s immediate presence (Genesis 3:23)
• Sin and death reign; (Romans 5:14-21). Access to eternal life is withdrawn by God. (Genesis 3:24)

Human Nature: What We Inherit From Adam

Unfortunately, every member of the human race is the recipient of the consequences of Adam’s sin. This means we are destined to die. It also means we are born with a tendency to disobey and to sin; obedience to God does not come naturally to us. Human nature, unchecked by the influence of God’s word, is not naturally good, as these passages
demonstrate:

Because of the human condition, and our sinful behavior that results from it, we are naturally separated from God: “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds”(Colossians 1:21). But God wants us to become His friends again, to be reconciled to him. The rest of the previous quote applies to those who have since accepted the gospel and the work of Jesus Christ: “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:22)

The First Promise of A Savior

While Genesis 3 is a very sad story in many respects, it also offers us the first glimpse of hope for mankind, and shows God’s love for us. God pronounces a curse on the serpent, and on the earth, and places hardships upon Adam and Eve. But He also makes a promise of a savior, referred to as “the seed” (or offspring, Son) of Eve:

The promise is spoken to the serpent, but applies to us. The “offspring” of the serpent is sin;
the offspring of the woman is the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Christ suffered a figurative “bruise on the heel” in that He was wounded by Sin (through death on the cross), He could not be held in the grave.(Acts 2:24). On the contrary, He was victorious over Sin (Hebrews 2:14), and therefore dealt the seed of the serpent a mortal blow upon the head.

We’ll learn more about God’s promise of a Messiah (the word we translate as “Christ”),
or Savior, in the next article, titled God’s Promises.

Source of Salvation and Faith

Because the Bible is a result of divine inspiration, it is like no other written text. It possesses qualities that make it unique and it changes the lives of those who believe  its message. The following passages provide examples of these qualities and effects:

The scriptures instruct us concerning salvation and provide us with the necessary doctrine, reproof and instruction in righteousness to ensure that we bring forth the fruit of faith, good works. Salvation comes through faith in Christ Jesus and it is the word of God that produces faith:

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Being Born Again

In Jesus’ parable of the sower, the seed represents the word of God (Matthew 13:19) and it is this word that has the power to transform our lives. The beginning of this transformation is referred to in the Bible as being “born again”.  The word of God plays an essential part in this new birth:

Jesus spoke about being born again in John 3 where he says to Nicodemus:

Later on, Jesus explains what he means by “the spirit”:

In other words, the word of God and ‘spirit’ are the same thing here!  Once we have been born again by believing the gospel message and by being baptized into the name of Jesus, the word of God will continue to work in our lives if we continue to read and meditate upon it. It will help us to overcome sin, it will sanctify us and cleanse us. (See Psalm 119:9,11, John 17:17, John 15:3).

Conclusion

When the apostle Paul said goodbye to the new believers in Ephesus, he warned them about false teachers and he directed them to the word of God to ensure that they would not be lead astray, that they would grow in their faith, and that finally they would receive the inheritance of eternal life:

In the next article we will look at why we all need salvation. Thanks for reading!

(All Bible references are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible.)

An Essential Basis of Understanding

We hope you share our belief that the Bible is inspired by God, and is infallible, because this series is written based on acceptance of this essential premise. Belief in the inspiration of the Bible provides us the foundation for all other Bible teachings. While there are many different translations or interpretations of the Bible available to us, the original texts were written by men who were inspired by God. That is, God’s power, the Holy Spirit, worked directly on their minds to shape the words and thoughts they recorded (2 Peter 1:21). There may be errors in translation or transcription, but God Himself is infallible, and so is the expression of His will, which is contained in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).

Our Attitude to God’s Word

Our attitude to God’s word is important and we need to come humbly to its pages and recognize God’s spirit in its message. God reveals what pleases Him and what frame of mind is necessary on our part for His blessing to be upon us and for the word of God to work in our lives. Both Isaiah and James illustrate these principles: