Faith: Who is Jesus?

August 12, 2007

By Ethan Hansen

The greatest question ever asked was posed by Jesus Christ in Caesarea Philippi.

In Matthew 16:13 it says, &#8220Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

The correct answer and the right response yields eternal life. The wrong answer and the wrong response bring eternal death.

In verse 15 Jesus makes the question more personal, &#8220Who do you say that I am?”

The greatest passage in the Bible giving the identity of Jesus is found in Colossians 1. Colossians 1 is stunning. Many lines of revelation intersect together in this passage. It can take your breath away. Colossians 1:15-18 reveals seven titles for Jesus.

The first title is that Jesus is deity.

Verse 15a reads, &#8220For He is the image of the invisible God Š” This means manifestation. He is the perfect representation of God the Father.

In John 14:9 Jesus says, &#8220He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

All the power of God is found in the son. All the holiness of the father is found in the son. All the righteousness, all the grace, all the goodness of the father is found in his son Jesus. Make no mistake, the father and the son are separate and distinct persons. Yet, Jesus Christ is equal to God. Remove the phrase &#8220Jesus is God” from any doctrinal statement and the entire cathedral of theology comes crashing down.

Why does the Bible emphasize the deity of Jesus? Only God could offer an infinite sacrifice. On the cross all of your sins - past, present and future - were placed upon Jesus. Jesus had to be God to offer an infinite sacrifice for your sins.

The second title is that Jesus is sovereign.

Verse 15b reads proclaims Jesus as &#8220the firstborn over all creation.” This does not mean Jesus was the firstborn chronologically. Verse 16 is very clear. All things were made by Jesus. He is not created. Rather, Jesus is the crown prince. He is the heir apparent, destined to rule all of creation.

In Psalm 2:8, the father said to the son, &#8220Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

This age will end with the return of Jesus. He will rule this earth for 1,000 years! What does this mean? Not only did Jesus offer an infinite sacrifice, but he is intimately involved in his creation. He has a plan for you. He has a purpose for your life. He is deeply involved in the details of your life.

The third title is that Jesus is creator.

Verse 16 is very clear. There is no wiggle room. It reads, &#8220For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

There are no ifs ands or buts. Jesus made it all!

John 1:3 states this same truth in both the positive and the negative. Positively, &#8220All things were made through Him” and negatively that &#8220without Him nothing was made that was made.”

A century ago astronomers believed there was only one galaxy, our Milky Way. Our galaxy alone contains an estimated 100 billion stars. In 1924, Edward Hubble discovered another galaxy. He thought it was 1 million light years away. Actually, it is 2 million light years away. In later years he discovered another dozen galaxies. Today, scientists know that 100 hundred billion galaxies exist!

The number of stars in the universe is more in number than all the sand of the sea! It was all made by Jesus.

Verse 16 is very clear. Jesus made everything. This includes the material world and the immaterial world. It includes the physical world. All the planets, all the stars, all the people were made by Jesus. Jesus made the entire angelic world. This includes good and fallen angels.

Verse 16b reads, &#8220All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Jesus made you for a relationship with himself. Your deepest pleasure is found in serving him. He gave your life in your mother's body. Meaning and fulfillment are found in knowing him.

Who is Jesus? The right answer and the right response gain a person eternal life. The wrong answer and the wrong response yield eternal death. The right answer is that he is deity, sovereign and creator. These are only three of the seven titles. More will come in later columns. The right response is repentance (turning from sin) and saving faith.

Peter answered in Matthew 16:16, &#8220You are the Christ, the Son of the God, the Living One.”

Won't you turn from your sins today and embrace Jesus?

Ethan Hansen is pastor of the Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake. Contact him at ethanchansen@gci.net.