Welcome to our new Radical Life Support series entitled the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus. This series will be focusing on the attributes, character, names, and works of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the second member of the Divine Trinity and He is described as “the exact representation of God’s being” (Heb 1:3). Jesus is not merely an image or reflection of God. There is God the Father, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God and the Son Himself is God. It is very important to start with this view of Jesus.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born to a virgin, became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus came for a very specific reason as clearly stated in John 3:16 which says that, “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.” Jesus came and died on a cross for the sins of all mankind. He was buried and then 3 days later, He rose again defeating death. He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. One day He will return to earth and those who put their trust in Him will live with Him forever in heaven. This is the basic tenant of the Christian faith. It begins and ends with Jesus as the central figure in and for all creation.
In our study on the ABCs of the attributes of God, our main theme came from a quote by A.W. Tozer, “What you think about God is the most important thing about you.” Now, with Jesus, what you think about Him has eternal consequences. Our quote for this series will be from Jesus Himself spoken to His disciples in Matt 16, Mark 8, and Luke 9: Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?" They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
The people of the day compared Jesus to good men, believing He was a good man. People even do that today. He was a good teacher they say; but that was not the right or complete description of Jesus. Peter accurately said He was the Christ, the long awaited anointed one. Stating Him as being divine, more than a mere man. When we talk about who Jesus was and is today, we must start at this point. It is a serious matter to get His identification correct. His true identity is of utmost and absolute importance for the world and each of us personally. It is a matter of eternal life or eternal death for those who would or would not believe in Him.
We don’t need to guess who Jesus is or make Him up. In our study, we are going to see in scripture what God says about Jesus and what Jesus says about Himself. It is plainly stated to either be believed or not. The bible is the source of true knowledge regarding who Jesus is. People’s opinion or our own understanding of who Jesus is or who we want Him to be will always be inaccurate. Do not rely on it and make sure whatever you believe about Jesus matches with scripture.
When you seek Him, the bible says you will find Him. That is a promise for anyone who is seeking with their whole heart. So, in these next weeks, let’s seek Him together. Let’s find out if we really know Him for who He is. We can’t afford to get it wrong. Ask yourself our theme question as if Jesus was asking you directly, “But what about you?” “Who do you say I am?”
