Who is Jesus?

Monday, October 9, 2023

Who is Jesus?  Submitted by Kay Crumley

How do we identify ourselves or others? As adults we introduce ourselves by what we do as a job or career. Parents of older, school age children, are recognized by who their children are by parents of other children in the same school or teams. Preschool children may be identified by who their parents are. People, in small towns especially, are recognized by who their families are when they’ve been members of the community for many years. We look for ways to connect with people by finding things we have in common like jobs, hobbies, schools, churches, or acquaintances. Let’s look at how Paul identified who Jesus is in his letter to the church in Colosse.   

Paul wrote a letter to the Christian church in Colossae even though he probably had never met them. However, they had a lot in common, they were Christ followers and had strong faith as fellow believers. He wrote a prayer for them as he thanked God for their faithfulness to Christ. This group of believers was growing in knowledge, living examples of trusting in God and living a forgiven life, redeemed by Jesus Christ.  

So, who is Jesus? False teachings had corrupted the gospel message in the church of Colossae, Paul addresses that in Colossians 1:15-20. He shares the identifying characteristics of the One who is worthy of all praise. 

Colossians 1 

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 

·      He is the image, like a mirror image, of the God who we cannot see.  God is fully revealed in Jesus. In the exalted Christ, the unknown God becomes known. 

·      He is the firstborn over all creation.  Jesus is before all things and a supremely different order from all things. He is the Messiah, the highest of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27). 

·      All things are created through Him and in Him. All things meaning all, everything that we can see, hear, feel, was created by God the Father and God the Son.  All the stars we see as well as those unseen, all the life on earth seen and unseen,  

·      He created all powers and authorities. No ruling entity whether of the earthly or spiritual realm is greater than Jesus since He has created those things.   

·      He is before all things. He is the creator of all because He has been from the beginning of time.  He is the beginning, the eternal God. 

·      He holds all things together.  He is the one who unifies all things, and He sustains all things. This world is held together and remains in existence because of Christ, God the Son. 

·      He is the head of the church.  Just as a river has a headwater, a source of all that it flows from, Jesus Christ is the head of His church, His body of believers. He is our source. He is the firstborn so that He rules over everything.   

·      The fullness of God lives permanently in Jesus Christ. Jesus is permanently God and in Him ALL the FULLNESS of God dwells (Isa. 53:10). He is fully God and He was fully man so that we may know the character of God. 

·      Through Jesus God reconciles everything to Himself both in the earthly realm and in the heavenly realm. He is the author of our peace with God because He paid the penalty of sin for us by His death on the cross. The blood of the cross speaks to us of the real, physical death of Jesus Christ in our place, on our behalf, before God.  The death and judgement He bore on our behalf is what saves us.  We are saved by His grace through our faith (Eph. 2:8-9).  We can do nothing to have salvation except place our faith in Him and Him alone.   

 

Who is Jesus?  He is the one and only Son of God who came to pay the price we own the Creator for our rebellion, disobedience, and sin. He is the ONE who we can place all our trust and confidence in because He is in control of ALL.  He is eminently trustworthy.  Place your faith in Him for all the difficulties life brings.