As Easter approaches, more and more people around the world ask the same question about this holy holiday – Easter: Who is Jesus?
Easter: Who Is Jesus?
The Bible tells us who Jesus is. I believe the Bible’s accounts of Jesus because of it’s validity. The Bible remains the #1 top selling book in history. It is authored by at least 40 inspired individuals and it has been translated into at least 1,000 languages. It was written and compiled over the course of at about 1500 years. Its contents have remained consistent throughout all history, allowing for minor differences in language translations. For more information about the validity of the scriptures and to learn more about these still preserved holy manuscripts, read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. You will be fascinated by the information and apologetics in this book. You will also find lots of Bible fact here at The Judeo Christian Tradition.
We first learn about who Jesus is when we read the story about his birth. My favorite account is found in Luke 2:1-20:
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.One of the most memorized verses in the Bible is John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
The Bible promises that those who believe in Jesus – those who received His gift of salvation – will live eternally with Him.
I received the gift of salvation at the age of 12. Here is my testimony:
I grew up in church. My daddy was a Southern Baptist deacon. We were in church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night, and sometimes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, depending on what was going on at church that week. We never missed a night of revival unless we were sick. I remember as a small child, I didn’t fully understand what salvation really meant. At the tender age of 8, I told my parents I wanted to be saved. They called the pastor over to our house. He asked me a lot of Biblical questions and I answered every single one. Soon after that, I was baptized. At the time, what I really wanted was to not go to hell. I thought that praying a prayer and then being baptized meant that I was safe from spending my eternity with the devil. It wasn’t until 4 years later, when I was 12 years old, that I realized that salvation is much more than that. It was more that living a good life and repeating a prayer. At the age of 12, I realized that I needed Jesus to be my Lord and I prayed to receive Him into my heart. I made a decision to follow Jesus and His teachings for the rest of my life. My heart belonged to Him.
What does all this mean? Let me clarify this by taking you through what we call the Roman Road to Salvation. Let’s examine a series of common questions and then see what the Bible says about them.
Is it enough to just be a “good person?”
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:10 – There is none righteous. No, not one.
Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned –
We have ALL sinned. We ALL sin. We ALL will continue to sin because we are all human and imperfect.
If we all sin, then why bother?
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Realizing the gift of salvation is so important because sin results in death. This doesn’t mean that God will zap you and kill if you commit a sin, but remember, we are ALL sinners; so collectively, when sin entered the world, so did the punishment for it, death – and eternal death – eternal separation from God for those who refuse to believe in Him and receive His gift of salvation.
I am such a bad person so God is not interested in me, right?
You couldn’t be more wrong. God loves you.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God loves you so much that He died for YOU.
How can I be saved?
Romans 10:9-10 – that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
To receive God’s eternal gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, we confess that we are sinners and believe that God raised Him from the dead.
We cannot be saved just because we are good. The Bible teaches us in Ephesians 2: 8-9, “For by grace, you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves. It is a gift from God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Eternal life is a gift from God, not something we earn through being good or doing good works. It is nothing we can boast about – glorifying ourselves. Eternal life is gifted to us only through the sacrifice Jesus made when He died on the cross at Calvary. It is nothing we do, except to receive the gift through belief in Him.
I prayed to God to be saved. Did it work?
If you meant it, YES.
Romans 10:13 – For whoever calls up on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Now what?
Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God.
Get to know Him by spending time in God’s Word. Study the Bible. Read it. Meditate on it.
Memorize scriptures.
Get to know your brothers and sisters in Jesus. Visit churches in your area and find a place to call your church home. Making Christian friends is very important. Be sure to study the Bible yourself so you will know if the church you visit teaches the Bible accurately.
Enjoy your new life in Him and celebrate His resurrection this Easter.
Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
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