Who is Jesus?

Fully God

Sin separates us from a holy God, and no amount of good works, religion, or self-improvement can bridge that gap on our own. Because our offence is against God, only God could devise the solution — and He did, in the person of Jesus Christ, promised throughout the Old Testament long before He arrived.

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”Philippians 2:6-8

Jesus is described as “the Word” — present with God, and Himself God, from before creation began.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … All things were made by him.”John 1:1-3

He claims for Himself the very titles of God — the eternal One who was, and is, and is to come.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”Revelation 1:8

Fully Man

Yet Jesus also entered our world as a real human being, born to a virgin named Mary. He grew tired (Matthew 8:24) and hungry (Matthew 4:2), just as we do. Being fully human, He can fully sympathise with our pain, our weakness, and our sorrow — while remaining fully God.

His conception was itself a miracle — conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a woman, fully human while retaining His full deity.

Both natures matter. As fully God, He has the power to save us and to intercede for us with the Father. As fully man, He could stand in our place — fulfilling God’s law on our behalf, and offering Himself as a sinless sacrifice for our sin.

A Life Like No Other

Jesus led a sinless life of serving and loving others. As a boy, He already amazed religious scholars decades older than Him (Luke 2:41-52). As an adult, He gathered ordinary people as disciples — many of whom would go on to give their lives proclaiming His message across the ancient world. He reached out to the outcasts of His day and demonstrated His power over creation itself:

• Fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish (Luke 9:10-17)
• Turned water into wine (John 2:1-9)
• Calmed a raging storm with a word (Mark 4:35-41)
• Healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead (Mark 1:40-45; Matthew 9:27-31; John 11:38-44)

Some doubt Jesus even existed as a historical figure. For evidence from ancient non-Christian writers, see Ben Clube's article "Did Jesus Really Exist?"

These miracles weren’t magic tricks — they authenticated His claim to be God, and revealed a Saviour who is not only powerful, but compassionate. Yet miracles weren’t even His primary mission. He came to save us from something far more serious than sickness: our sin.

A Death That Was No Accident

Jealous of His popularity, religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus on a trumped-up charge of blasphemy — even though the Roman governor Pilate himself found no fault in Him (John 19:4). Jesus was beaten, mocked, crowned with thorns, and crucified — one of the cruellest execution methods ever devised.

None of it was random. Centuries earlier, the prophets had described these very events in striking detail — down to soldiers casting lots for His clothing and His exact dying words. (You can read more about these fulfilled prophecies in our lesson onthe Bible.)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”John 3:16

Notice, too, who this sacrifice was for. Most people would hesitate to die even for a good person — yet Jesus died for us while we were still His enemies.

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:7-8

What Jesus Accomplished

On the cross, Jesus took the punishment our sin deserved.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”1 Peter 3:18

In exchange, He offers us His own righteousness — not because we’ve earned it, but because He freely gives it.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”2 Corinthians 5:21

And on the third day, He rose from the dead — proving that death itself could not hold Him, and guaranteeing that same victory to everyone who trusts Him.

The result is peace with God, no longer His enemies but reconciled to Him.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”Romans 5:1

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”John 14:6

Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”1 Timothy 2:5

“The Son of God became the son of man, so that the sons of men could become the sons of God.”C.S. Lewis