"What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?"

 Jesus Christ is God incarnate, the second person of the Trinity, our creator, the resurrected savior and redeemer, and the only means of salvation for sinners.

 Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish carpenter and teacher in the first century A.D. Jesus is the Christ or Messiah (Anointed One) of Israel. He was born as God in the flesh, lived among men, and taught a “new covenant” in the Jewish tradition. He was crucified by Roman authorities around A.D 30. After he died, Jesus was buried and rose on the third day to prove his power over death. His life, ministry, miracles, death, and resurrection point to his mission: Jesus Christ is both God and the Savior of the world. 

The primary source material for Jesus’ life is the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These biographies each provide a different perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus. The first three Gospels, known as the Synoptics, are arranged in a somewhat-chronological order. The Gospel of John is arranged more topically with a heavy interest in theological themes.

In addition, every other New Testament manuscript (except the epistle of 3 John) mentions Jesus by name. These documents often explore the teaching of the apostles and the early church. However, there are some mentions of events in Jesus’ life, especially his death, burial, and resurrection (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:1–11).

The Apostle John declares Jesus’ preexistence in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus says He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 1:8). Jesus reigns eternally (Hebrews 1:8), and He exists before all things (Colossians 1:17).

Jesus did not become God-He always has been God, and is the second member of the Trinity. Referring to His deity, Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). The preexistence of Jesus Christ and the deity of Jesus Christ are inseparable. You cannot accept one and deny the other.

The word incarnation means “in flesh.” It denoted the act in which the Son of God took to Himself the nature of humanity through the Virgin Birth (Matthew 1:23). John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

For Jesus to represent fallen humanity, He had to become a man. His Virgin Birth, which was essential for Him to be sinless, was prophesied long before it occurred (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 1:34-35; and Galatians 4:4). Jesus experienced everything in life that we do: pain, suffering, thirst, hunger, sorrow, anger, and so on; yet, He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

The penalty for our sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus died in our place and paid our penalty (Matthew 20:28; John 10:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). The death of Jesus on the cross laid the foundation on which a righteous God could pardon guilty and sinful people without compromising His righteousness in any way.

Jesus’ resurrection assures us of our future resurrection. Because of His victory over death, we have victory as well. Without the resurrection, there would be no gospel message. His resurrection has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt (Matthew 28:5-8; Luke 24:39; John 20:27-28). The empty tomb, the shape of His linen wrappings, and His appearances to many after His crucifixion were just a few of the credible evidence of His resurrection.

After His resurrection, Jesus visibly departed from His disciples into heaven (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). His ascension and exaltation were necessary to complete when He rose from the dead (Mark 16:19; Philippians 2:9; Ephesians 1:20-21; Hebrews 1:3).

Jesus Christ will return to this earth and receive His Church, the body of Christ, to Himself (John 14:1-4; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7).

 Genesis 3:15: Jesus was the Seed of the woman that bruised the serpent’s head (Matthew 1:18; Luke 10:19).

Exodus 12:21: Jesus was our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Leviticus 16:21-22: Jesus was our scapegoat who bore our sins on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28).

Numbers 21:8: Jesus was lifted up on a pole like the bronze serpent (John 3:14).

Deuteronomy 18:15: Jesus was the prophet like Moses who God raised up (John 7:40; Hebrews 3:2-6).

Joshua 5:14: Jesus was there as a Commander of the Lord’s army (Revelation 19:11-14).

Judges 6:22: Jesus was there as the Angel of the Lord, encouraging Gideon (John 14:8-10).

Ruth 4:6: Jesus, in His incarnation, became our Kinsman Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18; Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 25).

1 Samuel 2:10: Jesus is the Horn of Salvation that God raised up for us (Luke 1:69).

2 Samuel 7:12: Jesus is the Son of David, prophesied to rule as King (Matthew 1:1).

1 Kings 8:27: Jesus is the answer to the question, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (John 1:14; John 2:19).

2 Kings 4:43: Jesus is a prophet similar to Elisha who multiplied loaves (Mark 6:44).

1 Chronicles 17:14: Jesus is the Son of David whose kingdom would last forever. He is both Priest and King (Matthew 1:1; Hebrews 6:20; John 1:49).

2 Chronicles 9:22: Jesus was typified as a “Greater than Solomon” in His wisdom (Colossians 2:3; Matthew 12:42).

Ezra 9:2: The preservation of the Holy Seed matters, because the lineage of Jesus matters (Genesis 3:15; Luke 3:23-38).

Nehemiah 13:8: Nehemiah foreshadows Jesus cleansing the temple. (Mark 11:15-19).

Esther 10:3: Jesus was typified by Mordecai’s exaltation from persecuted Jew to the highest position (Matthew 21:42; Revelation 20:4).

Job 19:25: Jesus is our Living Redeemer who stood on the earth (Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 28:6).

Psalm 22:16: Jesus was the One whose hands and feet were pierced on the cross (John 20:25).

Proverbs 30:4: Jesus was the Son of God who descended from heaven to save us and ascended to be our advocate.

Ecclesiastes 12:11: Jesus was the Good Shepherd who taught us the truth.

Song of Solomon 2:4: Jesus’ love for His church was typified in Solomon’s love for his bride. (Ephesians 5:25-32).

Isaiah 53:5: Jesus was prophesied to be the One to take our sin’s punishment (1 Peter 2:24).

Jeremiah 23:5: Jesus was the Branch that sprang up from the line of David (Matthew 1:1).

Lamentations 2:11: Jesus would also be in tears over Jerusalem’s condition (Luke 19:41).

Ezekiel 34:23: Jesus is the Chief Shepherd who fed the people physically and spiritually (1 Peter 5:4; Mark 6:42).

Daniel 9:25: Jesus was prophesied to arrive as King on the exact day He did (Nehemiah 2:1-8; John 12:12; Exodus 12:1-3).

Hosea 11:1: Jesus was the true Son of God that was brought out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).

Joel 2:32: Jesus would be the name people could call on for salvation (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21).

Amos 9:11: Jesus was going to arrive when the tabernacle of David was repaired after the exile (Acts 15:15-17).

Obadiah 1:21: Jesus will rule the kingdom in the Millennial Period (Revelation 11:15).

Jonah 1:17: Jonah typified the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 12:40).

Micah 5:2: The birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem was prophesied (Matthew 2:1).

Nahum 1:15: The redemption secured by Jesus over our enemy is good news to bring to all (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15).

Habakkuk 2:4: This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament, pointing to faith in Jesus (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).

Zephaniah 3:15: Jesus will be the King in the midst of His people during His Millennial reign (Revelation 19:16; 20:4).

Haggai 2:23: Jesus was a descendent of Zerubbabel, fulfilling this promise (Matthew 1:12).

Zechariah 9:9: Jesus was prophesied to arrive on a donkey (John 12:14-15).

Malachi 3:1: Jesus had John the Baptist as a forerunner, and He Himself came suddenly to the temple (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 11:15-19).