Part 1
What would you say to someone who asked you about Jesus Christ? Let's say a person came up to you and in conversation were to ask you, "Who is this Jesus Christ you keep talking about?" That is a simple question, right? I mean you only need to reply, Jesus came to earth to die on a cross for the sins of man and was resurrected to go to heaven. Easy peasey. Not so fast. With that response you have only scratched the surface. You have only touched on some of the aspects and actions of Jesus, but you have not really covered the subject. So, where do you go to give a good and somewhat comprehensive answer? As always, I believe the answer can be found in Scripture.
The Apostle, John tells us in his gospel,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
Who is this Word John is referring to? The book of Revelation, chapter 19:11-13 also written by John, talks about Jesus being the Word of God.
"Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God."
Continuing in the first chapter of John's Gospel, he not only refers to Jesus as the Word who was in the beginning, but continues by telling us the Word (Jesus) was with God and the Word (Jesus) was God. John is clearly telling the reader the Word was pre-existent from all time, before anything ever existed. Jesus was not only the Word in the beginning, but was with God in the beginning, and on top of that, Jesus, (The Word) was God. That is a good place to start when talking about Jesus.
Where can we go specifically to find out even more about Jesus? The epistle to the church at Colossae, written by the Apostle Paul has much to tell us. Colossians 1:15-20 tells us who Jesus is, his involvement and relationship to creation, his relationship to the church, his obedience to the Father and in verses 21-22 we find out what Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has done for those who believe in Him.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross - whether things on earth or things in heaven."
The heading for this section of scripture in my bible is "the Centrality of Christ". According to the Oxford Dictionary, centrality is the "quality of being essential or of the greatest importance". Verses 15-20 contain the quintessential elements of Jesus Christ in this case. It is who Jesus is; the core elements of His character, traits, and actions. After exploring these verses we will find Jesus is incomparable; that is, matchless, unparalleled, and peerless. In other words, no-one and nothing can compare with Jesus. No-one can overturn Jesus.
Paul tells us in verse 15, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. The word image is "icon". In this case, it means the exact image. John 14:7 reveals Jesus' words to his disciples,
"If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."
It goes further to tell us of whom Jesus is the image. He is the exact image of the invisible God. That is quite a statement. Have you ever wondered or thought about what God is like, even in His appearance? I am sure you have. Jesus tells them and us in John 14:9-b,
"...the one who has seen Me has seen the Father."
It does not mean we have seen the physical exactness of God, because God does not have a body. It does mean when we look at Jesus and his characteristics, we are literally looking at the exactness of who God is. This will become clearer as we continue.
Colossians 1:15-20 tells us who Jesus is, his involvement and relationship to creation, his relationship to the church, his obedience to the Father and in verses 21-22 we find out what Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has done for those who believe in Him. We will not take these verses in order, but in the way Jesus is described.
Verse 15 clearly describes Jesus as an inseparable part of God. It also talks about Jesus being the "firstborn over all creation". Many religions take this verse to advance an agenda of reducing Jesus to a "created being". Some groups who teach this are the Jehovah Witness, the Mormon church, and the Unification Church (Moonies) to mention only a few.
The word used to describe Jesus as "firstborn" in scripture is one of two words for firstborn. The Greek word "protoplastos" is used for first created. It describes the first thing ever created. The word used in verse 15 is "prototokos" meaning the first in rank. In the culture at the time of Jesus, when the first male child born, all the privileges of being first were conveyed to him. He became what was known as "first in rank" of all the children in that family.
Paul is telling us Jesus has the rights of the first-born son which puts him ahead of everyone. Jesus was not created, but holds the position of "first place" over all creation because Jesus is "The Creator" and not part of creation. Notice the definite article "The". It is the definite article because there is only one Creator. His name is Jesus. Paul continues to expound on Jesus as Creator in verses 16,
"...because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him...."
What Paul is saying is Jesus Christ created everything in existence; both what we know and what we do not know; thus, the word "all". All means just what it says - all. I offer one final thought in this post regarding Jesus in relation to creation. Verse 16-b tells us who all of creation was created for; namely Jesus.
"All things were created by Him and for Him."
Does that do anything to elevate your self-worth? Does it make you feel like you have meaning and purpose? Jesus created everything, but most importantly, he created man for himself. To bring it home, Jesus created YOU and me for himself. I think this is incredible. It answers a basic question asked by many; "why am I here?"
For now, let it suffice us to say, Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, the exact image of God, and holds first place above all things which means whatever you can think of, Jesus is above it, far above it. In part 2, we will look at the other things written about Jesus' identity as it relates to God and man.
Until next week, I would encourage you to formulate an answer to the question of how you would describe Jesus if you were asked to do so.
Wear Jesus Well
Blessings,
Steve
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