More than 2,000 years ago, God did an amazing thing. He sent His Son down to earth from heaven and He became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus traveled throughout Israel, teaching the truth, healing the sick, and calling people to follow Him. After a few years, the religious leaders in Jerusalem falsely accused Him and handed Him over to the Roman authorities. He was executed by crucifixion, nailed to a cross.
Soon afterward, His followers proclaimed that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. During the centuries that followed, more and more people believed their message, forming what became the worldwide Christian Church.
But there is much more to know about Jesus. Where He came from, what He did before He came, what He accomplished on earth, and what He can do for us now are all revealed in the Bible.
That is the good news, the gospel: God sent His Son to die for our sins so that we could be forgiven and receive eternal life. Jesus came to teach, heal, reveal the Father, and finally give His life on the cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead and lives forever.
Through His sacrifice, every person has the opportunity to receive eternal life with God. We must put our trust in Jesus Christ and receive Him as our Lord and Savior.
Read The Good NewsJesus Is God
Before time began, Christ already existed with God. The Word spoken of here is Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God in the flesh. He is fully divine, yet He joined Himself to humanity in the incarnation. The God-man possesses all the attributes of deity and all the qualities of true humanity, apart from sin.
Jesus will exist forever as the God-man in His resurrected body.
Jesus Is the Son of God
The title Son of God means that Jesus is fully God and is one of the three Persons of the one true God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are together known as the Trinity.
How Did Jesus Come to Earth?
The best way to understand is to look at the word "incarnation" which is a term used to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh.
The word incarnation means "the act of being made flesh." It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14.
The Bible Says in John 1:14...
...Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth.
The Bible story of the birth of Christ (The Incarnation).
The Bible Says In Luke 1:26-38...
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.'
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'
'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'
'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The incarnation was accomplished by this creative act of the Holy Spirit in the body of Mary. The virgin birth was a special miracle performed by the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, whereby the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, took to Himself a genuine, though sinless, human nature and was born as a man, without surrendering in any aspect His deity.
...So Joseph and Mary went up from the town of Nazareth to Bethlehem. 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 room for them in the inn.
His Three Primary Names
The three primary names used for the Son of God are Jesus, Christ, and Lord.
1. The name Jesus, meaning "Jehovah is the Savior," is His human name, linking Him with humanity whom He came to save. His career here on earth was as a prophet, healer and teacher, healing people and teaching men the truth,
2. The name Christ, meaning "Anointed One," is His Messianic name, linking Him with the prophecies He came to fulfill. This name suggests His priesthood and His atoning sacrifice for sin.
3. The name Lord identifies His deity and His rightful authority. This name emphasizes His kingship and His rule over all.
These three names have a chronological emphasis:
1. Until His crucifixion, He was known primarily as "Jesus"
2. After His resurrection and ascension, He was preeminent as "Christ"
3. When He returns, it will be as "Lord" to reign.
He is simultaneously all three and has been throughout history.
Mankind's relationship and responsibility to Him follow this same pattern: obedience to Him as prophet, faith in Him as priest, surrender to Him as King.
The Bible Says in Acts 2:36...
..."Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ"
Jesus is Christ and Lord, so He can be referred to as Jesus or Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus or Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Created the World
The Bible Says in John 1:3...
..."He created the world and all that is in it."
Through Him all things were made.
Jesus Christ Is the Savior of the World
Anytime we disobey God, it is called sin. The penalty for sin is death.
The Bible Says in Romans 6:23...
...For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin.
Psalm 51:4 says: All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God.
Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite.
What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction.
Matthew 25:46 says: And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.
Revelation 20:15 says: And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
But God in his love wants us to live. Therefore, he sent His Son to save the world. Jesus Christ, came to earth to die in our place. Because He lived a life without sin, only He was qualified to pay for our sins by His death on a cross. He then demonstrated His power over death when He rose from the grave three days later.
Only through Jesus can we be saved.
The Bible Says in Acts 4:12 and 16:31...
Only through Jesus can our sins be forgiven and we can come to God.
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
Jesus Performs Miracles
All through his time on earth, Jesus performed miracles. Here are a few:
Matthew 8:16 says: He cast out the evil spirits and he healed all the sick.
Mark 4:39 says: He controlled the weather.
Matthew 14:14-21 says: He multiplied food.
Matthew 17:24-27 says: He provided money when needed.
John 11:38-44 says: He raised Lazarus from the dead.
Acts 3:12-16 shows that the risen Christ continued working miracles through His followers.
Jesus Changes Lives
People who followed Jesus turned away from their sins. Luke 8:2 says: He cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene and she became a devoted follower who told others about Jesus.
Luke 19:1-10 says: Zacchaeus, a tax collector, repaid people he had cheated and gave half of his possessions to the poor.
Luke 10:1-20 says: When followers were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they were able to declare the message of Jesus, perform miracles, and live free from sin.
For nearly 2,000 years, Jesus Christ has been changing the lives of people all over the world.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
He can change your life as well.
Romans 6:22 says: Jesus will deliver you from sin's addiction.
Romans 12:2 says: Jesus will renew your mind.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 says: Jesus will heal your hurts.
Read The Good NewsJesus Lives in Heaven at the Right Hand of God the Father
Romans 8:34 says: After Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven to the right hand of God. From there he is able to intercede or intervene for us.
Jesus Will Return to Judge All of Humanity
Matthew 24:30 says: While he was still on this earth, Jesus said, Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man (a title Jesus used for Himself), and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
When Jesus returns, He will separate those who will live with Him (they have received Him) forever in heaven from those who will be punished.
Jesus Christ Will Receive You Right Now
It does not matter what you have done. Jesus still calls you to come to Him in repentance and faith.