In order to understand “who is Jesus”, we must first look at human history and understand why Jesus.

When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He created them with free will to make their own choices. He did this because He wanted His creation to love Him for who He is…and love is not love if it is forced. According to God’s Word, when He finished His creation everything was very good (Genesis 1:31). Everything was free to them except one thing – God told them not to eat from one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then the serpent came along and enticed them by telling them that if they ate the fruit of that tree then they would be “like God”, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5). This exposed the human heart and our desire to be like God and so they ate the fruit and disobeyed God.

This was the first sin and the decision that broke our perfect fellowship with God until this day. Sin is simply disobedience to God. And until this sin is paid for, then we are eternally separated from the Father. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death so a sacrifice had to be made on our behalf to pay for our sin. And that sacrifice had to be perfect and sinless. It became a debt that we could never pay. All throughout history there was only one who was able…

1 Peter 1:18-21 tells us that we could never purchase our redemption but that it was paid for by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot and that He was foreordained before the foundation of the world. For around 4,000 years it was prophesied that one would come and restore us back to unity with God. Jesus of Nazareth was born of a virgin, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, and preached the good news of salvation to all that would hear Him. For that, He was beaten, mocked, and crucified as the perfect, sinless Lamb of God. He took the penalty that we deserved and paid the price we couldn’t afford. And how do we know the payment was accepted by God?

The Resurrection!

Jesus said in John 10:17-18 that he had the power to lay down His life and the power to take again. Never before in history has anyone been born of a virgin or raised from the dead on their own accord…but Jesus! We believe in one God manifested in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the creator of Heaven and Earth. Everything seen and unseen (Colossians 1:6). And He is the central figure in human history.

“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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son.” – John 3:16-18

The Word is clear that it takes a conscience choice to accept the payment made by Jesus Christ. All have the opportunity, but not all choose to accept this free gift. “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2