Who is Jesus? These four common questions will uncover His origin and role in the universe — and your life.
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Growing up, God seemed distant and unknowable.
I never imagined that He knew and cared for me individually, and it took some before I could separate the negative church experience in my youth from the Jesus I was encountering in my young adulthood.
Before I knew Jesus personally, there was a mystery around Him that I liken to that of a rock star or a political figure. I’d read facts and knew the basics about Him, but I certainly never had the experience of sitting down with Him and looking them in the eye.
Can you relate? Do you know important things about Jesus — born of a virgin, died on the cross — but you have no idea what His dream is for your life or what His role is in the world?
Let’s start at the beginning and get to know Jesus the way we’d get to know a new friend, asking questions that uncover their story. It’s through these answers that we’ll be able to piece together the truth, answering “Who is Jesus?”
To quickly jump ahead to each question, use the links below.
Question #1: Where are you from?
Question #2: What do you do?
Question #3: What is your role?
Question #4: What are your goals?
COLOSSIANS
Got Questions says it well:
“Most accept that Jesus was truly a man who lived in Israel 2,000 years ago. The debate begins with the discussion of Jesus’ full identity.”
Who was Jesus? Was He knowable?
This is the focus of Paul’s opening in his letter to the church of Colossae. A first-generation church after Jesus’ death and resurrection, they needed a refresher course on their Savior.
The believers there were experiencing incredible pressure from the surrounding society, and they were allowing heresy and false beliefs to make their way into the church. No doubt the Enemy was using this to confuse the believers, so Paul wrote a letter to the young church to clearly explain how this baby in a manger grew up to be the rabbi named Jesus. And shockingly, how — two thousand years later — the entire world is still being transformed by Him.
Let’s uncover the truth about Jesus from this section of Paul’s writing.
Who Is Jesus? 4 Questions That Uncover Who He Really Is
Question #1: Where are you from?
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)
This general, common question inquires about one’s origin, heritage, or nationality. It is page one of a life story.
In the context of the Colossian church, they were sorting through false teachers and doctrines, and the answer to this question quickly put Jesus in a different camp entirely.
He is the image of the invisible God.
He is the firstborn over creation.
Credibility is established immediately when it’s made clear the answer has nothing to do with geographical location. We know Jesus’ earthly origin and the town where He was raised, but that’s not where He’s FROM.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)
He simply WAS. He always was and always is, and was there at the very creation of the world.
The first thing to know as you encounter Jesus is that He came not from a location on a map, but from the right hand of the Father.
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Question #2: What do you do?
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
Jesus had a very interesting job description: “By Him all things were created.”
What does ALL mean here? Things that are in heaven, on earth, visible, and invisible: He created all of it.
Consider things like bacteria and DNA and unknowable galaxies — He’s over those. He’s over the angelic world, like dominions, powers, and authorities, too.
And He made it clear that He cannot be known through all of those things He CREATED. They don’t help us know Him better and they don’t provide us mysterious insights into His character. They are created by Him and meant to POINT to Him.
During the Christmas season, God wants us to enjoy the sweet children’s story or the beautiful, seasonal music, but it doesn’t stop there. He wants us to know this truth: the eternal God of the universe was before all things. The Jesus we worship didn’t come into existence as a baby, but He eternally existed as co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And He chose to leave the glory of heaven and all the angels, being in very nature of God, and He would take on human flesh so He could be fully God and fully man and live a perfect life. Why?
To reveal what the Father is like and express His love for us.
Jesus didn’t begin existence at Christmas. He ALWAYS existed and He created everything visible and invisible.
Jesus didn't come into existence when He was found in the manger as a newborn. He always was — He is the Creator! He didn’t come from a location on a map but from the right hand of the Father. Share on XQuestion #3: What is your role?
“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:18)
Not only did He create the visible and invisible, but He also created a spiritual body called The Church.
Of the church, Jesus is the CEO — the authority.
He takes that role very seriously. In other words, He’s not content to share that place of leadership. We don’t get to pick and choose when we call Him Lord and when we look to others as Lord. Sometimes believers will follow Christ’s authority as it applies to one particular subject, like service or generosity, but ignore His commands as it applies to relationships or pride. His authority is absolute, and He expects us to give Him Kingship over our lives.
In the same way, we don’t get to pick and choose which parts of His Word work for us based on our assessment. He is the authority and expects His Church to obey accordingly. After all, He is the Sovereign Creator and Sustainer.
Obedience begins with trust, which is only hard when you don’t believe He’s the head, and you doubt that He wants the very best for your life.
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)
Who is Jesus? He’s the authority of the Church and our lives.
Be reminded: 6 Bible Verses That Reveal Profound Truths About God’s Love For Us
Question #4: What are your goals?
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20)
When you encounter a new person and ask this question, it can be especially revealing. It tells a story that hasn’t been written. The individual could tell you anything! It could give you insight into their deepest hopes and dreams.
Why did Jesus come to earth as fully man and fully God? Through His blood shed on the cross, He covered our sin so that all people have been made savable. This did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Not to say that all ARE reconciled, but the offer of the free gift of salvation is available. That was His objective.
MADE FOR ETERNITY
Knowing this should change everything! It’s your identity. When we know our Creator personally, we are reconciled to Him and we will reign with Him forever. When we see our lives through this lens, everything is transformed.
Instead of wanting everything NOW, we will make choices that count for eternity and not just this moment. Godliness, patience, endurance, life-change, and character happen when people understand: I live in time but I am made for eternity.
Is that you?
If Jesus is all of these things — the Sustainer and Authority of everything visible and invisible — then do you believe He can be trusted with your life?
Knowing His origin and His role in the world, doesn’t it make sense for Him to have exactly the same place in your heart and your life and priorities that He has with everything else?
Instead of asking, “Who is Jesus?,” I want to ask:
Who is Jesus to you?
Is He your King?
Is He your Lord?
That’s the only role He wants to play in your life.
Knowing the Creator of the universe has reconciled Himself to you, do you believe He can be trusted with the details of your life? Shouldn’t He have the same place in your heart that He does with everything else in the world -- King? Share on XExplore more insights into the person of Jesus, including what He wants from each of us, when you listen to my YouTube series entitled, What Child Is This?
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Written By
Chip Ingram
Founder & Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge
Chip Ingram is the CEO and teaching pastor of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. He is the author of many books, including The Real God, Culture Shock and The Real Heaven. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren and live in California.
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