STEP 1

YOU NEED TO KNOW WHO JESUS IS

​

     Many people know Jesus as an historical figure that lived about two thousand years ago but Jesus is So Much More than That!  The Bible tells us who Jesus REALLY is!

 

JESUS IS GOD

     Jesus is part of the “Holy Trinity”.  There is only One God (Jehovah) but there are three equal parts of God; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit.  The Bible Says This About Jesus being God:

 

John 10:30

I and my Father are one.

(Jesus is speaking about Himself and God).

 

1 John 5:7

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (the “Word” is just another name for Jesus –  explained in John 1:1-17).

​

     No one can fully explain the Trinity this side of Heaven but here are a few examples that help illustrate the “Three-in-One” concept.

     1. Imagine a simple Triangle with three equal sides.  All THREE sides together equal ONE Triangle.  Each side is just as important as the other because If you remove one of the three sides, you no longer have a Triangle.  It takes all Three to make One!

     2. Imagine a pitcher of plain water (H2O).  Pour some into a glass and you have a LIQUID.  Pour some into a container and freeze it and you have a SOLID.  Pour the rest into a pan, boil it, and the Steam you see is a GAS.  They are all the same substance (H2O) in three different forms.

     3. Or you could apply this simple mathematical formula:  1 X 1 X 1 = 1.  Understanding that Jesus is part of the Trinity is critically important in understanding who Jesus is – Jesus is God!

       

JESUS IS OUR CREATOR

     You may have never thought about Jesus existing before His physical birth in Bethlehem two thousand years ago but, as you read in the previous section, Jesus is God!  That means He has Always Existed, just as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit have always existed. 

     Jesus was not only there in the beginning when the entire universe and everything beyond came into existence, Jesus was actually the one who Created it ALL!

The Bible Says This About Jesus as Creator:

 

John 1:1-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. (the  “Word” is just another name for Jesus   - also see John 1:14)

 

 Colossians 1:15-17

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

 

JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR

     As if Jesus wasn’t amazing enough just being our God and our Creator, Jesus is also our Savior!  Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission. He came to Save us and to give us Eternal Life!

The Bible Says This About Jesus as our Savior:

 

Luke 2:11

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

 

1 John 4:14

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

 

2 Timothy 1:10

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

 

Titus 2:13

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;

 

     We will explain more about Jesus being our Personal Savior in some of the Following Steps.

 

JESUS IS OUR LORD

     As Josh McDowell pointed out in his book, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict”, Every one of us is faced with a “Trilemma” when it comes to Jesus.

​

     Josh agrees with C.S. Lewis, the world renowned scholar and novelist, that No One can ever dismiss Jesus as simply being a Good Moral Teacher.  Jesus is either a LIAR, a LUNATIC or He really is LORD - but Never just a “Good Moral Teacher”.

​

     You see, Jesus claimed to be God; either His claims were TRUE or they were FALSE.  If Jesus claims were False then you have two choices: either He KNEW His Claims were False and He was a LIAR or He Didn’t Know His claims were False and He was a LUNATIC.

​

     If Jesus Knew He wasn’t God then He wasn’t just the World’s Biggest LIAR, He was also a Deceiver, a Demon and a Fraud.  If Jesus was the World’s Biggest Liar then He was also the World’s Biggest Fool because He was shamed, beaten, tortured, had the flesh ripped off of His body, had His hands and feet nailed to a wooden cross and a Roman spear thrust through His side all because He refused to deny His foolish claim that He truly was God.  Was Jesus a LIAR?

 

     Is it more likely that a person would be willing to die such a terrible death defending a Known Truth or a Known Lie?  Has a Lie been able to accomplish more “Good” on planet earth than the Truth ever has?  The Answer is NO!

​

     Now, if Jesus’ claims were False and He WASN’T a Liar then He must have been a LUNATIC.  For Him to totally believe He was actually GOD in the flesh when He wasn’t, is on the level of someone believing they're a Living Jalapeno Pepper! 

Was Jesus a LUNATIC?

​

     Throughout time -  Scholars, Scientists and people of every background have analyzed Jesus’ teachings, written books about His life, taught His principles, even modeled Jesus’ in their own lives and have considered Jesus to be without a doubt, the most Influential, the most Stable, the most Reliable, the most Honest and most Sane person that ever lived!  Could the teachings of a deranged LUNATIC accomplish more Good for mankind than any Sane man ever has?  The answer is, NO!

​

     If the Bible, and your own Common Sense, brings you to the conclusion that Jesus wasn’t a LIAR or a LUNATIC, then you’re left with only ONE other option - JESUS REALLY IS LORD!

If Jesus is LORD (AND HE IS), then Everything He Said was True, Everything He Did was Right, and Everything He Promised Will come True!  The Bible Says Jesus REALLY IS LORD:

 

Luke 2:11

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 

Romans 14:9

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

 

    You need to ACCEPT Jesus for who He is;  He is our GOD, He is our CREATOR, He is our SAVIOR and He is our LORD!