Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.
“In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14
Jesus’ identity as God is demonstrated in His eternal existence (Micah 5:2). He claimed oneness with the Father (John 10:30-33), worthiness of worship (John 5:23), to be the giver of life (John 5:21) and the ultimate judge of all mankind (John 5:22). God the Father refers to Jesus as God (Hebrews 1:8-9). The Bible also tells us Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus validated these claims by doing things that only God could do. He forgave sin (Mark 2:10), lived a perfect, sinless life (1 Peter 2:21-22), demonstrated omniscience (John 1:48) and dominion over all creation (Luke 8:22-25), and bodily rose from the dead (John 20:26-29).
While Jesus Christ is fully God, to save us He left heavenly glory and took on human nature at His birth (Philippians 2:5-11). He did not cease to be God, but voluntarily laid aside the independent exercise of His attributes as God. His humanity is seen in that He possesses a human body (Galatians 4:4), that He manifested human needs such as hunger (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28) and the need for rest (John 4:6). He experienced human emotions such as compassion (Matthew 9:36), sorrow (John 11:35), and temptation (Hebrews 4:15).
Because He is fully human, Jesus could be our substitute, dying on the cross for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). Because He is fully God He offered Himself as a sinless sacrifice of eternal value to pay the penalty due us for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).
