Who is Jesus Christ? Why You Need Him in Your Life

This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Getting to Know Jesus

Getting to Know Jesus Online Bible Study
The Difference Between Religion and the Gospel
The Ten Commandments: Ten Truths That Give Life
What Good Gifts Teach Us About God’s Love
Who is Jesus Christ? Why You Need Him in Your Life
What is the Holy Spirit Doing in Your Life?
Why Do We Pray the Lord’s Prayer?
What is Baptism?
Do You Need Confession and Absolution?
Why Do We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper?

Who is Jesus Christ? Get answers to the questions about this central figure—his life, his teachings, and discover his relevance in your own life.

Perhaps more than any other person in history, Jesus has been worshiped, ridiculed, and pondered by people who have lived since His time. What is certain is that Jesus cannot be ignored. Who is Jesus? Why, 2000 years after His life and death, do we continue to study who He is?

Jesus in History

Jesus was a man who lived over 2,000 years ago in what is modern-day Israel. Jesus was fully man and is also fully God. He lived a perfect life then suffered and died on the cross. Jesus is the Savior of the world, fully God and fully man.

What is Sin?

Before we can understand a Savior, it’s important to believe we are in need of one.

Sin is everything that we do, think, or say that is not in line with God’s law. In addition to the sins we commit, we also have original sin, which is the sinful condition we are born into. (See Psalm 51:5)

Sin separates us from God because God is holy. Being “good enough” will never be enough to make up for our sin. This is why we need a Savior.

Many people would rather be their own master in hell than submit to God’s authority in heaven. (Getting to Know Jesus, Paul Schult, p. 70) Yet all of us are in need of a Savior.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus is the Son of God, who came to the earth to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus is our Savior.

Names of Jesus

Each name of Jesus helps us better understand who He is and His role in God’s salvation plan.

Jesus – “The One Who Saves”

Christ – Title that means “Anointed”, Greek

Messiah – “Anointed” from the Old Testament, Hebrew

Jesus was fully God and fully man. This is a mystery beyond what we can understand but we accept as truth because the Bible tells us.

In the Old Testament, there were a number of important roles God had for leading his people. Jesus fulfilled all these roles in a perfect way.

Jesus is our:

Prophet – He speaks the Word of God. Prophets in the Old Testament spoke God’s truth to the the people, even when it wasn’t easy to say or easy for people to hear. Jesus not only spoke God’s Word but He is the Word (John 1).
Priest – He offered a sacrifice for God’s people. In the Old Testament the role of the priest was to offer sacrifies at the temple for the sins of the people. Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice in the gift of himself, paying the penalty for sin once and for all.
King – He rules over God’s people. Earthly kings ruled, sometimes with justice and sometimes with cruelty, but either way they led the people. Jesus is our perfect King who rules with truth, love, and wisdom.

Jesus is God’s anointed Messiah, who redeems you, not with silver or gold, but with his holy, precious blood.

More than any other question in your lifetime, how you answer, “Who is Jesus Christ”? is incredibly important, both for this life and for eternity. See more here: How Do I Know If I Am a Christian?

Getting to Know Jesus

As we continue through our study of the book Getting to Know Jesus, we focus on Jesus as part of the second article of The Apostles Creed. The creed sums up what we believe about Jesus from all the Bible teaches us.

Learn more about The Apostle’s Creed here.

Much of our discussion will take place in our Getting to Know Jesus Facebook group. Come and join us there for new discussion weekly. (Bonus: The author joins us in the group, too!)

While you are welcome to join in the discussion no matter what, I encourage you to purchase the book and read along for maximum benefit. You can purchase the book Getting to Know Jesus here in print or Kindle version.

Getting to Know Jesus: Using the Six Core Teachings of the Bible to Grow in a Deeper Relationship with Jesus The Case for Christ Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation – 2017 Edition