1
Is God Jesus?
Biblical Concept: Incarnation
Read: John 1:1–18
Who is God? Is he good? Is he all powerful? Is he one or many? Everyone—whether a pastor, celebrity, atheist, or philosopher—seems to have an opinion. Who has the authority to give an answer?
According to John 1, there’s one—Jesus—who can definitively answer the question: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (verse 18). If Jesus is whom he claimed to be (God), if he did what the Bible says he did, then nothing could be more important than our quest for him. Whether or not we believe in Jesus, we can’t deny that he has had more impact on humanity than any other person in history. Let’s start with Jesus to answer the question, Who is God?
Jesus Is Creator
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). If this sounds familiar, it should. It echoes Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John connected Jesus, the Word, with the God who created the world with a word. Paul, the apostle, said it like this: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. . . . And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). The New Testament claims that the Creator, God, took on human flesh in the person of Jesus.
Is there evidence for this? Well, one could point to the predictions he fulfilled (Luke 24:44; John 5:39), his divine birth (Luke 1:30‒35), his sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), or all the miracles he performed. However, the most remarkable (and historically verifiable) evidence is his resurrection from the dead (see chapter 49). It was this one event that transformed the world.
Ultimately, you need to make up your own mind about who Jesus is. However, you would be in good company if you declared him Lord. After all, Jesus claimed to have all authority (Matthew 28:18), even to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) and judge the world (John 5:24–30). His friends affirmed he was God’s Son (Matthew 14:33), even God himself (John 20:28). Even Jesus’s enemies admitted he was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:39–43). Throughout the New Testament, we have very clear declarations that Jesus is God (John 1:18; 12:41; Romans 9:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:12; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20). However, he’s a different kind of divine being--one who is near.
Jesus Is Here
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This idea that God became flesh is called the Incarnation. And, of course, it sparks all kinds of questions like “How can God be in heaven and on earth at the same time?” Without being dismissive (because questions like this are interesting), can we just admit that they are beyond human ability to answer? Oddly, this is kind of comforting. The God I worship is greater than my capacity to comprehend.
How could I ever know the unknowable God if he didn’t make himself known? We can’t take a shuttle to heaven. So, if God wanted us to know him, doesn’t it make sense that he would show up at our level? If you want to play with a child, what do you do? You get on the floor. That’s similar to what God did in Jesus. He met us where we are.
Some of the best things we believe about God are because we’ve seen them in Jesus. Three are unique to Christianity:
1. God is near. Christianity is the only global religion where God is both personal and knowable. We’re invited into a relationship with him. To this point, John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” This was a brand-new idea in the Bible, that through Jesus we can pray to God as Father, even calling him Abba (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).
2. God is love. I think most people have no problem believing that God can love people who are considered good. But can you imagine a religion where God loved not only those who loved him but also the people who hated him or wanted nothing to do with him? This is exactly what Jesus does! Check out what he said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). And he modeled that from the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Only through Jesus do we know that “God show[ed] his love for us . . . while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
3. God suffers. Now, there’s a crazy idea! How could God suffer? Look through the Old Testament, and you’ll find only two descriptions of God suffering (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10). This is an offensive idea in many religions. Yet in Jesus we see a God who suffers for those he loves even while they’re unlovely. Now, that is a God worth worshipping. This is a God we never could have imagined without the incarnation of Jesus.
1
Is God Jesus?
Biblical Concept: Incarnation
Read: John 1:1–18
Who is God? Is he good? Is he all powerful? Is he one or many? Everyone—whether a pastor, celebrity, atheist, or philosopher—seems to have an opinion. Who has the authority to give an answer?
According to John 1, there’s one—Jesus—who can definitively answer the question: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (verse 18). If Jesus is whom he claimed to be (God), if he did what the Bible says he did, then nothing could be more important than our quest for him. Whether or not we believe in Jesus, we can’t deny that he has had more impact on humanity than any other person in history. Let’s start with Jesus to answer the question, Who is God?
Jesus Is Creator
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). If this sounds familiar, it should. It echoes Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John connected Jesus, the Word, with the God who created the world with a word. Paul, the apostle, said it like this: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. . . . And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). The New Testament claims that the Creator, God, took on human flesh in the person of Jesus.
Is there evidence for this? Well, one could point to the predictions he fulfilled (Luke 24:44; John 5:39), his divine birth (Luke 1:30‒35), his sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), or all the miracles he performed. However, the most remarkable (and historically verifiable) evidence is his resurrection from the dead (see chapter 49). It was this one event that transformed the world.
Ultimately, you need to make up your own mind about who Jesus is. However, you would be in good company if you declared him Lord. After all, Jesus claimed to have all authority (Matthew 28:18), even to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) and judge the world (John 5:24–30). His friends affirmed he was God’s Son (Matthew 14:33), even God himself (John 20:28). Even Jesus’s enemies admitted he was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:39–43). Throughout the New Testament, we have very clear declarations that Jesus is God (John 1:18; 12:41; Romans 9:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:12; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20). However, he’s a different kind of divine being--one who is near.
Jesus Is Here
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This idea that God became flesh is called the Incarnation. And, of course, it sparks all kinds of questions like “How can God be in heaven and on earth at the same time?” Without being dismissive (because questions like this are interesting), can we just admit that they are beyond human ability to answer? Oddly, this is kind of comforting. The God I worship is greater than my capacity to comprehend.
How could I ever know the unknowable God if he didn’t make himself known? We can’t take a shuttle to heaven. So, if God wanted us to know him, doesn’t it make sense that he would show up at our level? If you want to play with a child, what do you do? You get on the floor. That’s similar to what God did in Jesus. He met us where we are.
Some of the best things we believe about God are because we’ve seen them in Jesus. Three are unique to Christianity:
1. God is near. Christianity is the only global religion where God is both personal and knowable. We’re invited into a relationship with him. To this point, John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” This was a brand-new idea in the Bible, that through Jesus we can pray to God as Father, even calling him Abba (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).
2. God is love. I think most people have no problem believing that God can love people who are considered good. But can you imagine a religion where God loved not only those who loved him but also the people who hated him or wanted nothing to do with him? This is exactly what Jesus does! Check out what he said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). And he modeled that from the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Only through Jesus do we know that “God show[ed] his love for us . . . while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
3. God suffers. Now, there’s a crazy idea! How could God suffer? Look through the Old Testament, and you’ll find only two descriptions of God suffering (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10). This is an offensive idea in many religions. Yet in Jesus we see a God who suffers for those he loves even while they’re unlovely. Now, that is a God worth worshipping. This is a God we never could have imagined without the incarnation of Jesus.
