Who Is Jesus?
Jesus was Galilean Jew (c. 4 BC – 30 or 33 AD). He is also God, the creator of the Universe.
The Gathering Place is a Christian community. In alignment with the Christian faith, we believe that Jesus (also referred to as Jesus Christ) was and is the Son of God, God incarnate, the prophesied Messiah, our Savior.
Historians record Jesus’s life and ministry in multiple records. Born in Bethlehem (which we remember by celebrating Christmas and the Advent season), Jesus was conceived by the miracle of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary. This is recorded not only in the Christian Bible but also in the Islamic Quran.
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:23-25
The child of the prophecy and its author, all in one, Jesus was God living on earth, human, with us. His life and work transformed the world. He not only performed miracles, as recorded throughout the Christian scriptures (Bible), but He came to redeem the human race.
Why does the human race need to be redeemed?
Because no one is perfect. There is great evil in the world, we know that. We see that every day. Wars, murders, abusers, human traffickers. We know what it looks like. We know what the brokenness looks like in our own lives. The betrayal, heartache, the pride, anger, the lust, loneliness, all our common cruelties. While there is so much good in the world, there is so much hurt too. No one is perfect. But God is, and He loves us.
So, Jesus came to be perfect for us. He was the perfect sacrifice, taking all of our evil and brokenness upon himself. He allowed himself to be crucified by the Jews and Romans. Crucifixion is a capital punishment where the victim is nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. He died so we could live in perfect relationship with God, having our brokenness redeemed by his sacrifice. He is the mediator for us.
Jesus, after he lay dead for three days, rose to a new life.
Resurrected, he was witnessed by many people, both men and women, and He walked and taught among them for 40 days before he was witnessed to have ascended into heaven. His resurrection is celebrated globally every year; it is the Christian holiday of Easter.
I could go on and on. Currently, the Christian Book market is worth $1.2 billion, so, clearly, there is a lot to say. But what it comes down to, what our belief is, is that Jesus is the Son of God. Equal with God. God with us. He is our hope, our deliverer, our teacher, our friend. He is the Author and Finisher of the faith (Hebrews 12:2); the Bread of Life (John 6:48-51); the Light of the world (John 9).
Jesus is the perfect loving God, and He died to have a personal relationship with you and with me.
Questions About Who Jesus is? What We Believe?
Additional resources:
The Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
