Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

We believe that Jesus Christ is God. In particular, He is God the Son who became a human being 2,000 years ago in a small town in Judea. Entering the world as we all do, as a baby, He grew up within a particular culture, speaking a particular language. And yet, He is also very different from us because He always existed as God, and He was the creator of all that is and of the people of every culture and language.

We believe that Jesus Christ was a perfect man, never thinking, saying, or doing what is wrong or what was shameful to God the Father. Yet He died as if He were a criminal, and as if He had disobeyed His Father. He did that so that He could rescue people like us, people who have thought and done and said things that are shameful and wrong. By His death and resurrection, Jesus alone has the authority to give life through faith to all who would put their trust in Him, people of every language, and nation, and culture.

We believe that Jesus Christ continues to live, having come to life again after His death on a cross. He lives now with God the Father, praying for the children of God, and preparing a place for these children of God to live forever with Him and with the Father.

And we believe that we can come to know Jesus, having a spiritual relationship with Him. We can know Him through faith, entirely as a gift from God. And one day, those who known Him and are known by Him will see Him face-to-face and enjoy His presence forever.

To quote from our official statement of belief:

“We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.”

“We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.”