GCI/WCG: Who Was Jesus?

In his weekly update, WCG/GCI’s J. Tkach wrote:

Jesus once asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered boldly, “You are the Christ.” But then Peter immediately showed that he had no idea what being the Christ was all about. Mark 8:31 tells us,

“Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”

So Jesus had to rebuke Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Jesus came to take human sin and its consequences upon himself, to free humanity from the bondage of sin and restore us to a right relationship with God and one another, and doing that involved condemnation and death, followed by resurrection and ascension to the Father.

To follow him is not a path to national glory and power, nor to ease and prosperity, but a life of self-sacrificial love. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” Jesus told Peter.

All of us must face the question, “Who is Jesus?”

And that part of the update is correct: Jesus was the Christ.

J. Tkach’s article was fairly short, and here are some scriptures that I believe help explain a bit more about who Jesus was:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:1-3, NKJV).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14, NKJV).

Christ Jesus, who subsisting in (the) form of God thought (it) not robbery to be equal to God, but emptied Himself, taking (the) form of a slave, becoming in (the) likeness of men” (Literal translation. Green J.P. ed. Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 3rd ed. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI), 1996, p. 607). Note that “emptied Himself” is the literal translation in the Greek (the Roman Catholic Church also teaches that Jesus “emptied Himself”–see Catechism of the Catholic Church, #461. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 129).

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved…(John 3:16-17, NKJV)

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world (1 John 4:14, NKJV).

Jesus had been God, but emptied Himself of His divinity to live as a human. The Father sent Him as savior to die for the sins of all humanity. This is something that He did not have to do, but chose to do because of love for humanity.

That’s who Jesus was.

Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12), and Jesus is love as the Father is love (1 John 4:7). He now intercedes for humanity as the “one mediator” (1 Timothy 2:5). That is who Jesus is.

Jesus will come again, but in glory, and will judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42) and of His Kingdom there will be no end. And it will be a Kingdom of love with no more pain or sorrow (Revelation 21:4). That is what He will do in the future.

More on Jesus can be found in the articles:

Jesus is God, But Was Made Man Was Jesus fully human and fully God or what?
Virgin Birth: Does the Bible Teach It? What does the Bible teach? What is claimed in The Da Vinci Code?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?