Jesus Christ

Begin this lesson by first reading the Apostle’s Creed. See Resources section for text.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the eternal son of the Father, the living Word, the Tabernacle of God made flesh, and the second person of the Trinity.

(Psalm 2; Malachi 3:1; John 1:1–18; Philippians 2:5–11)

What does Christ mean?

Christ is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” which means annointed one. The Messiah was to be a future-coming King who would defeat the evil powers and redeem the whole world.

(Exodus 40:12–16; Psalm 89:19–29; Luke 3:21–22; Hebrews 4:14–5:10)

Where in Holy Scripture do we first hear the promise of the Messiah given?

In Genesis 3, God promises that a descendent of Eve will be born who will crush the head of the serpent but in that act, will be struck by the serpent. This is taken to be the first promise of the Messiah, with more promises arriving throughout the rest of Hebrew Scripture and finding their fulfillment in Jesus.

(Genesis 3)

Why is Jesus called the Father’s “only son”?

Jesus alone is God the Son, coequal and coeternal with both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is the image of the invisible Father and is eternally incarnate as a human, bearing with him his human and God-given Name: that name which is above all names.

(Psalm 2:7–12; John 1:14–18; Colossians 1:13–15)

What do you mean when you call Jesus “Lord”?

I call Jesus Lord because he is sovereign over my life, the Church, all nations, kingdoms, powers, and authorities. I surrender my life to him and declare allegiance unto him, seeking every day to honor him and his ways.

(Psalm 2; Daniel 7; Matthew 7:21-23; Colossians 1:16-18)

What do you mean when you say Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit”?

Jesus was not conceived through the normal methods of man and wife, but through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. It was the will of God, not the will of a man, which caused Christ to be conceived.

(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18–20; Luke 1:26–38)

Why is it important that Jesus was born?

It is important that Jesus was born to demonstrate that he is truly a human: born to a human mother and raised in a human family. He did not masquerade as a human or play a parlor trick, but truly became flesh and dwelt among his people.

(Luke 2:41–52; Hebrews 2:17–18)

What is the relationship between Jesus’ divine nature and his human nature?

Jesus is both fully God and fully man. His divine and human natures are eternally united and inseparable, not becoming two persons but two natures, being in every way the same as God the Father and in every way the same as human beings, except having no sin.

(John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–8)