Introduction

His-story has two beginnings. The first was when the biblical storyteller wrote, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The second was when the Holy Spirit inspired John, one of Jesus’ followers, to write, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). In the first beginning, God created life and established a special relationship with His most favored creatures—people—through a covenant, or agreement. That part of His-story is recorded in the 39 books tradition-ally called the Old Testament. (We will call it the Old Agreement of God.) We studied this part of His-story in Yahweh: Divine Encounters in the Old Testament.

When Adam and Eve chose to be like God through their willful act of disobedience, God separated Himself from them but began a rescue mission to restore that broken relationship.

The centerpiece of God’s rescue mission for all people was built upon His agreement with Israel, the Law of Moses, and the Prophets’ message. Outward expressions of God’s agreement with Israel included priests, sacrifices, festivals, and daily practices. While these rules and rituals kept the agreement between God and Israel, they were incomplete. The relationship was missing someone.

The Bible reveals the “Word” in the first begin-ning of His-story was the in-flesh presence of God: Jesus—the Rescuer of all people, Second Person of the Trinity, and Creator of all things. The Creator entered His creation to establish

a new covenant, or New Testament with those who turned their backs on Him in the first beginning. The second part of the Bible, the New Agreement, is the 27 books that reveal the life, teachings, and purpose of Jesus with His people and through the Church.

Jesus is the Christos (Greek for the Jewish Messiah), who was the Deliverer all people, not only one chosen ethnic group.

The name Christos declares Jesus was God’s Son who came to rescue all people and show that their history is really His-story. He is the fulfill-ment of the Old Agreement of God. His death, burial, and Resurrection completed the Old Agreement and established the New Agreement of God will all people. Salvation is possible for all through trust in Jesus.

Christos is a walk through Jesus’ life as told in evangelistic stories by His apprentices and those who learned from them. They witnessed what Jesus said and did. The four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, wrote the Gospels so “. . . that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Guided by the Holy Spirit each writer purposely recorded Jesus’ story from his perspec-tive. Combined they give us a complete picture of Jesus, the Christos.

Christos will introduce you to the historical Jesus and the exalted Christos, leaving you with the decision to trust Him or not.

12 Christos—God’s Transforming Touch

Jesus is a central figure in history. Few would dispute

that claim. But if you add the title Christos, the Christ,

to His name, you might have an argument on your

hands. In a postmodern world, Christianity’s claim

that Jesus is the central figure in all human history

has fallen under attack. People want to know: “What

about the other religious leaders in history? What makes

Jesus more significant than Muhammad, Buddha, or

Mahatma Gandhi?”

The Christian assertion that Jesus of Nazareth was not

only a key person in human history but also the risen

Son of God is founded on who He is and what He did

to establish that reality. The source of this truth is the

Bible. One’s trust in Jesus as the Christos is based on his

or her trust in what the writers recorded and the Church

preserved in the Gospels, or evangelistic biographies,

that tell us what Jesus did and taught. This chapter will

examine what the New Testament (or what I will call

the New Agreement of God) tells us about Jesus Christ.

The Memory Verse for this chapter is John 1:14. The

mystery of the in-flesh person of Christos is the core of

Jesus’ identity. This verse serves as the basis for the theo-

logical truth of the “incarnation” of God in the person

of Jesus Christ.

Our question to consider for this chapter is “Which

Person of the Trinity created everything?” Other ques-

tions may include: “What is the Trinity?” or “Was

everything created, or did it just happen?” We will

discuss these questions at the end of this chapter.

1—Finding Salvation in Christ: Discovering Christ’s Identity

131—Finding Salvation in Christ: Discovering Christ’s Identity

1.1 Telling the Story

We have four Gospels in the New Agreement of God

that tell the story of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and

John. The Gospel writers each had a unique perspec-

tive on who Jesus is and what He did. But they all

agreed that He was the Son of God who inaugurated the

Kingdom of God on earth, and was crucified on a cross,

buried, and raised on the third day according to the

Scriptures. They all agreed that Jesus was the Messiah,

or the Christos, the Promised One told about in the

Old Agreement of God with Israel. The Fourth Gospel,

John’s story of Jesus, is unique in that John was the only

one of the inner circle of Jesus’ apprentices who lived

to an old age. John, unlike the other disciples, lived to

reflect upon and write about the significance of Jesus as

Christos in ways different from the other three.

John began his story of Jesus with “In the begin-

ning.” He wanted his readers to know that the One he

followed and whose story he told did not enter time like

everyone else. This One called the Christos was present

at the beginning of all time. Before time came the Word

who created all things.

Read John 1:1–2. Circle “Word” each time it occurs in

these verses. What does this teach us about the “Word”?

John’s beginning of Jesus’ evangelistic biography with

the words “in the beginning” is the second “in the

beginning” in the Bible. The first occurs in Genesis 1:1

and tells the origin of all things. This introduction to

Jesus links Him back to the Maker and beginning of

all things. The concept of the “Word,” or logos, reflects

more the Old Agreement’s concept of the “word of

God” (which was spoken at creation and from the

mouths of prophets) than the Greek idea of a principle

as the foundation of reality. Through words spoken in

covenant relationship God reveals Himself to people.

Jesus, as we will see, came as God’s revelation, His

Living Word.

Read John 1:3–5. Underline the first phrase in verse 3.

Circle the words “life,” “light,” and “darkness” in verses

4 and 5. Would you confess that Jesus is divine and the

resurrected Son of God?

1.2 Jesus’ Uniqueness

Write the name of a close friend or loved one here:

____________________. What qualities make that

person unique to you? If asked to write one sentence

to describe that uniqueness to others, what would you

write? ______________________________________

___________________________________________

Read John 1:14. Underline the words “flesh” and

“dwelling.” Rewrite the first sentence in your own

words. _____________________________________

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John confessed that the same Word who was present at

the beginning of time “became flesh.” We get the word

incarnation from the Latin translation of the Greek word

for flesh, or skin. The Word of God clothed Himself in

a human body. This reality confirms the humanity of

Jesus. He was a flesh and blood person who walked the

earth like everyone else, and John will point out He was

different. The word for “dwelling” in this verse is the

14 Christos—God’s Transforming Touch

same word for the dwelling place of God in the Taber-

nacle tent in the Old Agreement of God. (See Exodus

25–27 for details of the Tabernacle.) This portable tent

represented the presence of God with the Jews as they

wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. John confessed

Jesus was the “tabernacle,” or “dwelling place of God,”

among people as He lived on earth.

Circle the words “glory,” “Father,” “grace,” and “truth”

in John 1:14. What does this part of John’s confession

tell us about Jesus? Write your answer here:

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John added that along with seeing the human Jesus that

he and others saw, they also saw His “glory, the glory of

the One and Only.” “Glory” in Scripture refers to the

presence of God (for example, Psalm 24:7–10). John

recognized the presence of God in the human person of

Jesus. He also added that Jesus “came from the Father,”

which emphasized His deity as God’s only Son. But

what about His character? John wrote that He was “full

of grace and truth,” both significant biblical concepts

in our relationship with God. “Grace” is the means

by which we are made right with God (Eph. 2:8), and

“truth” is the essence of God’s character (John 14:6).

The Bible reveals the person of Jesus as both human

and divine, the dwelling place of God when He was on

earth. Each of these concepts communicated who Jesus

is to both the Greek and Jewish readers of John’s Gospel

about Jesus. They carried powerful images of who Jesus

of Nazareth is as God’s only Son.

Expand your confession of who Jesus is based on John

14:6. Write this in your own words in the space below.

___________________________________________

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1.3 The One Who Rescues Us

One Sunday evening we hosted a group of people at

our home. Our children were still young, and they

loved to mingle among the adults and older children

who wandered throughout our house. Our youngest,

who loved being around people, followed a group of

us outside onto the deck. It was winter, making the

weather and water in the spa cold. As we talked, I heard

a splash and turned to see my daughter sinking to the

bottom of the spa. A friend who stood next to me

stepped into the cold water without hesitation, grabbed

her by her coat, and pulled her up into his arms. She

sputtered some, and we rushed her into the house for

warm clothes and hot chocolate. The friend who rescued

my daughter stood in soggy shoes and wet clothes with

a towel around his shoulders but a smile on his face. I

hugged him, wet clothes and all. Needless to say, my

family feels grateful to this day for his quick response to

my daughter’s misstep.

Has anyone ever rescued you or a loved one? Under

what circumstances? What did you do to show your

appreciation for that person’s act of heroism? Write

some of your thoughts here: _____________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

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Every confession that God inspired to describe Jesus

centers around His death on the cross. If you have

experienced rescue from some danger, either physical or

spiritual, you understand.

Read Colossians 1:13–14. A rescue mission frees a

person from the danger he or she faces and brings him

or her to a safe place. These two verses tell of Jesus’

rescue mission for all people. In your own words,

describe what He did based on the information in these

verses. What was the result of His rescue mission?

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Jesus, the Christos, has rescued those who have trusted

Him from the “dominion of darkness” and brought

them into the “kingdom.” Through this act we have

receievd freedom (redemption) and forgiveness.

Read Colossians 1:15–17. Underline the words “image”

and “firstborn” in verse 15, and circle “all things” every

time it appears in verses 16 and 17. What do these

concepts reveal to you about Jesus?

Paul, the writer of the Colossian letter, concurred with

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, that Jesus was the

visible presence of invisible God. We get our English

word icon from the transliterated Greek word for image.

Like the icon on your computer desktop that links to

the unseen software on your hard drive, Jesus is the

visible link to the very person and power of God, the

Father. Paul also confirmed that Jesus, the Christos,

created “all things,” not only the physical realities of

the universe but also the spiritual realities of the unseen

world. He is before and above all that exists. The Bible

also states that “in him all things hold together.” If

energy is the glue that holds matter together, then

energy has a name; and that name is Jesus.

Read Colossians 1:18–23. Record in the space below key

phrases in this passage that describe Jesus.

v. 18

v. 19

v. 20

v. 21

v. 22

v. 23

1—Finding Salvation in Christ: Discovering Christ’s Identity 15

16 Christos—God’s Transforming Touch

Again, add to your confession of who Jesus, the Christos,

truly is. Take time to meditate on who He is and the

fact that He rescued you from darkness.

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1.4 Jesus as Servant

Imagine a member of the president’s Secret Service

calling to say that the president wants to come by and

clean your house. After your initial suspicion that this is

a prank call, the caller says that the president just arrived

in your city and one of the things he likes to do when

he has time is choose a house that he and his closest

aides could clean. He would not arrive in the presiden-

tial motorcade, and he would not come dressed in a suit

and tie. The president would wear jeans and a t-shirt

and would walk from a certain place with four or five of

his coworkers, carrying the mops, brooms, and dusting

materials. When he knocks on the door, you must ask,

“What is the president doing at my house?” He will

answer, “The president is here to serve you.” The caller

then says the president will show up in about an hour.

How would you first react if such a thing happened?

What suspicions and concerns would you have? What

emotions would you feel? What would you do?

By instinct and revelation, people know they should

respect, revere, and even fear God. If you believe God

exists, you understand He is worthy of worship and

reverence. The thought of God coming to you to serve

your deepest needs seems a foreign concept to many

religions, but it forms the heart of the Christian faith.

Read Philippians 2:5–8. Underline the key words that

describe Jesus’ actions. Do not overlook the words

“humbled” and “obedient” in verse 8.

The Bible affirms both the full deity of Jesus (v. 6)

and the in-flesh presence of Jesus on earth (v. 7). The

unique message of this passage is that Jesus, the Christos,

willingly limited His divine attributes in order to come

in the form of a servant in “human likeness.” The

Creator comes to His creation as a servant in order

to clean house. His humble act of service born out of

obedience to His mission resulted in death on the cross

and the rescue of all who would believe (v. 8).

Read Philippians 2:9–11. How did God the Father

respond to His Son’s willful obedience? Circle the word

“exalted” in verse 9. What does the Bible say about the

name of Jesus?

Eternal exaltation followed Jesus’ earthly humiliation

on the cross. The name of Jesus exists above every other

name. God has exalted Him above all others for His

obedient, humble service on the cross for all people,

which resulted in their rescue from sin and death. The

Suffering Servant-Messiah is the Exalted Christos forever.

The story of Jesus’ incarnation as an humble and

obedient servant who died to save others is the central

story of all history. His-story defines our story and

reveals to everyone the essence of life as created by God.

How would you describe Jesus’ humiliation and exal-

tation to a friend or one of your children? Write this

passage in your own words or write a parable or short

story to tell of Jesus’ choice to lay aside His divine attri-

butes in order to enter the world of His creation so He

could save those He had created and loved so deeply.

1.5 Jesus is Constant

My wife and I have college buddies we meet every other

year for a week of vacation. We have done this for over

25 years, and we see one another and our children grow

older each time we gather. While much has changed

around and about us, one thing has not: who each of

us is as a friend. We can count on one another being

the same as always every time we get together. While

the years and events that we all have experienced have

varied, who we are has remained the same.

Do you have a friend or group of friends you have kept

in touch with through the years? What aspects of their

identity do you like that has always made up part of

who they are? What about them allows you to keep

trusting them as friends?

The biblical writers we have examined show us three

essential things about Jesus’ identity and aspects of our

relationship with Him that never change and that form

the basis of our trust in Him.

The first is that Jesus is God’s Son. We know from the

Bible that God manifests Himself as Father and Spirit.

This has led to the concept of the Trinity, or God as

Three in One. The Bible confesses, “The Lord our

God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4); but in reading His-

story we see that our one God reveals Himself as Father,

Son, and Spirit. Jesus, fully God and fully human, is the

Second Person of the Triune God revealed in Scripture.

The second reality we learn about Jesus is that He is

Creator. Reread John 1:3–5 and Colossians 1:16–17.

What do these verses say about Jesus’ role in creation?

We learn from the biblical revelation that “through him

all things were made” and that “by him all things were

created.” Christos is Creator, and His entry into His

creation in order to rescue it from destruction is the next

reality we have learned about Jesus.

Jesus is our Rescuer. Read John 1:4; Colossians 1:13;

and Philippians 2:8. We learn that “in him was life,”

He was “the light of men,” “he has rescued us from

the dominion of darkness,” and He was obedient to a

“death on a cross.”

Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Creator of

all things, entered His creation to rescue it from destruc-

tion. The Eternal Christ humbled Himself and wore the

flesh of a man in order to die on the cross so all could

find rescue from the eternal consequences of rebellion.

You have now met the central figure of all history. The

story of Jesus, the Christ, is the most important story

you will ever encounter. As we end this chapter, write

the fresh understanding you have of the one called Jesus.

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For further study:

1 John 4:7–10•John 14:5–7•

1—Finding Salvation in Christ: Discovering Christ’s Identity 17