Week Three

Welcome to the final week of What You Need to Know to Know Jesus Better. Last week we covered an important title of Jesus. Do you remember what it was?

Last week, we discovered that Jesus is our sacrificial offering. Jesus came to die for our sins and as sin. Because of Jesus, sin and death no longer have power over us. Because of Jesus, we have freedom from sin and everlasting life. But how was Jesus able to be our sacrificial offering? If Jesus is 100% human, like you and me, how could He be the perfect sacrifice? Well, in the final section of this curriculum, you will learn that for Jesus to be the sacrificial offering for sin, He had to ultimately be the Son of God.

The Main Thing

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

John 20:31 ESV

…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.

Jesus’s title, the Son of God, is a theological way of saying that Jesus is 100% God. Jesus is equally fully man and fully God. Jesus has to be 100% man to represent and relate to humanity on the cross. Jesus has to be 100% God because only God could save humanity from their sins. [7] When Jesus died on the cross, He had to be the Son of God because it was the only qualification to make Him the perfect, sinless sacrifice. Jesus had to be fully man and fully God so He could relate to and save humanity. [8]

Colossians 1:15 reveals that Jesus is the fleshly nature of God. God is invisible, but He chose to reveal Himself as a human through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the incarnation (fleshly image) of God.

John 20:31 reveals that to believe in the Son of God (Jesus Christ) is to have life after life, and that is the eternal life that only God could restore us to.

The Why?

The main thing to understand in the final week of this curriculum is that Jesus has to be the Son of God to take on and die for the sins of humanity. [9] Only a God could be the sacrificial offering for the sins of humanity, and that God is Jesus. Through Jesus, we have a God we can relate to through His humanity and a God we can trust and depend on through His divinity.

I have more questions

The why from this week explains the purpose of Jesus being the Son of God. Jesus has to be the Son of God so He could be the sacrifice to take on the sins of humanity. But you probably have so many more questions. Your questions are valid, and I wish that I could answer them all. But this curriculum is just an introduction to the person and the work of Christ. I encourage you to write your questions down, and as you discover more about Christ, the Holy Spirit will answer them along the way.

Questions

How do you see Jesus now that you know He is the Son of God?

What are some more things that you want to know about the person and the work of Jesus?

Conclusion

The purpose of this guide is to help you know Jesus better so you can stand firm in your beliefs and walk with Christ. You will be on a continuous journey of knowing Jesus Christ because knowing Christ is a lifelong journey. As a disciple, you will continue to discover new things about Jesus that will lead you to stand strong in your faith. I am glad that this curriculum could be part of your journey.

Application Questions

What are you going to do with the information that you learned in this guide?

How will this guide lead you to stand stronger in your faith?

How will this guide change the way you interact with Christ?

Bibliography

“The I AM Changes Who I Am.” Liberty University, 2015. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/689133/pages/watch-the-i-am-changes-who-i-am?module_item_id=77212365. 

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Fox, Gary A. Understanding Atonement: Maybe It’s Time to Rethink Atonement without Giving Up Jesus. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2019.

Johnson, Adam. “Jesus as Substitute.” In St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews, 2022–. Article published July 27, 2023. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/JesusasSubstitute.

Mason, Eric. Urban Apologetics: Cults and Cultural Ideologies: Biblical and Theological Challenges Facing Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023.

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[7] The I AM Changes Who I Am.” Liberty University, 2015. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/689133/pages/watch-the-i-am-changes-who-i-am?module_item_id=77212365. 

[8] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013).

[9] Ibid.