Who is Jesus?

Yahweh. Jehovah. God. The only begotten Son. Savior. Redeemer. Yeshua. The Word. King of kings. Lord of lords.

He has many names. He has the name above all names, as the scriptures say in Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So… why is Jesus so important? Why do we need Jesus?

The simple answer is John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””

But why? Why through Jesus?

Well, let’s do a little examining. First of ourselves and then of Jesus.

If I asked you, “Do you consider yourself a good person?”

Most people would answer “Yes” or “Generally yes.”

If I asked you, “Are you perfect?”

Most people would answer “No.”

Well, if you answered “No” to the second question, then you are not “good,” not biblically at least.

So then, what is “good” according to the Bible?

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “tov” is used for the English word “good.” “Tov” means wholeness, purpose, and function. For example, in Genesis, when God called creation “good” it meant that creation worked precisely as designed.

In the New Testament, the Greek word “agathos” is used for the English word “good.” “Agathos” means an intrinsic moral excellence, righteousness, and beneficial character. Another word for “intrinsic” is “innate” which means present from birth or naturally built into character.

Now, if we put both definitions from “tov” and “agathos” together, then to say you are “good” means that from birth you have been functioning the exact way God intended and from birth your character has reflected the perfect character of God.

Put this way, if I again ask, “Do you consider yourself a good person?” Now, the answer would probably be “No.” Not a single person on this planet is “good” by biblical definition.

Psalm 14:2-3 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

So, not a single human being, now or that ever has been, is “good” according to the Bible.

Now let’s look at Jesus with the same criteria.

From birth, did Jesus function in the exact way that God intended?

Yes.

From birth, did Jesus’ character reflect the perfect character of God?

Yes.

So, why do we need Jesus?

To get to the Father, to get to heaven, the requirement is to be “good” the way the Bible defines “good.”

Jesus is “the way” to get there, not only because He’s an example for us to follow, but because He is the perfect reflection of “good.” When you take Jesus into your heart, the Father no longer sees all the bad you’ve done in your life. He sees Jesus. He sees you through Jesus.

Jesus is “the truth” because He is the living Word of God, and God cannot lie.

Jesus is “the life” because once Jesus lives in your heart, your sins are blotted out and your name is written in the book of life, giving you eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

We need Jesus because Jesus is the only way for us to be “good” in the eyes of God.

Jesus died for us so He could stand for us, so we could be seen through Him and His goodness.