Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of the Christian faith, but He is much more than that. He is the living expression of God’s love, the one in whom all things exist, find their purpose and are restored. As the eternal Son of God, He is both fully divine and fully human in the incarnation—the one through whom the Father created the cosmos and the one who entered into it to redeem and heal all creation.
From the beginning, the early Church understood Jesus as more than a teacher or prophet—He is Immanuel, the very presence of God among us. The Gospel of John proclaims, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is the Word (Logos), the divine self-revelation of God who took on human nature to bring us into communion with the Father through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is also the Good Shepherd who seeks out the lost, the True Light that overcomes darkness, and the Risen Lord who has conquered sin and death. His life, death, and resurrection are not just events of history—they are the unfolding of God’s plan to restore all things. As the early Church Fathers taught, Christ assumed our humanity so that we might share in His divinity. In Him, heaven and earth are united, and through Him, God’s great work of Apokatastasis—the restoration of all things—moves toward its fulfillment. [For more on Apokatastasis; read Gantv.com’s What is Hell? A Patristic Trinitarian View or watch Grace Awakening Network host John Crowder’s Series Consuming Fire: Hell and Apokatastasis ]
To know Jesus is to meet the face of God. He is God incarnate, the fullness of divinity dwelling bodily among us (Colossians 2:9). In Christ, we do not encounter a distant or hidden deity, but the very heart of God made visible, tangible, and near. His words, His touch, His suffering, and His triumph reveal the Father’s endless love. He does not merely show us the way—He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, drawing all things into the eternal embrace of the Trinity.
Why Did Jesus Come?
Jesus came to reveal the Father, to heal sin, and to restore all of creation into the life of God. He did not come to teach us better morals or to establish a new religion—He came because of love, a love so boundless that God Himself took on flesh solely to rescue His children from sin, death, the devil and the lie of separation.
From the beginning, humanity was made for communion with God. Yet, through sin, we turned away, becoming captive to darkness, fear, and death. Yet, God never abandoned mankind. [Where are you? Genesis 3:9] The Incarnation is proof in that God Himself—became human in Jesus Christ—not a last-minute rescue plan; but His eternal purpose since before the foundation, of love unfolding. As St. Athanasius said, “God became man so that man might become God.” In Jesus, divinity and humanity are joined, and through Him, we are lifted into the very life of the Trinity.
Jesus came as the true; or last Adam, the only One who being fully God and fully man could undo the curse of sin and death. He entered our suffering, bore our wounds, and tasted our death, not as a punishment, but as a triumph—turning death inside out through His resurrection. His victory is not for a few, nor is it temporary. As the Good Shepherd, He leaves the 99 for the one, leaving none behind. He is the healer of our hearts, the light in our darkness, the One who hath made all things new.
Through His life, Jesus showed us the Father’s heart and His nature. Through His death, He shattered the power of sin. Through His resurrection, He rose victorious on behalf of all mankind and opened the way for all to be restored. This is the Gospel: not a message of fear of torment, but of unshakable hope—Christ came to bring all people home to God.
Why Was Jesus Crucified on the Cross?
Jesus was crucified not due to powerlessness, but to conquer darkness, sin, and death through self-emptying love. His death was not to appease an angry God, but rather to show God entering human suffering to defeat our enslavement. His cry, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”, reflects the anguish of humanity since the fall, embodying the shared pain of mankind, as articulated by St. Gregory of Nazianzus, The Unassumed is the Unhealed.
From the moment sin entered the world, humanity became trapped—bound by fear, corruption, and the shadow of death. But Jesus came as one of us, yet the victorious King, and the One who would break the chains of sin, trample the powers of evil, and overthrow death itself. The cross was His battlefield, and love was His weapon. By willingly taking on our suffering, He turned death’s own power against itself. As St. John Chrysostom proclaimed, “Hell took a body, and met God face to face.”
On the cross, Jesus absorbed the full weight of human sin and brokenness, but instead of returning violence for violence, He responded with mercy. Instead of being conquered by death, He conquered death by entering into it and filling it with His divine life. His final cry, “It is finished” (John 19:30), was not a cry of defeat, but of victory—the triumph of light over darkness, love over hate, life over death.
Through His death and resurrection, Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15), breaking their hold on humanity and restoring union between mankind and the Trinity. The cross is not the end of the story—it is the turning point. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:17), to set captives free, and to restore all things. This is why the cross although well known as a Roman weapon of torture turned the world upside down in victory—the moment when God’s love shattered the power of sin and opened the way for all creation to be made new.
Which Jesus Do You Follow?
Not every image of Jesus is the true Jesus. Throughout history, many have distorted His nature and character, shaping Him into something He never was—something that fits their own political aspirations, fears, desires, or personal agendas. But the true Jesus, the Jesus of Nazareth, the One of the Gospels and the early Church, is not a tyrant, a punisher, or a distant judge—He is the God of love made flesh, the One who came not to condemn but to heal and restore.
Some paint Jesus as an angry executioner, a divine tormentor who intends to inflict endless suffering on sinners. But this is not the Jesus who wept over Jerusalem, who embraced the outcasts, who prayed for His enemies even as they nailed Him to a cross and responded with a forgiveness that can not be changed. Others portray Him as an elitist, a gatekeeper of grace who saves only a select few while abandoning the rest. Yet the Jesus of Scripture is the Good Shepherd and Great Physician, the One who draws all people to Himself (John 12:32).
Modern cults and religious sects often reshape Jesus to fit their own rigid doctrines—some twisting Him into a figure of wrath, wielding eternal torment as His weapon; others reducing Him to a moral teacher, stripping Him of His divinity and power. Ironically in the midst of mainstream Christianity, the real Jesus is often buried beneath by-laws of denominations, doctrines of man, and fear-based theology, where He is seen as a cosmic enforcer, a “Rambo Jesus” rather than Savior.
But the Jesus of the early Church, the Jesus of the apostles, is the crucified and risen Lord, the One who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). He is the victorious King who conquers not through violence, but through self-giving love. He is the embodiment of grace, the face of the Father’s mercy, and the Savior of all.
So the question becomes not just whether you believe in Jesus, but which Jesus do you believe in? The one who divides and destroys? Or the one who forgives, restores, and leads all creation back into the life of God?
Was Jesus Real? – The Historical Record: Josephus on Jesus
Beyond the Bible and Church tradition, even non-Christian historical sources affirm the reality of Jesus’ existence and impact. One of the most significant is Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. In his work Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, Chapter 3), Josephus makes a famous reference to Jesus, known as the Testimonium Flavianum:
“At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive.”
While scholars debate later Christian additions to this text, the core historical reference to Jesus as a real figure, crucified under Pontius Pilate, is widely accepted. Josephus, who was not a Christian, confirms that Jesus was a significant figure in first-century Judea, with followers who claimed He rose from the dead. This extra-biblical record strengthens the case that Jesus was not just a religious myth but a historical person whose life and impact were recognized even by those outside the Christian faith.
Is Jesus and God the Same Person?
Yes, Jesus is God—but the answer is even more profound than a simple “yes.” Jesus is not just a messenger from God or a being created by God; He is God Himself, the eternal Son, fully divine and fully human. However, it’s important to clarify that Jesus is not the Father—He is the second Person of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God in three persons.
Biblical Evidence for Jesus as God
From the very first words of John’s Gospel, we see this truth proclaimed:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14).
Jesus is called the Word (Logos)—eternally with God and yet Himself fully God. The Apostle Paul affirms this:
“For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
Jesus Himself leaves no room for doubt when He tells Philip:
“Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
And when Thomas, upon seeing the risen Christ, falls to his knees, he exclaims:
“My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
Jesus doesn’t correct him—He affirms it.
Even in the Old Testament, Jesus is foreshadowed as the visible presence of God. When Isaiah sees the Lord seated on the throne (Isaiah 6:1-5), John later reveals that Isaiah was seeing Jesus (John 12:41). Likewise, when God appears in human form to Abraham (Genesis 18) and wrestles with Jacob (Genesis 32:30), these are glimpses of the Incarnate Christ, the eternal Son who has always been with the Father.
Real-Life Context: How Does This Matter?
Understanding that Jesus is God changes everything. It means that when we see Jesus—his kindness, his mercy, his willingness to suffer for us—we are seeing the very heart of God. There is no “harsher” God behind Jesus, no distant or angry deity that must be appeased. Jesus is the face of God, the visible image of the invisible Father (Colossians 1:15).
Think of it this way: If a king wanted to restore a broken land, he could send messengers, envoys, or warriors—but if he himself came, it would be an act of ultimate love. This is what God did in Christ. He didn’t send a substitute. He came Himself.
The early Church Fathers, particularly St. Athanasius, defended this truth fiercely:
“The Son of God became man so that we might become like God.”
If Jesus were not truly God, He could not restore us to God. But because He is God, He has the power to reconcile all things.
Jesus is not merely a part of God—He is fully God. The Father, Son, and Spirit are not three separate gods, nor is Jesus a lesser form of God. The mystery of the Trinity is that God is one in essence, yet three in Person—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternally existing in perfect love and unity.
So, Is Jesus and God the Same Person?
If by “God,” we mean the one true divine essence—then yes, Jesus is fully God. But if by “person” we mean the distinct identity within the Trinity, then no—Jesus is not the Father, nor is He the Holy Spirit. Rather, He is the Son, the Word made flesh, through whom we come to know and love the Father in the power of the Spirit.
This is the Jesus we follow: not a distant being, not a lesser deity, but God Himself, walking among us, redeeming us, and calling us home.
Recommended GAN TV Host Teachings
Mike Zenker: Jesus and Divinity: Does it Matter?
Don Keathley: Big Jesus Equals Big Grace and Jesus Never Changes
John Crowder: Christology on Fire
Jamie Englehart: Foundations of the Trinity with C Baxter Kruger
Matthew Hester: Jesus, The Lion or the Lamb? at Hill City Church
Biblical Sources
- Jesus as God Incarnate
- John 1:1, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
- Colossians 2:9 – “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
- John 20:28 – Thomas answered Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
- John 14:9 – Jesus said to him, ‘Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.’
- Jesus as the Image of the Father
- Colossians 1:15 – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
- Hebrews 1:3 – “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”
- Christus Victor Atonement Theology
- Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 – Christ’s victory over sin and death.
- John 12:31-32 – “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.”
- The Trinity: Jesus as God but Distinct from the Father
- Matthew 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
- John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
- John 17:21 – Jesus prays for unity as He and the Father are one.
Early Church Fathers and Historical Sources
- St. Athanasius (On the Incarnation, c. 4th century)
- “God became man so that man might become God.”
- Strongly defends Christ’s divinity against Arianism and lays the foundation for the Nicene Creed.
- St. Irenaeus (Against Heresies, 2nd century)
- “The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself.”
- St. Gregory of Nyssa (The Great Catechism, 4th century)
- Describes the atonement as Christ’s victory over death: “The deceiver who had enslaved us was himself deceived.”
- St. John Chrysostom (Paschal Homily, 4th century)
- “Hell took a body and met God face to face… O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory?”
- The Nicene Creed (325 AD)
- The formal Church declaration of Christ’s divinity: “True God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
Modern Theological Works
- Gustaf Aulén – Christus Victor
- A scholarly defense of the Christus Victor view of atonement.
- Jaroslav Pelikan – The Christian Tradition
- A historical overview of early Christian theology and the development of Christology.
- John Behr – The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death
- Examines the Incarnation and atonement from the perspective of the early Church Fathers.
