To Encourage You

Colossians 1:15-18 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For byhim all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

Who is Jesus?  What is His true identity?  Like the question “Who is God?” it is the most fundamental question of identity in all the universe.  Jesus warned us that “many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matthew 24:5).  Most people you meet would likely have an answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” but the bigger question is, “Do they really know?”

So, how can we know?  Where is He identified?  How did He identify Himself?  Well, the Bible provides those answers in clear and unmistakable terms.  The verses above are one such place.  He is the image of the invisible God, the second person of the Trinity.  He is that person of the Trinity who reveals God to us in a visible way. He is the Creator, yet He came to His creation to live among us, speak to us, and reveal His supernatural character to us.  He is not only the One who created all things, but also the One for whom all things were created.  He existed “before all things” and “in Him all things hold together.” In other words, the things He created continue to exist only because He enables them to continue to exist.  He keeps our lungs working and He provides the air they rely on. His power is what powers the atom, and without that power, all things with atoms as their fundamental elements of being would collapse into nothingness. 

He is “the head of the body, the church.”  The church was His idea. He’s the only reason the church exists.  And the true church, a spiritual entity that exists within the visible church, answers to and is sovereignly controlled by Him. 

He is the “firstborn from the dead,” the resurrected Christ.  His resurrection identified Him like nothing else as the Son of God, the One in Whom the Father was “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). 

He is “the Almighty One” (Revelation 1:8), “the Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 22:13), “the Author and Perfecter of our Faith” (Hebrews 12:2), “our Advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1), “the Bread of Life” (Matthew 3:17), “the Bridegroom” of the Church, which is His bride (Matthew 9:15), “the Chief Cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22), “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), our “Great High Priest” (Hebrews 4:14), the “Holy Servant” (Acts 4:30), the “I AM” (John 8:58), “Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’” (Isaiah 7:14), the “Indescribable Gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15), the “Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42), “the Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14), “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), “the Light of the World” (John 8:12), “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Revelation 5:5), “the Lord of all” (Philippians 2:11), the “Mediator” (1 Timothy 2:5), the “Messiah” (John 1:41), the “Lord, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Might One of Jacob” (Isaiah 60:16), “the Son of Man” (Luke 19:10), and “the Son of God” (John 3:16).” He is “our Peace” (Ephesians 2:14), “our Hope” (1 Timothy 1:1), our “Savior” (Luke 2:11), our “Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:4), “the Door” (John 10:9), “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), “the Word” (John 1:1),” “the True Vine” (John 15:1), and “the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  And there’s more, much more, about Who the incomparable Jesus is throughout the Scriptures.

So, do you know Him?  Have you met Him?  If not, He is knowable by each one of us if we will but come to Him. In spite of His incomparable majesty, glory, and power, He is a God of mercy, love, and grace. What an awesome thing this is.  To each one of us He has said “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), and “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).  He is the One who gave His life for us that we might know Him, and He is the One Who has said to us “this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent” (John 17:3).