Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith. I don’t say this to be shocking or surprising or to set up readers for some crazy twist. We are Christians and our faith is based on the person, life, works, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. What we say about Jesus is the foundation of our faith as indeed he is the cornerstone of our faith. The importance of understanding the person and work of Jesus for the believer cannot be overstated. It is not a question of how important Jesus is to our faith—he is our faith. Lest you think I’m speaking in hyperbole, I give you these verses of Scripture to ponder:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . .The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 9-14
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:1-14
With these passages in mind, I was surprised to learn that, as of 2022, a survey (www.thestateoftheology.com) showed that 43% of professing Evangelicals believed “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” The same survey found that 56% of professing Evangelicals believed “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.” A shocking 70% agreed with the statement “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” And in a confusing turn of events, a shocking 96% agreed to the statement “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” While one survey, no matter how solid the research methodology, is hardly sufficient to draw conclusions on the validity of someone’s faith it does at least indicate a great deal of confusion among believers regarding who Jesus actually is and the nature of our relationship with him.
Surely being able to explain a full trinitarian theology and incarnational christology aren’t necessary for salvation? True. When my children are young, I teach them “You must not lie.” They understand my point and know I want them to tell the truth. As they get older, however, they can easily use these words to mean something unintended. This is how you get a five-year-old telling a random stranger in the grocery store that they’re fat. “But you said not to lie!” They object. Further understanding must be taught.
The same is true of our faith—the basics of the Gospel are certainly sufficient to save our souls but more is needed to sustain our faith throughout life. In fact, the Gospel message is about so much more than simply saving us from the condemnation of our sins. To be clear, it’s certainly about saving us from our sins but it is much richer and fuller than what we might hear when we read that. The writer of Hebrews reminds of this danger when he writes:
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teachings about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant us have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:12-14
But we see the basics clearly in the criminal on the Cross—some understandings are essential or elementary. Consider on of the simplest expressions we know of saving faith:
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
He acknowledges the basic elements of who Christ. We will let these be the focus of our initial study over the next few days/weeks: 1) Jesus has the power of God, 2) Jesus is being punished for something he didn’t do because he has done no wrong, 3) Jesus cannot be contained by death, 4) Jesus is able to save, 5) Jesus is coming into his kingdom. Within this simple statement are the crucial elements of our faith. The criminal on the cross died that day and was right with God, but we will learn through study that those of us who come to know Christ and remain here a while longer must grow in our knowledge and understanding of what it means to live by this faith.