Who Was Jesus?

There may be no greater debated Christian theology than who Jesus actually was. Why, even during the First Century, Christians apparently argued this subject, for John (the Apostle) says at 2 John 1:7, ‘Many have strayed [back] into the world and won’t admit that Jesus the Anointed One came in the flesh. These who have strayed are the Antichrists.’ So, even at that early date, there was some question as to who Jesus was, and even if he ever existed. That is why John in his latter years devoted so much of his writing to this subject.

The name Jesus is a Greek pronunciation of the name Joshua. In fact, in the Septuagint translation, Joshua is called Jesus (Iesous). The first part of the name (Je or Jo) is a shortened form of Jehovah. The second part of the name (sus or shua) means savior or salvation. So, depending on the point that individuals are trying to make, the name has been rendered as either Jehovah is Salvation, or, Jehovah Savior.

During the centuries following the deaths of the Apostles, Christians continued to argue the nature of Jesus. This resulted in a great theological debate, which ended in the formation and adoption of what is called ‘the Trinity Doctrine.’ In this teaching, which is often referred to as a ‘Divine Mystery,’ Jesus is said to be a part of a three-person Godhead – one of the three personalities of God – that consists of ‘the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.’ This doctrine was first accepted by the Catholic (or Universal) Church in the Fourth Century Council of Nicaea, and was then adopted into many Protestant religions as they spun off from Catholicism in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. In this teaching, Jesus isn’t referred to as the Son of God, but as God the Son.

Of course, not all Christian religions have adopted the Trinity doctrine. And as the result, many other teachings have emerged. Some believe that Jesus is simply (as he said) a son of God. However, others believe that he is in fact the same person as Jehovah God of what they call ‘the Old Testament.’ So, no trinity is implied.

Even among those who believe that Jesus is just a son of God, there is further disagreement. Some believe that he was once a mighty spirit son of God whose life was transferred (by God) into a human fetus, so that he was born a human. Others think of him as a ‘god-man’ or an ‘angel-man’ (superhuman), and there are those who think he just came into existence when he was born as a human. To find out which, if any, of these teachings is true, let’s look at some of the scriptures that bear on this subject.

Was God Jesus’ Father?

Matthew 1:20-23, ‘What has been fathered in her is from [God’s] Holy Breath. She will give birth to a son and you will call his name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. This whole thing happened so that what was spoken by Jehovah through the prophet would be fulfilled: {Look!} The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel (which translates as, God is with us).’

Matthew 3:16, 17, ‘After being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water. Then {look!} the heavens opened and he saw God’s Breath coming down on him like a dove. And {look!} there was a voice that came from the sky, which said, This is my loved Son and I’m very pleased with him.’

Matthew 16:15-17, ‘Then [Jesus] asked: ‘But, who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered: ‘You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘You are blest, Simon son of Jonah, because this wasn’t shown to you by flesh and blood, by my Father in the heavens.’

Matthew 26:63, 64, ‘By the living God, I put you under oath to tell us whether you are the Anointed One, the Son of God!’ And Jesus answered: ‘You said it yourself!’

Luke 2:49, ‘But he replied, Why did you have to search for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be in the [House] of my Father?’

Luke 22:69, 70, ‘However, from now on the Son of Man will be sitting at the powerful right hand of God.’ Well, at this, they all asked, ‘So, are you the Son of God?’ And he said, ‘You yourselves are saying that I am.’

John 1:34, ‘I have seen it and I testified to the fact that this is the Son of God.’

John 19:7, ‘We have a law. And according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself God’s Son.’

2 Corinthians 1:3, ‘May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort, be blest.

Where Was the Father When Jesus Was On Earth?

Matthew 7:11, ‘So, if you in your wickedness know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?’

Matthew 10:32, 33, ‘For everyone who admits that they are with me in front of men, I will admit that I’m with them in front of my Father in the heavens. But for whoever denies knowing me in front of men, I will also deny knowing him in front of my Father in the heavens.’

Matthew 11:25-27, ‘It was concerning this that Jesus prayed: I praise You publicly Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have uncovered them to the childlike. Yes, Father, this is the way You approved. My Father has given everything to me. And nobody really knows the Son like his Father, nor does anyone really know the Father but the Son (and anyone else who the Son is willing to show Him to).’

Matthew 11:50, ‘Whoever does all that my Father in heaven wishes, is my brother, sister, and mother.’

John 12:27, ‘Now, I am deeply disturbed. What should I say: Father, save me from this hour? That’s why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name!’ Then a voice came out of the sky, ‘I glorified it and will glorify it again.’

Was Jesus Human or Spirit?

Psalm 40:6, ‘Sacrifices and offerings You have not wanted, so You prepared a body for me.’

Matthew 9:6, ‘I want you to know that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins here on the earth.’

Matthew 22:41-45, ‘Now, while the Pharisees were all there in front of him, Jesus asked, What do you believe about the Anointed One? Whose son is he? They replied, David’s. So, he said, Then, why did David (through the Breath [of God]), call him Lord, saying, Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet? If David called him Lord, how can he be his son?’

Luke 22:22, ‘The Son (who is for a fact from men) is going the way that was marked out for him.’

Hebrews 2:9, ‘He was made a little lower than [God’s] messengers. And it was because he suffered and died that he was crowned with glory and honor.’

Hebrews 2:16, 17, ‘So, [when he came], he really didn’t take on [the shape] of one of [God’s] messengers somewhere, but he took [the shape of] Abraham’s seed. He was obligated to become like his brothers in every way, so he could become a merciful and faithful High Priest before God and offer a sacrifice to cover over peoples’ sins.’

Where Did Jesus Come From?

Micah 5:2, ‘And as from you O BethLehem, of the house of EphRatha… the few among the thousands of Judah; from out of you will come forth, the one who is Israel’s ruler. His [roots] are from most ancient times, and from the days of the ages.’

John 1:1-3, ‘In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was Powerful. [The Word] was with God in the beginning. Everything came into existence through him. Life came into existence through him and the life was the light of men.’

John 1:15, ‘John witnessed about him. He’s the one who said it; he yelled it out loud, The one coming behind me has come before me, because he was first, before I was.’

John 1:18, ‘The only-created god (gr. monogenes theos), who is the Father’s favorite [son], has explained him.’

John 1:29, 30, ‘The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look! The Lamb of God who lifts sin from the world! This is the one I meant when I said, The one coming behind me has come before me, because he was first, before I was.’

John 5:30, ‘I’m not looking to do the things that I want, but to do the will of Him who sent me.’

John 5:36-38, ‘I am doing the work that my Father assigned me to finish. These are the things that testify about me [and prove] that the Father sent me. Why, even the Father who sent me has testified about me. You’ve never heard His voice or seen His shape and His words don’t stick with you, because you don’t believe the one who He sent.’

John 6:37, 38, ‘Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I won’t reject anyone who comes to me, because I didn’t come from heaven to do my will, but [to do] the will of the One who sent me.

John 6:57, ‘The living Father sent me and I live because of the Father.’

John 7:28, 29, ‘He who sent me is real and you don’t know Him. I know Him, because I came from Him, and because He sent me here.’

John 8:26, ‘The One who sent me is truthful, and I’m telling the world the things that I heard from Him.’

John 8:29, ‘The One who sent me is with me. He didn’t send me off alone, because I always do things to please Him.’

John 8:42, ‘If God were your Father you would love me, because I came here from God. I didn’t come here on my own. He sent me.’

John 8:58, ‘I tell you the truth, I existed before Abraham was born.’

John 13:3, 4, ‘And knowing that the Father had put everything in his hands, and that he came from God and was returning to God, he got up from the meal and laid his outer clothing aside.’

John 16:27, 28, ‘The Father cares for you, because you cared for me and you believed that I came out [from my position] beside the Father (gr. ego para tou patros exelthon, or, I next/to the Father came out). I am from the Father and I came into the world. I am also leaving the world and returning to the Father.’

John 17:4-8, ‘I have glorified You on the earth and perfectly completed the work that You assigned to me. So Father, glorify me beside You with the glory that I had beside You before there was a world. I have made Your Name shine among the men You gave me from the world. They were Yours, but You gave them to me, and they have obeyed Your words. They now realize that everything You gave me came from You, because I passed along to them all the things that You told me, and they welcomed them. They know it as a fact that I came as Your representative and they believe that You sent me.

Colossians 1:13-18, ‘He drew us to himself from out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love. And the ransom price, which frees us from our sins, has been paid through him. He’s the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (gr. protokos pases ktiseos – first/taken all creation). Through him, everything in heaven and on the earth was created, both the things that are visible and those that are invisible. Everything has been created through him and for him, regardless of whether they are thrones, or rulerships, or governments, or powers. He was before everything and everything came into existence through him. He’s the head of the body of the congregation. He’s the earliest and the first one to be born from the dead, so that he would be first in everything.’

Revelation 3:14, ‘And write this to the messenger of the congregation in Laodicea, ‘This is what the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the earliest creation of God (gr. he arche tes ktisios tou Theou – the beginning of/the creation of/the God).’

Why Did Jesus Come Here?

Matthew 20:28, ‘This is how the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his living body as a ransom for many.’

Matthew 21:9 ‘Part of the crowd walked ahead of him and those who followed were shouting: [God] save the Son of David! Praise the one who comes in [Jehovah’s] name! May [God] in the highest places save him!’

Luke 1:31-33, ‘{Look!} You will get pregnant and give birth to a son who you are to name Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over the house of Jacob into the ages and there will be no end to his Kingdom.’

John 3:16, 17, ‘This is how God loved the world: He gave His only-created Son so that everyone who believes in him won’t be destroyed, but will have life through the ages. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge it, but for the world to be saved through him.’

John 3:35, 36, ‘The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into his hands. The one who believes the Son has life for the age. The one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, because God remains angry with him.’

John 5:19-23, ‘Then Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, the Son can’t do anything on his own, other than what he sees the Father doing. Whatever [the Father] does is what the Son does. And because the Father cares about the Son, he shows him everything he does. Besides, [God] will show him greater works than these, just to amaze you. As the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, the Son can also make whomever he wishes alive. And the Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has left all the judging to the Son, so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.’

John 5:26, ‘For just as the Father has life in himself, he has also given the Son life in himself and authorized him to do judging. This is because he is the Son of Man.’

John 6:37, ‘Everything that the Father gives me will come to me. I won’t reject anyone who comes to me, because I didn’t come from heaven to do my will, but [to do] the will of the One who sent me.’

Hebrews 4:14, 15, ‘So, in view of the fact that we have a great High Priest who has passed up through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s keep talking about him. We don’t have a High Priest that can’t sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tested in every way, just like us (however, [he didn’t] sin).’

Hebrews 7:22, ‘So, Jesus has become the promise of a better Sacred Agreement.’

How Did He Get Here?

John 1:14, ‘So, the Expression became flesh and lived among us; and we saw his glory, the glory of the only one born to a Father’ (gr. doxan hos monogenous para patros, or, glory as only/generated next/to father).

Philippians 2:5-11, ‘Keep this attitude in you that the Anointed One Jesus had: Although he once existed in the same shape as God, he didn’t consider trying to make himself equal to God (gr. oux harpagmon hegesato to einai isa Theo, or, not snatching he/considered the to/be equal God). Rather, he emptied himself into the shape of a slave and became a man. And when he found himself shaped as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient until his death; yes, death on a pole. This is why God promoted him to a superior position (gr. Theos auton upperrupsosen, or, God him put/high/over) and kindly gave him the title that is over all others. So, in the name of Jesus, every knee in heaven, on earth and under the ground should bend, and every tongue should confess that Jesus the Anointed One is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Is Jesus Just Another Personality of God?

Isaiah 53:11, ‘It was Jehovah’s will to remove, the misery in that life with His hand… which showed him light and shaped his understanding, and proved this righteous one just… this good one who was serving for many, so as to bear all their sins.’

Matthew 23:9-10, ‘And don’t address anyone on earth as Father, because there’s just one who is your Father, the heavenly One. Nor should you be called Leaders, because you only have one Leader, the Anointed One.’

Matthew 24:36, ‘Nobody knows the day and hour – no, not the messengers of heaven or the Son, but only the Father.’

Matthew 26:39, ‘And going a little way forward, he fell on his face praying and said, ‘My Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from me; however, not my will, but Yours.’

Matthew 26:53, ‘Why, don’t you think that I can ask my Father to send more than twelve legions of messengers immediately?’

Matthew 27:46, ‘Jesus called out in a loud voice: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, my God, why have you let me down?’

Luke 4:6-8, ‘Then the Slanderer said, I will give you power over all of these and the glory of them, because they’ve been given to me and I can give them to whoever I wish. They will all be yours, if you will just bow in front of me.’ But Jesus answered, ‘It’s written, you must worship Jehovah your God. He’s the only One you should worship.’

Luke 6:12 ‘It was around that time that he went up a mountain to pray, spending the whole night in prayer to God.’

Luke 18:19, ‘Jesus replied, ‘Why do you call me good? Nobody is good except one, God.’

Luke 23:34, ‘Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing,’

John 3:45 ‘Don’t think that I’m going to accuse you to the Father. He who accuses you is Moses.’

John 6:27, ‘The Son of Man . . . was sealed by the God and Father.’

John 6:44, 45, ‘Nobody can come to me unless the Father who sent me attracts him and I will resurrect him on the last day. The Prophets wrote, They will all be taught by God. So, everyone who listens to the Father and learns comes to me.’

John 6:46, ‘Of course, no one has seen the Father other than the one who was with God. This one has seen the Father.’

John 12:48-50, ‘The things I’ve said are what will judge him on the last day, because the things that I said didn’t come from me. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to tell and what to say. I know that His Commandments mean life through the age. So, I say whatever the Father told me to say. And that’s what I’m saying.’

John 14:28, ‘You heard me tell you that I’m going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, you would cry out in joy that I am going to the Father, because, the Father is greater than I am.’

John 20:17, ‘Jesus said to her, Don’t touch me, because I haven’t ascended to the Father yet. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’

Acts 2:24-26, ‘But God resurrected him, freeing him from the cords of death, because it wasn’t possible for [death] to hold him. David said this about him; I have put Jehovah in front of me always. Since He’s at my right hand, I will never be shaken. Because, my heart is cheerful and my tongue is rejoicing, my body will rest in hope. You won’t abandon me in the grave, and you won’t allow your loyal one to rot. You’ve shown me the ways of life and you will fill me with joy as I look at your face.’

Acts 2:34-36, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I set your enemies as a stool for your feet. So, let the entire House of Israel know for sure, that God made Jesus (who you impaled) the Lord and Anointed One.’

1 Corinthians 15:24, 28, ‘Then, in the end, after he has brought all governments, authorities, and powers to nothing, he will hand over the Kingdom to his God and Father. However, after everything has been put under him, then the Son will submit to the One who put everything under him, so God can be everything to everyone.’

Ephesians 1:20-23, ‘He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavens, far above every government, authority, power, lordship, and every name that has been given not only in this age, but also in the one that’s coming. He has put everything under his feet and made him the head over everything to the congregation (his body), to fill him with everything that belongs to the One who does the filling.’

Hebrews 1:2-4, ‘In the last part of these days, He spoke to us through a Son who he made the heir to everything... the one that he used to create this era. He shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His being, and He is responsible for everything that’s said through His power. And after he cleansed us of our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places. He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.’

Revelation 1:1, ‘A revelation that God gave to Jesus the Anointed One, to show his slaves the things that must soon happen.’

Revelation 6:2, ‘At that {look!}, I saw a white horse, and the one who was sitting on it had a bow. He was given a crown and he came out to conquer and to complete his victory.’

Where Did He Go?

Acts 7:55, 56, ‘But [Stephen], being filled with [God’s] Holy Breath, stared into the sky and saw the Glory of God – and Jesus standing at God’s right hand – and he said, Look! I see the heavens opening up and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!’

Romans 8:34, ‘Why, the Anointed One Jesus (who died, was raised from the dead, and who is at God’s right hand) also pleads for us.’

Ephesians 1:20, 21, ‘He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavens, far above every government, authority, power, lordship, and above every name that has been given, not only in this age, but also in the one that’s coming.’

Hebrews 1:3, ‘And after he cleansed us of our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places.’

What Scriptures are Used to Support the Trinity?

Matthew 28:19, ‘So, go and make disciples from all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and [God’s] Holy Breath.’ (Note that this scripture may well be spurious. For more information, see the Note Matthew 28:19).

John 8:18, 19, ‘I testify about myself and the Father who sent me testifies about me.’ Then they asked, ‘Where is your Father?’ And Jesus answered, ‘You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me you would also know my Father.’

John 10:25-30, ‘The things that I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. But you don’t believe it because [none of] you are my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I will give them life for the ages, and none will be destroyed in this era, nor will anyone take them out of my hands. My Father who gave them to me is greater than everyone and nobody can take them out of the hands of the Father. The Father and I are united.’

John 10:36-38, ‘How can you tell me (one who was made holy and sent into the world by the Father) that I blaspheme, because I say I am God’s Son? If I’m not doing what my Father wants, don’t believe me. But if I am doing that, even if you don’t believe me, believe in what I am doing. Then you will come to know (and keep knowing) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’

John 12:44, ‘Whoever believes in me doesn’t just believe in me alone, but in the One who sent me. And whoever sees me also sees the One who sent me.’

John 14:6-10, ‘And Jesus replied, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father unless it is through me. If you men had known me, you would have recognized my Father also. From now on, you have known him and have seen him. Then Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ And Jesus said, ‘Have I spent so much time with you, and yet, you haven’t come to know me Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. So, why are you saying, Show us the Father? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is me?

John 14:20, ‘In that day, you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.’

John 17:22-24, ‘I have also given them the glory that You gave me, so they can be in unity as we are in unity, I in them and You in me. In this way, they can be perfected into one, so the world may know that You sent me and that You love them just as You love me. Father, as to what You have given me: I want them to be where I am, so they can see the glory that You gave me, because You have loved me from before the founding of the world.’

Acts 4:12, ‘Salvation doesn’t come from anyone else, because there isn’t another name which has been given to any man under heaven that we need to save us.’

So, Who Was Jesus?

Matthew 16:15-17, ‘Then [Jesus] asked, But who would you say that I am? Simon Peter answered: You’re the Anointed, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus said to him, You are blest, Simon son of Jonah, because this wasn’t shown to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in the heavens.’

For more information, see the linked document, The Importance of Being the Firstborn.

Also, for a well-researched paper written by a non-religious person, please see the linked document ‘The Trinity.’

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