Jesus is THE WORD.
John 1 declares that Jesus is the Word, and every teaching in the Bible is intended to give us a deeper understanding of who He is. Every message of Scripture, directly or indirectly, points to Christ, the Redeemer — whether through a historical account, where we can see that God has plans for our future (Jeremiah 29), or through an illustration of Jesus’ purpose. It is in these illustrations that Jesus teaches us who God is (John 14) and who we are meant to be (2 Corinthians 5).
Understanding that there is one God, manifested as Father, Son and Spirit, is essential to cultivating our relationship with Him and realizing that we are His workmanship, created in Christ (Ephesians 2). It is important to note that man was the only creation made in God’s image and likeness, and His love for mankind (John 3) is why He sent His Son to die for our sins. Through Jesus’ love, sacrifice and obedience, God shows us the relationship He wants to have with us.
In Genesis 3, God tells the serpent who deceived Eve that the seed of the woman would bruise or crush the serpent’s head. This is what some call the protoevangelium, or the first Gospel — the first illustration that God already had a plan of redemption. Yes, in the beginning, Jesus was already the Savior of all mankind. This basic, fundamental knowledge will help connect some dots as you journey through the Bible and seek to understand God’s power, eternal purpose and promise.
Jesus is the ultimate example of God’s love. He tells us of His love in 1 John 4. God loved us first through His Son, Jesus Christ, and in John 13, Jesus gives a new command: that we love others just as He has loved us. He demonstrated His love in the way He lived among us.
In the Egyptian story of the Passover, in Exodus 12, the blood of an unblemished lamb was to be put on the doorposts of each Hebrew slave’s house for protection from the plague brought upon the Egyptians. The blood of the lamb on the Hebrew doorposts was a sign for God to spare the firstborn within. Today, Jesus is our Passover Lamb. It is because of His sacrifice — the shedding of His blood — that when the wages of sin come our way, we will be passed over because God recognizes the blood of the Lamb on all baptized believers
(Romans 6).
In His own words, Jesus asserts that He always does what pleases the Father. He proclaims that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one else could have made that claim. Jesus was the example of complete obedience, as He states in John 17. He brought God glory on earth by doing what He was sent here to do and, in doing so, set the blueprint for every Christian’s obedience.
The book of Hebrews illustrates that Jesus, the Christ, is more than sufficient. He is the power and reason for everything and, as such, is the central focus of God and His love for us. Christ Jesus fulfills all of the Law and the Prophets: He fulfilled God’s requirement for the forgiveness of sins through His death on the cross, and every book in the Bible points toward Him and His coming to earth as the Redeemer from our sins. Therefore, every study in His Word is about Jesus: the Word, the incarnation of God.
Without Jesus, God remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103). We are fragile creatures without Him and are slaves to sin (Romans 7). Blessedly, His love reaches out first with mercy, then judgment (Exodus 34).
With Jesus, we are saved. Through Him, we become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5). We are more than conquerors (Romans 8). Thus, in every study of God’s Word, we must desire to understand more about the focus of Scripture, Jesus Christ, so that we can learn more about ourselves and our purpose on earth.
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