Step 3. Was Jesus Christ just a man or is he God?

	There is only one God, but he consists of three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – referred to as the Holy Trinity. The Son, Jesus Christ is, without a shadow of doubt, God. Matthew 28:17-20Matthew 28:17-20¹⁷When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Footnotes: ^[a]Or into. New International Version (NIV) Acts 8:14-17Acts 8:14-17¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into^[a] the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money Footnotes: ^[a]Or in New International Version (NIV) Acts 19:3-7Acts 19:3-7³So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. ⁴Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized into^[a] the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues^[b]and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all. Footnotes: ^[a]Or in ^[b]Or other languages New International Version (NIV) Romans 6:1-5Romans 6:1-5 Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ ¹What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. New International Version (NIV) 1 Corinthians 10:1-41 Corinthians 10:1-4¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. New International Version (NIV) 2 Corinthians 13:142 Corinthians 13:14'May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.' New International Version (NIV) Galatians 3:26-29Galatians 3:26-29²⁶You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. New International Version (NIV)
God created human beings in his own image. He is the Creator of the universe. But don’t get confused: God did not create Jesus; Jesus is God, and he has always existed. Genesis 1:25-29Genesis 1:25-29²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." ²⁹ Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. New International Version (NIV) Genesis1:1-3Genesis1:1-3 The Beginning ¹ In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. ² Now the earth was ^[a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Footnotes: ^[a]Or possibly became New International Version (NIV)
	The many miracles that Jesus performed prove that he is God, for these things only God himself could do. He restored vision to the blind, gave life to dead people, walked on water, and healed life-threatening diseases with a word. Mark 8:22-25Mark 8:22-25²²They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" ²⁴He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." ²⁵Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. New International Version (NIV) Mark 5:25-29Mark 5:25-29A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. New International Version (NIV) Mark 6:45-52Mark 6:45-52 Jesus Walks on the Water ⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. ⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." ⁵¹Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. New International Version (NIV) Mark 6:53-56Mark 6:53-56⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went�into villages, towns or countryside�they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. New International Version (NIV)
In the person of Jesus Christ, God humbled himself to become like one of his own creations, choosing to become a man, to help all of us in a vitally significant way. More than 2,000 years ago he came -- with results changing the world forever. The Holy Spirit created God’s human form in the womb of a woman called Mary. She gave birth to a child and called him Jesus, which means the Messiah, the anticipated deliverer. Matthew 1:20-25Matthew 1:20-25²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[a] because he will save his people from their sins." ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"^[b] ²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Footnotes: ^[a] Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. ^[b] Immanuel means God with us . New International Version (NIV)
	In the past, Jesus had appeared in human form to various people at different times. One such case was when he appeared to Abraham just before the judgement of the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But now, God did not just appear as a man, he became fully human for the first time. Yet, he is still God. Both man and God. Genesis 18:16-33Genesis 18:16-33 Abraham Pleads for Sodom ¹⁶ When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁸ Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on Earth will be blessed through him. ¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." ²⁰ Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." ²² The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ^[a] ²³ Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare ^[b] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing�to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge ^[c] of all the Earth do right?" ²⁶ The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." ²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." ²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." ³⁰ Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." ³¹ Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." ³² Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." ³³ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. Footnotes: ^[a] Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham ^[b] Or forgive ; also in verse 26 ^[c] Or Ruler New International Version (NIV) Genesis 19:1-28Genesis 19:1-28 Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed ¹ The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. ² "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." ³ But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. ⁴ Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom�both young and old�surrounded the house. ⁵ They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." ⁶ Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him ⁷ and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. ⁸ Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." ⁹ "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. ¹⁰ But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. ¹¹ Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. ¹² The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here�sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, ¹³ because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." ¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry ^[a] his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. ¹⁵ With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." ¹⁶ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" ¹⁸ But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, ^[b] please! ¹⁹ Your ^[c] servant has found favour in your ^[d] eyes, and you ^[e] have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. ²⁰ Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it�it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." ²¹ He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. ²² But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar. ^[f] ) ²³ By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah�from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities�and also the vegetation in the land. ²⁶ But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. ²⁷ Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸ He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. Footnotes: ^[a] Or were married to ^[b] Or No, Lord; or No, my lord ^[c] The Hebrew is singular. ^[d] The Hebrew is singular. ^[e] The Hebrew is singular. ^[f] Zoar means small. New International Version (NIV)
One enormous difference between this man Jesus and every other human being, is that Jesus was (and still is) without sin. The human race is full of sin: we do wrong every day. But Jesus never did anything wrong, for despite all temptations, he refused to sin, always remaining pure and perfect. It’s amazing when you think about it: our Creator walked among us, and just like us our Almighty God smelled flowers and touched animals (that he had created differently to us). 1 Peter 2:20-241 Peter 2:20-24²⁰But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ²²"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." ²³When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. New International Version (NIV) Isaiah 53:7-11Isaiah 53:7-11⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By oppression ^[a] and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ^[b] ⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes ^[c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. ¹¹ After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life ^[d] and be satisfied ^[e] ; by his knowledge ^[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Footnotes: ^[a] Or From arrest ^[b] Or away. / Yet who of his generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living / for the transgression of my people, / to whom the blow was due? ^[c] Hebrew though you make ^[d] Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint Masoretic Text does not have the light of life. ^[e] Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the result of the suffering of his soul / and be satisfied ^[f] Or by knowledge of him New International Version (NIV)
	As a man on Earth, Jesus, the Son of God was tempted by the same things that we are, suffered the same physical and emotional pains as us. He was often unappreciated, ignored, unloved, misunderstood or even despised -- despite having done nothing wrong – yet he still loved everyone. Hebrews 2:18Hebrews 2:18¹⁸Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. New International Version (NIV) 1 Peter 2:231 Peter 2:23²³When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. New International Version (NIV)
Not only is Jesus Christ the greatest man that ever lived, he is our Creator and deserves all honour and glory. Yet look what people did to him: it was downright unjust and painful in the extreme. To stop the taunting and subsequent torture was within his power at any time, for his power is incredible beyond belief. Yet he did not defend himself, allowing himself to be sacrificed for the sins of people. 1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4;11 Peter 2:21²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. New International Version (NIV) 1 Peter 3:18 ¹⁸ For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, New International Version (NIV) 1 Peter 4:1 Living for God ¹ Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. New International Version (NIV)
	Jesus did this for us, because of his love for us. Only he could pay the price for our sins, saving us from the punishment we deserved. It was he who suffered for us. Today, according to the Bible, he lives in Heaven and works to help us. One day he will return to Earth as the rightful King of the whole world. It will be wondrous! At last we will have a wise and just leader, and the Earth will be full of God’s glory. Romans 8:34Romans 8:34³⁴ Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died�more than that, who was raised to life�is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. New International Version (NIV)
So is Jesus Christ God or is he merely a man? Amazingly he is both, both God and man. But why did God become a man? He did this wonderful thing to show us how to live, to tell us important truths face-to-face, to fulfil the prophecies of God’s Word, to pay for all our sin, and by his sacrifice to bring us salvation and the right to become God’s children. Isaiah 53:1-12Isaiah 53:1-12¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our ransgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By oppression ^[a] and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ^[b] ⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes ^[c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. ¹¹ After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life ^[d] and be satisfied ^[e] ; by his knowledge ^[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, ^[g] and he will divide the spoils with the strong, ^[h] because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Footnotes: ^[a] Or From arrest ^[b] Or away. / Yet who of his generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living / for the transgression of my people, / to whom the blow was due? ^[c] Hebrew though you make ^[d] Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint Masoretic Text does not have the light of life . ^[e] Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the result of the suffering of his soul / and be satisfied ^[f] Or by knowledge of him ^[g] Or many ^[h] Or numerous New International Version (NIV) Hebrews 9:12,15Hebrews 9:12,15¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. New International Version (NIV)

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