Why Bother With Jesus - part 2

Now we move into part 2 of my posts discussing some fundamentals about Jesus Christ. Today I want to look at what Jesus achieved during His time on Earth and why He came...

Some people have trouble grasping the idea of Jesus, they still question His very existence. Others make statements that he was a great man, nothing more. But the fact is He was so much more!

Firstly, His existence cannot be questioned, there is simply too much historical evidence to prove this fact But what about His claims?

When Jesus came, he stated that he was the unique son of God. He made the claim that He lived a sinless life (John 8:46-47). He claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6). Jesus claimed that he was able to forgive sins. Jesus claimed He would die and rise again.

If a normal person made these kind of claims, most of us would label him as a crazy person. But Jesus didnt just make the claims, He made them come true. This is most clearly seen in his conquest of death.

But actually Jesus was foretold to be coming long before His birth. There are a large number of accounts of statements made by Old Testament prophets that talked about Jesus coming. Everyone of these prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus, not some of them, not most of them, all of them! Some examples of these prophecies included -

His virgin birth (Isa 7:14)

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

His sacrificial death (Isa 53:5)

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

His crucifixion (Ps 22:14-18)

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

His resurrection (Ps 16:10)

...because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

 But why did He come? Why did He die? He did this because He loved us and did not want us to have to bear the penalty for all the things we have done wrong. We see this in His act on the cross, He is effectively saying that he is going to bear the weight of our sins. He died so that you and I could be free. This is highlighted by Paul in Galatians 2:20:

...the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me

But what exactly has Jesus given us freedom from? I will discuss this in my next post. I hope this is proving helpful to you and helping you understand Jesus more.