Who is Jesus?

By azbible.com

A summary of who Jesus is:

Jesus was born about 2,000 years ago in the land of Israel and became a religious figure known throughout the world. He is the founder of Christianity. Below is a list of items that help explain who Jesus is.

1. Christians believe that Jesus is the Savior, who was promised by the prophets of the Old Testament of the Bible.
2. "Messiah" is a Hebrew word and "Christ" is a Greek word that means the same thing: Savior.
3. The Old Testament was written centuries before the birth of Jesus. It spoke of the sinful nature of people and how sin separates people from God. It contains dozens of promises from God (prophecies) that he would send a Messiah - a special being anointed by God - who would restore people to God.
4. The prophecies include details about the reason for a Messiah, his nature, his family lineage, birthplace and timing of his birth, the purpose of his life, as well as details about his death and resurrection.
5. Throughout history, Jesus is the only person widely regarded to be the Messiah who was promised by the Old Testament.
6. Jesus' followers wrote the New Testament of the Bible, during the decades that followed his death and resurrection. The New Testament was completed about 1900 years ago.
7. Jesus was born about 2000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem, which is near Jerusalem in the land of Israel.
8. The New Testament describes the birth of Jesus as being miraculous, that he was born of a virgin.
9. Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate as a man, that he is both fully human and fully God.
10. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he is one with God the Father.
11. Jesus grew up in the town of Nazareth, in the northern part of Israel. That is why he also is known as "Jesus of Nazareth."
12. Jesus was about 30-years old when he started his public ministry, preaching and performing miracles.
13. He preached a message of forgiveness and salvation. The New Testament has 27 parts - referred to as "books" - and these include the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which contain many details about Jesus' public ministry.
14. Jesus performed about 30 miracles that are recorded in the New Testment. The miracles include healing people of blindness, deafness and other ailments, overcoming nature, and raising two people from the dead.
15. His public ministry lasted about 3.5 years until he was executed.
16. He was executed by the Romans after being falsely accused of being a rebel. The land of Israel was part of the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus.
17. Jesus was arrested, beaten and executed by crucifixion. The Romans often used crucifixion as a means of publicly executing people.
18. Jesus' followers wrote that Jesus died and was buried and then rose again to life three days later. This is called the resurrection.
19. After his resurrection, he met with his followers, preached for a short time more and then ascended into Heaven.
20. The New Testament says that Jesus will return in the future to judge the living and the dead. That event is typically called Judgment Day.
21. The New Testament does not say when Jesus is to return. But it does say that when he does, it will be obvious and known to everyone in the world.
22. Anyone with faith in Jesus is forgiven of all sin, regardless of what they have done. In Christianity, faith in Jesus equals forgiveness and salvation.
23. The New Testament also says that Jesus is the only means of salvation, that he alone is the intercessor between people and God the Father.
24. A key quote from Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament's Gospel of John, helps to summarize Christianity: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV translation).