“… His Only Son…”

(Plain Text Version)

We can become so used to the name of Jesus that we could forget how everything depends on Him.  As we go through our days, many ideas come and go.  We deal with problems.  We enjoy what we like.  We avoid what we don’t like.  How easy it is to forget the one important thing: everlasting life with God in Heaven.

If we want to be happy with God forever, everything revolves around one word: JESUS.  Jesus is the One who saves us.  As Peter proclaimed to the leaders of the Jewish community: 

“… there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

Who Is Jesus?

Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised a Savior to repair the loss of friendship between God and Man.  Over the centuries, God appointed prophets who told us more about the Savior.  He was known as the Messiah or the Christ (the Anointed One) because of His mission as Priest, Prophet and King.

Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who became man to restore our friendship with God. 

Priest, Prophet, and King

Jesus Christ is a Priest because He offered Himself as the sacrifice for our salvation.  He is a Prophet because He taught us the mind and will of God.  He is the King who governs the entire human race.

God’s Only Son

Of all the mistaken ideas about Jesus Christ, the worst one is to deny that He is one of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.  In Jesus, God took on a human nature.  Jesus is divine, equal in majesty with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Our Lord

Jesus Christ is Our Lord because He is true God, the creator of the universe.  Therefore, He must be obeyed.  He rules us because of His great love for us.  In the Gospels, we see that Jesus was kind and gentle to sinners like us.  He did speak harshly to those who refused to repent.  This also was done in love, to help them to change.

Vocabulary

Jesus: From the Hebrew word: “Yeshua” which means “God is salvation.”

Anoint: To pour oil on the head of a new priest, king, or prophet.  Christ was not anointed by human hands, but with the fullness of the Holy Spirit by the Father. 

Prophet: One who teaches.  Sometimes prophets predict future events.