Who Is Jesus?: A Historical and Biblical Perspective of Jesus Christ for Both the New and Seasoned Christian

By Michael Oakley and Rachel Oakley

"Who is Jesus?" It's a question that resonates with people of all backgrounds - Christian or not. Throughout our lives, we have all pondered the perplexity of this influential Figure. While a brief historical account may provide a surface-level answer, the authors of this book embark on a journey to delve

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mission Blvd
• Release date: Aug 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218232030

Book preview

Introduction

The name Jesus has been used in many different ways and by multitudes of people over millennia. Who is Jesus, really? Why do so many believe in a man who lived thousands of years ago in a place and time completely different from our world today? Could you personally ever consider saying that you know Jesus?

Let us imagine you have only heard that Jesus lived somewhat two thousand years ago. You might be wondering why this book is titled "Who Is Jesus? instead of Who Was Jesus?" You might have heard a lot of people talk about Jesus enthusiastically, skeptically, or outright confusingly. You may even have been drawn to this book because you like talking about Jesus and want to have better words to communicate what you are trying to say.

Rest assured, this book will have what you need to get started on who Jesus is. As a married couple, we Oakleys have a deep passion for Jesus and a heartfelt fire for helping people in their relationship with Jesus. This is the essence of the gospel; it is the good news of God loving us and wanting to be close and personal with each and every person. We will unpack the evidence, Scripture, logic, and life-applicable meaning of who Jesus is. We believe Jesus wants every person to make an informed decision to believe in Him and follow Him, knowing who He is and what it would mean to become His disciple before committing to that evermore. He called it taking up our own cross daily to follow Him, which means there is a manner of sacrifice of self, and subjecting ourselves to His heart and plan, in faith that it is the greater good. Have you made such a decision? Do you think you ever will? Are you wondering if Jesus was ever even a real person? And where do we begin looking to know who He is when it is not like we can send Him a friend request on an app?

The persona, personality, and being of Jesus have multiple facets, much like we experience in ourselves. Waking up in the morning, we could be a barista and cook first, then a husband or wife, then a worker and colleague, and on weekends, we get to actively be friends—our role changes throughout the day or week based on the situation. Are we a different person every time we speak to someone new? No, our being doesn’t change, just the applicable expression of who we are in relation to the person/s we are expressing ourselves to. Our journey between these pages of who Jesus is will look at the same phenomena. Jesus is the same from eternity unto eternity, but how we have, and each continue to, experience Him has multiple sides to the same diamond, all glorious and precious above all else.

We will walk you through who Jesus is from a historical perspective, putting into context the time and place of His birth, death, ministry, and people. We will discuss definitions of Jesus such as the Son of God, our Friend, Lover, Healer, humble Servant, His Human nature, and (most of all) what it means to say that He is our Savior. This will involve discussing what brilliant minds and incredible people have discovered about historical evidence for Jesus and who Jesus claimed to be according to the accounts available. There will also be discussions on who He has been proven to be—these will remain up to you, as the reader, to evaluate and interpret in your own life. Lastly, there will be some diving into what some people have said about Jesus over many years, which we simply do not believe to be true.

Throughout this journey, we will introduce you to various topics, areas of study, concepts, or worldviews that may not be tackled in their full depth on these pages. However, we encourage every one of our readers to take in all that is said here with a sound mind and calmly evaluate it on your own time, especially if that inspires you to go digging deeper through other sources or the works of wonderful people who focused specifically on what you find yourself wanting to know more about.

Are you new to the faith and seeking a life-applicable exposition of who Jesus is? Do you feel like you haven’t got the tools yet to put the whole Biblical picture together yourself? Or are you seasoned in the faith after many years of living as a believer and always looking for more detail and clarity on how to express to the world around you the root of your joy in eternal life?

As a matter of principle and faith, the primary source and reference for this endeavor will be the Bible. The Bible is a compilation of books (sixty-six as the primary canon) that were written by people spanning dozens of authors, centuries, various geographical locations, and historical contexts, and recorded and copied faithfully and trustworthily by the most devoted of groups. After millennia, the margin of error between any manuscripts as close to the original as we could find and today rests solely in minor syntaxes and none that affect the meaning of the text. The Bible is divided into two primary categories: the Old and New Testaments, which basically refer to before and after Jesus. These are collections of what people wrote about the lives and historical events of certain people (focused on the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the ancestors of Israel) and how they thought, felt, experienced, and expressed God throughout their lives. It is not a collection of limiting regulations, sermons, and boring historical records—it is a living lens into the lives of people who walked with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible contains their joys, fears, mistakes, reconciliation, prayers, problems, successes, and so much more! And it brings us to a knowledge of who God is by what is written of Him as He made Himself known to people personally all throughout human