Chapter 2: What Jesus and the New Testament Reveal About God

Jesus said that He came to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22). Jesus did this by teaching His disciples and by simply interacting with them on a human level. Because He was so much like the Father, Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

John, one of the disciples who was especially close to Jesus, learned much about God through his personal experience with Christ. In the books bearing his name he conveys information about God not found in the Old Testament.

John begins his Gospel account: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

A few verses later, John adds: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth … No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (verses 14, 18).

In these verses John reveals several important concepts about God that were not as fully explained in the Old Testament.

Let’s now consider what the Bible further reveals about the roles of God the Father and the Word, who became Jesus, the Son of God.

God the Father

God the Father is the eternally existing, supreme spirit being in the Godhead, who has great love, intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, justice, power and authority. Jesus clearly stated, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28), and Paul confirmed that there is “one God and Father of all, who is above all” (Ephesians 4:6).

These passages and others, such as John 20:17 and Romans 15:6, show that the Father and the Word are not the same being simply appearing as different persons. They can’t be the same being if one is greater than the other or interacts with the other. They are distinct beings, each having a distinct role in the Godhead.

The Father created all things that exist through the Word (who became Jesus Christ). Because the Father authorized and took a special interest in the creation of mankind, God the Father is truly the Father of mankind—the One responsible for our existence. Based on the Old Testament, the Jews during the first century knew God was their spiritual Father (Malachi 2:10; John 8:41), though they didn’t really know Him.

God the Father’s designation Father came to be more fully understood after He caused Mary to be impregnated with Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and after His purpose for mankind was revealed. Luke 1:35 explains how Mary came to be pregnant and that she was told “that the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” God the Father was in this sense the Father of Jesus, and Jesus referred to Him as “Father” throughout His earthly existence.

While God the Father cares deeply about His creation, the Old Testament doesn’t reveal much information about the Father. This is why it was necessary for Jesus to “reveal” the Father (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22). Jesus further explained, “No one has seen God [the Father] at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

God the Father’s desire is for humans to come to know Him, respect Him, obey Him and come to Him through His Son, Jesus (John 14:6). Speaking of the Word, who became Jesus, John explains, “But as many as received Him [Jesus] to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

While we come to the Father through Jesus, we should also note the Father’s personal interaction with mankind. The book of Hebrews explains: “God [the Father], who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in the last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Father was also the being who sent His Son into the world “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17, compare John 20:21).

In the process of becoming children of God, Jesus explained that humans need a special calling from the Father in order to understand and respond. Describing this profound truth, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44, compare verse 65).

God the Father, who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and who loves humans deeply (Matthew 10:29-31), determines when to call people.

In teaching us how to respond to God, Jesus instructed us to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9). And there is no doubt that God hears and is touched by our prayers, for they are described as incense—a sweet-smelling aroma—to Him (1 Peter 3:12; James 5:16; Revelation 5:8).

Prior to leaving earth after His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus also told His disciples about two other significant roles of the Father. First, He spoke of the Holy Spirit, for which they were to wait in Jerusalem, as “the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me’” (Acts 1:4). Then Jesus said that God the Father would determine when future prophetic events would be fulfilled (verses 6-7). Earlier Jesus had explained that the Father was the One who knew or would determine the precise time of His second coming to earth (Matthew 24:36).

The actions we have just considered show God the Father to be intimately involved with His creation and the head of the family of God (Ephesians 3:14-15). These actions are indeed fatherly. We will consider more fully the meaning of God being a family in the concluding chapter of this booklet.

Jesus as God

Various ideas about Jesus have been proposed. Some think He was a created being—a great rabbi or a prophet or an angel. Some think Jesus was simply one of three ways the singular God has appeared to mankind. But, as we have already seen, what many people think is not always what the Bible teaches.

So what does the Bible say about Jesus?

Earlier we saw that Jesus said He came to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27) and that John 1 explains that the Word (the One who became Jesus) eternally existed with the Father and created the universe under the jurisdiction of the Father.

Let’s now expand on these concepts and focus on a few more to see a bigger picture as to who Jesus is.

Jesus was God in the flesh

This is one of the most important points for us to comprehend. Stating this truth almost got Jesus killed on at least two occasions before His crucifixion because the Jewish leaders of His day didn’t believe a human could be God. Notice how John records these incidents.

On one occasion while Jesus was in the temple, the Pharisees accused Him of not telling the truth regarding His identity (John 8:13). Even though He often referred to God the Father as His Father, the Jews “did not understand that He spoke to them of [God] the Father” (verse 27). They then accused Jesus of being born of fornication—mistakenly assuming that Jesus had a human father—and claimed that God was their spiritual Father (verse 41).

Jesus then told them plainly, “I proceeded forth and came from God” (verse 42). They still didn’t believe Him, and the heated conversation concluded in an astounding manner.

Jesus said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (verses 56-59).

The Jews were incensed that Jesus claimed to be “I AM WHO I AM,” “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” as this was the God who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush and who worked through Moses to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3:1-15). (Below in the section titled “Christ’s role in the Old Testament,” we’ll explore the Word’s previous interactions with God’s people.)

Later, the Jews again surrounded Jesus while He was in the temple and demanded to know His identity. “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly,” they said (John 10:24).

Jesus then told them that the works He did in His Father’s name were proof of who He was (verse 25) and that He and His Father were one (verse 30).

“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him” (verse 31). They told Jesus they were going to stone Him “because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (verse 33). Jesus then referenced Psalm 82:6, which says, “You are gods [Elohim], and all of you are children of the Most High.”

Jesus cited this psalm to show them that since elohim was sometimes used in the Old Testament to apply to human rulers, the Jews’ own law permitted humans to be called gods. Jesus, of course, was truly God, and the angry religious leaders weren’t dissuaded. “Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand” (John 10:39).

Even though several Old Testament passages show or imply the plurality of God, the Jewish leaders of the first century didn’t believe that a human could be God. Given that this is such an amazing truth, let’s see how this came about.

Paul wrote that Jesus “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, English Standard Version).

Instead of holding on to all of His godly prerogatives, including His spiritual state, Jesus willingly gave these up to become human. The marginal note for verse 7 in the New King James Version says that Jesus “emptied Himself of His privileges.”

Though Jesus still remembered events that had transpired before He became human (Luke 10:18; John 8:58; 17:5), He became fully human and fully experienced human trials and difficulties. As the Bible in Basic English puts it, “For we have not a high priest who is not able to be touched by the feelings of our feeble flesh; but we have one who has been tested in all points as we ourselves are tested, but without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

During their 3½ years of training under Jesus, the disciples came to understand that their Master was indeed God in the flesh. They came to believe that the prophecy stating that Jesus would be called “Immanuel” (meaning “God with us”) had come true (Matthew 1:23).

On one occasion Jesus came walking on water on a windy, stormy night to a boat carrying His disciples. Peter got out of the boat and took a few steps on the water before he became afraid because of the storm. Peter began to sink, but Jesus caught him. “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:32-33).

On another occasion Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:16). Even Thomas, the disciple who said he would not believe Christ had been resurrected until he saw and handled Jesus himself, upon seeing the resurrected Christ exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Later Paul would call Christ “the eternally blessed God” (Romans 9:5) and refer to Jesus as “our great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13). Some may wonder if “great God” in this passage is referring to the Father, but the context shows that it is referring to the One who will appear—Jesus (verses 11-14).

Peter wrote to “those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). Similarly, the author of the book of Hebrews says the Son is God (Hebrews 1:8).

Toward the end of the first century a heretical belief called gnosticism arose. One variation of this teaching known as docetism asserted that matter was evil and therefore Jesus could not have been composed of matter and must have been a spirit and not really a flesh-and-blood human being. John forcefully condemned this mistaken belief.

Confirming Jesus’ full humanity, John wrote: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

John was explaining that he and the other apostles had touched Jesus and interacted with Him on a physical level as humans do with each other. “That eternal life which was with the Father” was Christ. They realized that Jesus had eternal life with the Father, but gave that up to live on earth as a human. It was awe-inspiring for them to realize they had come in contact with part of the divine Godhead.

Putting these scriptures together, the obvious conclusion is that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh.

Jesus was a separate being, distinct from the Father

Some theories about the Godhead mistakenly teach that God the Father and Jesus are the same being. The faulty assumption is that God is a single being who functions at times as the Father and at other times as the Son. (The Trinity also teaches that the Holy Spirit is another way that God appears.) This teaching has been compared to a single actor putting on different masks to play different characters.

If we only look at passages in the Bible that show how closely related the Father and Son are in Their character, Their love of mankind and Their desire to give humans eternal life, it might seem plausible that God is only one being. After all, several scriptures tell us how united the Father and Son truly are.

The book of Hebrews says that Jesus was “the brightness of His [God’s] glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). The Greek word that is translated express image “occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is that from which our word ‘character’ is derived. It properly means a [sic] ‘engraving-tool;’ and then something ‘engraved’ or ‘stamped’—‘a character’—as a letter, mark, sign.

“The image stamped on coins, seals, wax, expresses the idea: and the sense here is, that if God be represented under the idea of a substance, or being, then Christ is the exact resemblance of that—as an image is of the stamp or die. The resemblance between a stamp and the figure which is impressed is exact; and so is the resemblance between the Redeemer and God” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible).

Paul wrote similarly of Jesus, saying, “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; compare 2 Corinthians 4:4). “The meaning here is, that the being and perfections of God are accurately and fully represented by Christ” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible).

In John 14:9-10 Jesus told His disciples: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?”

These passages reveal that Christ has the same character as the Father. But if God were only one being, why would the Bible speak of two? If God were only one being, couldn’t He have just told us what He did without making Himself look like two beings?

When we look at additional scriptures about Christ, we find that He and the Father had different, but complementary roles, indicating two beings working together in harmony to fulfill an agreed-upon plan.

For example, the text preceding that which states Jesus was “the express image” of God says, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

And after Jesus told His disciples, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” He added, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:9-10).

The implication of these verses is that the Son is different from God the Father—a different being who did different things. A careful study shows there are many distinctions between God the Father and the Son.

These distinctions include the fact that the Son is the member of the Godhead who humbled Himself to become a human and die for mankind’s sins (Philippians 2:6-7). The Son was dead and in the grave for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). The Son has been given the responsibility for judging mankind (John 5:22, 27). Jesus is the being who serves as our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1).

We should also note that Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). This clearly shows one intelligent being—Jesus—willingly submitting Himself to another intelligent being—the Father. Jesus was not praying to Himself but to another being. If the Father and Jesus were the same being, why should Jesus pray at all?

Christ shares the same eternal existence as God the Father, but the Bible also states that the Father has the greater authority (1 Corinthians 15:27-28; 11:3). Again, in John 14:28 Jesus confirmed that God the Father is clearly the “greater” of the two.

The list of distinctions between God the Father and the Son could go on much longer, but these can suffice to make the point. Would God—who cannot lie (Titus 1:2)—go to such lengths to make it look like there are two beings in the Godhead if there were only one? What would be the purpose for God’s creating such a scenario?

The Bible does describe Jesus as having the same divine character as the Father and as being in complete agreement with Him to give people eternal life if they accept and do “the will” of the Father (Matthew 7:21). But it also shows us that Jesus was a different being, having His own will. He was clearly separate from the Father.

The Word was not a created being

Some mistakenly teach that Jesus was a created being—that God the Father created Him at some time in the past, prior to His coming to earth as a human. This misconception springs from several misunderstood passages.

Some have thought that Jesus was a super angel prior to His birth as a human—the “Angel of the LORD”—in the Old Testament. Passages often cited include Judges 6:11-16 and Genesis 16:7-13. The Hebrew word for “angel” in these passages is malak, which means “messenger, representative … angel” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon).

In these passages the One who became Jesus was the messenger or representative of God. Malak is translated “Messenger” in the second sentence of Malachi 3:1 because it is obviously referring to Christ, who was “the Messenger of the covenant.” The correct translation of malak in reference to the Word—the One who became Jesus—in the Old Testament should be messenger or representative of God, not angel.

In John 1:14 we read that the Word, Jesus Christ, “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” The Greek word that is translated “only begotten” in this verse is monogenees. This word is not saying that God the Father begot the Word in the sense of bringing Him into existence.

As Greek scholar Spiros Zodhiates explains: “The word monogenees actually is a compound of the word monos, ‘alone,’ and the word genos, ‘race, stock, family.’ Here we are told that He who came to reveal God—Jesus Christ—is of the same family, of the same stock, of the same race as God … There is ample evidence in the Scriptures that the Godhead is a family” (Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God? 1966, p. 21).

What John 1:14 is telling us is that the Word was part of the same family as God the Father.

Another passage often misunderstood is found in Revelation 3:14. Here Jesus is said to be the “beginning” (arche) of God’s creation. In addition to “beginning,” this word can mean “the person or thing that commences, … that by which anything begins to be” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions). It is translated as “originator” in the International Standard Version.

The Word, who became Jesus, was the originator of God’s creation. The Word was the being who was responsible for bringing the creation into existence. This meaning is confirmed in Ephesians 3:9, which says God “created all things through Jesus Christ.” If Jesus had been created by the Father, then Jesus would not have created all things.

Another confusing passage for some is found in Paul’s description of Jesus as “the firstborn over all creation” and “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:15, 18). Paul was referring to the Son’s position of preeminence similar to that held by a firstborn son. Christ was also the first to be “born” from the dead by a resurrection to spirit life.

As Albert Barnes explains, “The first-born, or the oldest son, among the Hebrews as elsewhere, had special privileges. He was entitled to a double portion of the inheritance … There can be no doubt that the apostle here has reference to the usual distinctions and honors conferred on the first-born, and means to say that, among all the creatures of God, Christ occupied a pre-eminence similar to that.

“He does not say that, in all respects, he resembled the first-born in a family; nor does he say that he himself was a creature, for the point of his comparison does not turn on these things, and what he proceeds to affirm respecting him is inconsistent with the idea of his being a created being himself. He that ‘created all things that are in heaven and that are in earth,’ was not himself created” (Notes on the Bible).

As for being the “firstborn from the dead,” Jesus was the first person to be resurrected to immortality from the grave (compare 1 Corinthians 15:20). Since others, including Lazarus (John 12:1), had previously been resurrected back to physical life, the meaning again has to do with Jesus’ having honor and preeminence. As the last part of Colossians 1:18 states: “That in all things He [Jesus] may have the preeminence.”

The fact that the Word has always existed is confirmed in several easily understood passages. We have already looked at John’s teaching that the Word “was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2).

In addition to John’s explanation, the book of Hebrews speaks of Jesus being a priest forever “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:17, 21). The Word was this Melchizedek of the Old Testament and is described as being “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God” (verse 3). For further explanation, see the sidebar “The Order of Melchizedek” at the end of this chapter.

There are no scriptures that speak of Christ being created, and there are scriptures that say Jesus was God. Additionally, Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” and John 1:1-3 says that Christ created all things and that nothing was created without Him. Colossians 2:9 adds that “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

It is hard for us humans to comprehend eternity, but the Word (who became Jesus) and God the Father have always existed. The Word was not a created being. For further study, see the article “Was Jesus Created?”

Christ’s role in the Old Testament

While many understand Christ’s compassion for people in the New Testament, few understand that He had similar empathy and care for people in the Old Testament. Several passages in the New Testament add to our understanding that the Word, who became Jesus, was the member of the Godhead who, in general, interacted with people in the Old Testament.

John the Baptist, whose preaching announced the coming of the Messiah, obviously knew of the Word’s preexistence when he identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God” who was “before me” (John 1:29-30).

Even though John the Baptist was born approximately six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36), John the Baptist said that Jesus existed before he did. As for what the Word did in the Old Testament, we have already noted one insightful incident when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).

In this short statement Jesus affirmed His preexistence in the Old Testament as the member of the Godhead who had existed prior to Abraham and who had appeared to Moses in a burning bush and worked through this patriarch to bring the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3:13-17).

Interestingly, the word LORD (with capital letters) in Exodus 3:15 is another name for God. This word has been used to translate the Hebrew consonants Y-H-W-H—a string of four letters that is called the tetragrammaton. Although the pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain, today most say Jehovah, Yahweh or Yahveh. Both YHWH and “I AM” imply eternal existence—the very point about Himself that Jesus was conveying in John 8:58.

As the Israelites traveled out of Egypt, Exodus 13:21 explains that “the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.” Commenting on this passage, the Expositor’s Commentary (Frank E. Gaebelein, editor), states: “The pillar of the cloud and the fire was but another name for ‘the angel of God,’ for Exodus 14:19 equates the two as does 23:20-23 … the Christ of the NT is the shekinah glory or Yahweh of the OT.”

On several other occasions, Jesus explained that no one had seen the Father or heard His voice. John speaks of this point in four passages (John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46; 1 John 4:12). Yet several patriarchs and leaders in the Old Testament are recorded as having seen God. These people include Abraham (Genesis 18:1), Jacob (Genesis 32:30) and the 70 elders of Israel along with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu (Exodus 24:9-11). The One who became Christ thus had to be the member of the Godhead these people saw.

Paul, in a letter to members in Corinth, likewise wrote about Christ’s Old Testament activity. Specifically, Paul identifies Christ with the Rock from which they drank in the wilderness: “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

While the Word, who later became Jesus, primarily interacted with people in the Old Testament, this doesn’t mean that God the Father wasn’t involved.

The Father authorized the Word to create everything and He decides when to call each person. The Word was the Father’s representative, carrying out the plan for humanity that both had agreed upon “from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34; John 17:24; Revelation 13:8).

The Word thus worked intimately with people in both the Old and New Testaments. Of course, He also continues to work with people today.

Jesus was dead for three days and three nights

When Jesus told the Jewish religious leaders that He was God, they tried to stone Him on at least two occasions. Continually hounded for a miraculous sign to prove His identity, Jesus eventually gave a group of scribes and Pharisees a sign that would prove who He was.

Speaking to this disdainful group, Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39-40).

Many people today fail to grasp the significance of this statement—a profound prophecy that was fulfilled immediately after Christ’s death and one that upends two major teachings of mainstream Christianity today—the immortality of the soul and Easter traditions. Many misunderstand whether Jesus really died and the length of time He was in the grave.

Although it seems strange to consider, many accept erroneous explanations of the Godhead that don’t allow for Jesus to have truly or completely died. Many mistakenly believe that just part of Jesus died—that only His body died and that His soul remained alive while His body was in the grave.

As for the idea that humans have immortal souls that continue to live after they die, this nonbiblical idea came from pagan mythology. The Bible teaches that humans do not have immortal souls. The word soul simply means life, and when people who have sinned die, their souls die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).

A person’s “thoughts perish” when he or she dies (Psalm 146:4, King James Version). King David concurs: “For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?” (Psalm 6:5). Approximately 1,000 years later on the Day of Pentecost, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that King David was still “dead and buried” (Acts 2:29). There is not a conscious entity that continues to live after a person dies.

Although Jesus did not sin, He died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. As Paul clearly states: “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). This was not a partial death—one in which only part of Him died—but an act that required that He be resurrected in order to live again.

Paul explains the enormous implications of Christ’s resurrection: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty … And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (verses 13-14, 17). Jesus had to be resurrected to be brought back to life because He was fully and completely dead.

Again, when Jesus died there wasn’t part of Him still alive. This is why God must give “life to the dead” (Romans 4:17) and why after Jesus was put to death, He had to be “made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus did not resurrect Himself; He was raised back to life by the Spirit of the Father (Romans 8:11). If Jesus’ soul had been still alive, there would have been no need for the Father through the Holy Spirit to resurrect Jesus’ body. Jesus could have done this Himself.

The Bible clearly teaches that the way humans can receive immortality is through the resurrection of the dead. As Paul explains this process, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). If humans already had immortality via an immortal soul, there would be no need for a resurrection.

Jesus was the first person to die and be resurrected to life eternal. Paul explains that through His resurrection from the dead, Christ “has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (verse 20).

The unbiblical idea that Jesus’ soul was still alive and only His body was dead disrespects the sacrifice of Christ. His death was not simply a pretense. Christ truly died for our sins and ceased to have conscious thoughts for the time He was in the grave.

For further study regarding the soul, see our online article “Do Humans Have an Immortal Soul?”

The second aspect of Matthew 12:39-40 that is often misunderstood is the length of time Jesus would be in the grave. Jesus said He would be in the grave for three days and three nights. Most people mistakenly assume Jesus was crucified on a Friday afternoon and resurrected on Sunday morning. But there aren’t three days and three nights in this scenario.

The biblical explanation of three days and three nights isn’t found in the popular idea that Jesus was simply speaking an idiom—and only parts of three days and three nights were needed. The fact is, even if this were an idiom, there aren’t parts of three days and three nights in the commonly taught Friday crucifixion–Sunday resurrection timeline. The timeline that best fits the Scriptures is a Wednesday crucifixion and burial late that afternoon coupled with a resurrection late Saturday afternoon. For more details, see our online article “How Do You Count Three Days and Three Nights?”

Jesus: our High Priest

As we consider what the Bible tells us about the Word, we must also note His current role as our High Priest. One of the themes of the book of Hebrews explains how Jesus Christ is a much greater High Priest than the humans who served in this role as part of the Aaronic priesthood. Here are some key concepts that give us hope and assurance in our High Priest.

Countering the heresy that was emerging toward the end of the first century—that Jesus was simply a spirit and not really human—John became quite emphatic. He wrote, “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:2-3; compare 2 John 1:7).

Having been fully human, Jesus now compassionately serves as our High Priest. As Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

God the Father was willing to send “His only begotten Son” into the world “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). And the Word was willing to fulfill this mission: “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Jesus was willing to suffer the excruciating pain of crucifixion to pay the penalty for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24). And the Father was willing to allow this to occur (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, this word refers to someone “summoned, called to one’s side … one who pleads another’s cause before a judge” and “of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins.”

As a human advocate can work on our behalf to not only comfort us but seek to secure our best interests, Jesus interfaces with the Father on our behalf. We see this concept in action with Jesus’ instruction to direct our prayers to the Father and to then close our prayers in Jesus’ name (Matthew 6:9; John 15:16; 16:23).

Why has the Father done this? John writes: “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man” (verses 26-27).

Because He is God, He is unwaveringly righteous and just. Because Jesus is “the Son of Man,” He knows what it is like to be human. God the Father obviously thinks this is an important reason for delegating the judgment of humans to Jesus.

Jesus: soon-coming King

While Jesus is currently in heaven serving as our High Priest, He will not remain in heaven forever. Jesus pointedly told His disciples, “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). A number of scriptures give us glimpses into what Jesus will do when He returns. Jesus said that He, the Son of Man, would return “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Jesus will return to fulfill many biblical prophecies showing Him to be “King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9; compare verse 17). Revelation 20 indicates that His reign on earth will continue for 1,000 years—an amazing period of peace and opportunity often referred to as the Millennium.

The author of the book of Hebrews says that Jesus will come to earth “a second time … for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). During His reign on earth, Jesus is going to give all who are alive the opportunity to learn and live by His Father’s commands so they can receive eternal life.

This will be an exciting time with many wonderful changes coming for all inhabitants of the earth. Jesus often told His disciples to watch for the signs of the end of this present age and His return. The next to the last verse of the Bible quotes Jesus as saying, “Surely I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:20).

Throughout the Bible, there are many names for God. Elohim is the first Hebrew word used for God (Genesis 1:1) and is translated as God over 2,300 times in the Old Testament. The name El is also used in the Old Testament and is found in compound words such as El Shaddai—God Almighty or Almighty God (Genesis 17:1).

The four Hebrew letters YHWH are another name for God used extensively in the Old Testament. Since the vowels were not included with this word, no one knows with certainty how it should be pronounced.

Jews choose not to pronounce YHWH at all, believing that it is holy and should not be spoken. “It was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai (‘My Lord’), which was translated as Kyrios (‘Lord’) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Yahweh”).

When Jesus instructed His disciples to pray to “our Father in heaven,” the Greek word for “Father” is Pater (Matthew 6:9). In Matthew 22:44 the Greek word Kyrios is used for “Lord.” And when Christ prayed to His Father in the Aramaic language just before His death, He referred to His Father as Eli (Matthew 27:46) or Eloi (Mark 15:34).

Other names for God include “the LORD, whose name is Jealous” (Exodus 34:14) and “the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts” (Amos 5:27).

These passages show that there is no single name for God and that there is no single name for the One to whom we should pray. God hears prayers offered in all languages, and the names of God

simply give us greater understanding of His character. For further study regarding God’s names, see “Names of God” and “Sacred Name: Does God Have Only One?

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus has become “High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:20; compare 5:6). Many have wondered who Melchizedek was and why Jesus is connected with this person.

The first mention of Melchizedek is in Genesis 14:18-20. Abraham, having returned with spoils of battle, gave a tenth of the goods to Melchizedek, who was “king of Salem” and “the priest of God Most High.”

Hebrews 7 gives us more information about Melchizedek, saying He was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually” (verse 3).

The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness” and Salem means “peace.” These are titles for Christ, not a normal human. Hebrews 7 says this Melchizedek was an eternal being.

So who was Melchizedek? He was the member of the Godhead in the Old Testament who later became Jesus. He was Mediator for mankind as High Priest during the time of Abraham and continues as our Mediator today.

Melchizedek was functioning here as the priest of the Most High God. This example is another indication of the plurality of God. For further study, see our online article “Who Was Melchizedek in the Bible?”

Some people mistakenly believe that when Jesus died, His body was put in the grave but some other part of Him immediately went to heaven. Two scriptures—both found in Luke 23—are commonly used to support this faulty idea.

The first instance occurred when one of the thieves who was being crucified next to Jesus asked Jesus to remember him when He entered His Kingdom (verse 42). Answering this man, Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43).

Some believe Jesus’ words indicated that He and the thief would ascend to heaven that same day after their bodies died. But Jesus Himself contradicted this. Three days later after He had been resurrected from the grave, Jesus said to Mary, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father [who was in heaven]” (John 20:17).

The misunderstanding of Jesus’ statement to the thief arises because of the perspective or understanding of the translators. In the original Greek there is no punctuation. Punctuation, including commas, was added by translators to add clarity as they understood the text.

Look carefully at the text in Luke 23:42: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The location of the comma prior to the word today mistakenly implies that Jesus and the thief would both be in heaven on that very day. Translators placed this comma in this position because of their mistaken belief that people’s souls go to heaven when they die.

If the comma is placed after today (“Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise”), we see Jesus was at that moment—today—telling the thief that they would eventually be together in paradise. After he is resurrected, the thief will have his opportunity to be with Christ.

For a more thorough explanation of this verse, read “What Happened to the Thief on the Cross?” For further study on how people will come back to life from the grave, see “What Are the Resurrections?”

A second scripture that is often misunderstood is found in verse 46, which says, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, “into Your hands I commit My spirit”’ Having said this, He breathed His last.”

Some people believe that this act by Jesus shows that His soul remained alive and went to be with the Father when His body died. But when Jesus died, He died completely. His death wasn’t

a partial death. He and the Father were not merely orchestrating the appearance of Jesus’ dying. Why is this important? Because if Jesus didn’t die, we don’t have a Savior.

What many don’t understand is that this spirit spoken of by Jesus is not synonymous with the soul, and the soul is not what most people think either. William Barclay wrote in his introduction to 1 John: “There was the psuche, which we normally translate soul, but we must have a care for it does not mean what we mean by soul. To the Greeks the psuche was the principle of life. Everything which had physical life had psuche. Psuche was that life principle which a man shared with all living creatures.”

While the word soul refers to life, the Bible clearly teaches that the soul is not immortal. As noted in Ezekiel 18, the soul can die (verses 4, 20). The word soul refers to physical life.

So what was this spirit that Jesus committed to the Father before He died? The Bible speaks of a “spirit in man” or “spirit of man” that makes humans different from animals and allows them to comprehend spiritual concepts (Job 32:8; Proverbs 18:14; 1 Corinthians 2:11-12). At death “the dust [from which man was made, Genesis 2:7] will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

This spirit of man—which comes from God and gives us humans godlike abilities to think and reason while we are alive—returns to God when we die. While the spirit in man is an important component of humans, it is not an immortal, conscious entity that continues to live after a person dies.

For additional study on the spirit in man, see the LifeHopeandTruth.com article “What Is the Spirit in Man?” and the video “The Role of the Spirit in Man.”