Profile of a Savior

Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I'd post something relevent. It comes from a Christian apologetics web site that I have used for years now.

Profile of a Savior

Greg Koukl

Here at STR we want to wish you a meaningful Easter week. Yes, Jesus was a man, but he was no ordinary man. His death burial and resurrection provides the meaning for all we do here at STR. And we can be assured that our convictions in these events that took place in history are based on the testimony of those witnesses, who on that day of resurrection proclaimed: "He is risen." He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

I hope you find these thoughts a blessing to you as you celebrate Easter.

Jesus was a man, but not an ordinary man.

He was a man born from the seed of woman. Galatians 4:4 "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law."

He was brutally executed by crucifixion. Matthew 27:33-56 "And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Luke 23:33-48 "One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him.... It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last."
He was rejected by His people. John 1:11 "He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him."

He was raised from the dead. Acts 1:3 "To these [apostles] He presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days...."

But He was not an ordinary man. He was God Himself who laid His life down for us.

Jesus was sinless. Even His enemies could find no sin in Him. Luke 23:13-49 "Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, 'You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.'...Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, 'Certainly this man was innocent.'"

Jesus was God Himself. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."
Collosians 1:15, 19 "And He is the image of the invisible God....For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him."
Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power."
Romans 9:5 "...from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever."

(Adapted from “The Bible: Fast Forward” by Greg Koukl, available on CD and MP3)