The Centrality of Christ - Word Foundations

God has revealed Himself, and He’s revealed Himself in history and in the Person of Jesus Christ. This doesn’t mean God never unveiled Himself in other ways; He spoke to many individuals in a variety of ways throughout the Old Testament. Still, God’s fullest and most complete disclosure of Himself occurred in and through His Son (see Heb. 1:1-4). It is vital for Christians to understand that, more than anything else, Christianity is about who Jesus was and is (see John 1:1-18; 1 John 1:1-3). Beyond that, given who He is, it’s about what He did. Jesus could accomplish what He did because of who He was—and He talked about who He was in such a way that both His followers and His enemies understood Him plainly.

Jesus told the religious leaders opposing Him, “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).
In a conversation with His disciples recorded in Matthew 16:13-20 (see also Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21), Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. Note that He didn’t ask His disciples, “What do people think of My teachings?” but “Who do people believe I am?” Peter reported people were saying He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or some other prophet. Then Jesus asked His disciples directly, “But you, who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Significantly, Jesus praised Peter for his answer: “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.”
Jesus declared, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:37-38).
Jesus told the religious leaders who had accused Him of having a demon that they’d never known His Father. Then He added, “but I know Him. If I were to say I don’t know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced.” The Jews couldn’t believe what Jesus had said about Abraham, so they asked Him how He could have seen the patriarch since He wasn’t yet 50 years of age. Jesus answered, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:55-58; see also Ex 3:13-14).

Jesus taught much about how people should live, but at the core of it all were His claims to be the source of life (see Matt. 7:24-29; 12:8; Mark 8:34-38; John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7,11,14; 11:25; 15:1,5). Other religious leaders have pointed people to what they believed were the ways to God; but Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, emphasis added). The late Dr. Bill Bright, president and founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), observed that without Buddha or Mohammed, Buddhism and Islam would change little, and so would many other religions if their founders were removed from their religions. “But take Jesus Christ out of Christianity, and there would be nothing left, for Christianity is not a philosophy or ethic but a personal relationship with a living, risen Savior” (Bill Bright, Who Is This Jesus? [Peachtree City, GA: Campus Crusade for Christ, 2007], 4). Jesus is the focal point God’s work in history.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.