Who is Jesus?
Who Do You Say That I AM? (Mark 8:29a)
The preamble of the Basis of Union (1925) states: "We ...do hereby set forth the substance of the Christian faith, as commonly held among us. In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone."
Within the Scriptures there is an enormous amount of material which clearly stipulates who Jesus is: from (Romans 1:1-6, Amplified New Testament)
From Paul's letter to the Romans
comes one of the earliest Christian formulations on the complete identity and function of Jesus Christ.
From Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, called to be an apostle, a (special messenger) set apart to (preach) the Gospel (good news) of and from God, which He promised in advance (long ago) through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures, (the Gospel) regarding His Son, who as to the flesh (His human nature) was descended from David, and (as to His Divine nature) according to the Spirit of holiness, was openly designated the Son of God in power in a striking, triumphant and miraculous manner - by His resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ our Lord, the Messiah, the Anointed One."
It is through Him that we have received grace-God's unmerited favor - and (our) apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name's sake among all the nations."
And this includes yourselves, called of Jesus Christ and invited (as you are) to belong to Him"
From the Gospel of John:
|
"I am the bread of Life" "I am the true vine" "I am the Good Shepherd" "I am the way, the truth and the life" "I am the light of the world" "I am the resurrection and the life" |
John 6:35 John 15:1-19 John 10:11 John 14:6 John 8:12 John 11:25 |
From Revelation:
"I am the alpha and the omega: " Rev 1:8
The Twenty Articles of Faith of the Basis of Union are Christ centered from start to finish; there are many statements that touch on the identity and function of Jesus Christ: Articles I; II; VI; VII; VIII; Ix; X; XI; XII; XIV; XVII and XX.
From the Catechism Of The United Church of Canada:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who became man and lived a life wholly devoted to the will of God and the service of man, who was crucified, raised from the dead and exalted, so that he is our ever living Saviour and Lord.
What did Jesus Christ do to save us?
Jesus Christ showed us the Father, and overcame sin for us, and he enables us to fulfill the good purpose of God.
What did Jesus Christ show us about the Father?
By his life, death and resurrection Jesus Christ showed us how God loves us, how He hates sin and takes our burden upon him and how he would have us love and serve Him.
What did Jesus Christ do to overcome sin?
Jesus Christ took our sin upon him and bore it on the cross and God set his seal on Christ's work by raising him from the dead and exalting Him as Lord of all.
How does Jesus Christ enable us to love and serve God as we ought?
As the living Lord, Jesus Christ gives us strength to think and act according to his holy teaching and example.
What must we do to be saved?
If we are to be saved, we must repent of our sins and commit ourselves to Christ in life and in death.
How does God help us to repent and commit ourselves to Christ?
God shows us by the event of the cross how sinful and helpless we are and how able and willing he is to forgive, and so he moves us to turn from sin and commit ourselves to Christ in the fellowship of His church.
From the Statement of Faith authorized by the Ninth General Council(1940) of The United Church of Canada. reprinted in 1987:
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, Who for us men and for our salvation became man and dwelt among us. We believe that he lived a perfect human life, wholly devoted to the will of God and the service of man. We believe that in Him God comes face to face with men; so that they learn that God saves them, seeks their good, bears their sorrows and their sins, and claims their exclusive faith and perfect obedience We believe that in Jesus Christ God acted to save man, taking at measureless cost, man's sin upon Himself; that the Cross reveals at once God's abhorrence of sin and His saving love in its height and depth and power; and that He is alive for evermore, our Saviour and our Lord, So we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God incarnate, the Saviour of the world.
Redemption
We believe that in the greatness of His love for man God has in Christ, opened up a way of deliverance from the guilt and power of sin. We believe that Christ, by living our life without sin, by dying at the hands of sinful men with faith unshaken and unfaltering love, has done for man what man could not do for himself. On the Cross He bore the burden of sin, and He broke its power; and what He did there moves men to repentance, conveys forgiveness, undoes the estrangement, and binds them to Himself in a new loyalty. We believe that by His resurrection and exaltation Christ stands victorious over death and all evil, and that He fills those who commit themselves to Him with such grace and strength that in Him they, too, are conquerors. His redemption of man is at once an awful mystery and a glorious fact; it is the Lord's doing and marvelous in our eyes. So we acknowledge the unmerited love and mercy of our God in giving His only-begotten Son that we might not perish, but have everlasting life.
A CONFESSION OF FAITH
This is the good news which we received, in which we stand, and by which we are saved: And according to the scriptures:
that Jesus died for our souls,
that he was buried,
that he was raised On the third day; and
that he appeared to Mary, then to Peter,
then to the twelve and to many faithful
witnesses.
We believe He is the Christ,
the Son of the living God.
He is the first and the last,
the beginning and the end;
He is our Lord and our God.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
AMEN
(Adapted from the Worshipbook,
Presbyterian Church in the USA 1970)
For Further Information Contact
NACC C/O Geoff Wilkins,
489 EAST Osborne Road
North Vancouver, BC
V7N 1M4
Tel: (604) 987-9876
Fax: (604) 987-9835