3. From the beginning
people were asking
‘who is this?’ Jesus
asked his disciples
‘Who do you say I am?’
In the New Testament
various titles are given
to Jesus to express his
identity.
5. Before his death Jesus was a teacher, a
man the disciples had followed. They
shared meals, lodgings etc
After his death they no longer saw him as
their equal, they saw godlike qualities in
him.
6. Believing in monotheism,(one God) they
did not understand how there could be a
second God, so they did not specifically
use the term God for Jesus.
They honoured him with different titles.
7. Lord
Before his death they used Lord - meaning a
good man and wise teacher. Rabbi, Master,
and Teacher to show respect
After death, Lord – meaning they believed
that Jesus was united with God, he was the
same as God
8. Christ (messiah)
Before death Jesus said he was the Christ
(Messiah). This brought him into conflict with
the Sanhedrin.
After death, the disciples were sure that
Jesus was the Messiah (Christ) promised by
the Old Testament
They used the scriptures to prove that he
was the Christ, descended from David,
promised by God and waited for by the
Jewish people
9. Son of Man
In the Old Testament, Son of Man
meant a human being.
Later prophets preached that the
Messiah would be ‘like a son of man’.
Jesus used this title for himself also,
meaning he was the messiah.
Showing his human identity
10. Son of God
It was usually used to mean a very
good man.
But…
Jesus was the Son of God, the ‘only
beloved son of God’
Jesus was the son that God, the father,
had given his authority to in his words
and deeds
Jesus was uniquely related to God
11. The Word (of God)
By 90AD Christians now understood the
complete unity of Jesus as son and God as
father.
Now Jesus was referred to as ‘God’
Jesus was ‘God’ in human form
St John used ‘the Word’ to explain how
God had worked through Jesus of
Nazareth.
12. The Word
‘The Word became flesh and lived among
us’.- means that the one God who created
the world, made the Jewish people his
chosen people, sent his commandments to
guide them – took on a human form and
lived in the world.
God became man in Jesus of Nazareth
13. New Creation
Jesus announced and inaugurated the
kingdom of God.
This kingdom consists of the full reign
of God in the world, a reign that
restores right relationship between God,
humanity and creation.
Paul calls this kingdom the "new
creation", and confesses that Christ is
the "first born" of this creation
14. Son of God
•Find other titles for Jesus in the Bible
at:
http://www.amazingchange.org/titles.htm
