Jesus is...

This is a guest post from Erik Raymond...

Who is Jesus? Though mentioned frequently he is infrequently represented biblically.

You might recall in a recent presidential election where Jesus was reduced to a "community organizer" by several congressmen. While this may have bolstered their candidate's resume it diluted the resume of Jesus. However, the Bible is just too specific for folks to have to be so creative and careless with Jesus. 

In Colossians 1.28 we read that it is this Jesus who is tirelessly and fearlessly proclaimed by the Apostle: 

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28)

If we broaden it out to include the greater context of the book of Colossians then we have a fuller picture of the subject of this message. We learn better who Jesus is.

Take a quick walk through the Book of Colossians and remind yourself who ‘He’ is:

He is…the object of faith for believers (1.4)

He is…the source of hope (1.5)

He is…the one whom believers serve (1.7)

He is…the intended audience of a holy life (1.10)

He is…the Beloved Son of God (1.13)

He is…the King (1.13)

He is…the Redeemer (1.14)

He is…the basis for the forgiveness of sins (1.14)

He is…the image of God (1.15)

He is…the firstborn of creation (1.15)

He is…the creator of all things (1.16)

He is…the one for whom all things have been made (1.16)

He is…the sustainer of all things (1.17)

He is…the head of the church (1.18)

He is…the firstborn of the dead (1.18)

He is…the embodiment of all of divine fullness (1.19)

He is…the Reconciler (1.20)

He is…the Peacemaker (1.20)

He is…the rebel’s Rescuer (1.21)

He is…the sovereign Savior (1.22)

He is…the sovereign Sustainer and Keeper of the elect (1.22)

He is…the subject of the riches of the glory of God (1.27)

He is…the hope of glory (1.27)

He is…in believers (1.27)

This just takes us up to this passage in Colossians 1.28. If you keep going you see that:

He is… the true knowledge of God (2.2)

He is… the source of all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2.3)

He is… the One who insults worldly philosophy by exposing its weakness (2.8ff)

He is… the fullness of Deity in bodily form, that is, he is God in the flesh (2.9)

He is… the one who makes believers complete (2.10)

He is… the source of regenerating power (2.13)

He is… the forgiver (2.13)

He is… the one who overcame the law by fulfilling it (2.14)

He is… the one who triumphed over all rulers and authorities; all of the demonic realm (2.15)

He is… the one who is supreme over all world religious pursuits, including all world philosophies, all forms of legalism, all mysticism, and all asceticism (2.15-23)

He is… the only one who is able to defeat and disarm the flesh (2.23)

He is… the source and substance of the believer’s life (3.1-4)

He is… the focus of the believer's affections and ambitions (3.1-4)

He is… the object of the believer’s hope (3.1-4)

He is… the ultimate end of all of our actions and thanksgivings (3.15-17)

He is… the One, and the only one who is…all and in all (Col. 3.11)

Listen, we are not talking about simply a religious figure, a spiritual fairy tale, our cosmic buddy, much less is he a community organizer…He is not simply a pronoun. He is Jesus, the beloved Son of God who has drawn gloriously close to us, changed our lives, and is even in us. Therefore, what can we do but proclaim him!?

This is exactly what Paul models with incessant, unflinching resolve.