Jesus Christ - “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) - is truly God and truly Man.

Jesus Christ is not merely the greatest man who ever lived. He is “God with us” - truly God and truly Man.

• God says, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

We cannot how Jesus Christ can be “God with us”. We cannot understand how He can be truly God and truly man.

We do not, however, have the right to say, “A true man cannot at the same time be truly God.”

We must acknowledge the truth of God’s Word which says, “”With God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Looking at the Man, Jesus Christ, we have no right to say that His life began at Bethlehem.

We must acknowledge the truth of Jesus’ words, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). These words indicate to us that Jesus Christ is the eternal God.

We have no right to say that God cannot take on human form. Who are we to say what God can do and what God cannot do?

If we believe that God is Almighty, how can we doubt His power to become Man in the person of Jesus Christ?

Scripture makes it clear that Jesus Christ is more than a mere man since He is no less than God Almighty.

The words of Karl Barth are helpful - “in countless passages the New Testament speaks about Jesus of Nazareth as the Lord Jesus … using the same word which the Old Testament expresses by ‘Jehovah’. This Jesus of Nazareth, who passes through the cities and villages of Galilee and wanders to Jerusalem, who is there accused and condemned and crucified, this man is the Jehovah of the Old Testament … the Creator …God Himself … yet (He) does not cease to be a human being … The Creator Himself (remaining fully God) becomes not an angel, but … very really a man” (Dogmatics in Outline, p. 84).

• God is “the Saviour” (Isaiah 45:15). Jesus saves the people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus Christ came down from heaven for us - men and women - and for our salvation.

The personal name, “Jesus”, means “Saviour” or “Jehovah (the God of Israel) helps.” Jesus does not simply point to the God of salvation. Jesus is the God of salvation: “He is God the Saviour. He is Christ the Lord, ever to be worshipped, trusted and adored.”

If Jesus Christ was no more than the greatest man who ever lived, the greatest witness to God’s salvation, it would be utterly blasphemous to call Him, “the Saviour.” By calling Jesus “Saviour”, we are not saying that man saves himself. We are saying that the Man, Jesus, is God the Saviour: “When we call Him Saviour, we call Him by His Name.”

When the Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31), this is entirely different from a call to have the same faith which Jesus had. We are called to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was not a sinner, who, like us, needed to receive salvation from God. Jesus Christ is the perfect Saviour from whom believing sinners receive eternal salvation.

• In Isaiah 40:8, we learn that “the Word of our God will stand for ever”. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31).

The Word which Jesus Christ speaks to us now is nothing less than the Word of God.

- We are born again through His Word (1 Peter 1:23-25).

- We grow in Christ through His Word (1 Peter 2:1-3).

- There must be no compromising of our faithfulness to His Word (2 John 7-11).