Who is Jesus Christ?

I really like what Ted Johnston -- a pastor whom I have learned a lot through emails since 1995 -- has shared recently in his blog. Here's an excerpt of that:

"Time and again, Scripture proclaims that what God has done (through the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of his Son, and the outpouring at Pentecost of the Holy Spirit) transforms all humanity. Here are some of the verses of Scripture speaking to this: Romans 5:15,18 ; Romans 6:10-11 ; 2Corinthians 5:14-19; Ephesians 1:3-10 , Ephesians 2:4-9 ; Colossians 1:19-20 , Colossians 3:1-4 , 11; 1Timothy 2:5-6."

"I hasten to add that we do not rely on select 'proof texts' for this understanding. Rather, we must take into account the full story of God and humanity told in Scripture, by which we come to know Jesus for who he is, and for what he has done; and the effect this has on all of humanity (and, indeed, the whole cosmos). The above cited verses give a brief summation of this stunning truth, which is the "scarlet thread" that runs through and gives coherence to all Scripture. The ancients refer to this thread as 'the rule of faith.'"

The starting point in understanding what the Bible is all about is to find out who Jesus is, the Word of God and the Creator of all humanity and all of creation. Just like the Apostle Paul on his way to Damascus, we should also ask: "Who are you Lord?" And the accompanying question we should ask is, what is man -- "who am I Lord?" -- in relation to the Lord. "Why am I here on earth?" "Why was I born?"

Jesus Christ is the lens through which we should understand Scripture. Not forgetting who Christ is and who we are in Jesus Christ, will go a long way in removing the veil that blocks our vision of our objective reality in Christ. God loves us. Through Christ, he has already reconciled us to him. What remains is for us to respond, believe and accept the good news!