Who Was Jesus Christ?
The Bible constantly points and refers to one prominent character, Jesus of Nazareth, who, it claims, was the Son of God. That he did live at about the time the Bible indicates is a fully corroborated fact of history, independent of the Bible testimony. That this Jesus was crucified because he had offended the Jewish priests is a further historical fact.
The writers of the New Testament under divine guidance convincingly record the supernatural manner of his begettal, the events attending his birth, the purpose of his life and ministry, and his death and resurrection. These, having long trusted in the promises of their (Old Testament) scriptures, recognized in Jesus the expected Messiah of Israel, who had appeared in their midst not as a king or a military leader to raise the nation to world eminence as God's 'chosen people' in the way most had expected, but instead, as a sacrifice for sin. He was God's anointed for this purpose, and became known as Jesus Christ.
He often testified that he had been sent by God, and spoke of his pre-existence with the Father before he became a human being. That his life as the man Jesus came from no earthly father was a prerequisite to his becoming a ransom (a corresponding price) for mankind, or strictly speaking, for Adam, the progenitor of the race, who for disobedience to his Creator had incurred the death penalty, and thus could pass on only imperfect (dying) life. In offering his own perfect life as a substitute for Adam, Jesus could satisfy divine justice and release Adam and his progeny from the death sentence. As the Apostle John assures us, "God loved the world so dearly that he gave up his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:16).