Jesus Christ is the eternal Son and Word (Logos) of God the Father.
He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, sharing one undivided divine essence. He is "True God of True God," begotten from the Father before all worlds.
In the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, who is the Fountainhead of the Godhead. In the Incarnation, the Word became flesh and assumed a complete human nature, comprising body, soul, will, emotion, and mortality, while never ceasing to be fully God.
Jesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man united in one divine Person. These two natures remain in union without confusion, change, or division. Through His human nature, Christ energised humanity with divine energy, redeeming it from sin and death and bringing it into union with God.
Old Testament Prefiguration
Jesus Christ is the Lawgiver of both the Old and New Testaments.
He is the "Existing One" (I AM) who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and spoke to the patriarchs. The entirety of Old Testament history serves as a providential preparation for His Advent, prefiguring Him through types and prophecies.
He is the promised Prophet like Moses, the eternal High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and the King who occupies the throne of David forever.
Historical figures and objects in the Old Covenant act as patterns for Christ's work. Melchizedek's offering of bread and wine prefigures the Eucharist; the Passover lamb prefigures Christ’s sacrificial death; and the bronze serpent lifted by Moses prefigures the life-giving power of the Cross.
The Tabernacle and the Temple are types of Christ's body and the Virgin Mary, who contained the uncontainable God.
Incarnation
The birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would arise from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, whom the Church titles the Theotokos (God-Bearer). This virginal conception signifies His divinity, as He did not have a human father but was the eternal Son using Mary's womb as His throne.
At the age of thirty, Christ began His public ministry following His baptism by John in the Jordan River. This event was a theophany, a manifestation of the Holy Trinity, in which the Father's voice identified Jesus as His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. Following His baptism, Christ fasted for forty days in the wilderness and defeated the temptations of Satan, demonstrating His obedience to the Father's will and providing the foundation for Christian asceticism.
Ministry and Teaching
Christ's ministry was marked by the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the performance of signs and wonders. His miracles—including healing the blind, cleansing lepers, and raising the dead—demonstrated His mastery over nature and His authority to remit sins. He taught using parables, which relate earthly realities to the mysteries of the Kingdom, to enlighten those with faith while exposing the hardness of heart in those who rejected Him.
On Mount Tabor, Christ was transfigured before His disciples, revealing His divine glory through a display of uncreated divine energy. This theophany confirmed His identity as the Messiah and God, as His face shone like the sun and His garments became white as light. Throughout His ministry, Christ perfectly aligned His human will with the divine will, fulfilling the righteousness of the Law and establishing a new covenant of grace.
Passion, Death, and Resurrection
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who voluntarily offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to take away the sin of the world. During the Last Supper, He instituted the Eucharist, identifying the bread and wine as His Body and Blood. He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, tried before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate, and condemned to death.
Christ's death on the Cross was not a failure but a decisive victory over death, the devil, and sin. He suffered outside the gates of Jerusalem to sanctify the people with His own blood. While His body lay in the tomb, His soul descended into Hades to announce the coming of the Messiah and to liberate the souls of the righteous. On the third day, He rose from the dead in a transfigured, incorruptible body, trampling down death by death and bestowing eternal life upon humanity.
Ascension and the Church
Following His Resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples for forty days before ascending into heaven. In His Ascension, He brought human nature into the heavenly realm and sat at the right hand of the Father. He is the Head of the Church, which is His Body and the "fullness of Him who fills all in all".
As the Great High Priest, Christ continues to serve in the heavenly sanctuary, presenting His once-for-all sacrifice before the Father. The Church participates in this eternal liturgy through the celebration of the Eucharist on earth. Christ governs the Church through the Holy Spirit and through the ordained leadership of bishops, presbyters, and deacons, who serve as icons of His own priesthood.
Second Coming and Final Judgment
Jesus Christ will return in glory at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead. His second coming will be a revelation of His divine truth and power, resulting in the total renewal of creation and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth.
At this time, the general resurrection will occur, and all people will be judged according to their works and their relationship with the Son of God. Christ reigns eternally as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the origin and the destiny of all things.