Jesus at the Center: A Scripture Discovery Guide
A Companion Guide to this Article: A Theology Through the Lens of Jesus Christ
A Companion Guide to this Article: A Theology Through the Lens of Jesus Christ
This is a discovery-based guide that brings together key biblical passages so readers can examine for themselves Scripture’s claims about the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed the extraordinary claims the Bible makes about Jesus? We often encounter these passages one at a time — a verse in a sermon, a passage in a Bible study, or a familiar statement about who Jesus is. But what happens when we place many of these passages side by side and consider them together? What are they actually saying about Jesus? What do they reveal about His relationship to God, creation, Scripture, humanity, and the future? And if these claims are true, what might they mean for how we understand life itself?
This guide brings together some of the clearest biblical passages about Jesus and invites you to explore them in discovery mode. Rather than beginning with a conclusion, begin with the Scriptures themselves. Read slowly. Notice repeated ideas. Look for connections. Pay attention to the language the biblical writers use about Jesus.
As you read, resist the urge to move too quickly toward familiar answers. Let the passages speak. Ask what each one contributes to the larger picture.
At the end, a set of reflection questions will help you step back, consider these passages together, and ask what kind of picture of Jesus emerges when we allow their claims to accumulate.
Begin with the texts. Notice what they say. Then consider where they lead.
John 1:1–3, 14 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Colossians 1:15–17 — “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 — “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
Hebrews 1:1–3 — “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Discovery Question - As you read these passages, what do you discover about Jesus?
John 1:18 — “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”
John 14:6–9 — “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Hebrews 1:1–3 — “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 — “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
Colossians 2:9 — “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
Discovery Question - As you read these passages, what do you discover about Jesus?
Luke 24:27 — “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Luke 24:44–47 — “He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
John 5:39–40 — “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Matthew 5:17 — “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Discovery Question - As you read these passages, what do you discover about Jesus?
Romans 8:29 — “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 — “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Galatians 2:20 — “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Philippians 2:5 — “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:8–10 — “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Colossians 3:9–11 — “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
Discovery Question - As you read these passages, what do you discover about Jesus?
Ephesians 1:9–10 — “He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.”
Colossians 1:18–20 — “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Philippians 2:9–11 — “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Revelation 5:9–13 — “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!””
Revelation 21:22–23 — “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
Discovery Question - As you read these passages, what do you discover about Jesus?
You have now looked at passages concerning these topics:
Jesus and creation
Jesus and the revelation of God
Jesus and Scripture
Jesus and restored humanity
Jesus and the culmination of all things
Before reading any conclusions below, take some time to consider the passages together.
What claims about Jesus appeared repeatedly across the different sections?
Which claims struck you as especially significant or surprising?
Did any passage change or enlarge the way you think about Jesus?
What connections did you notice between the five groups of passages?
What do these texts collectively say about Jesus' relationship to creation? God? Scripture? Humanity? History and the future?
Is Jesus presented merely as an important person within the biblical story, or do these passages suggest something much larger?
If all of these passages are taken seriously at the same time, what kind of picture of Jesus emerges?
What might these claims mean for how we understand reality itself?
If Jesus truly occupies the place these passages describe, what implications might that have for the way we understand the Christian life?
What might it mean practically to organize more and more of your life around Him?
When these passages are encountered individually, it is easy to appreciate each one without fully noticing the cumulative picture they create. But when they are placed beside one another, an extraordinary claim begins to emerge. Scripture presents Jesus as intimately connected to the beginning of creation, the revelation of God, the meaning of Scripture, the restoration of humanity, and the ultimate destination of all things.
Jesus is not simply one important subject within the Bible. He is the One through whom creation came, the One in whom God is most clearly revealed, the One toward whom Scripture points, the One into whose likeness humanity is being restored, and the One in whom God intends to bring all things together.
Colossians expresses this vision with unusual force: All things were created through Him and for Him. In Him all things hold together. And He is to have first place in everything. (Colossians 1:16–18)
Ephesians looks toward the culmination of God's purposes and describes His intention: to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ. (Ephesians 1:9–10)
Romans describes God's purpose for His people: to conform them to the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29)
And Jesus Himself tells His disciples that the Scriptures ultimately bear witness to Him and find their fulfillment in what God is accomplishing through Him (Luke 24:27, 44–47; John 5:39–40).
Taken together, these passages make a substantial biblical case for a remarkable conclusion:
Jesus is not simply one subject within the Bible. He is the One through whom creation came, the One in whom God is revealed, the One toward whom Scripture points, the One into whose likeness humanity is being restored, and the One in whom God intends to bring all things together.
If this is true, then putting Jesus at the center of the Christian life is not merely one possible approach to Christianity. It follows the direction Scripture itself repeatedly gives us. And the implications reach far beyond theology.
If all things were created through Him and for Him, if all things hold together in Him, if God is restoring human beings into His likeness, and if history itself is moving toward the gathering of all things in Christ, then learning to see reality through Jesus is ultimately about learning to see reality as it truly is.
That is the conviction behind Through the Lens of Jesus Christ. The goal is not simply to learn more things about Jesus. It is to increasingly understand God, ourselves, Scripture, relationships, the Church, leadership, mission, and life itself in relation to Him—and then to learn to live accordingly.
If Jesus really is at the center of it all, then learning to see and live through the lens of Jesus Christ changes everything.