The crucifixion and burial…and then the resurrection from the dead. The best part of course being the resurrection of Christ to life.
Have you this weekend thanked the Lord for what He has done for you? Make it personal, Jesus death was not an impersonal event we read about in the Bible. Make it personal, Jesus did.
Jesus knows the number of hairs on your head, He also knows He died for you.
I hope that you know and understand the death and resurrection of Christ as more than a chapter in the Bible. Jesus did not die to become a few lines in a book, He died to bring new life to you and me.
Jesus by His own will suffered and died a painful death, taking on all sin upon Himself being the worst part. After this, He was raised to life never to suffer again.
We do not have any part in that suffering, we only have to say, “I do”.
I do…accept You as Lord and Savior I do accept You died for me to pay for my sins I do accept You rose from the dead and live forever more
You really need to see this, the end is not that far off. Are you saved? Regardless of your stance on the tribulation, the end of all things is not that far away.
I personally believe many Believers are not aware of how soon this may happen. Assuredly those who do not believe have no idea. Many Believers deny the truth that is right in front of them, things are occurring at a fast pace in the world and in the heavens. We who speak the truth are accused of being fear mongers. There is no fear here, merely a serious warning…I hope all of you reading this know Jesus. If you do not, accept Him today!
If you hear His voice, if you are on the fence…I implore you, heed His words, accept the invitation of the Holy Spirit today. You might not have another chance! Setting aside the tribulation and the End Times, accidents happen…here today gone tomorrow. You most likely know someone who unexpectedly passed, or you know of someone who knows that someone. The point is that many people think they have time…you do not in fact know this. Today may be your last day…are taking a chance with your eternal destination? Once you die…it is to late to change your position, upon your death…you will know Jesus IS real, He IS the Lord…only then it will be to late to accept Him as your Savior. Do it now while you still have time…please!
Please head over to Vine of Life News and read the article, then watch the video all the way through to the end…then decide for yourself. We (Vine of Life staff) are committed to getting the word out about the End Times and what is currently happening. We would see all people saved.
When it comes to the subject of the resurrection of the Christ, (literally his name was pronounced Yeshua). Many tend to believe it can’t be proven but must be accepted on faith alone. While faith is an important issue when it comes to the Bible, lets take a look at the facts surrounding the resurrection of Yeshua (English translation “Joshua” and every international translation “Jesus”).
In short, there is more proof that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead, than we have that Julius Caesar even lived. If you find that hard to believe, then read on…
Evidence and Proof
Some excerpts of the article below are from: Rory Roybal
The reason I initially considered Biblical Christianity is because it is the only belief system massively supported by historical evidence that can be objectively verified. It has the only set of ‘scriptures’ in the world filled with real places, real people, real historical accounts, and real scientific claims that are proven accurate when critically investigated. The Bible is also the only record that had a significant amount of future prophecy when written (~1/3). Man-made religions don’t come close to matching up to the overwhelming and flawless physical evidence that has been thoroughly examined and verified from the Bible.
The Legal Perspective of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and Character
Simon Greenleaf was royal professor of law at Harvard and a main founder of the Harvard law school. Greenleaf, was considered to be the greatest expert of evidence the world had ever known. He wrote the famous legal volume—A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which many consider to be the greatest legal volume ever written. Greenleaf was a skeptic firmly set against Christianity, and taught his students Christianity was false. When one of his students challenged him to investigate evidence for Christianity for himself, he set out to disprove the Biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Greenleaf was certain that a careful examination of the internal witness of the Gospels would dispel all myths at the heart of Christianity, and disprove it once and for all. However, this legal scholar concluded Bible eyewitnesses were reliable and that Christ’s bodily death and resurrection were objective fact. If anyone should be qualified to state the reliability of Christ’s resurrection as an actual historical event according to the laws of legal evidence, it is Greenleaf. After years of exhaustive research and analysis, Greenleaf concluded:
“ The foundation of our belief is a basis of fact – the fact of the birth, ministry, miracles, death, resurrection by the Evangelists as having actually occurred, within their own personal knowledge … it was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually rose from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact. ”—-Simon Greenleaf —
Regarding the character of Jesus Christ portrayed by the Evangelists, Greenleaf determined:
“ the great character they have portrayed is perfect. It is the character of a sinless being, of one supremely wise and supremely good. It exhibits no error, no sinister intention, no imprudence, no ignorance, no evil passion, no impatience; in a word, no fault; but all is perfect uprightness, innocence, wisdom, goodness and truth. ”
Simon Greenleaf, LL.D., Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, with an Account of the Trial of Jesus, Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown 1846, p. 67.
Eyewitnesses to the Resurrection and Miracles of Jesus Christ
The entire framework of the Bible is based on reliable eyewitness accounts, which are the strongest form of legal evidence. These accounts include multiple eyewitness testimonies of the unique birth, life, miracles, death and bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
Eyewitnesses included many people who knew Christ face to face for three years, such as the Apostles, so they could not have mistaken His identity. They saw, heard, touched, ate and drank with Christ after his bodily resurrection for 40 days. This overwhelming physical evidence overcame their initial incredulity and disbelief.
They were so sure of their experience that they were also willing to die for what they knew to be true. Some people may sometimes die for a lie that they believe to be true, but for a large group of individuals to all willingly endure severe persecution throughout their lives and die torturous deaths for something they know to be a lie (which they certainly would have known), doesn’t happen. —
The Supreme Justice of the Supreme Court said that Greenleaf’s testimony is the most basic and compelling testimony that can be accepted in any english speaking court in the world. When Greenleaf spoke, that settled the matter. He was far and away the most knowledgeable person on evidence the world had ever known. The London Times said that more light on jurisprudence had come from Greenleaf than all the jurists of Europe combined.
Greenleaf had one inviolable principle in his classrooms at Harvard, and that was, you never make up your mind about any significant matter without first considering the evidence. Greenleaf was not a Christian. When challenged by one of his students with this principle, he admitted that he had not considered the evidence. When he did, he became a Christian: believed in the deity, death and resurrection of Jesus.
After examining every thread of information he could find he said in his book, The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined for the Rules of Evidence, Greenleaf concluded:
“If any unbiased jury in the world considered the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, they would have to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead.” —
This is without a doubt one of the best articles on the evidence for Jesus Christ being real that I have ever read. It is a rather long article but well worth the time to read. The amount of evidence we have available in today’s world that the Bible is a genuine historically correct and relevant book is substantial. Many arguments used to discredit the Bible no longer hold water.
If you are a Believer, this article is just reaffirms your faith, and is an interesting read. If you are an agnostic, this may help you in making a decision for Christ. If you are an atheist, well I hope you give this article a read with an open mind.
I will say here that no disrespect is intended towards anyone regardless of their views including atheists. However, if you make inflammatory comments, they will not be posted…neither here or on the site I am a part of that this article was reposted from. Open, relevant presentation of ideas and civil discussion is welcome, if your purpose is to be disruptive, disrespectful, and /or nasty…you are not welcome here or on Vine of Life News.
Have you ever struggled with the idea of whether Jesus was a man or God? Maybe the struggle is simply trying to understand how Jesus could be a man at all? I confess that one blows my mind and probably always will.
We know Jesus was a man and at the same time God because the Bible tells us He was. Jesus was born of Mary through the Holy Spirit and so grew up as a human man, pretty simple. The “how” that really escapes me is how Jesus our God who created the heavens and all things in them became a man…how does God step down from the throne of glory and become a man like us? I guess that article will have to wait until after I can interview God, after I am in heaven…
Jesus was born as a normal human male baby: Matthew 1:20-21 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
In (Luke 1:39-45) we read that when Mary greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth referred to Mary as “the mother of my Lord”.
(Luke 2:4-7) tells of the actual birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The subsequent verses tell of the angels appearing from heaven to the shepherds and telling them of the Savior.
Jesus grew up as a human boy. (Luke 2:39-52) Verse 40 says the child (Jesus) grew and became strong. Jesus would need that physical strength later on in life during the ordeal of the crucifixion.
Verse 42 specifically cites Jesus age at the time; He was twelve years old. Joseph and Mary were going up to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover as they usually did. On this occasion, the boy Jesus stayed behind in the temple courts (verse 45). In verse 49 Jesus lays claim to His divinity despite being a human boy at the time. Jesus says, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Verse 52 is a key verse in determining that Jesus was indeed a man, And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. I obviously cannot explain the “how”, but if Jesus was growing in wisdom and stature, then this statement most definitely points to His humanity because God does not have to learn anything…but a man does. I cannot explain how Jesus the man could be learning and growing in wisdom when at the same time His divine side knows all, but some things have to be taken on faith, and this passage does prove that Jesus was human!
Was Jesus a man, really?
Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry (Matthew 4:2) Jesus knew what it felt like to be tired (John 4:6) Jesus bled like we do (John 19:34) there are other examples of this where bleeding is not specifically mentioned but is inferred through the events leading to the crucifixion and the crucifixion itself. (John 19) Jesus was tempted in all the ways we are (Hebrews 4:15) The Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus was a man (1Timothy 2:5) Jesus died…God does not die but a man does (Romans 5:8)
I deliberately left out the verses that mention Jesus was thirsty as those verses in proper context do not show Jesus as being thirsty, rather they emphasize other points.
John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” I doubt thirst was a large concern on the cross, this was said to fulfill scripture.
(John 4:4-26) In verse 7 Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink, now do not get me wrong, Jesus may have drank water here, He probably did after a long journey. However the main contextual point here was not Jesus drinking water, it was Jesus using a drink of water as the perfect opening to evangelize to this woman.
In part two we will look at the Old Testament and the evidence to be found there, that Jesus is both God and man.
Who is God and why do I need Him? I’m just fine on my own!
I will worry about God later, much later.
I have plenty of time to worry about “getting right with God”.
God?? Who needs that hassle?
I need a life, not a jail cell.
Why would I want to give my life to a God that will not let me have any fun?
Have you ever lied, even once? The answer had better have been yes…or you just lied. Ever say anything hurtful to someone? Ever steal anything, no matter the circumstance or how small the item was?
How about adultery? Ever kill someone? Ever have sexual relations outside of marriage? These are all sins.
It only takes one sin to be guilty before God. What happens because of even one sin? The punishment for even just one sin is eternal life without God in hell. There will be no comfort, there will be no parties, and you will not be spending the hours, days, weeks, years…forever with your buds. No you will be spending all your time completely free from that God you had no time for…in a state of perpetual suffering, alone. There will be no enjoyment in hell, and no second chance when you realize you made a mistake…the mistake of not accepting God as your Lord and Savior.
After you die, you will live again. Say what??? Yes you will live again regardless of what you believe. This is all in the Bible; these are not my thoughts but the facts from the Word. The only question is, where are you going to be spending all your time when you are resurrected at the end?
Everyone has sinned no matter who they are. The difference is some have accepted Christ and His incredible offer of forgiveness and some have not. I have sinned, I have also accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior…therefore I will spend eternity in heaven with God Himself. This is in no way because of anything I have done, I am an imperfect sinful man and remember it only takes one sin to be sentenced to death. Accepting Jesus frees me from paying that penalty, Jesus Christ paid it for me.
If you do not accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are sentencing yourself to eternity in hell.
The awesome thing is…you need only admit your sinfulness to God and ask His forgiveness. Believe in the fact that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins and that He was resurrected to life on the third day and is even now alive and seated at the right hand of the Father. Accept Him as Lord and Savior, and you will be forgiven and saved…you will posses eternal life. Eternal life is yours right now, not later, not after you die, right now…as soon as you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Yes you will need to make some changes in your life, but the changes are for your own good anyway. The changes that God desires you to make will actually grant you freedom, not enslave you. I drank to excess, that was not freedom as the world thinks it is, that was a bondage to a horrible life. I do not drink anymore thanks to God, that is freedom! Whatever you struggle with, God can help you too.
Do not wait to accept Christ; you never know when your last day is going to be. Accidents happen, but it will be no accident that you did not choose Jesus, that is a choice and not a good one. You will never ever hear a Believer say that they are sorry they accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
It is not that life will be perfect and you will not have any problems anymore after accepting Christ. It is this; Jesus will be with you through those problems and trials. You can depend on God to never forsake you; you cannot say that about any human. God will give you strength to carry on; He will love you…after all He gave His only Son up to death so that you and I could have life.
For help in accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior please visit the helpful folks at
http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/
The Old Testament even refers to Jesus, and also makes it clear that He IS God.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah clearly was prophesying the coming of Jesus. The matching New Testament passage is Matthew 1:23
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Daniel 7:13-14 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Son of man was Jesus favorite self-designation. The person spoken of here is given authority, he is also given glory…God shares His glory with no one. The person in this passage is also given sovereign power, the key word here is sovereign NO one but God possesses sovereign power. To be sovereign is to be over and above all; therefore this verse is saying that nothing and no one can surpass the power of the son of man. All peoples and nations will worship him, and his kingdom will never pass away. This could only be referring to Jesus Christ, the Father was already mentioned, (Ancient of Days) and God the Father is not giving these things to Himself! Let us not forget the phrase “coming with the clouds of heaven”, Jesus used this phrase Himself…Mark 14:62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. In John 1:1 we see that Jesus, the Word, was and is God. Now this verse is saying that although Jesus was here in the world, this world did not recognize its’ Creator.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God Yet another verse that speaks to the fact that belief in Jesus Name and accepting Him as Lord leads to salvation.
John 1:17 tells us that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are saved by grace…which came through Jesus.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. In verse fourteen, Jesus is referred to as the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth. Jesus came to earth, and made the Father known to us. He also made the Father approachable through His intercession for us.
In John 20:27-29 the disciple Thomas refers to Jesus as “my Lord and my God”, when Jesus appears to him and the other disciples after the resurrection.
In the first chapter of John alone we are literally bombarded with the knowledge that Jesus is God. As the heavens declare the glory of God, the book of John declares the divinity of Christ. All the mental gymnastics that some go through to disprove that Jesus is God are just ridiculous. The whole book of John needs to be read together to achieve the full contextual meaning. Chapter one alone is full of meaning and knowledge.
In Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus says that when two or three of us ask for something in His (Jesus) name, it will be done for us by His Father.
In Titus 2:13-14 the Apostle Paul refers to Jesus as our God and Savior.
Revelation 5:13-14 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
And to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and power. The Lamb is Jesus as stated by John the Baptist in John 1:29. As I said previously, God shares His glory with no one, so the Lamb of God (who is Jesus) must be God Himself.
Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Would you like to? The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. No other religion, and no other god or person or whatever can lead you to heaven and eternal life. Eternal life is found only within Christ and no one else.
If you are ready to make a commitment to Christ, then go to this site (Peace with God) and simply read and follow what you are asked to do. If you have any interest in being forgiven your sins, and you would like to make a change in your life, even if you are not sure yet, I urge you…do not wait!! There is more information on the web site I listed for you.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 says As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Give your life over to Christ today, don’t wait another moment, today…might be your last day. After death, there is no chance to change your mind about your eternal destination.
I want to share with you who are reading this a short thought about today being the day for salvation. A short time ago, my brother-in-law went out for a motorcycle ride on a beautiful summer day. He did not come back; he was killed…just like that. You never know when your last day here will be…do not chance it. Commit yourself to Christ today while you can.
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Jesus is here referring to Himself, saying that not all who call Him Lord will enter heaven. That is pretty clear, and again Jesus mentions His Father saying all need to do the Father’s will to enter heaven.
In (Matthew 8:28-32) Jesus meets up with two very violent men that according to the text, “no one can pass”. Notice also that Jesus is able to walk right up to these two men. The two men were demon possessed, and the demons knew exactly who Jesus was, they referred to Him as “the Son of God”. The demons then ask if Jesus has come to torture them before the appointed time…this is a very important statement. Exactly what appointed time are the demons referring to, and what does this have to do with Jesus? The appointed time is the end of all things when the entire world and everything in it will be judged. The demons already know where they are going…to hell! They are also aware of the fact that Jesus is God, (James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder) and Jesus is going to be the Judge! Next the demons beg Jesus to allow them…allow them to go into a herd of pigs. Jesus has total control over the demonic realm, not even Satan himself prevailed against Jesus although he tried.
John 8:58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
Again, reading this in context, we see in the following verse that the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus, why? The Jews of Jesus day understood what Jesus had just said to be a claim to Himself being God, so they were determined to kill Jesus for committing blasphemy! If as some claim, “Jesus is only a man”, then why were the Pharisees so intent on killing Him? Why would anyone kill a simple man, what threat would he be anyway? Jesus was the only one who when speaking to the Pharisees could ask questions the Pharisees had no answers for.
Mark 6:7 Jesus sends out the twelve disciples and gives them power over evil spirits. Jesus gave them the power, who but God could confer this power on anyone? No mere man could give another man power over the demons…and no mere man would ever be a match for a demon without the power of the Holy Spirit backing him!
In Acts 4:10-12 the Apostle Peter tells us that salvation is found in no other name under heaven but that of Jesus Christ. If salvation is found in Jesus, then He is God.
Consider this verse; John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That the Father is God is not normally a point of contention, but for some reason Jesus place at God the Father’s side as God Himself; now that is contentious. If The Father is God, and the only way to Him is through Jesus, then simple logic reveals to us that Christ is God. In the beginning of the Gospel of John, (John 14:1) Jesus says to trust in the Father, but his next words are, “trust also in me”…in this statement Jesus is very clearly claiming to be God.
Lets examine for a moment Philippians 2:1-11, this small collection of verses is so theologically rich it is astounding. Written by the Apostle Paul this passage speaks of the qualities of Jesus and how He behaved on this earth. Jesus though by His very “nature” was God, made Himself nothing…a servant. He did not come in all the power of God, but as a man. Christ never gave up His deity, but He did give up His prerogatives as God to humbly serve man and show the way to salvation. Furthermore, Jesus came here to die, to die a very degrading and intensely painful death on the cross to pay the price exacted by God for our sins…death. God in effect said if you sin you must die for doing so. Then God, whom made this edict, came here in the flesh Himself and allowed the penalty He Himself instituted to be fulfilled in His own body. In the last two verses of this beautiful collection, Paul says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow”, and “and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Why would all bow to Jesus and confess Him as Lord to the glory of the Father if Jesus is not God???
Colossians 1:16-17 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus created all things, and all things were created for Him. Not just physical things; all things, notice the text even refers to powers, rulers, and authorities. This for sure refers to angels at the least; and Christ created them. Notice in verse seventeen it states that Jesus is before all things. Before all things means that He was here long before He became a man on earth.
Colossians 1:18 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. Christ is the head of the church, and the Father is the head of Christ. Jesus is the beginning, the beginning of the new creation. Only after Jesus were we able to be created anew. Jesus was the first to be resurrected, others who were resurrected died again…Jesus is alive forever more! Jesus is first in all things; if we do not believe this we are lost in our sins forever more with no hope of rescue. God the Father is not the One to rescue us, not directly anyway…Jesus is. God as a whole (the Triune God) was the architect of our salvation, Jesus was the One to come here and pay the physical price for it.
I was reading some comments from a guy that I was conversing with on a friend’s site a while back. This particular person claimed to be a Believer, but yet in the course of our discussions he made it very clear that Jesus was NOT God. Jesus was the Son of God and was to be honored he said, but not God Himself. I did my best to show this gentleman that Jesus IS God, but I am afraid to no avail; which saddened me.
No one can be a true bible-believing son or daughter of God if they do not believe in the deity of Christ. No one can obtain eternal life without belief in the Son of man as God (Hebrews 5:8-9, John 3:16). The Father is not approachable accept through the Son (Hebrews 7:25).
Why believe that Jesus is God? Is this really that important? You bet it is…
Our entire foundational belief in God rests on believing in the Truth of Jesus Christ as God. God is eternally existent as three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Note in the above verses that Jesus is present as He is being baptized; next we see that the Spirit of God is descending, and at the same time a voice from heaven speaks…God the Father. The Father is proud of His Son, The key here is that the Father says “my son”. God’s own Son is not adopted as we are; therefore He is God. The thought that God would have a Son that He entrusts all things to who is not God Himself is ludicrous. The Word is replete with statements that Jesus created all things, is before all things, will be the One to judge, and is coming again.
Jesus Christ, what does that mean? In Matthew 1:21-22 an angel appears in a dream to Joseph and tells him to name the child Jesus, because He will save His people. The name Jesus means, “God is salvation”. Christ is actually not really a name; it is a title. Christ is derived from the Greek word “Christos”, meaning “anointed”. The Hebrew word Messiah means the same thing, anointed, or anointed one. So Jesus Christ is salvation, the Anointed One, meaning set apart for God’s work. Christ came here to do the will of the Father, (Luke 22:42) not His will; so this makes perfect sense to say that Jesus was set aside for the work of God. You can find an excellent article for more in depth study here.
People do not normally dispute that God the Father is God; Jesus is a whole other matter. For some reason that defies logic and the very Word of God itself, people doubt that Christ was God. Jesus was NOT a good teacher, nor was He a great humanitarian. To quote C.S. Lewis, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” Jesus was God in the form of man…by choice. Jesus chose to obey His Father and come here as a babe in human form, why? To pay the price for our sins!
John 10 is a tremendously powerful witness to the fact that Jesus is God. In verse nine Jesus says that He is “the gate”, meaning that He is the way to salvation. In verse eleven; Jesus says He lays down His life for the sheep, again a clear reference to the coming crucifixion, and to the fact that Jesus IS salvation. In verse fourteen Jesus says He is the “good shepherd”, and the sheep know Him. In verse sixteen Jesus refers to sheep “not of this pen”, meaning the Gentiles, the first group of sheep being the believing Jews. To get the proper context of these verses, one really needs to read the whole chapter.
John 10:28-30 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.30I and the Father are one.”
In these verses Jesus says He gives eternal life, no one but God can do that! Then He says that No one can take them (anyone possessing eternal life) from Him. Jesus proceeds to say that His Father is “greater than all”, and that He (Jesus) and the Father are one. What a clear declaration of Godhood!
Notice the claim that Jesus makes here that He and the Father are one, this is huge in proving Jesus is God. Many will say that this verse and others like it mean nothing…Jesus did not after all come right out and say; “I am God”, and this is true. This is however just another example of either ignorance, or outright self-deception. Let me explain why I say this. In the bible one must, absolutely MUST read in context…contextual meaning is different than what you will pull out of say a couple of verses. Entire paragraphs even pages are grouped together as one related expose on a single subject, therefore if you do not read all of them together you are apt to miss the authors intended meaning. Knowing what various thoughts relayed to us in the bible meant in the day the authors wrote them is also key to understanding what a particular passage of scripture means. I do not have all the answers and am open to learning more; I am saying that how you read the bible does matter. John 10:30 is a great example of this, Jesus has just said, “I and the Father are one”, read on further in (John 10:33) and you see that the Jews are readying themselves to stone Jesus. Why are they doing this…the Jews clearly understood Jesus claim to being one with the Father as a direct claim of being God!
What is truth? Ever hear of this gem…your truth is not necessarily my truth. I guess that all depends on where you get your Truth from now doesn’t it?
If I expound on what I believe is true, then my statements are open to debate. Truth cannot be based upon what I think, or for that matter what anyone else thinks either.
What I think is my opinion, not fact. Sadly however in today’s society, many people’s basis for truth is what they themselves believe to be true. The modern approach to truth, or the worlds approach to truth is that if you personally believe something to be true, then it is. However, that being said your truth is not necessarily anyone else’s truth. Confused yet?
If I present what is the “real truth”, I’m perceived as being narrow minded; judgemental, intolerant, and even a liar. Contrary to popular opinion, there is only one source for truth. There is only one truth, and that is God.
What is truth anyway and where does it come from? Truth, real truth is based solely on God…always. Jesus said I am the truth, (John 14:6)(John 14:17) and that we would posses the Spirit of truth. God is truth, and all truth comes from Him. Don’t be led astray by today’s world, which is full of foolishness and un-truth. There is an ultimate truth, a single source of truth to live by…the Word of God. As God is truth, so His Word is truth also.
John 8:32 states, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Knowing Jesus as Savior and understanding His teaching, the Truth, will set you free. Free from bondage to sin, free from death everlasting, free from guilt over your sins, free from a meaningless existence.
If you however subscribe to the “world’s truth” you will not be free, you will in fact be enslaved. Worse yet, your enslavement won’t end in this life, but will continue on into eternity. Truth as the world sees it, (see above) is a very clever trap designed by Satan. Worldly truth is appealing because whatever you choose to believe is true, that way whatever your actions are in life, you are justified. Isn’t that great? The problem with this is your conscience knows better…which is why you have the guilt factor in your life. Your conscience was given to you by God, it is His law written on your heart!
Romans 2:15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.
The world’s truth also has a one very unpleasant side affect, your death. So we all die so what? Well after death we all will have one of two destinations, heaven or hell. If you are a follower of worldly truth, you will at the judgment be cast into the lake of fire
There is only one truth, the Truth of God. Believe in it and receive life everlasting. Receive forgiveness of sins. Be free from guilt and condemnation (Romans 8:1). Be right with the Living God…we all will bow before Him, willingly or unwillingly. I choose willingly because Jesus saved me, because I love Him.
Confess your sins to God acknowledging you are a sinner. Tell God you are sorry for your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your life as Savior and Lord, believing that He died on the cross for your sins, and rose to life and is living even now. You will be forgiven and granted eternal life.
A Happy fourth of July to all my readers out there!!
(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
Check out my guest post on Not Ashamed of the Gospel. I’m excited to have been able to contribute to this ministry! You can find a feed from Not Ashamed of the Gospel in the middle left hand corner of this blog. I would like to thank Peter Guirguis for publishing my article. You can find Peter on Twitter here.
How can I know Jesus? Too many people complicate this subject in the same way that the Pharisees (Matthew 23) of Jesus day complicated the Jewish religion. Contrary to what some would tell you, knowing Jesus is not all that difficult. Keep in mind here that I am referring to knowing Him as in becoming saved, receiving eternal life…not as in being a pastor or theologian.
So how does one get to know Jesus? How do I receive Jesus into my life as Lord and Savior? Lets look into these questions and get some answers.
The best way to get to know Jesus is through someone who already knows Him. A disciple of Jesus is the one best equipped to help you learn about Christ. A disciple of Christ may be a Pastor, or lay leader, or anyone who knows the Lord. As Believers in Jesus, we can explain to those seeking Him what they need to know, and we can answer questions a person may have.
If the option of talking to a follower of Christ does not exist for you, or you would prefer to learn a little on your own first, then there are two other ways to learn about Jesus.
You can purchase a bible and read the Gospel(s)
You can easily access the bible online and read the Gospel(s)
In option one, I would recommend starting out by reading the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is relatively easy to read, and contains a wonderful collection of information about Jesus. This Gospel also contains reassurance to you the reader that you can know if you have eternal life.
In option two, I would recommend reading the Gospel of John as well. Find a reputable online source to read bible such as
http://www.biblestudytools.com/ , or
http://www.biblegateway.com/ . The whole bible is online, and these sites offer the bible in many different versions as well.
The easiest to understand version may be the (NLT) New Living Translation. I would also recommend other versions as well. The (NIV) New International Version, and the (NKJV) New King James Version, as well as the (ESV) English Standard Version are more literal translations than the (NLT) is.
Basically in a few words, Jesus came to earth to save sinners, and all of us are sinners. Have you ever done something wrong? That was a sin. The penalty for sinning is death, Jesus came here and willingly died on the cross to pay our penalty (death) for us.
To receive forgiveness of sin and receive the free gift of eternal life, you need to pray to the Father in heaven through Jesus Christ. This prayer can be in your own words, God looks at your heart…He knows if you mean it or not.
Pray this prayer, or something like it to receive Jesus into your life as Savior and Lord.
Father I admit that I am a sinner, and confess my sins to You now and ask for your forgiveness of my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ through His shed blood and death upon the cross, paid for my sins. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and even now is with You in heaven. Jesus I invite you to live in my heart and be my Lord and Savior, I now commit my life to You.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, welcome to the family of God!
If you are a new Believer, I highly recommend that you find a church so that you may fellowship with other Believers and grow as a follower of Christ.
Please keep in mind here how I worded this prayer…I commit my life to You Lord; this means commitment to God. Truly being saved means a change in your heart and mind. You cannot pray a prayer and then go back to living like the world, that is meaningless. If Jesus is really your Lord…then you serve Him and obey Him.
Yes you will have to stop doing some things most likely…but serving God is not a jail sentence. It is the beginning of your new life. I was an alcoholic…God took that away from me. I was never able to quit smoking…He took that as well. The benefits of being a follower of Christ far out weigh the supposed drawbacks.
We that are Believers are just like everyone else; except we belong to God for all eternity! Hallelujah!!
