JESUS Is GOD

JESUS Is GOD

            “Long ago, at many times and in many  ways, God spoke to our Fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken  to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world  … ”

          Before His birth He was named “Jesus” by an angel “for he will save his people from their sins”  Matthew 1:21.

          These are some of the things we know about Jesus.

Ø He was born of Mary, a virgin, Luke 1:26-34

Ø He  was God in the flesh; so John writes of him, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God …And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us …” (John 1:1, 14)

Ø He was fully and truly man, Hebrews 2:17, 18; and as a man, He “suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps, who committed no sin …”

Ø So when He was tempted,  it was a real temptation, Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4: 15; He had to make a choice.   If His sinlessness was a product of His being God,  He was NOT “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin”.  And as such He can be no example for man.   I Peter 2:21, 22 reads, Christ left “an example, so that you might follow in his steps.  He committed no sin …”.

JESUS DIED FOR MAN

          Christians eat the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week, as a memorial, (I Corinthians 11:33-36).  The memorial is to cause us to reflect, to regularly and deliberately elevate the death of Jesus in our consciousness.  The Bible affirms that Jesus died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3), that He “gave himself for our sins (Galatian 1:4); that He “bore our sins in his body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24).  He is our great example; but certainly more than that, He died for us.

Because the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and “all have sinned”, it follows that all men are under sentence of death; all men, except Jesus, who was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  Jesus, and Jesus only, was without sin; so He, and He only, could atone for sin by the shedding of His blood.

JESUS’ CHURCH

          Jesus built His church, Matthew 16:18.  He is the head of the body, which is His church, Ephesians 1:22, 23.  Some are advertised as another head, or priest, or pope, of Jesus’ body; but they are not.  A human body has but one head; even so the body of Jesus, the church, has but one Head.

          Because Jesus is the head of the body, He is the Lawgiver, Acts 3:22,23, He is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8, 9),   To be saved by Jesus (and there is no other Savior) we must do what He says.  In John 14:6, Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me”.

          Jesus is Lord.  One who is “lord” is master.  This aspect of the identity of Jesus is made clear when He asks, Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?”  If Jesus is really your Lord, you will be seeking to do His will in all things, at all times.                           Pat