Post by foxjj on Dec 18, 2022 16:59:52 GMT
Jesus, God Or Man?
Down through the centuries people have held strong opinions concerning Jesus Christ. In religious circles there is much controversy regarding the question of Jesus been a mere man who was chosen by God or, actually God in human flesh. Many have found themselves in prison, and some died at the stake because of their belief regarding Jesus.
Where a person is born determines one’s religions traditions, which in turn can enlighten, or cloud, our understanding of the truth regarding Jesus Christ. So much depends on one’s response to the Grace that Our Heavenly Father sends through The Holy Spirit to you and I.
When I was young it was easy for me to believe the Christmas story of the baby born in Bethlehem, even accepting - in a mystical way - that Jesus was the Son of God. However, as I began to read the New Testament for myself, I would come across passages teaching Jesus was God, such as the opening of The Gospel of John where he refers to one of Jesus titals:
“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. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”(John 1:1-5)
In John 10:30 Jesus Himself proclaimed: ”I and the Father are one.” Then in John 1:18 it states: "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." Such passages challenged my understanding of Jesus, and what the title Son of God actually means.
The Christmas story became more relevant when reading Matthew 1:22-23: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
Paul is very profound in his theology concerning the Divinity of Jesus Christ: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16) As we all know, it was Jesus who was 'manifested in the flesh' when He was born in Bethelhem. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and was 'received up into glory.'
This begs the question; what difference does it make how one believes, just as long as one has a belief? The answer is very relevant; unless I believe that Jesus was Devine, His Sacrificial death on my behalf has no power to redeem. If Jesus was a good man, then His death was the tragic death of another good Jewish man. On the other hand, If Jesus was God in human flesh, His death, and resurrection, was truly an Atonement for sin.
In his letter to the Colossians 2:9 Paul proclaimed: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."
Reading these and many other such passages, I came to believe beyond a shadow of doubt, that Jesus is truly God who, out of Love for you and I, came to live in our world in order to bring Salvation. I was humbled by this revelation because, now I have a deeper understanding of God’s love shown when Jesus went to the cross:
"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" (Colossians 1:19-20). This is the Jesus of The Bible - Imanmanual - God in the flesh.
Today, let us give praise to Jesus our Divine Savior.
John Joseph Fox.
Down through the centuries people have held strong opinions concerning Jesus Christ. In religious circles there is much controversy regarding the question of Jesus been a mere man who was chosen by God or, actually God in human flesh. Many have found themselves in prison, and some died at the stake because of their belief regarding Jesus.
Where a person is born determines one’s religions traditions, which in turn can enlighten, or cloud, our understanding of the truth regarding Jesus Christ. So much depends on one’s response to the Grace that Our Heavenly Father sends through The Holy Spirit to you and I.
When I was young it was easy for me to believe the Christmas story of the baby born in Bethlehem, even accepting - in a mystical way - that Jesus was the Son of God. However, as I began to read the New Testament for myself, I would come across passages teaching Jesus was God, such as the opening of The Gospel of John where he refers to one of Jesus titals:
“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. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”(John 1:1-5)
In John 10:30 Jesus Himself proclaimed: ”I and the Father are one.” Then in John 1:18 it states: "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." Such passages challenged my understanding of Jesus, and what the title Son of God actually means.
The Christmas story became more relevant when reading Matthew 1:22-23: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
Paul is very profound in his theology concerning the Divinity of Jesus Christ: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16) As we all know, it was Jesus who was 'manifested in the flesh' when He was born in Bethelhem. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and was 'received up into glory.'
This begs the question; what difference does it make how one believes, just as long as one has a belief? The answer is very relevant; unless I believe that Jesus was Devine, His Sacrificial death on my behalf has no power to redeem. If Jesus was a good man, then His death was the tragic death of another good Jewish man. On the other hand, If Jesus was God in human flesh, His death, and resurrection, was truly an Atonement for sin.
In his letter to the Colossians 2:9 Paul proclaimed: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."
Reading these and many other such passages, I came to believe beyond a shadow of doubt, that Jesus is truly God who, out of Love for you and I, came to live in our world in order to bring Salvation. I was humbled by this revelation because, now I have a deeper understanding of God’s love shown when Jesus went to the cross:
"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" (Colossians 1:19-20). This is the Jesus of The Bible - Imanmanual - God in the flesh.
Today, let us give praise to Jesus our Divine Savior.
John Joseph Fox.