Reigning King
My Savior stands
Above the fray
With outstretched hands
Pierced by the nails
The blood ran down
To cleanse my soul
My heart to own
Without the cross
I would not live
For Jesus Christ
My life I give
He spent it all
To set me free
His child I am
For eternity
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility
Romans 9 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible when it comes to how we ought to view the basic relationship between man and God. It really ought to shape everything about how we view His sovereignty as well as our response.
When I was younger if I had been asked to explain what it means that God is sovereign and I am responsible – my answer would have been saturated with self-determination – you would have heard about my works, my efforts, my worthiness. My ideas did not come from the Bible, just my own reasoning on how things must be. I was absorbed in the independent, self-sufficient, self-esteeming, self-exalting air that you and I all breathe every day of our lives in America. I took my views with me to college, just a kid trying to figure things out, thinking I was just fine, justifying myself daily, & not following Jesus. The sovereignty of God to me back then meant He could do anything He wanted with me that I allowed Him to. As long as I gave permission for Him to act, He could do anything He wanted. Like the poem Invictus, I wanted to be the captain of my soul. I cherished and ended up worshipping human autonomy and the supposed ultimate self-determination of my will. The ultimate in self-delusion. I didn’t even know how wrong I was. I was acting as if I was sovereign over my life & I lived for a long time like that. I even had my worldview affirmed by well-meaning but mistaken Christians who essentially held the same view.
But then God did something in my heart that changed my mind. Through some painful circumstances, and dramatic failings on my part, He gave me a good look at the reality of my own inability to run my life, my utter failings in being my own savior and the foolishness of trying to act sovereign in my own life. It was not an easy time for me. My self-sufficient, man-centered worldview was crumbling all around me. I did not know it at the time, but God was bringing me to the end of myself so I would see how utterly inadequate I was and how sufficient He was. God put me in waters I couldn’t navigate and I had to admit that I was up a creek without a paddle, guilty before a Holy God, utterly unable to help myself. I fought it long enough and finally yielded to the truth – I believed the gospel message. and the truth set me free. I no longer wanted to fight against God and His Word. I did not know what was happening at the time – but looking back, I began to see what had really taken place. I was spiritually dead and He made me alive. Jesus brought my dead soul to life. He gave me faith as a gift, and I responded to Him by faith. God’s sovereign hand of grace had been and was guiding me.
At other points in my life, over the past 28 years of knowing Christ, there have been times when God took me through the pain of painful self-examination and the horror of a fresh look at my sinful condition and my utter inability to do anything apart from Christ; a process that always leads to a deeper appreciation of the gospel and a fuller trust in the sufficiency of Christ. It is a process God takes His children through, of humbling and deepening and gracious and merciful love and comfort that comes when the clouds part & Christ’s assurance envelops our souls.
I have 2 reasons for sharing these things: 1. To praise God for His wonderful grace. 2. To introduce a subject that is not an easy one to navigate. I am going to try to explain some things that only those in Christ can understand and often find it difficult to understand. I know. These are not easy things to grasp – but they are gifts from God meant for us to believe deeply by faith.
This is a huge topic that generates lots of feelings and emotions. It is a sensitive topic and an element of mystery surrounds it. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but some may find that what they have been believing is less than Biblical. Others may find that they have put a thin veneer of looking like a Christian over an unsaved heart. Or, you may realize that what you have believed all along is in line with the Bible you just didn’t know how to explain it. God may give you new works to share with others in need of the same grace.
When it comes to God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility, I think we make it a much more complicated, confusing and combustible topic than it actually is. The idea of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility boils down to a simple statement: God is over all and man is under God. God is in control and we are not and we answer to Him. He will call us to account not the other way around. Many deny this Biblical truth. No Christian in their right mind would deny the sovereignty of God, nor would they deny the responsibility of man. But many pit them against each other as if they are mutually exclusive or in competition for supremacy. I hope you will see God’s Sovereignty & Man’s Responsibility are scripturally in perfect harmony.
God’s election of believers, human will, God’s justice, His sovereignty and human responsibility are all in Romans 9, but not for their own sake, in context they answer a burning question: how can God’s people Israel be accursed and cut off from Christ if God’s Word is trustworthy? That is the issue this chapter addresses, and in the process we see God’s sovereignty as well as man’s responsibility. Romans 9 explains why, even though people reject Him, God’s Word has not failed. God’s sovereign grace is the ground of His faithfulness in spite of Israel’s rejection – and the foundation for Romans 8. God is faithful to His Word.
Romans 9:3 tells us Israel is accursed and cut off from Christ but God had promised in Jer. 31:33 that they would be His people and He would be their God. Paul answers in v. 6 that it is not as though the Word of God has failed. His explanation takes him into the realm of God’s sovereignty over human will. He says they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. True Israel consists of the children of promise. The example of Jacob and Esau shows God’s ultimate sovereignty in choosing who will receive the promise. This raises a question of God’s justice that Paul also asnwers. Is God unfair? Absolutely not. It is ultimately God’s free sovereign choice of grace, He is free to choose whom He wills and harden whom He wills, it doesn’t depend on man. And He is just in doing so. A big mystery to us but true nonetheless.
We are dealing with the Infinite and Finite: God and Man. The Bible teaches God’s Sovereignty as well as man’s responsibility. The first is a great doctrinal truth that stands as the capstone and pinnacle of all great biblical truths. The other is a fact of life, a biblical truth that causes us to take an honest look at our condition before God and our response to Him as we realize that we will be held accountable for our thoughts, words and actions. 2 seemingly contradictory truths to finite minds. Like oil and water how could they go together? Many have tried to figure it out and in the process overemphasized one to the exclusion of the other. What results is error of some kind. It is what happens when finite man meets infinite God and tries to explain the infinite in finite terms. We end up going further than the Bible does; misconstruing the biblical teaching and God's intent. If we overemphasize God's sovereignty it seems we make men into puppets. If we overemphasize man's responsibility we make God into one. While both errors are harmful, the 2nd is worse since it essentially makes man God. & both diminish a true knowledge of God as they deny certain biblical truths and grossly enlarge others.
God's sovereignty. In Romans 9:5 you have God over all. He rules as King over all. He has authority over all. He is the maker, sustainer and ruler over all. As Ps. 103:19 says the Lord established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all. When we say God, You are God & I am not – we acknowledge His sovereignty & our responsibility to Him. Without this great doctrine everything falls down. It is helpful to identify what God is sovereign over. That is easy. Everything. If not, he is not sovereign. He rules as king over all. Nothing and no one is above him. No one gives him orders. Rom. 11:33-36, Job 42:1-3. No one can tell God what to do or be in charge of Him. He is all powerful, all knowing, all present. He is awesome and inspires shock and awe from his subjects. None greater. But we live in a culture where the Sovereignty of God is regularly rejected and man’s so-called autonomy (read pseudo-sovereignty) is flaunted. God is good, allowing in mercy, grace and his grace wisdom, in His design for his human subjects to think, act and operate in the world he created, in such a way that they can blame no one for their actions.
We call it Man's responsibility or accountability. Man under God. Rom. 3:19 says all the world accountable to God. No one can blame God or any other man for his own actions and choices. Those in heaven will praise God’s grace, give God all the glory; those in hell will have no one to blame but themselves. Man is not responsible to choose himself to be saved or give himself life, or do any of God's things. He will be held acceptable by God for the things God expects from him. What will God hold us accountable for? Our sin; our response to God; our thoughts, words & actions.
The discussion of man's responsibility often gets sticky when the discussion turns to free will. Free will = choosing according to our desires. Jonathan Edwards in The Freedom of the Will, defined the will as that by which the mind chooses. Humans make choices. We have free will. We need to know what our will is free to choose.
First we need to discuss God’s will, What He wants, purposes and does. God’s will is both Hidden and Revealed Paul dives into the deep end of the pool in 9:11 God’s purpose of election. In the context of Salvation what God accomplishes on the basis of the shed blood of Christ and not on the basis of any human work or merit John 1:12, Eph. 2:8-10. Election is the act of God whereby God, before the foundation of the world, chose in Christ who He would save. The biblical teaching that says that God chooses and knows who will be saved. Not that he looked down the corridor of time and knew what we would choose, but that of His own free will chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:4-10, Rom. 8:28-30. It does not cancel out or contradict the responsibility of man to repent and believe, trusting Christ as Savior and Lord Jn 3:18-19, 36; 5:40; 2 Thess. 2:10-12. 9:19 He has the right as Potter over the clay to do whatever He wants. We have trouble wrapping our finite minds around this truth. But it stands; mysterious in many ways, but true. I came across something I wrote 25 years ago while in seminary in 1985...a paper on the doctrine of election, The doctrine of election is grounds for encouragement. There is great encouragement in knowing that the work of God is initiated and sustained by God himself. There is also excitement in knowing that as His instruments God chooses and uses people He has brought into a saving relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ. For the outworking of His purposes, God couples His omniscience and omnipotence with the efforts of His people energized with power by the Holy Spirit. Here is an interesting point: God uses the elect to reach the elect. Those who know Jesus personally are sent out to reach those who are not yet aware of their future standing with God. And God leaves this a mystery to those He sends. He knows. He shows. We offer the gospel to any who will receive it. Some accept what God has done, others reject it. 'The Lord knows those who are His...' 2 Timothy 2:19. The doctrine of election goes together with the universal offer of salvation. In fact, 'the doctrine of election is never taught apart from the universal offer of salvation'.
It is interesting that the Holy Spirit seems to have been anticipating objections. Paul faces them head on in Rom. 9: 1, 6, 14, 19. These ideas run contrary to our finite minds and our self-centered thinking that comes so naturally for us. Questions confront us as we leave this subject for now: Will the blood-bought promises of God that purchased our freedom hold? Will God keep His Word to us? Will He truly work all things together for our good? Will th predestined be called, will the called be justified, will the justified be sanctified and glorified? Is there really no condemnation for those in Christ? I am so thankful Rom. 9 follows Rom. 8: God’s Word has not failed; His covenant with Israel has not failed just because they have been unfaithful to Him – why? Because it is grounded in God’s sovereignty – the will upholding our will. The promises of God in Rom. 8 stand based on the message of Rom. 9. The promises purchased by the blood of Christ will be performed by the sovereign hand of God. How humbling to stand in this truth.
When I was younger if I had been asked to explain what it means that God is sovereign and I am responsible – my answer would have been saturated with self-determination – you would have heard about my works, my efforts, my worthiness. My ideas did not come from the Bible, just my own reasoning on how things must be. I was absorbed in the independent, self-sufficient, self-esteeming, self-exalting air that you and I all breathe every day of our lives in America. I took my views with me to college, just a kid trying to figure things out, thinking I was just fine, justifying myself daily, & not following Jesus. The sovereignty of God to me back then meant He could do anything He wanted with me that I allowed Him to. As long as I gave permission for Him to act, He could do anything He wanted. Like the poem Invictus, I wanted to be the captain of my soul. I cherished and ended up worshipping human autonomy and the supposed ultimate self-determination of my will. The ultimate in self-delusion. I didn’t even know how wrong I was. I was acting as if I was sovereign over my life & I lived for a long time like that. I even had my worldview affirmed by well-meaning but mistaken Christians who essentially held the same view.
But then God did something in my heart that changed my mind. Through some painful circumstances, and dramatic failings on my part, He gave me a good look at the reality of my own inability to run my life, my utter failings in being my own savior and the foolishness of trying to act sovereign in my own life. It was not an easy time for me. My self-sufficient, man-centered worldview was crumbling all around me. I did not know it at the time, but God was bringing me to the end of myself so I would see how utterly inadequate I was and how sufficient He was. God put me in waters I couldn’t navigate and I had to admit that I was up a creek without a paddle, guilty before a Holy God, utterly unable to help myself. I fought it long enough and finally yielded to the truth – I believed the gospel message. and the truth set me free. I no longer wanted to fight against God and His Word. I did not know what was happening at the time – but looking back, I began to see what had really taken place. I was spiritually dead and He made me alive. Jesus brought my dead soul to life. He gave me faith as a gift, and I responded to Him by faith. God’s sovereign hand of grace had been and was guiding me.
At other points in my life, over the past 28 years of knowing Christ, there have been times when God took me through the pain of painful self-examination and the horror of a fresh look at my sinful condition and my utter inability to do anything apart from Christ; a process that always leads to a deeper appreciation of the gospel and a fuller trust in the sufficiency of Christ. It is a process God takes His children through, of humbling and deepening and gracious and merciful love and comfort that comes when the clouds part & Christ’s assurance envelops our souls.
I have 2 reasons for sharing these things: 1. To praise God for His wonderful grace. 2. To introduce a subject that is not an easy one to navigate. I am going to try to explain some things that only those in Christ can understand and often find it difficult to understand. I know. These are not easy things to grasp – but they are gifts from God meant for us to believe deeply by faith.
This is a huge topic that generates lots of feelings and emotions. It is a sensitive topic and an element of mystery surrounds it. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but some may find that what they have been believing is less than Biblical. Others may find that they have put a thin veneer of looking like a Christian over an unsaved heart. Or, you may realize that what you have believed all along is in line with the Bible you just didn’t know how to explain it. God may give you new works to share with others in need of the same grace.
When it comes to God’s Sovereignty and man’s responsibility, I think we make it a much more complicated, confusing and combustible topic than it actually is. The idea of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility boils down to a simple statement: God is over all and man is under God. God is in control and we are not and we answer to Him. He will call us to account not the other way around. Many deny this Biblical truth. No Christian in their right mind would deny the sovereignty of God, nor would they deny the responsibility of man. But many pit them against each other as if they are mutually exclusive or in competition for supremacy. I hope you will see God’s Sovereignty & Man’s Responsibility are scripturally in perfect harmony.
God’s election of believers, human will, God’s justice, His sovereignty and human responsibility are all in Romans 9, but not for their own sake, in context they answer a burning question: how can God’s people Israel be accursed and cut off from Christ if God’s Word is trustworthy? That is the issue this chapter addresses, and in the process we see God’s sovereignty as well as man’s responsibility. Romans 9 explains why, even though people reject Him, God’s Word has not failed. God’s sovereign grace is the ground of His faithfulness in spite of Israel’s rejection – and the foundation for Romans 8. God is faithful to His Word.
Romans 9:3 tells us Israel is accursed and cut off from Christ but God had promised in Jer. 31:33 that they would be His people and He would be their God. Paul answers in v. 6 that it is not as though the Word of God has failed. His explanation takes him into the realm of God’s sovereignty over human will. He says they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. True Israel consists of the children of promise. The example of Jacob and Esau shows God’s ultimate sovereignty in choosing who will receive the promise. This raises a question of God’s justice that Paul also asnwers. Is God unfair? Absolutely not. It is ultimately God’s free sovereign choice of grace, He is free to choose whom He wills and harden whom He wills, it doesn’t depend on man. And He is just in doing so. A big mystery to us but true nonetheless.
We are dealing with the Infinite and Finite: God and Man. The Bible teaches God’s Sovereignty as well as man’s responsibility. The first is a great doctrinal truth that stands as the capstone and pinnacle of all great biblical truths. The other is a fact of life, a biblical truth that causes us to take an honest look at our condition before God and our response to Him as we realize that we will be held accountable for our thoughts, words and actions. 2 seemingly contradictory truths to finite minds. Like oil and water how could they go together? Many have tried to figure it out and in the process overemphasized one to the exclusion of the other. What results is error of some kind. It is what happens when finite man meets infinite God and tries to explain the infinite in finite terms. We end up going further than the Bible does; misconstruing the biblical teaching and God's intent. If we overemphasize God's sovereignty it seems we make men into puppets. If we overemphasize man's responsibility we make God into one. While both errors are harmful, the 2nd is worse since it essentially makes man God. & both diminish a true knowledge of God as they deny certain biblical truths and grossly enlarge others.
God's sovereignty. In Romans 9:5 you have God over all. He rules as King over all. He has authority over all. He is the maker, sustainer and ruler over all. As Ps. 103:19 says the Lord established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all. When we say God, You are God & I am not – we acknowledge His sovereignty & our responsibility to Him. Without this great doctrine everything falls down. It is helpful to identify what God is sovereign over. That is easy. Everything. If not, he is not sovereign. He rules as king over all. Nothing and no one is above him. No one gives him orders. Rom. 11:33-36, Job 42:1-3. No one can tell God what to do or be in charge of Him. He is all powerful, all knowing, all present. He is awesome and inspires shock and awe from his subjects. None greater. But we live in a culture where the Sovereignty of God is regularly rejected and man’s so-called autonomy (read pseudo-sovereignty) is flaunted. God is good, allowing in mercy, grace and his grace wisdom, in His design for his human subjects to think, act and operate in the world he created, in such a way that they can blame no one for their actions.
We call it Man's responsibility or accountability. Man under God. Rom. 3:19 says all the world accountable to God. No one can blame God or any other man for his own actions and choices. Those in heaven will praise God’s grace, give God all the glory; those in hell will have no one to blame but themselves. Man is not responsible to choose himself to be saved or give himself life, or do any of God's things. He will be held acceptable by God for the things God expects from him. What will God hold us accountable for? Our sin; our response to God; our thoughts, words & actions.
The discussion of man's responsibility often gets sticky when the discussion turns to free will. Free will = choosing according to our desires. Jonathan Edwards in The Freedom of the Will, defined the will as that by which the mind chooses. Humans make choices. We have free will. We need to know what our will is free to choose.
First we need to discuss God’s will, What He wants, purposes and does. God’s will is both Hidden and Revealed Paul dives into the deep end of the pool in 9:11 God’s purpose of election. In the context of Salvation what God accomplishes on the basis of the shed blood of Christ and not on the basis of any human work or merit John 1:12, Eph. 2:8-10. Election is the act of God whereby God, before the foundation of the world, chose in Christ who He would save. The biblical teaching that says that God chooses and knows who will be saved. Not that he looked down the corridor of time and knew what we would choose, but that of His own free will chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:4-10, Rom. 8:28-30. It does not cancel out or contradict the responsibility of man to repent and believe, trusting Christ as Savior and Lord Jn 3:18-19, 36; 5:40; 2 Thess. 2:10-12. 9:19 He has the right as Potter over the clay to do whatever He wants. We have trouble wrapping our finite minds around this truth. But it stands; mysterious in many ways, but true. I came across something I wrote 25 years ago while in seminary in 1985...a paper on the doctrine of election, The doctrine of election is grounds for encouragement. There is great encouragement in knowing that the work of God is initiated and sustained by God himself. There is also excitement in knowing that as His instruments God chooses and uses people He has brought into a saving relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ. For the outworking of His purposes, God couples His omniscience and omnipotence with the efforts of His people energized with power by the Holy Spirit. Here is an interesting point: God uses the elect to reach the elect. Those who know Jesus personally are sent out to reach those who are not yet aware of their future standing with God. And God leaves this a mystery to those He sends. He knows. He shows. We offer the gospel to any who will receive it. Some accept what God has done, others reject it. 'The Lord knows those who are His...' 2 Timothy 2:19. The doctrine of election goes together with the universal offer of salvation. In fact, 'the doctrine of election is never taught apart from the universal offer of salvation'.
It is interesting that the Holy Spirit seems to have been anticipating objections. Paul faces them head on in Rom. 9: 1, 6, 14, 19. These ideas run contrary to our finite minds and our self-centered thinking that comes so naturally for us. Questions confront us as we leave this subject for now: Will the blood-bought promises of God that purchased our freedom hold? Will God keep His Word to us? Will He truly work all things together for our good? Will th predestined be called, will the called be justified, will the justified be sanctified and glorified? Is there really no condemnation for those in Christ? I am so thankful Rom. 9 follows Rom. 8: God’s Word has not failed; His covenant with Israel has not failed just because they have been unfaithful to Him – why? Because it is grounded in God’s sovereignty – the will upholding our will. The promises of God in Rom. 8 stand based on the message of Rom. 9. The promises purchased by the blood of Christ will be performed by the sovereign hand of God. How humbling to stand in this truth.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Who is Jesus? Part 4 of 4
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man and will be so forever. He is the One we worship, the One with whom we have to do, the One and only Savior whose blood-bought sacrifice paid our ransom. When we are drawn to Him by His irresistible grace, when we bow before Him, when we yield our lives to Him, we see His magnificence, which leads to more worship.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever. He is the Holy One of God. The only wise God. The living Word. Incarnate God. Price of Peace. Mighty God.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever. He is the Holy One of God. The only wise God. The living Word. Incarnate God. Price of Peace. Mighty God.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Who is Jesus? Part 3 of 4
We have explored who He is theologically, what the Bible says. We have found that Jesus is fully God and fully man and will be so forever. This makes a huge difference experientially. What difference do these truths make in our lives? When God drew me to Himself by grace through faith, I was blown away by 2 foundational truths...the bible is true and Jesus is God. To the only wise God flows what He most deserves, what we often give such drastically lesser objects: Worship. The Father is seeking worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:24. People worshipped Jesus as God. God would be guilty of breaking His own commandment if Jesus is not God: you shall have no other God’s before Me. Jesus would be too. So would we.
It makes a difference in our knowing. John 20:30-31 Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name. 1 John 1:1 what we have held with our hands…the picture John gives of Thomas touching the place where the nails pierced Jesus blows me away. In John 20:26-28 Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
It must have an affect on our daily living; how we think, speak & interact with others. Jesus being God makes all the difference in this world & the next! When we are guilty, justly deserving of punishment, in need of mercy not wrath...we have a merciful savior who bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. If he were not God we would not have this assurance. When we are fearful we have a preeminent present Savior who is with us always. When we worry we have a Savior who has made peace through the blood of His cross Col. 1:20, who is our peace, who says, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, do not let your hearts tremble nor be afraid. When trouble comes in the form of temptation or trial, persecution or condemnation, we have a all-sufficient Sovereign Savior who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. When we are tempted to give in to self-pity, anger, or resentment; or run ahead of where God has led; when we feel the magnet-pull of the world…we have a patient, powerful Savior who has suffered in the flesh, tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin. If He were not God we have no such perspective. When we sin we have a sinless Savior whose blood covers; if He were not God we are still in our sins. When we die we will be absent from the body and present with the Lord due to the blood-bought sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If it were not so we would not have this hope, an anchor for our souls, we would be aimless, void of any lasting freedom from sin’s power, penalty & ultimately, its presence.
It also significantly impacts our sharing of truth. If we have a warped view it will be passed on. Game ‘telephone’ - how things get twisted, how cults & false teachers spring up. Don’t lose sight of what the Bible says about who Jesus is…the infinite, omnipotent, all-knowing, eternal Son of God, came to earth and became a man forever, in order to redeem fallen man and save a people for Himself – the infinite God became one person with infinite man, and will remain that way forever – probably the most awe-inspiring miracle and mystery that exists.
Jesus Christ: fully God & fully man in one person. Preeminent, superior, sovereign over all creation.
It makes a difference in our knowing. John 20:30-31 Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name. 1 John 1:1 what we have held with our hands…the picture John gives of Thomas touching the place where the nails pierced Jesus blows me away. In John 20:26-28 Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
It must have an affect on our daily living; how we think, speak & interact with others. Jesus being God makes all the difference in this world & the next! When we are guilty, justly deserving of punishment, in need of mercy not wrath...we have a merciful savior who bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. If he were not God we would not have this assurance. When we are fearful we have a preeminent present Savior who is with us always. When we worry we have a Savior who has made peace through the blood of His cross Col. 1:20, who is our peace, who says, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, do not let your hearts tremble nor be afraid. When trouble comes in the form of temptation or trial, persecution or condemnation, we have a all-sufficient Sovereign Savior who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. When we are tempted to give in to self-pity, anger, or resentment; or run ahead of where God has led; when we feel the magnet-pull of the world…we have a patient, powerful Savior who has suffered in the flesh, tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin. If He were not God we have no such perspective. When we sin we have a sinless Savior whose blood covers; if He were not God we are still in our sins. When we die we will be absent from the body and present with the Lord due to the blood-bought sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If it were not so we would not have this hope, an anchor for our souls, we would be aimless, void of any lasting freedom from sin’s power, penalty & ultimately, its presence.
It also significantly impacts our sharing of truth. If we have a warped view it will be passed on. Game ‘telephone’ - how things get twisted, how cults & false teachers spring up. Don’t lose sight of what the Bible says about who Jesus is…the infinite, omnipotent, all-knowing, eternal Son of God, came to earth and became a man forever, in order to redeem fallen man and save a people for Himself – the infinite God became one person with infinite man, and will remain that way forever – probably the most awe-inspiring miracle and mystery that exists.
Jesus Christ: fully God & fully man in one person. Preeminent, superior, sovereign over all creation.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Who is Jesus? Part 2 of 4
How do we know Jesus is God?
The Bible says so.
The usage of the name God (Greek theos) for Jesus is significant. John 1:1, 18. Thomas said of Jesus my lord and my God John 20:28. Rom. 9:5 says Christ is God over all, blessed forever. Titus 2:13 says Jesus is our great God and savior Jesus Christ. Titus 3:4 calls Jesus God our savior. 1 John 5:20 says Jesus is the true God. Is. 9:6 He will be called mighty God. Is. 7:14/Matt 1:23 they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means God with us.
The usage of the word Lord (Greek kyrios) for Jesus is also significant. 2 Peter 1:1, 3:18 calls Jesus our lord and savior. kyrios used to refer to the Creator & Sustainer of the universe, Almighty God. The Shepherds in Bethlehem used Lord in this way, Luke 2:11 For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Basically, in Bethlehem a baby was born who is your Savior and Messiah, God Himself. No wonder that everyone who heard it marveled Luke 2:18.
The Father said Jesus is God.
Heb. 1:8 your throne O God is forever (Ps. 45:4-5); Matt. 3:17 Jesus' baptism...this is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased. And at the transfiguration Matt. 17:5 a voice said this is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased, listen to him.
Jesus said He is God.
Jesus said, in John 10:30-33, "I and the father are one." John 8:57-58 I am. Ex. 3:14 I am. Rev. 22:13 strong statement of deity I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Jesus is Sovereign over all – equal with the Father. Christ's usage of the title Son of Man for Himself; Dan. 7:13-14 Daniel saw one like the Son of Man who came ot the Ancient of Days and was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples would serve Him and His dominion would be everlasting. A claim to be the eternal world ruler of heavenly origin & those who heard Him say it said He spoke blasphemy and was deserving of death Matt. 26:65-66. While He was on earth Jesus displayed the attributes of God: Omnipotence stilled storm, fed 5000, water into wine, etc. Omniscience knew people’s thoughts, saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, knew who would not believe, and who would betray Him. Peter, after res, Lord, you know all things. Omnipresence Matt. 18:20; 28:20 with you always. Sovereignty authority of God - but I say to you…all authority in heaven and on earth. Eternity I am, Alpha and Omega./// Even
Demons said He is God.
They called him the holy one of God, and the Son of God. They agree with God.
Why does Jesus have to be God?
Everything rises and falls on it. If Jesus is not God, then The Gospel is not true. Only someone who is infinite can bear the full penalty and the wrath of God against sin. If Jesus is not God then Christianity is false. Salvation is from the Lord Jonah 2:9. The Bible and God Himself is at stake if Jesus isn’t God. The Bible is clear that no human can ever save themselves, only God saves. Everything falls if Jesus is not God. If Jesus is not God we have no mediator between God and man, no advocate with the Father, no high priest, no hope. The deity of Christ is absolutely essential. It is arguably the lynchpin of Christianity.
The Bible says so.
The usage of the name God (Greek theos) for Jesus is significant. John 1:1, 18. Thomas said of Jesus my lord and my God John 20:28. Rom. 9:5 says Christ is God over all, blessed forever. Titus 2:13 says Jesus is our great God and savior Jesus Christ. Titus 3:4 calls Jesus God our savior. 1 John 5:20 says Jesus is the true God. Is. 9:6 He will be called mighty God. Is. 7:14/Matt 1:23 they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means God with us.
The usage of the word Lord (Greek kyrios) for Jesus is also significant. 2 Peter 1:1, 3:18 calls Jesus our lord and savior. kyrios used to refer to the Creator & Sustainer of the universe, Almighty God. The Shepherds in Bethlehem used Lord in this way, Luke 2:11 For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Basically, in Bethlehem a baby was born who is your Savior and Messiah, God Himself. No wonder that everyone who heard it marveled Luke 2:18.
The Father said Jesus is God.
Heb. 1:8 your throne O God is forever (Ps. 45:4-5); Matt. 3:17 Jesus' baptism...this is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased. And at the transfiguration Matt. 17:5 a voice said this is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased, listen to him.
Jesus said He is God.
Jesus said, in John 10:30-33, "I and the father are one." John 8:57-58 I am. Ex. 3:14 I am. Rev. 22:13 strong statement of deity I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Jesus is Sovereign over all – equal with the Father. Christ's usage of the title Son of Man for Himself; Dan. 7:13-14 Daniel saw one like the Son of Man who came ot the Ancient of Days and was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples would serve Him and His dominion would be everlasting. A claim to be the eternal world ruler of heavenly origin & those who heard Him say it said He spoke blasphemy and was deserving of death Matt. 26:65-66. While He was on earth Jesus displayed the attributes of God: Omnipotence stilled storm, fed 5000, water into wine, etc. Omniscience knew people’s thoughts, saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, knew who would not believe, and who would betray Him. Peter, after res, Lord, you know all things. Omnipresence Matt. 18:20; 28:20 with you always. Sovereignty authority of God - but I say to you…all authority in heaven and on earth. Eternity I am, Alpha and Omega./// Even
Demons said He is God.
They called him the holy one of God, and the Son of God. They agree with God.
Why does Jesus have to be God?
Everything rises and falls on it. If Jesus is not God, then The Gospel is not true. Only someone who is infinite can bear the full penalty and the wrath of God against sin. If Jesus is not God then Christianity is false. Salvation is from the Lord Jonah 2:9. The Bible and God Himself is at stake if Jesus isn’t God. The Bible is clear that no human can ever save themselves, only God saves. Everything falls if Jesus is not God. If Jesus is not God we have no mediator between God and man, no advocate with the Father, no high priest, no hope. The deity of Christ is absolutely essential. It is arguably the lynchpin of Christianity.
Preparing for Something
It is early morning and I am upstairs writing. My teenage son just left a few minutes ago to go to cross-country practice. He will run scores of miles in preparation for upcoming races. Just now a huge pack of runners from another school ran past our home, which inspired me to write this. They are all preparing for something. In the preparation there is some benefit, some present reward, but not the ultimate one which they seek. They are running for a higher purpose than today but today, and even tomorrow, they benefit from today's hard work. On the flip side If they do not put in their best efforts they will experience some sort of loss today. And when race day comes, if they slacked off or did not try as hard or cut the course and ran less miles than their coach planned for them to run in practice, it will probably be revealed on that day.
It is similar to what Christians do every day in preparation for eternity. Living with an eternal view, or eternal perspective means that today is not all there is, there is something greater in store, heaven, which we are journeying towards. We believe that when Jesus comes back, or we go to be with Him, whichever comes first, we will be with Him forever in the place He has prepared for us. As Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure." There, in a way, you have a sort of parallel, or at least a weak example, for the daily workout and the ultimate race and subsequent reward.
We work, but all the while knowing it is God who ultimately is at work in us. He is sovereign, we are accountable to and completely under His authority. Whatever we are able to do ultimately happens because of Him. Even our desire comes from Him. And the amity to act upon the desire comes from Him. And the reward at the end of the race of life comes from Him. He is always previous. As Jim Eliot wrote, "wherever you are be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." with a deep belief in God's sovereignty over all, we can live today with confidence. We can put out whole efforts into what we do, because we know He ultimately will use it for His glory and our good.
It is similar to what Christians do every day in preparation for eternity. Living with an eternal view, or eternal perspective means that today is not all there is, there is something greater in store, heaven, which we are journeying towards. We believe that when Jesus comes back, or we go to be with Him, whichever comes first, we will be with Him forever in the place He has prepared for us. As Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure." There, in a way, you have a sort of parallel, or at least a weak example, for the daily workout and the ultimate race and subsequent reward.
We work, but all the while knowing it is God who ultimately is at work in us. He is sovereign, we are accountable to and completely under His authority. Whatever we are able to do ultimately happens because of Him. Even our desire comes from Him. And the amity to act upon the desire comes from Him. And the reward at the end of the race of life comes from Him. He is always previous. As Jim Eliot wrote, "wherever you are be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." with a deep belief in God's sovereignty over all, we can live today with confidence. We can put out whole efforts into what we do, because we know He ultimately will use it for His glory and our good.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Who is Jesus? Part 1 of 4
When I go somewhere and want to use my credit card, I am asked to show my I.D. Let them know I really am who I say I am. In this age of identity theft you have to be careful. We find Jesus’ I.D. in the Bible. But the true identity of Jesus is often obscured (or hijacked or stolen) by those who are deceived & misunderstand of what the Bible actually says about Him. Some have a problem with the atonement, how could the death of one man on a Roman cross really pay the penalty for sin? The resurrection is a stumbling block to some. Or the virgin birth, denied by many Protestants over the past 100 years. Or the gospel miracles, up for grabs amongst those who find them hard to believe. But the biggest mystery the Gospel reveals is the incarnation. How Christ could take humanity without loss of deity.
The main truth God wants you to grasp regarding Jesus is that He is that He is completely God & completely man in one person & always will be. He is preeminent, superior, and sovereign over all creation. The biblical support for this statement is huge. As we seek to develop Biblical understanding of who Jesus is, I want to look at the question theologically set a foundation & experientially see what difference it makes in our lives.
Theologically: What does the Bible say? Col. 1:15-20 is 1 of the most important passages in the Bible when it comes to the question who is Jesus? Often 1 of the more abused passages by those who deny Christ’s true identity. Background: Gnosticism (from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge) was an enemy of the early church. It taught salvation was a matter of gaining certain secret knowledge. It was marked by dualism, belief that material matter, flesh, world, was evil, & the spiritual realm was good. It either totally mattered what you did or it didn’t matter at all, led to 1 of 2 extremes: asceticism, denial of every pleasure or hedonism, free indulgence of appetites. An error that sprang up was Docetism, which denied that Jesus had a real physical body. Led John to write 1 John 4:2-3 "by this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." Paul was refuting Gnosticism when he wrote Colossians. Col. 1:15-17 "Image of the invisible God", image is eikon, bodily representation, likeness. "The firstborn of creation." Some say this means He was created; had a beginning in time, the first thing created by God; & therefore inferior to the Father. An understanding of the Greek word prototokos (firstborn) corrects this error. [The word is used 130 times in the Greek translation of the Old testament, called the Septuagint, which was commonly used in the time of Christ.] Used in the context of blessing. The firstborn received a double portion of the inheritance, a better blessing & special treatment. It was a title referring to status & position rather than birth order. Ps. 89:27 says "I shall make Him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth." Spoken of David, it is a Messianic psalm, pointing to Christ. Centers on the relationship between God & David, not the fact David was born. He had a preeminent position in God’s plan; given leadership & authority over God’s people. The coming Messiah would have preeminence but in a much greater way. Rom. 8:29 Christ is called the "firstborn among many brethren." Superior & sovereign over Christians. Heb. 1:6 says "when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, and let all the angels of God worship Him." Preeminence. Col. 1:18 (Rev. 1:5) Jesus is called "the firstborn from the dead." Refers to the leadership of Christ in bringing about the resurrection of the dead and new life. Back to Col. 1:15, "firstborn" doesn’t mean first created, it refers to Christ’s position of power, primacy & preeminence. It is a title for Christ used with relation to Christ’s superiority & priority not origin or birth. It fits the context of the passage. He is called the firstborn, because all things came into being by Him. He is the Creator. Those who deny Christ’s divinity, saying this passage diminishes who he is, are greatly mistaken – this exalts Christ’s high position! Gives Him the title of God over all creation. Like naming a world champion, the Los Angeles Lakers, over the entire NBA. In the biggest way possible Jesus is Sovereign over everything. Everything is under Him. All things we created by, through & for Him. Paul uses every word available to say: there is no one higher than Jesus; everything that exists in the created order is under Him. They exist because He made them; they exist for Him. We grasp this as believers – we exist for God’s glory, His pleasure, His purpose. Col. 1:17 says "all things hold together" or exist, in Christ. Christ maintains & upholds the universe – it continues, endures, because He keeps it going.
Jesus is God Almighty. The One true God. The God whose identity is revealed in the Bible. Who is God? The Trinity: One God who eternally exists as three distinct persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are each fully and equally God. 1, 2 or all 3 aspects of that statement are often denied by those who do not believe God is triune. There is 1 God only. 3 distinct persons. The Father, Son, Holy Spirit are all God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal. William G.T. Shedd wrote, "the doctrine of the Trinity is the most immense of all the doctrines…the foundation of theology. Christianity...is Trinitarian. Take out of the NT…the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, and there is no God left." Col. 1:19 says, "In Him all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell." and Col. 2:9 says "in Him all the fullness dwells in bodily form." He is Emmanuel, God with us Matt. 1:23.
Jesus is God incarnate. From the Latin meaning becoming flesh. Augustine said He remained what He was (God) and became what He was not (man). Jesus was fully God and fully man. An aspect of Christ’s identity often misunderstood or twisted. In A.D. 451 the Council of Chalcedon wrestled with the confusion surrounding the divinity and humanity of Jesus, stating clearly that Jesus Christ is 1 person, 2 natures (human and divine) who is both fully God and fully man. The union of the 2 natures is called the Hypostatic union, from the Greek hypostais (person). 3 facts emerge: Christ has 2 distinct natures; there is no mixture of the 2; & He is still 1 person. This is the commonly held view in all of Christendom.
Heb. 1:1-3 says He bears the very stamp (exact duplicate, Greek charakter) of God’s nature, upholding the universe by the word of His power. Jesus is the exact duplicate of the nature of God, equal with God in every attribute. A common error: saying Jesus gave up some of His attributes & nature as God. Phil. 2:7 He gave up none of His Divine attributes while laying aside His privileges as God. The emptying was not of attributes as God, but of His rights as God. He took the form of a servant, by coming to live as a man, & being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. He made Himself nothing. The emptying was a change in role and status, not essential attributes or nature. Paul’s purpose in context was to persuade them to do nothing from selfishness or conceit, humbly consider others better than yourself like Jesus did. God doesn’t want us to give up being who we are; He wants is to put the interests of others before our own. Jesus willingly gave up some of His privilege and status as God while fully retaining His attributes and nature as God. 2 Cor. 8:9 though He was rich, He made Himself poor for your sakes./ John 1:1-4, 14. 1:1 In the beginning was the Word. Eternal. No beginning, when everything else began – He was. The Word was with God. Personal being. Was God. Deity. Personally distinct from the Father, but not a creature. Divine. 1:14 & the Word became flesh. 1:3 All things made by Him. Creator, the Father’s agent in every act of making. 1:4 In Him was life. It originated with Him; He gave life to all. No life in the physical realm without Him. The life was the light of men. He gives light, reveals. We are alive due to the work of the living Word of God. To have a Biblically accurate view of Jesus we must affirm that He was and is fully Divine and fully human. We must not downplay Christ being fully man. With regard to Christ’s humanity, the virgin birth, His human body, mind, soul and emotions, the fact people knew Him as a man and most saw Him only as a man, give ample reason for believing its truthfulness. His full humanity was necessary: for Him to do what He came to earth to do, namely save sinners. It was necessary for Him to be our representative in the realm of obedience, to be our Substitute sacrifice, to be the one Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 2:5; to fulfill God’s original purpose for man to rule over His creation; to sympathize with us as our great high Priest, who did not need to daily offer sacrifice first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He was sinless, He offered once for all the sacrifice for sin.
Tomorrow, we'll address how we know Jesus is God and why He has to be God.
The main truth God wants you to grasp regarding Jesus is that He is that He is completely God & completely man in one person & always will be. He is preeminent, superior, and sovereign over all creation. The biblical support for this statement is huge. As we seek to develop Biblical understanding of who Jesus is, I want to look at the question theologically set a foundation & experientially see what difference it makes in our lives.
Theologically: What does the Bible say? Col. 1:15-20 is 1 of the most important passages in the Bible when it comes to the question who is Jesus? Often 1 of the more abused passages by those who deny Christ’s true identity. Background: Gnosticism (from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge) was an enemy of the early church. It taught salvation was a matter of gaining certain secret knowledge. It was marked by dualism, belief that material matter, flesh, world, was evil, & the spiritual realm was good. It either totally mattered what you did or it didn’t matter at all, led to 1 of 2 extremes: asceticism, denial of every pleasure or hedonism, free indulgence of appetites. An error that sprang up was Docetism, which denied that Jesus had a real physical body. Led John to write 1 John 4:2-3 "by this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." Paul was refuting Gnosticism when he wrote Colossians. Col. 1:15-17 "Image of the invisible God", image is eikon, bodily representation, likeness. "The firstborn of creation." Some say this means He was created; had a beginning in time, the first thing created by God; & therefore inferior to the Father. An understanding of the Greek word prototokos (firstborn) corrects this error. [The word is used 130 times in the Greek translation of the Old testament, called the Septuagint, which was commonly used in the time of Christ.] Used in the context of blessing. The firstborn received a double portion of the inheritance, a better blessing & special treatment. It was a title referring to status & position rather than birth order. Ps. 89:27 says "I shall make Him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth." Spoken of David, it is a Messianic psalm, pointing to Christ. Centers on the relationship between God & David, not the fact David was born. He had a preeminent position in God’s plan; given leadership & authority over God’s people. The coming Messiah would have preeminence but in a much greater way. Rom. 8:29 Christ is called the "firstborn among many brethren." Superior & sovereign over Christians. Heb. 1:6 says "when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, and let all the angels of God worship Him." Preeminence. Col. 1:18 (Rev. 1:5) Jesus is called "the firstborn from the dead." Refers to the leadership of Christ in bringing about the resurrection of the dead and new life. Back to Col. 1:15, "firstborn" doesn’t mean first created, it refers to Christ’s position of power, primacy & preeminence. It is a title for Christ used with relation to Christ’s superiority & priority not origin or birth. It fits the context of the passage. He is called the firstborn, because all things came into being by Him. He is the Creator. Those who deny Christ’s divinity, saying this passage diminishes who he is, are greatly mistaken – this exalts Christ’s high position! Gives Him the title of God over all creation. Like naming a world champion, the Los Angeles Lakers, over the entire NBA. In the biggest way possible Jesus is Sovereign over everything. Everything is under Him. All things we created by, through & for Him. Paul uses every word available to say: there is no one higher than Jesus; everything that exists in the created order is under Him. They exist because He made them; they exist for Him. We grasp this as believers – we exist for God’s glory, His pleasure, His purpose. Col. 1:17 says "all things hold together" or exist, in Christ. Christ maintains & upholds the universe – it continues, endures, because He keeps it going.
Jesus is God Almighty. The One true God. The God whose identity is revealed in the Bible. Who is God? The Trinity: One God who eternally exists as three distinct persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are each fully and equally God. 1, 2 or all 3 aspects of that statement are often denied by those who do not believe God is triune. There is 1 God only. 3 distinct persons. The Father, Son, Holy Spirit are all God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal. William G.T. Shedd wrote, "the doctrine of the Trinity is the most immense of all the doctrines…the foundation of theology. Christianity...is Trinitarian. Take out of the NT…the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, and there is no God left." Col. 1:19 says, "In Him all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell." and Col. 2:9 says "in Him all the fullness dwells in bodily form." He is Emmanuel, God with us Matt. 1:23.
Jesus is God incarnate. From the Latin meaning becoming flesh. Augustine said He remained what He was (God) and became what He was not (man). Jesus was fully God and fully man. An aspect of Christ’s identity often misunderstood or twisted. In A.D. 451 the Council of Chalcedon wrestled with the confusion surrounding the divinity and humanity of Jesus, stating clearly that Jesus Christ is 1 person, 2 natures (human and divine) who is both fully God and fully man. The union of the 2 natures is called the Hypostatic union, from the Greek hypostais (person). 3 facts emerge: Christ has 2 distinct natures; there is no mixture of the 2; & He is still 1 person. This is the commonly held view in all of Christendom.
Heb. 1:1-3 says He bears the very stamp (exact duplicate, Greek charakter) of God’s nature, upholding the universe by the word of His power. Jesus is the exact duplicate of the nature of God, equal with God in every attribute. A common error: saying Jesus gave up some of His attributes & nature as God. Phil. 2:7 He gave up none of His Divine attributes while laying aside His privileges as God. The emptying was not of attributes as God, but of His rights as God. He took the form of a servant, by coming to live as a man, & being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. He made Himself nothing. The emptying was a change in role and status, not essential attributes or nature. Paul’s purpose in context was to persuade them to do nothing from selfishness or conceit, humbly consider others better than yourself like Jesus did. God doesn’t want us to give up being who we are; He wants is to put the interests of others before our own. Jesus willingly gave up some of His privilege and status as God while fully retaining His attributes and nature as God. 2 Cor. 8:9 though He was rich, He made Himself poor for your sakes./ John 1:1-4, 14. 1:1 In the beginning was the Word. Eternal. No beginning, when everything else began – He was. The Word was with God. Personal being. Was God. Deity. Personally distinct from the Father, but not a creature. Divine. 1:14 & the Word became flesh. 1:3 All things made by Him. Creator, the Father’s agent in every act of making. 1:4 In Him was life. It originated with Him; He gave life to all. No life in the physical realm without Him. The life was the light of men. He gives light, reveals. We are alive due to the work of the living Word of God. To have a Biblically accurate view of Jesus we must affirm that He was and is fully Divine and fully human. We must not downplay Christ being fully man. With regard to Christ’s humanity, the virgin birth, His human body, mind, soul and emotions, the fact people knew Him as a man and most saw Him only as a man, give ample reason for believing its truthfulness. His full humanity was necessary: for Him to do what He came to earth to do, namely save sinners. It was necessary for Him to be our representative in the realm of obedience, to be our Substitute sacrifice, to be the one Mediator between God and man 1 Tim. 2:5; to fulfill God’s original purpose for man to rule over His creation; to sympathize with us as our great high Priest, who did not need to daily offer sacrifice first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He was sinless, He offered once for all the sacrifice for sin.
Tomorrow, we'll address how we know Jesus is God and why He has to be God.
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