Knowing Jesus

"I desired ... the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
"[Jesus] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:7).
"Now that you know God, or rather are known by God" (Gal. 4:9).
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Cor. 13:5, ESV).

(Note: If anyone says he knows God and doesn't obey Him, he is a liar, according to Jesus).


More important than understanding who Jesus is theologically speaking, is to know Him personally as salvation, and the utmost value is in finding Him. The result: Do you love Jesus? The ultimate question: Who is He to you? In summation, let's realize that to know Him is to love Him!

It is one thing to be content to just be theologically sound concerning Jesus, and quite another to know Him intimately and personally in a living relationship that grows, and doesn't stagnate or static. You can be saved knowing remarkably little doctrine; God is looking at the heart and faith of the individual in Him and not in himself--we are God-confident, not self-confident, relying on our acumen or cognition or intellectual prowess.

Extremely naive and simple-minded people can be saved, and those of great education can miss it entirely--miss the boat! Christianity is not about a creed, but about knowing a person--how we are getting along--relationships are of utmost value. Job 22:21 says, "Acquaint now yourself with Him and be at peace." We must be willing to agree with God and see things His way, and not be stubborn and insisting on our way.

Faith is very simple: Even a child can have it, but it is not simplistic--it is childlike (you must approach God in this way), but it is not childish (God wants us to grow up and become mature). Subsequent to learning enough doctrine to become a renowned theologian we may lack people skills and not know our Lord hardly at all. For example, John Bunyan didn't know very much compared to the likes of John Calvin, but he knew his Lord. It is so much more important to apply what we know and realize that we will not be judged by what we know, but what we sow.

We are called to be lights in the world and that means we are ambassadors who represent our Lord in an evil world. The world sees the gospel according to you--what your lifestyle and story testify of. A man of simple faith who just knows Jesus is God and his Savior may utter simple prayers and have a constant dialogue with their Lord, while the scholar doesn't apply what he knows and just likes to be right or smarter than others.

Jesus said that eternal life is to "know Him" in John 17:3 and Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 9:24 that if we are to "boast" we should do so about knowing the Lord! J. I. Packer alleges that we can know a great deal "about God" and not much "of God." He concludes that a little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal about Him--touche! This only happens through a living faith and a vital relationship in a daily walk. A word to the wise: God is pleased with faith more than feelings or emotions, and tests our faith. We must learn to cultivate intimacy and get to know our Lord, basically through knowing others who know Him, the Scriptures, and ongoing prayer.

You can even know a lot "about" Christ, and not know Him as a living God, Savior, and Lord. We are to "grow in the grace and knowledge" of Him according to 2 Peter 3:18, and as we do good works we do also "grow in our knowledge" of Him according to Colossians 1:10. Doctrine can be "interesting" but some people are so assured of their relationship and know it must be put in its place--application is what it's about and the Bible was not written to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives. Jesus came to save us, not educate or teach us, though He did that too. In the final analysis, it is not that we know Him, but He knows us (Gal. 4:9) that is significant.

What Jesus is really looking for is someone after His own heart who wholeheartedly follows Him and is yielded to His will (2 Chron. 16:9). Theologians have their place, but this is not for everyone and we shouldn't expect everyone to have the same "interest" in the so-called deeper truths of the Word. It is a good idea to keep our faith as simple as possible and not to have such a heavy yoke to bear, expecting everyone to be at our mental capacity--remember, the "common people heard Him gladly."

Immature believers balk at learning doctrine and we must remember that "solid food is for the mature" who have learned to distinguish good and evil (cf. Hebrews 5:14). We must know where our listeners are and not go over their heads, meeting their needs where appropriate, as Jesus told Peter to feed the lambs. Sometimes it is tempting to "wow" the congregants with our scholarship, but this is ill-advised and we need to not depend on impressive words, but to rely on the power of the Spirit.

The more you know, the more responsible you are. God expects us to be initiators, comforters, instigators, teachers, peacemakers, mediators, good Samaritans, friends, counselors, advocates, cheerleaders, role models, prophets, priests, intercessors, encouragers, brothers, etc., (you get the idea--little Christs making use of their spiritual gift--that is what Christian means literally). You learn to take on the role and challenge of being Jesus to someone who needs you like John Wesley who vowed to be Jesus to everyone: "Do the most good, to all the people you can, all the time you can, every way you can, in as many places as you can, as long as you can, et cetera." He also said, "Earn all you can, save all you can, and give away all you can." What standards to live by!

The pastor has a role to fulfill to preach as if the oracles of God on His behalf and God speaking through him as His messenger; his voice and message may arouse some sleeping soul out of his dogmatic slumber, and save some who hear the Word through him. Paul said that they received him as Jesus Himself and we should be glad when people see Jesus in us (according to the verse "Christ in you, the hope of glory," in Col. 1:27).

But Paul couldn't wait to see "Christ formed" in them. The only Jesus some people will see is the one you show them and the one in you--what kind of example are you? We are not Jesus and cannot become Jesus, but we are His emissaries and icons who bear His image and represent Him and His authority. We cannot bail out theologically or ignore sound doctrine, and people don't care how much you know until they find out how much you care (to use a common cliche). Soli Deo Gloria!

How Does This Man Know?

They really wondered how Jesus could be so wise, having never learned (been taught)--He was self-taught by God. Some people have only second-hand knowledge of God and not a first-hand experience from walking with Him.  1 John 2:27 (ESV) says:  "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.  But as his anointing teaches you about everything--and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you--abide in him." Psalm 119:99 (ESV) says, "I have more understanding than all my teachers...."




Christians are not meant to be dependent on teachers forever but come of age spiritually enough to learn to be noble enough like the Bereans, who searched these things out for themselves what Paul taught.   Some believers that aren't even teachers are mighty in the Scriptures because they have learned to abide in the Word--it doesn't take high intelligence or any arcane knowledge.  When you meet a genuine believer, you will find out that he has had first-hand encounters in the Word and has learned to attend to it to hear God speaking to him.



There is nothing to be privy to except basic reading skills and good study techniques.  We are not Gnostics claiming a secret knowledge that is necessary for salvation, but when we are able to discern good and evil (cf. Heb. 5:14) we can then be ready for the meat of the Word. The childish believer balks at learning the things of God in depth and remains an infant in the faith.  Deacons are called to "hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience [not reluctant to study the deeper truths]" (cf. 1 Tim. 3:9, ESV). The Bible is not abstruse and its basic message of salvation can be comprehended by children.




The simplicity of Scripture is a mystery and inscrutable to unbelievers who don't have the Spirit to enlighten them and show them the way. The way of salvation is not complicated nor a mystery to unravel, but the wise in this world, don't see its wisdom.  1 Cor. 1:25 ESV, says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men").  God makes the world's wisdom foolishness.  All it takes is to be teachable and receptive, having a willing spirit, an open mind, and a needy heart.




When we are in heaven we will know what we cannot know in the flesh and every question will be answered to our satisfaction (Jesus said that "in that day" we "shall ask [Him] nothing").  We cannot know the secret things of God because they are none of our business, but that which is revealed in Scripture belongs to us forever (cf. Deut. 29:29).  As Jesus quoted the prophet in John 6:45 (ESV): "They shall all be taught of God"




No prophecy is of any private interpretation and that means we have the privilege to interpret Scripture, but not to fabricate our own truths--God is not going to give us a personal revelation of the meaning of a passage or prophecy that He doesn't give to others--we are to avoid strange teachings and people claiming special links to God that makes them infallible like the pope does.  It is the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit that shows us the light in the Word and opens the eyes of our hearts.  We must learn to depend upon the leading of the Spirit and not depend on our own wits.




In summation, the aim of the teacher is to teach others and equip them to be able to pass on that which is committed unto them and spread the Word, and ultimately and hopefully so that they can also teach others and exponentially increase the ministry, rather than arithmetically. When they believe they don't need you anymore, that is good news and a blessing--the fulfillment of a ministry; we don't want them to become dependents!  2 Timothy 2:2 says to entrust these things to faithful men who will be able to pass them on to others.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Friend Of Publicans And Sinners

"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26, NKJV--italics and boldface mine).

"...to depart from evil is understanding"  (Job 28:28, NASB).

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil"  (cf. Proverbs 8:13).

"You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean" (cf. Lev. 10:10).

"A people without discernment will come to ruin"  (cf. Hosea 4:14).




Jesus was called the "friend of publicans and sinners" but did not say that of Himself ("You are my friends if you do what I command you," Jesus, in John 15:14, ESV), it was only assumed since He went where they were and was not afraid to get down and dirty with mankind. Jesus said that His friends were those who obey Him.  But it's the sinners who admit it that are closer to Him than those who think they're righteous   He was with them but did not condone their behavior, nor alter His mission to save man from sin.  He was not influenced by their sin, which is not something we can boast:  "Do not be deceived:  'Evil company corrupts good habits'" (1 Cor. 15:33, NKJV).  Note that He saved loved us before we were His friends.




Are we to justify our friendship with the world as being like Jesus?  He who is the friend of the world, is the enemy of God, according to James 4:4. If we spend most of our time with sinners and little of it with God's people, who will influence us the most?  Jesus could be exposed to sin and no corrupted by it because He is holy, but we are highly influenced by our surroundings and environment, not to mention the kind of people we choose to associate with.




We can not justify watching sinful programs that are indecent, lewd, suggestive, disgusting, and risque, because we are "friends of sinners" (like Jesus). Don't be like Demas who loved this present world and departed from the faith.  God has given us a discerning mind to know good and evil and we are to use it, to be wise as serpents, but innocent as doves.




You are what you think about.  It is also said that you're not what you think you are, but what you think you are. "Keep [guard] your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring [flow] the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23, NKJV).  Be aware of the wiles of the devil and not ignorant (cf. 2 Cor. 2:11).  We are all vulnerable and susceptible to Satan's influence: He is the god of the media, entertainment world, academia, and even this world-system, and we are not to be influenced by this, but come out of it and be separate--that is what holiness is about.  "....without holiness shall no man see the Lord..."  (cf. Heb. 12:14).  We are to be cheerful that He overcame the world (cf. John 16:33).   He who walks with the wise will become wise, according to Solomon and a "companion of fools suffers harm."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Incognito

"[To] reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.." (Galatians 1:16, NIV, emphasis added).

"Whatever you did, for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40, NIV, emphasis mine).

Jesus interposed His Father's will over His: "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house [about my Father's business]?" (Cf. Luke 2:49, NIV).

"... A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household" (Mark 6:4, ESV).

According to English legend, King Arthur would sneak among the common people, without his regalia, just to find out what they really thought and to get on the same page with empathy--Jesus did far more than that in humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross (cf. Philippians 2:7ff). We are to have this same mind in us, as was in Christ (cf. v. 5)! We should be aware of the fact that Jesus is loose and at large in our midst invisibly via the Holy Spirit residing in believers:

Jesus "came unto His own and His own received Him not," according to John 1:11; He was a man on a mission to seek and to save that which was lost (cf. Luke 19:10)--the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who had gone astray--He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He didn't promote or advertise the fact that He was the Son of David or the Messiah, but He never denied it either. He was known to use figures of speech when preaching, so as to confuse the religious leaders, especially the party of the Pharisees.

They had to ask Him bluntly: "Are You the Messiah, or are we to look for another?" He didn't always beat around the bush, but spoke plainly, and not in parables to keep the secrets of the kingdom known only to the sheep, but many were not willing to accept Him for who He was. They called Him the son of Joseph, the prophet from Galilee, the carpenter, or as a snide remark: Mary's son, the Nazarene, even just the carpenter, or the teacher (rabbi).

Only once did He openly proclaim His rightful place as Messiah, and that was during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as we call it now. It had been written that Israel would not see their messiah until they shouted, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." The Pharisees were getting nervous about His popularity and were worried that if He were left alone, that the whole world would go after Him. They were worried about Job One, which was protecting their turf and influence over the people as their teachers and guides, but they did it out of jealousy and a jaundiced eye, which even Pilate saw at Jesus trial before him.

Jesus had foretold many times of His crucifixion and resurrection, but the disciples were dense and were clueless as to His real identity until they actually witnessed it on Easter morning. Peter had confessed Him to be the Son of the living God, but this was more of a theoretical interpretation than actual application, though they had worshiped Him on occasion, their basic attitude was, "What manner of man is this?" He gave signs, according to John's record, that He was God in the flesh, and His miracles were not helter-skelter, nor for personal gain, selfish motive, nor showy. To prove His identity beyond doubt, there was no biggie miracle that couldn't be denied, and even King Herod thought he'd get a show from Him like He was a clown or magician--but Jesus never did miracles on demand.

The Christian is likewise called to be Christ incognito: We are His mind to think Christlike thoughts; His heart to love others through; His voice to speak His message of love; His hands through which He can help others. As St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) has said, "He has no hands but our hands, and no feet but our feet" to help others. Note that some Christians are known to take this to the extreme and get a messianic complex, which can border on mental illness or delusion. People often pray for Jesus to help them and don't realize that He uses believers to answer prayers and to fill in for Him incognito.

When you've done it for the least of these His brethren, you've done it for Christ; for He said, "I was in prison and you visited Me, I was hungry and you fed me." We don't want to go to the other extreme and deny that Christ is at work through our brothers and sisters in the Lord, either. On the one hand people will want to know the gospel according to us, and on the other hand, we don't want to deny that the Lord Himself is at work through His children as vessels of honor: Just as Isaiah 26:12 (NIV) says: "... [All] that we have accomplished you have done for us." The King James Version renders it: "[For] thou hast wrought all our works in us."

The point is that not only are we Christ incognito, but we are to serve Christ as if He were incognito and undercover and at large! We are being renewed in the image of Christ, who is the replica, icon, or express image of God Himself. Christ is God with skin on, you might say, and we can put the gospel in shoe leather by living it out and making it real to others: Only when you love the gospel, long to make it known, and desire to live it out, do you actually believe it--it's not a matter of pure acquiescence, intellectual assent, or agreement. Those who have bowed to Christ are the ones He can use for vessels of honor and complete His mission, whose marching orders are given in the Great Commission--our raison d'etre or reason for being!

Our testimony must be for real, and not a masquerade, sham, nor facade; that is, we cannot be nominal Christians or believers in name only who have a bogus profession and no reality to back it up--there is a contrast between the reality of faith and the profession of faith and viva la difference! We represent Christ in our daily walk and people observe us and judge Him by our testimony and witness. We are Christ's ambassadors who have authority to speak in His name! "... We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20, ESV). When they see Christ in us, it has an impact on the unbeliever, because Christ becomes real to them lived out through us as a testimony that cannot be denied.

We can make Christ real by living up to our testimony and that means walking the walk, not just talking the talk. When they realize we are Christians they will watch our every step and judge our testimony to see if they are more righteous than us. But be glad that we have God's stamp of approval and He promises to use us for His glory as vessels of honor and "He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Remember the words of Paul in Colossians 1:27 saying, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Finally, Paul says in 2 Cor. 13:5 (ESV, emphasis mine) a word of caution: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves,. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!


As believers, we know that Christ said He'd never leave us nor forsake us and that He'd be with us always, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20). There is the promise that wherever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Christ is present incognito (cf. Matt. 18:20)! Our spiritual eyes are opened and we see Jesus as present in Spirit. The eyes of our heart are opened and we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2). "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels..." (Heb. 2:9, ESV, emphasis mine).

Soli Deo Gloria!

Behold! Jesus At The Door

Is Jesus really knocking at the door of the heart of the unbeliever, as evangelists ostensibly quote Rev. 3:20 in their salvation formula?  This verse is addressed to the church of Laodicea, a so-called "lukewarm" fellowship, that had apparently no room in their hearts for Jesus. What is delineated by lukewarm is that Jesus didn't know where they stood spiritually; they wouldn't take a stand for Him and proclaim His name, but were sitting on the fence trying to remain neutral.  Jesus would rather mingle with people who are not believers (even publicans, sinners, and any so-called scum) than pretenders or hypocrites who feign belief.





God doesn't require perfect and complete faith, but sincere, unfeigned faith.  True faith is not ashamed to proclaim Jesus as Lord openly and to spread the good news.  True faith is contagious and people catch on and wonder what makes you different.  Jesus said that if you are not for Him, you are against Him, and that means lukewarm professors (and there is a difference between a profession of faith and reality of faith) are not believers and are in the same boat as unbelievers.




Jesus didn't say that if you're not for Him you are neutral or against Him!  But against Him without a doubt.  The problem with this church is that they had an outward show of religion, a memorizing of the Dance of the Pious, and no inward reality.  The true believer desires to live out His faith and to know Christ, as well as make Him known--possessing a burden for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.




This verse applies to salvation, but it is not the whole equation.  The big picture is that you must believe in your heart and not have a story or head belief to be a genuine believer.  Faith is not mere mental assent or acquiescence!  Faith is something put into action, viz., knowledge and knowledge acted upon and demonstrated.  This church had not gone the route of loving Jesus with their whole heart and were only halfhearted followers, not having a vital fellowship and relationship with the Lord, which is what Christianity is all about--not a philosophy, but getting to know Jesus and how He thinks and fellowshipping with Him, the Father, and in the church.  Christ cannot open the door, the resident must and He desires true fellowship with us--the invitation is to all who hear His voice, and the sheep will hear His voice (cf. John 10:27).




In summation, saving faith is not believing merely in the Jesus of history, but in the one knocking at the door!  Someone has said:  Faith is not believing that there is a God, but in the God who is there!  Jesus must not be just born, but born in you!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Christ's Credentials

Was Christ who He said He was? The thrust of His teaching was self-centered, on the theme of His identity: "Who do men say, that I am?" This was the turning point of His ministry and Peter was inspired by the Father to accurately pinpoint that He was the promised One, the coming Messiah, who was to be the Son of the living God. To believe in Him was to believe in God the Father, and to reject Him was to reject His Father. He said, that the Father and He were One, that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. This was a shock to the religious Pharisees, who knew what He was saying and charged Him with blasphemy, saying that He was equal to the Father, calling Him Abba, or Dad.


Anyone can say that they are who they choose, but do they have the credentials: I mean the character that is consistent, that confirms, that doesn't belie the claim; the signs and wonders to accompany the claim and make it authentic that sets Him apart; the witnesses to verify that it is not on His own authority that He makes the claims.

Jesus claims were one of a kind: His character unique; His conduct unprecedented; His credentials unequaled; His works and signs unmatched! No one has ever surpassed or excelled, neither predecessor nor disciple, His qualifications and merits to deity. He is the one and only Son of God and we cannot compare Him to any mortal; even if we called Him Jesus the Great or the greatest man who ever lived, that would not do Him justice, nor satisfy us. We don't compare Him to others, nor contrast Him, for there is no equal in any category of personality--the greatest charismatic person who ever lived. You cannot add to His name, simply Jesus will do, for He is the Savior and His purpose is to save us from our sins, as it is written in Matt. 1:21.

He made the claim that He was God in the flesh and had the moral authority to do it, for He even challenged the authorities to find fault with Him and charge Him with sin--at His trial the only charge that stuck was political and not moral. The disciples, who were close to Him for three years (and normally familiarity breeds contempt), had the consensus that He committed no sin. ("In Him was no sin, " says 1 John 3:5; "committed no sin," in 1 Pet. 2:22; "had no sin," in 2 Cor. 5:21.)

The closer you get to Him, the more you realize you are a sinner, not Him! For instance, Peter confessed: "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner." The leaders of other faiths are flawed in character, yet Christ stands out as the model of perfect manliness and godliness. What they say is that He had no sin, He did no sin, He knew no sin! If He were one, He couldn't save sinners! His challenge was: "Can you prove Me guilty of sin?" This was the greatest sign or miracle!

There is circumstantial evidence that is compelling, and this is evidence that is admissible in a court of law, we have eyewitness accounts of His resurrection and many facts cannot be explained apart from believing He rose from the dead. The written records verify His life, secular and clerical--there is no doubt of His historicity, so you must come to terms with Him and not dismiss as fable, myth, or even legend. Psychiatrists have examined Him and find Him to be perfectly balanced and His sermons are not the rantings and ravings of a madman-quite the contrary--He is perfectly balanced and the ideal man, someone whom all of us can emulate. Even intellectuals have called Him the model of mankind, and someone to imitate. Even the testimony of the close disciples cannot be dismissed so easily.

What His enemies said: They tried to trap Him in His words and accuse Him of blasphemy and couldn't believe He associated with known sinners and publicans, their favorite command, the Sabbath, was the main thrust of their attacks, for they could not bear someone breaking the traditions of the elders, but Jesus called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath--mind-boggling to them. The way He came eating and drinking they accused Him of gluttony and of being a drunkard and that His religion was frivolous. They accused Him of having a demon, but He had authority to cast them out and said that Satan would not be divided against himself, casting demons out. Three unlikely enemies (Pilate, Judas, and the centurion) all concluded that He was innocent blood and righteous ("Truly this was the Son of God!").

Look at the way He taught: As one having authority (cf. Matt. 7:29). He never footnoted His sermons nor quoted the authorities: He didn't speak by authority, but with authority. His only source was Himself (what the Father told Him to say) and the Scripture. He illustrated His teachings with signs and wonders or miracles to do lessons and proof that He was the Son of God in the flesh: Like feeding the multitude to prove He's the bread of life or raising the dead to prove He's the resurrection and the life.

Now anyone can claim to be God, for instance, Father Divine did, but can you prove it: The ultimate proof of Christ's claim is His resurrection which has many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3) and is the one sign that sets Him apart as the incarnation of God, who demonstrated victory over death and hell. The prime difference between His claims and those of others is the caliber of His life and that He offered proof to verify it.

For instance, if I claimed to be born of a virgin, you might think I'm unbalanced, but if the caliber of my life demonstrated no sin, you might take me more seriously. Not only His sinless morality, but His witnesses of John the Baptist, the most popular prophet of the day, and the over 500 who say Him rose from the dead, even what His enemies conceded unbeknownst to them, and the signs of His miracles (for if He had performed none, He would have ended up a mere footnote in history), and if you take away these miracles His witness is not credible, but the teachings themselves are such sublime words that only God could have originated them.

He came teaching and preaching (practicing what He preached and preaching what He practiced) but He upset the whole religious apple cart (the establishment) and the Pharisees were jealous of His influence and power over the people. What can you say, but that there is no hypothesis that fits the facts better than the one that He is indeed the Son of God, who came to visit and save man, by becoming one of us. Soli Deo Gloria!

Who Does Jesus Think He Is?

"And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes"  (Mark 1:22, ESV).




"The officers answered, Never man spake like this man" (John 7:46, KJV), who reported to the authorities.  Jesus was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God (cf. John 10:33), even claiming that the Father and Him were one [in essence].  In one sense the triune God is a threesome or three (in one), but in another, it is a unity of one being with three persons in a relationship.  Elohim, the plural of God (El) is used by God in Genesis and God refers to Himself as a unity of one in Deut. 6:4, using the Hebrew echad, meaning one as in a cluster or unity.  They are one in Spirit and one in purpose and will, but three in self-distinction and personality.




Jesus didn't go around advertising that He was the Son of David, or the Son of God, though He never denied it (He was forced to confess it at His trial as the Son of the Blessed One). Note that with all due respect to the founders of all the other world religions, only Jesus claimed to be God (cf. John 8:58, says, "Before Abraham was, I AM" and  John 8:24 really says, "Unless you believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins" and in John 14:9 He says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"), and this is why the authorities despised and hated Him and were jealous of His powers and influence of the people--they knew what He was claiming!  "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him..." (John 11:48, ESV).



Jesus usually used figures of speech, but He didn't always beat around the bush by indirect claims but spoke plainly enough for his disciples to recognize Him as the Messiah or Christ the Lord.  Peter confessed Him as the Son of God.  His favorite title for Himself was Son of Man (cf. Daniel 7:13), showing Him identifying with us as the Messiah, as this was a known messianic title from Daniel. George Gordon, Lord Byron said that "if ever man was God, or God man, Jesus Christ was both." He wasn't half God and half man, but the God-man (theanthropos in Greek), being all God and all man in one permanent incarnation or personification.  Some find it incredible to believe a man could become God or deified, but they can accept the historical fact of the incarnation when God became man! They besought Him to tell them plainly and He did, but they wouldn't listen or understand. John 12:37 says that even though he performed many signs, they would not (not could not) believe in Him.



The most striking aspect of His teaching and some just saw Him as a good teacher ("... Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:  for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him"  (John 3:2, KJV). It is patronizing to think of Him only as a good teacher or moral leader or even martyr for a good cause--these are not valid options to consider concerning Him.  "You call Me Lord and teacher, and so I am."  He never prefaced His teachings with "thus saith the Lord" but directly said it as if speaking as God, not for God.  He didn't speak by authority, but with authority, and no man ever spoke so audaciously before; others would commonly quote the authorities, like renowned and learned teachers and Pharisees.  When He spoke it was not introduced by phrases like "It is said," but "I say unto you."  The critics would just mutter, 'Who does He think He is?"  In respect to His teaching:  "[F]or he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not their scribes"  (Matt. 7:29, ESV).



About calling Himself the Son of God and not denying it (John 1:49 says, "... Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel"), He pointed out that we are all sons of God in the sense of being His creatures and challenged them: who was David's Son? When He referred to Himself as the Son of Man, the Pharisees knew very well that this was a messianic title and just who He was claiming to be.  Indeed, the teachers and Pharisees got the message and weren't as clueless as they pretended--they even remembered that He predicted His resurrection, which the disciples didn't understand or anticipate.  Even Nicodemus, the so-called "teacher of Israel," didn't know where He was coming from at first, but after the encounter at night came over to sympathize with His cause, and took His side--even helping to anoint and bury Him.



Normally you don't believe someone who makes claims of deity or divinity which they can't substantiate (Father Divine of Philadelphia, now deceased, and Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church of Korea and whose followers are called Moonies, for instance), but Jesus' claims were consistent with his credentials and the witness of signs and wonders.  There have been numerous wannabes and would-be messianic figures, but they are easily dismissed.   If Jesus had been a devil, a madman, sincerely deceived teacher, or a liar, wouldn't the disciples had figured it out and had Him pegged after three years of close contact; familiarity normally breeds contempt!




People will die for what they believe is true, but these men were in a position to know the truth, fanatics and religious extremists aren't.  Napoleon thought he could conquer Europe, but languished on St. Helena in exile, reading and studying the Bible, contemplated Jesus:  "I know men, and I tell you Jesus was no mere man." When anyone considers the evidence the only credible hypothesis is that Jesus is the Son of God, but acknowledging this is not salvation, you must know Him, love Him, and follow Him as you trust in Him as Savior and submit to Him as Lord.




Other religious leaders are self-effacing, while Jesus was self-advancing or promoting and His teaching was self-centered.  You can take Buddha out of Buddhism and the faith remains intact, but Christ is what Christianity is all about; its essence is that Christ is God in the flesh!   Actually, the whole of Scripture is all about Jesus on every page and in every book.  It wasn't just Jesus who was His own witness: the Father and Holy Spirit gave approval of Him, and said, "This is My beloved Son...."




His miracles were really signs of His deity and were consistent, not helter-skelter, for prestige, personal gain, showy, fantastic, haphazard, capricious, without any reason, ostentatious, nor for personal gain or profit, but out of love as the motive to confirm faith.  He did everything that you would expect a God-man to do and was everything you'd expect Him to be.  I rest my case: there's no reason to doubt due to lack of evidence or irrationality.  If one is willing, God will authenticate the truth--He's no man's debtor--"seek and you will find" (cf. Matt. 7:7).




The conclusion of the matter is that anyone can make claims and do to be a somebody, and many have claimed to be Israel's Messiah, but their lives have to be consistent with their testimony and not belie it.  Jesus' life was of such caliber and moral uprightness that there is sufficient reason to believe he wasn't a deluded madman, lunatic, liar, or mistaken because he invariably practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced.  Usually, familiarity breeds contempt, but not in this case, the disciples recognized His holiness and no one could convict Him of sin or convince Him of it, they verified in their writings that He was without sin.  One disciple says to Christ:  "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man."




They willingly verified and proved the veracity of their witness to His resurrection by the sacrifice of their lives in martyrdom--people don't normally lie when threatened with death.  Just like Elvis impersonators are easy to spot, it is easy to realize that Jesus will never be surpassed or equaled (neither by predecessor nor by disciple nor by wannabe nor even rival).  You don't compare others with Him, but you contrast them with Christ.




Fanatics and religious extremists will die for what they believe is true, but they are not in a position to know the truth, as the disciples were, and they died to prove their veracity concerning their witness of the resurrection and the risen Jesus.   You don't normally believe someone was born of a virgin either (Buddha claimed his father was a white elephant and Alexander the Great and Augustus Caesar claimed their fathers were serpents!), but if they lived like Jesus there would be ample reason to believe it. Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Bona Fide Savior

We don't worship a martyr for a good cause, or a good teacher of moral principles, nor even a great example or role model of how to live life to the full, but a risen Savior who gives us a real hope of heaven and even a more abundant and fulfilling life in the here and now, which we learn to live in light of eternity as God's will is revealed to us through Scripture.

We must realize we are lost before Jesus can find us, for He came to seek and to save those who are lost (cf. Matt. 18:10; Luke 19:10). That's why a good rule of thumb for evangelistic outreach is to get them lost first! We are not to reach out with an easy-believism that downplays the importance of taking up our cross and following Him, as we learn to deny ourselves. It's also called cheap grace that doesn't point out the cross to bear only justifies the sin, not the sinner. Salvation is not cheap at all, but costs us everything--it's free, but paradoxically it's at the cost of ownership of our lives as we follow Him as Lord of our life.

It has been said wisely that, the more we realize what a sinner we are, the more real of a Savior Christ becomes. Also, the closer you get to Christ, the more aware and convicted you become of your own shortcomings, failures, and sins. William Jay of Bath said that he is a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior!

The gospels are not bios of Christ and do not attempt to describe Him, but to make Him known. That's the difference: We can know our God personally--a facet of God denied by Islam and Eastern faiths. In other words, God gets personal with us and is a personality to get to know through His residence in our hearts. The purpose of Jesus becoming manifest to the world was to save us, because that was our problem, and we were lost in sin and needed forgiveness and justification. Jesus didn't come to educate us or enlighten us, but to open our spiritual eyes, and not to tell us what creed to believe, but to change our lives by residing in our hearts in personal union and fellowship.

Our salvation differs from Eastern tradition because it's not just learning a code of conduct, rules to live by, good advice, nor a collection of wise sayings to ponder, but is a restoration of our relationship with God. The religions of the world believe in a creed, Christians believe in a person! We don't need another to-do list, list of taboos, or prohibitions to refrain from legalistically. God teaches us right from wrong and writes His law in our hearts so that we need no one to order us to do the right thing. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to anoint and teach us so that we can go directly to the Bible and read God's Word for us and speaking to us.

The reason Jesus is a Savior is because He is in the business of changing and transforming lives. We learn an exchanged life in Christ with Jesus living through us! If all you want to do is to improve your behavior, or kick a habit, or reform your vices, any religion will do, but if you want to know God, Christianity is the only one the foots the bill and can satisfy; merely acknowledging Him for who He is doesn't satisfy, we must surrender to Him and trust Him implicitly and unconditionally. Yes, it might cost something to follow Jesus, but it costs more not to! The whole beauty of our faith is that it rests in the power of God and not our own wisdom (cf. 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Cor. 2:4-5)!

One pertinent promise to believers is that God promises that they will not be dissatisfied or disappointed in Christ (cf. Isa. 28:16; Rom. 10:11)--it's the way to the more abundant life Christ promised in John 10:10. Walking in the Spirit, or with the Lord is a joy to transform and once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on! One thing about the real McCoy of a genuine follower of Christ is that you can discern they have been with Jesus because it's apparent and cannot be denied because the Spirit will be irresistible and noticeable. The Christian soon finds out that if he has Christ, he has all he needs and all that is necessary for a fulfilled life that has purpose and meaning.


All religions will tell you some moral principles and virtues, but everyone falls short because the real problem is man's sin, and only Christ gives us the power to overcome it and defeat it victoriously--we are not all on our own to find our own enlightenment or to reform ourselves by our own efforts and strength. Christ is the threefold Savior: As Prophet, He saves us from the ignorance of sin; as Priest from the guilt of sin; as King from the dominion of sin! Yes, Jesus saved us--He did; He keeps us--He does; He's coming for us--He will! Jesus was more than just another teacher or prophet--the Law did come through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus (cf. John 1:17). He is the very personification of truth itself (cf. John 14:6), and all who are of the truth hear His voice (cf. John 18:37).

There is a world of difference between putting a new suit on the man, and putting a new man in the suit! This is shown just as Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:17 (NLT): "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" A point in fact: Jesus isn't looking for sidekicks, admirers, groupies, fans, nor buddies, but worshipers, lovers, and devoted servants who trust Him to take the pilgrimage with Him as their Pilot or Captain, going wherever He leads, following in His steps.

We must reverence Him for who He is, not just patronize Him with human respect or homage as a great leader, teacher, or example. We must not only believe that He lived and died on a cross, but did so for us and is alive today! The whole summation of Christian ethics is summed up in following Him, and this means a surrender to His lordship and ownership of our lives, there's no accepting Him part way or conditionally--He demands unconditional surrender, as it were; in the final analysis, obedience is the only measure of faith! Genuine believers walk the walk and talk the talk, their profession is not bogus, but is demonstrated by a life of good works as proof (cf. Titus 1:16).

Of all the major world religions, you can remove its founder and still have the religion remain intact; i.e., Islam doesn't need Muhammad, nor Buddhism need Buddha--it's merely a collection of teachings and philosophy. However, if you remove Christ from Christianity you disembowel it and there is nothing left--Christianity is Christ, and all else is circumference, it's been described by John Stott. That's because Christianity is not a creed nor a code, but a relationship--this is not just a cliche, but a deeper truth to be recognized personally. In short, salvation is but the establishment of a personal and family relationship with the person of God; while the only proof of salvation is fruit (cf. Matt. 7:16, 20)! We are saved to become a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13).

We need to be set free! "People are slaves to whatever has mastered them" (cf. 2 Pet. 2:19). Paul says in Romans 6:16 (NLT): "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." We are meant to stand fast in our liberty and not become slaves again (cf. Gal. 5:1). Acts 13:39 (NIV): "Through him, everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses."

The only way to be set free is in Christ: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36, NIV). We no longer live in bondage to our old sin nature nor the yoke of the Law. We do not have the freedom to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit! We are no longer subject to the power of the Law: "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14, NIV). Soli Deo Gloria!

The Kenosis Of Christ

The title refers to the "emptying" of Jesus (the kenosis in Koine or common, "vulgar" Greek) or when He "made Himself of no reputation," NKJV, in the sense of laying aside His glory and independent usage of divinity, as He functioned as a man with all the limitations that go with it.  Christ never stopped being God, nor did He lose His powers as God, but only did what the Father told Him to do, following the interposed will of the Father.  Philippians 2:7 (NLT) says, "Instead, he gave up his divine privileges...." Christ's glory is that He laid aside all His glory and humbled Himself, even to the death on a cross as a criminal.



Some may object to this ignominious death, (thinking that it's repugnant to have Christ "defeated" by man) but it was the pleasure of the Father to judge sin in this manner.  We all ought to learn a lesson in humility following His example.  Just to make a point about true service, Christ took a towel and washed the disciples feet, and they were all taken aback, Peter even objected, thinking this was not fit the Lord's dignity.  When Christ said that we also ought to wash each others' feet, we get the lesson that, in God's economy, the way up is down just like John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease"  (cf. John 3:30).



Peter failed to see Christ as the servant of the Lord and that greatness is in how many people you serve, not how many serve you.  Christ himself said that he came, "not to be served, but to serve and to give [His] life a ransom for many" (cf. Mark 10:45).  This gesture of foot-washing showed that we must be willing to humble ourselves, for humility comes before exaltation.  There is no caste system nor a superstar believer in the body, but all are "one in Christ" (cf. Col. 3:11; Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13).  There are no "untouchables" and neither is anyone beyond redemption.




All believers are called to become  the servants of Christ; at the bema (or Judgment Seat of Christ) we all look forward to hearing Christ pronounce:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...."  Albert Schweitzer was right:  "The only happy people are those who have learned how to serve."   I call this humiliation of ourselves in Christ's service as the "order of the towel," and the question should not be how high we can aim, but how low we can go--nothing is literally "beneath" the believer.  Whosoever humbles himself as a child shall be great in God's kingdom (cf. Matt. 18:4).   Service is the keynote of Christ's ministry, for He went about doing good (cf. Acts 10:38).   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Following Christ

Just "as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him [as Lord!]" (cf. Col. 2:6). We are to walk in fellowship and in the truth, as "the truth is in Jesus" (cf. Eph. 4:11). The whole concept of our ethics in Christ is to follow Christ in discipleship, taking up our cross we bear, deny ourselves, and follow on to know Him as Lord and Savior. We are to follow the example of pious believers and teachers and consider the outcome of their faith. The faith is not so much imitation as inhabitation! We turn over a relinquished life at salvation, live an exchanged life, and enjoy a substituted life while we surrender constantly to His will, and walk in fellowship. The Christian life is not knowing a creed, but a person.

We don't need to get educated or enlightened but transformed by the Word's power to change lives. We shall know the truth that shall set us free, by growing in Christ and believing God, not just believing in God. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto righteousness! Lots of believers think some saints have a surplus of the Spirit or a monopoly on His grace, but all Christians are anointed and have the fullness of the Spirit. It's not how much of the Spirit we have, but how much of us the Spirit has. No one has cornered the market on the gifts of the Spirit and doesn't need the body to complete the ministry and mission of the church.

Two believers can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue! It is important to look for commonalities, instead of division and areas of dispute. No one can follow Christ solo or as a spiritual Lone Ranger or lone wolf! All Christians are under authority through the body of Christ and no one has the right to throw his weight around or lord it over the flock. The body is in it together and must learn to interact and grow as a body corporately, as well as individually.

Do good deeds in the Spirit (we are a people "zealous of good deeds" per Titus 1:16), and not because you're a do-gooder or trying to gain the approbation of God by good behavior. The whole summation and goal of discipleship is to follow Christ--to know Him and make Him known in a relationship of love. The Christian walk is a matter of faith, but anyone can say he has faith, but faith isn't something you have as much as you see in action: Paul would say I'll show you my works by faith, and James would say I'll show you faith by works. Paul said to the Galatians that the only thing that counts is "faith expressing itself through love" (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).

The only test of faith is obedience per Heb. 3:18-19! Oswald Chambers said that the value of spiritual life isn't measured by ecstasies, but by obedience; Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are correlated and go hand in hand, not to be divorced. Faith without works is a guise and not the real thing, but a dead faith that cannot save; the Reformers taught the formula: "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."

We must validate our faith by a Christian testimony and life of good works (we are saved unto good works, not because of them). We are not saved by works, but not without them either--our faith is manifest only in obedience, for Christ said that, if you love Him, you will obey Him (cf. John 14:21).

Soli Deo Gloria!