Is Jesus Authoritarian?

"When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes"  (Matt. 7:29, HCSB).
"For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations"  (Psalms 22:28, KJV).  




Jesus not only reigns on High with all the authority granted from the Father (cf. Matt. 28:28) but He rules and is the sovereign over creation; this is His prerogative as Son of God, not His attribute--He's earned the right to rule (and not like the sovereign of the UK, who reigns but doesn't rule).  To disobey Christ is to disobey God.  Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey Him--those are His friends.  To disobey Christ's authority has consequences, which can even lead to eternal punitive measures in hell.



Christ's rule is by virtue of His office as Lord (RHIP or rank has its privileges--it comes with the territory!) referring to His position over all creation.  He is Lord of all (cf. Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:12). He is not a colleague to be befriended, but the Lord to be obeyed-we don't make Him Lord, He is Lord!  A. W. Tozer says He will not save those whom He cannot command, and He will not barter away His right to be Lord!  Note that a lord doesn't give suggestions, but commands!  In a sense, Christ is a micro-manager because everything is under His authority and the buck stops with Him.  He is authoritarian in the sense that He rules with an iron fist and is sovereign over all without exception.



Christ just has to say the words for His will to be accomplished:  When He said to the storm, "Peace, be still," there was an immediate slick and the sea obeyed.  Even the demons believe and tremble because they realize they must obey or be sent to the Pit. Christ expects full compliance.  When Christians disobey, there are consequences: They are divinely disciplined and brought back into line with God's will.



Now there is another aspect of Christ's authority that differs from His authority to give orders and enforce them.  He has the authority to induce, woo, convince, persuade, and to influence for His will.  We change our minds due to His power of persuasion and wisdom because we respect His counsel and person.  He's earned respect in this way that we heed His Word.  (He not only claimed the authority of the Word but claimed to be the very personification of the Word Himself, the Logos, as John termed it.)  The Christian obeys and does good deeds because he wants to not because he has to.  Works are not in order to gain the approbation but because we have it already--a "therefore."  We obey out of the motive of love, and it's this love that has authority over us, for it's the most persuasive force or influence of all.  We've learned to love, trust, and obey Jesus through our ongoing, daily experience, and as we grow and mature in Christ.



During Jesus humiliation, He demonstrated all manner of authority:  over the laws of nature, all forms of diseases, demons, birth defects, sin, death, and even food!  His miracles were really signs proving His divinity and each showed an aspect of this.  He did not do them for the purposes of a show, or for personal gratification or pleasure, but to show mercy and kindness to the people in need.  He refused to do any biggy miracle that would've been to the pleasure of the skeptics and make them believe against their will, but His miracles were always sufficient for the willing.  Miracles never cause faith but only to bolster and confirm it; however, faith causes miracles.  In other words, Christ's authority and power were under great restraint during His days on earth with the disciples and He only proved what He was capable of, without actually doing it.



There is a great reward in obeying Christ and following Him; on the other hand, there are punitive measures for disobedience.  Either way, we must not ignore the authority of Christ, or it will be at great peril.  Jesus didn't teach by authority, as if someone had ordained Him, but with authority, and this was unlike any man had ever taught.  The rabbis and religious authorities, including the Pharisees, would quote the experts and teachers of the Law, and would never say something on their own authority; however, Jesus never footnoted His sermons, but would say, "You have been heard it said,  but I say unto you."  It's like a parent to a child say, "Because I said so!"  He was claiming greater authority than the authorities!  And this was an offense to the job security of the Pharisees!  Jesus never "footnoted" His sermons like the rabbis, or quoted anyone but the Scripture itself as the final word and rule of faith.  His methodology of quoting in speaking would be, "It is written," even to Satan.



The wonderful thing about Christ's authority is that He has commissioned us with authority to preach the gospel and we are His ambassadors who have a right to speak on His behalf.  Christ has earned authority via humiliation; however, we share in His spiritual authority, and when the Word is preached God anoints it with the unction of the Holy Spirit.  Christians are therefore the representatives of the King!  The good news is that He has given us authority in His Name!  Though we can rest assured He is in full control, He's no control freak!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Upsetting The Religious Applecart

"Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them.  Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them"   ( Mark 7:15, NIV). 
"You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..." (Matt. 7:16, NLT).



Jesus was clearly antiestablishment and countercultural and was determined to overturn the tables on the Pharisees' religious turf.  He managed a revolution of topsy-turvy spirituality.  They had no notion of true spirituality, but only of externalism:  circumcision, tithing, offerings, sacrifices, festivals, Sabbath observance, fasting, handwashing, ceremonial duties, and whatever agreed with the outward show of religious piety but having no inward vitality or reality.  Jesus succeeded in internalizing religion and making it a matter of the heart and sin was on the inside that God could see.  The Pharisees were highly jealous of Jesus and protecting their turf was Job One.  Everyone wants job security, but this was too much for Jesus.  They sensed a threat to their authority and teachings, which Jesus referred to as the leaven of the Pharisees.




The people were burdened by 613 additional (248) commands and (365) prohibitions or laws of their legal system that made the Law of Moses a burden too heavy a yoke to carry.  Even the Sabbath with 39 additional activities regarded as "work" was nothing to look forward to anymore nor enjoy as a day of rest and spiritual renewal.  What really got them uptight and ill at ease was His popularity among the common people who heard him gladly and the miracles He was doing were both undeniable, and they had to come up with some explanation.  Jesus repeatedly made them out to be as fools and an embarrassment to their own cause.  Jesus seemed like a hero and authority the way He threw the moneylenders out of the temple.  They had every reason to fear His authority because He spoke like no man, not by authority, as one of the teachers of the law, (cf. Matt. 7:29), but with authority and they could not resist the Spirit by which He spoke nor answered His questions.




Jesus was against religion as they knew it.  The Pharisees were frauds at worship--just going through the motions with lip service and their hearts being far removed.  He saw the Jewish faith as one of knowing God, not of performance or a list of dos and don'ts.  The Pharisees were white on the outside but inside were as sepulchers.  They would strain a gnat and swallow a camel because they were so worried about the minor details of the Law but missed the main points of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  Religion for them was mere show and Jesus despised it.




One thing that He wouldn't tolerate was duplicity and He saw this in the Pharisees they way they didn't practice what they preached. The religious authorities were never the same after Jesus was through with them and He changed the culture by changing people.  He was the light that shown on every man to see.  No one was unchanged nor the same after an encounter with the Lord.  The religious applecart had become an organization, not an organism, or living community of believers.




The major realignment in religion came as Jesus saw through legalism and hypocrisy and instituted undefiled and pure religion as coming from a sincere heart and motive.  Jesus saw through the veneer and facade!  The people needed to be set free from the burden and yoke of the Pharisees and their take on religion, in fact, most people didn't want to emulate them nor were they jealous, though the Pharisees were respected, Jesus saw their veneer and masquerade that they hid behind.




One sad commentary on the Pharisees was their tendency to exalt themselves and of having an air of superiority.  Jesus countered that the way up is down in God's economy and one must humble oneself first to be exalted in God's eyes.  He warned them that one must become as a child to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:15; Matt. 18:3).




The normal Christian life was in contradistinction to the one of the Pharisees.  The Pharisees flaunted their faith and Jesus taught that people should not practice their righteousness before people (cf. Matt. 6:1) but keep their religious duties between them and God and to pray in their closet, inner sanctum, comfort zone, or private space.  The Pharisees were the ultimate goody-goodies who were working for God and kept up all appearance of propriety, but they knew not the Lord in reality.  Christ will say unto them that He never knew them at the Judgment.  But we all have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and must repent of the Pharisee in us.  All our works are worth zilch if we don't love the Lord and do His will--"if I have not love, I am nothing."   Soli Deo Gloria!

Indebted To Jesus

Do you know that you owe
It all to the Lord Jesus!
When your goal loses your soul,
And you want a way out,
Remember He's near and saves ev'ry tear,
And your woes won't overflow His bowl.  




When the fight is lonely as the night,
And you wonder where He is,
Remember all the same to praise His name.
So thank Him anyway,
For you He'll win, so don't lose by sin.
And if you pray, claim His fame.  





The joy you'll share, knowing He's there,
Treading those paths ahead.
But let it glow, and you will grow,
To lighten the paths of sin;
But love is the way to make His day,
And loving the Lord will make them know.  




Soli Deo Gloria!

The Man On A Mission Extraordinaire

Jesus came to save sinners and set them free from themselves, God's wrath, their enslavement to Satan, and sin.  His message only has something to say to those who are lost, sick, and unrighteous and see their need for a Physician to heal them.  Sin is a virus that must be healed and we cannot approach God while affected--He must cleanse us or He will have no part of us.  He saves us despite ourselves and our own efforts, for there is no pre-salvation work we can achieve or preparation we can make to qualify for grace--that's why it's grace and not merit-based.  In fact, the only qualification for salvation is to realize our need and bankruptcy in God's tribune.  Jesus is on a rescue mission and meets us in our deepest need--the effects of sin.




Sin is both alienating and enslaving, it estranges and separates us from others and God.  Jesus is the Great Reconciler and has done something about the sin question on the cross by shedding blood.  Yes, He owns us because He purchased us with His very own blood was shed voluntarily on our behalf.  Our greatest need was to be forgiven and made righteous, both accomplished at the cross.  We are forgiven for our sins (what we've done or called being justified) and delivered from what we are (sanctification or from our sin nature).  The cross is a great rescue operation!    "If our greatest problem had been ignorance God would've sent an educator, or if it had been technology, He would've sent a scientist, but our greatest need was the restoration of our relationship with Him" (source unknown).




That's what salvation is: the healing of our relationship with God and getting back into fellowship with Him, for sin precludes and prevents that.  We were in no position to save ourselves or salvage our souls, in fact, we needed divine intervention to meet our needs and do for us what we couldn't do for ourselves.  Jesus raised the bar on love and sacrifice, giving His all for us and pouring out His compassion on the cross when He was suffering the most--the ultimate sacrifice.




He thought of us to the very end and would rather die than live without us!  His love is unconditional and sacrificial and cost something!  We can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving!  In the final analysis, Jesus knew what His mission was--to do the Father's will and be subordinate to it in all things (that was His mission statement or motto of life--to do God's will!), which would bring about the salvation of His sheep, by laying down His life, for whom He shed His blood and poured out His very life.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Christ's Bema

"...[B]ecause anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb. 11:6, NIV).

"... 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your reward shall be very great'" (Gen. 15:1, NIV).

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:12, NIV).

BY WAY OF INTRO, SOME LAWYERS DON'T CARE SO MUCH WHAT THE LAW IS AS TO WHO THE JUDGE IS! WE CAN REST IN PEACE THAT THE RIGHTEOUS FATHER HAS GIVEN ALL JUDGMENT TO THE SON WHO SAVED US.

The Judgment Seat of Christ, known as His bema or tribunal, is where all believers get their appraisal (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:8,10) and evaluation of their life's work done in the Lord, as to whether it deserves a reward. Some will be saved, as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:14-15) and some will have a full reward. But what are we to expect at the bema? God isn't going to inquire as to what political party we aligned ourselves with or affiliated with, as to whether we are saved by virtue of it--for God is nonpartisan and doesn't give us brownie points for this! He will not inquire about our denominational affiliation or positions on the issues and doctrines. God isn't going to ask us about our highs and ecstasies in our walk, for God is more concerned with faith than feeling.

Oswald Chambers said that the "measure of a person's spiritual life is not their ecstasies, but their obedience!" Again I quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, rephrased Martin Luther: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes!" They go hand in hand and must not be divorced--they can be distinguished, but not separated! We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Rom. 1:50. This means a penitent and willing spirit, submissive to His will as our yoke. We are not under the Law, (cf. Rom. 6:14) but under a higher standard, albeit easier, the law of love, which can never be satisfied!

We must not expect God to give us kudos for our strong faith or our assurance--how strong our faith was--for the faith as of a mustard seed is adequate. Faith, like our righteousness, is the gift of God for which we are held to account. Our assurance of salvation and strong faith is a gift and for our benefit, not God's. We're measured by our good works, not our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6)! Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our blessing or gift to God! All our works must be tried as if by fire, to see if they are worthy--some will only be wood, hay, and stubble, while others as pure as silver and gold that is refined and found to reflect God's image--we are meant to be God's ambassadors in the world (cf. 2 Cor 5:20) and for God to see Himself in us (cf. Col. 1:27).

At Christ's bema we will be held accountable for all the resources, blessings, character, personality, gifts, talents, relationships, time, opportunities God has granted us by grace. Everything we have is only on loan from God as we are merely stewards of His manifold blessings and provision. Nothing we have belongs to us, for it's all His and we must make an investment in the Lord to find a return on that investment! God's dividends are well worth it--for it is well worth the time and effort to serve the Lord, for He is a bountiful giver of rewards as our Provider (Jehovah-Jireh) to those who serve Him, and God is no man's debtor!

Paul wasn't against good works, just those done in the flesh (by the energy of the natural man, not the Holy Spirit). Only those works foreordained by God per Ephesians 2:10 and we are led to do while filled with the Spirit and enabled to do: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD God" (cf. Zech. 4:6). If we walk after the flesh, it doesn't matter how many good deeds we do--they are not worthy (cf. Isa. 64:6). This is why the faith we have is the faith we show, and works validate faith and are evidence, not the substitute for it; also, faith without works is dead faith and cannot save (cf. James 2:17)!

We increase in the knowledge of God as we do works in the Spirit as God ordained (cf. Col. 1:10). This is precisely why Christ said that even a cup of cold water given in His name will not remain unrewarded or lose its reward! Many will put their confidence in their works, not in the Lord, and expect a free pass by virtue of them; however, all in all, what we should expect to hear are the words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" The Lord is our portion and our reward (cf. Gen. 15:1) and compensation is in heaven--don't get into a comfort zone in this life and feel too much at home.

In sum, we must be looking unto the heavenly city (cf. Phil. 3:20), to a heavenly reward not realized, and not realize our reward in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14)--we're only passing through as sojourners (cf. 1 Pet. 2:11) and pilgrims, as mere stewards of God's manifold bounties! Soli Deo Gloria!

In Jesus' Name

When we pray in Jesus' name what do we imply and implicate? It seems odd to pray to Jesus in Jesus' name but God's name is one and co-equal, but not interchangeable, and by no means do we pray presumptuously or in an overly familiar pattern like we're being best bud; however, we can pray like one of the family of God. Jesus exhorted us to ask anything in His name in prayer (according to His will) and Paul said, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Does this necessitate knowing Jesus' actual, official name or title? In Aramaic, His name was Yeshua or Joshua as we would say it Anglicized. Are Christians who believe in Jesus and those in Yeshua both saved and praying to the same God? Today, many youths believe all monotheistic religions pray to the same God, just by different names.

There is nitpicking and anyone who thinks we have to get all our doctrine straightened out to be saved doesn't know the Lord. It is vital to know to Whom we are praying and Whom we trust, not their official title or name. The name of Jesus refers to His authority and power at the right hand of God. We may all know Christ by a different name, but what is fundamental and essential is that we know the Lord in our hearts. Obviously, if you don't feel comfortable with a father figure, you may refrain from calling God your Father (cf. Isa. 9:6), but you have the divine right and privilege to do so, which is a status symbol in heaven. When we command demons in Jesus' name to leave or begone, we are using His authority, not ours. They know Jesus, not you!

We must understand that in every tongue they call Jesus by a different name by custom, though by transliteration or close pronunciation (as allowable). The Spanish refer to Jesus, but pronounce it differently, the Germans may say Jesu, and the Swedes Jesus, but they all pronounce it quite unique to their tongue without a J sound. What's more important, the spelling or the pronunciation then? But we all know to whom we are referring--the only begotten Son of God!

Doctrine is important, but it's not everything and even sincerity isn't, where one's heart resides is the most vital link to eternal life. We will be rewarded for all our deeds done in the name of Jesus, and that doesn't mean according to our perception of it, but to honor and glorify the one and only begotten Son of God. Some will do good deeds in Christ's name but lack saving faith, simply trusting in their works, not in Christ. To suffer for the sake of the Name is an honor, though.

The crux of the matter, then, is knowing Him, not in being a linguist! How do we know that translating a name is copacetic with God and He doesn't forbid it? Greek translates Hallelujah as alleluia because there's no H! In Greek, there is no J sound! They translate Jesus name, nevertheless with it. With a J sound would've sounded strange to them.

We know that translating is approved because we have the Septuagint into Greek and it was quoted by the apostles and church fathers, who even wrote in Greek. Luke wrote Acts 9:36 saying that Tabatha is translated: Dorcas.  We don't go around like Germans telling people to believe in Jesus Christus! In German a Christian is a "Christ," and a Christ is Jesus Christus, or Jesu Christi! Just like when immigrants come to America they usually Anglicize their names to they don't sound fresh off the boat. Though it seems odd that Hispanics name their children Jesus, they call the Lord Senor too like we would say, Mr. Jesus! Thus, we know the Son of God by the Anglicized name "Jesus."

Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Miracle Worker

"... 'This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.  If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him...'" (John 11:47-48, NLT).  



BY DEFINITION: A MIRACLE IS AN EVENT NOT PRODUCIBLE BY THE NORMAL FORCES AND CAUSES ACTING IN THE TIME AND PLACE THE EVENT OCCURS AND  SUPERNATURAL, BUT UNEXPLAINED BY NATURAL SCIENCE OR NATURE LAWS.



The story of Helen Keller was portrayed in the movie, The Miracle Worker, and this only proves that miracles happen if our eyes are open to them.   Most people that have heard of Christ know that He's famous for turning "water into wine" or even "walking on water."  They also ridicule these "signs" as ludicrous examples of Christian "myth."  Paradoxically, Jesus never intended to be known as a miracle worker, for He came first to be our Savior and He didn't want to get off message.




After raising the daughter of Jairus, Jesus admonished the people not to tell anyone, for He knew that such an event, if publicly known, would merely attract the wrong element or crowd.   He didn't just have talking points about salvation but came with the purpose of dying--He was a man on a mission par excellence!



Jesus could've attracted crowds and masses of disciples had He not warned of the cost of discipleship and that one must die to self and take up your cross in following Him--a cost no other religion requires. Jesus did miracles not for selfish reasons, but out of compassion and to be "signs" of authenticity to His deity as John's gospel portrays.



It should be pointed out that miracles don't make a person believe against their will but bolster and support a faith that is already there.  Faith doesn't come from miracles, but miracles from faith.  It is a fact that, even though Jesus had done many miracles, the Pharisees "would not believe" (cf. John 12:32; Ps. 78:18) in Him, not could not.  No miracle will convince a person who doesn't want to believe, but miracles will strengthen the faith of the willing.  A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL, SAYS THE PROVERB.  




Jesus told His disciples that they shall do "greater things."  We are told we can "move mountains" and "walk on water" by faith and that it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to accomplish. We must realize that miracles are just unusual events caused by God--all things are caused by God in a sense and if miracles happened all the time, they'd be called "regulars."  Jesus did not oblige the skeptics with miracles on-demand or with some biggie miracle that would make it impossible to deny, but His signs always took faith to accept. The church can get sidetracked by losing focus of God's priorities and turning stones into bread instead of fulfilling the Great Commission, to keep the main thing the main thing.  When Jesus performed miracles, the skeptics weren't convinced--for miracles only give the desire or appetite for more miracles.




In sum, if you want to see a miracle, look in the mirror! and realize that you, too, can be God's miracle worker:  "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" (William Carey). "He does great things too marvelous to understand. A miracle is by nature "fixed." Look at the sunrise--It's fixed!   He performs countless miracles" (Job 9:10, NLT). The Bible is a miracle in itself, being God-breathed and accurately portrays many miracles, signs, and wonders of God to bolster faith.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Marching To The Beat Of A Different Drum

"Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you" (Job 22:21, HCSB).

"Agree with God and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, ESV)

"Acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, KJV).

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3, NIV).

"The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9, HCSB).

"Christ is the centre of Christianity; all else is circumference." --John R. W. Stott, theologian

"The world is relative to Christ." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran theologian, and martyr of Nazism

"God weeps with us so that someday we may laugh with him." --Jurgen Moltmann, German theologian (This is how he sums up human history.)

NB: THE ENTIRETY OF THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE CAN BE SUMMED UP: GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF AS THE GOD OF LOVE IN THE FLESH.

Do you march to the beat of a different drum or don't keep pace with your companions? Maybe you hear a different drummer, according to Henry David Thoreau. The only way for two people to be on the same wavelength is for them to be tuned to the same pitch--harmonizing. We ought to be able to make music together as in a choir, striking a common chord that will vibrate throughout eternity. Appealing to the same authority. That's fellowship in essence: two fellows in the same ship. Paul warns against being "unequally yoked" and "fellowship with demons" (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-15) and "bad company corrupts good morals" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:33). "Agree with God," (cf. Job 22:21)! "Can two walk together unless they be agreed on a direction?" (cf. Amos 3:3). But we can quench or even grieve the Spirit with a divisive spirit or attitude.

We are honored and privileged to be Christ's ambassadors in His name (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20) having His authority in prayer; namely, authorized to do His will (cf. John 14:14). Sometimes even Christians don't agree on disputable or doubtful matters though (cf. Rom. 14:1; cf. Amos 3:3), and room for conscience-sake must be granted. But remember the maxim of St. Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Some doctrines are not only nonnegotiable but worth standing up for and defending with polemics in this truth war, but we must know where to stop being dogmatic.

There comes a time in every believer's life to get off the fence and decide for good or evil, right or wrong, good or bad, and that usually determines where they stand and what they think is worth fighting for; believe me, some arguments and disputes are not worth the adrenaline and generate more heat than light! We all must be willing though to show where we stand and not on the sidelines letting the brave believers take stands for us. One of God's names is Jehovah Nissi, or "the LORD Is Our Banner," and we ought to take up His cause and fight for what's right before it's too late--light a candle, say a prayer, vote, spread the word, donate time or money, anything but let others do it for you--knowing He's on our side!

Jesus never feared controversy and Paul said to stay away from godless controversy, not godly, meaningful, controversy. If there was never controversy, then how could we arrive at truth and the doctrines or dogma of the church? Heretics and apostates must be rooted out and challenged, not tolerated in the name of love or goodwill. John Stott wrote a book titled Christ the Controversalist to point this very fact out and show us the value of sticking to our guns and believing in something; Stott points out that it's obvious that Jesus faced a storm of controversy and didn't shy away from it, no matter the cost (come what may; let the chips fall where they may!). He was known for upsetting the religious apple cart.

Now the contemporary problem is that so-called Christians are re-thinking, re-marketing, re-tooling, re-defining, re-imagining, or even re-imaging Jesus to suit their own whims, self-interest, or issues. We are made in God's image, He isn't to be made in ours! It is self-righteous to claim that the Jesus "we know" is the reality star so to speak, and not the biblical, traditional model. Paul warned against preaching "another Jesus" (cf. 2 Cor. 11:4) and this is predominant in today's culture of moral relativism whereas people commonly make up their own values as they go along and think anything is okay as long as they can justify themselves or that their motives are right. "O, but I meant well!" is a common reason they claim, but this is no excuse for doing evil; morality is only defined as doing the right thing, the right way, with the right motives (and we will all give account to God per Romans 14:12). The end, no matter how noble, doesn't justify the means!

There is even a Postmodern revolt in the church that denies the fact that we can even know the truth or that we have gotten the gospel right yet. They want to start from square one doctrinally! And scholars today are still searching for the so-called "historical Jesus," thinking that the gospel writers may have gotten it all wrong, though they were eyewitnesses and more objective. They rely on second and third-century sources thinking they're more trustworthy than contemporaries of Jesus. That's why many today actually have a contempt for the real Jesus who stood up against evil in His day and believe that God is love and that's the end of the story, the whole equation; but God is also just and holy and must do something about sin and evil to remain God and to maintain holiness, His attribute of attributes that regulates all the others.

We are not only to fight for the right, and I even mean social justice as well as justice in the courts, all being equal under the rule of law not the rule of men and their whims; "The only way for evil to win is for good men to do nothing," according to Edmund Burke. We must propagate, (even preach) i.e., the real Jesus as He is, the exclusive personification of Truth with a capital T and the only way to heaven, because all religions don't say the same thing as the Baha'i faith posits; note that A. W. Tozer said that Christ is "not one of many ways, nor the best way, but the only way!

The leaders thought they knew the real Jesus in the day but only had contempt and familiarity for this reason; they refused to believe despite the evidence (cf. John 12:37; Psalm 78:32)! Jesus responded (cf. Mark 6:4) that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown and family--rejection was prophesied and par for the course. As the axiom goes, familiarity breeds contempt; then, how does one explain that the disciples were all convinced of Christ's sinlessness, holiness, and deity? Even Jesus' brothers didn't even believe in Him till after the resurrection (cf. Mark 3:21). But you'd think the disciples would end up His arch critics of all people. But Paul said that he preached Jesus (cf 1 Cor. 2:2) not himself. What a real McCoy and role model!

CAVEAT: TODAY WE SEE GOSPEL REVISIONISTS TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY AND PORTRAY JESUS AS JUST ANOTHER MARTYR FOR A GOOD CAUSE, A GREAT TEACHER AND MORAL LEADER, OR A MISUNDERSTOOD MAN WHO WAS LATER DEIFIED BY ZEALOUS FOLLOWERS, SOME HAVE EVEN BOUGHT INTO NIETZSCHE'S IDEA "THAT RIGHTLY UNDERSTOOD JESUS IS NOT A GATEWAY TO ANOTHER LIFE BUT A ROLE MODEL FOR THIS ONE"


EVEN THE JEWS OF HIS DAY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE, BUT HE WAS NOT THE MILITARY MESSIAH OF CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TO RESTORE ISRAEL TO IS FORMER GLORY--TO THEM, JESUS SEEMED ANTIESTABLISHMENTARIAN, WHILE THE PHARISEES SAW HIM AS A THREAT TO THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. WE MUST REJECT ANY REINTERPRETATION AND PREACH JESUS AS HE REVEALED HIMSELF TO BE--THE ONE AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD WHO CAME TO SAVE US AS THE LORD OF LORDS, FOR HE HAS LEFT US NO OTHER OPTION TO CONSIDER--WE CAN KNOW NO OTHER JESUS!


In short, the essence of knowing Jesus and the good life in Him is to take up the cross to follow Him, no matter the cost, wherever it may lead. "Now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (cf John 13:17). Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Doesn't Need To Prove Anything! ...

"At the same time, God also attested by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will" (Heb. 2:4, HCSB).

"Despite all this they kept on sinning and did not believe His wonderful works" (Psalm 78:32, HCSB).

"You are the God who works wonders, You revealed Your strength among the peoples" (Psalm 77:14, HCB).

Gideon was known for putting out the fleece and testing God's Word (as Jesus told Satan, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,"), but we no longer need to do this as an act of faith, having the fully revealed Word of God. God didn't have to prove anything to Gideon but obliged his immature and growing faith. Likewise, Jesus never had to prove anything to the world, just be His perfect self and that should've sufficed. There is an anecdote of Muhammad Ali being asked to fight a teen and he refused to go along with the "test" of his greatness; then the teen bragged that Ali was afraid of him and refused to defend himself--actually, Muhammad would not stoop to the level of fighting a naive teen, he was still the champ to anyone who knew better because this was not challenging nor worthy, but he was protecting the kid. The Word of God speaks volumes and is self-attesting, proof in itself (if it appealed to any higher authority, it couldn't claim to be the final arbiter of truth).

Jesus performed many miracles or signs as John referred to them as, but not to prove Himself! He met needs and had compassion. He never did anything on-demand, for personal profit or gain, showy, or any biggie miracle that would erase all doubt and force belief even against one's will. I'll give you a for instance: after feeding the 4,000 the Pharisees asked for a sign to prove He was from God. What was the feeding of the 4,000 but a miracle to behold to the believer? They should have reasoned He supplies all their needs.

Jesus would not oblige them and their hardened hearts that refused to believe despite the miracles He did perform. John 12:32 says they would not believe, not that they could not believe--viva la difference! Miracles are simply unusual events caused by God or they'd be called "regulars." The thing about miracles is that they only give an appetite for more miracles and skeptics are never convinced, but only harden their hearts with some excuse or doubt. Miracles don't produce faith, but faith produces miracles! These Pharisees needed a miracle done in their hearts not a sign from heaven. They were probably expecting Jesus to prove He could outdo Moses and bring down manna! When a person is stubborn or hardened in heart, no miracle will make him repent and come to Christ for salvation--there would also be some way to explain it away and expect only a bigger one. Their mistake was to think God must oblige them and be their genie or miracle worker; however, Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker but as our Savior.

In reality, Moses didn't do that but God used him as His spokesperson and God brought faith by performing miracles through him for forty years in the wilderness where they were tested. If Jesus had obliged them and performed a miracle to prove Himself, where would it end and what about faith. The biggest miracle is the radical change in one's heart to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and become a new creature in Christ.

Every miracle or sign Jesus accomplished was a lesson to be taught about His divine nature: He raised the dead to prove He is the life; He fed the multitude to prove He's the bread of life; He calmed the storm to prove His power over nature; He healed the sick to prove He's our Healer; He cast out demon to prove authority over them and Satan. Every one of the divine attributes of God can be attributed to Jesus and they are illustrated by His sayings and acts. Basically, Jesus showed He had all authority as the only begotten Son of God. Jesus went about teaching, preaching, and doing good and also convincing the multitudes of His compassion. With Jesus in charge, we need not worry or fear that our needs won't be met.

Not to berate miracles in Scripture, because without Jesus doing them, He'd be but a footnote in history and Christianity would be disemboweled if one removed its miracles. Note that other religions may have miracles but they remain intact without them--the miracles are believed on account of the religion already being believed--miracles are given to kindle and feed the dormant or nascent faith of believers. Faith cannot survive on mothballs or in a dormant stage, it must grow and go forward in progress or rest in peace. No amount of evidence will convince the hardened heart--God must do a work of grace first. We must not be as clueless in not having eyes to see that God can supply all our mundane needs too ("daily bread"). Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Firstborn

The terminology of "firstborn" in the Bible is a title of preeminence or supremacy of position, such as Israel being God's firstborn and also David being God's firstborn--it has nothing to do with being born or created.  It simply means priority over.  The wonderful news is that this represents Christ's position and also that we are "in Christ." 

Everything in time and space had a beginning; how do we know this? Simply because time had a beginning both according to the Bible (cf. Titus 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:9) and modern physicists such as Stephen Hawking, who in his book The Brief History of Time, admitted this.  We are all captive and slaves to the element and dimension of time. But God is eternal, meaning He is beyond time and the Bible says He created it because it's only a corollary of space and matter, which came into being at the creation (cf. Gen. 1:1), which scientists refer to as the Big Bang. You could counter: So what if there was a beginning or a Big Bang.  But the consequences of a beginning is that you must conclude a Beginner!  Who set the Big Bang off in scientific terminology, because there can be no effects without antecedent causes, something or someone must have caused this phenomenon.

All of us had a beginning because we are in this dimension--the time-space continuum.  God is not because He existed before His own creation: "Before Abraham was, I AM," was Jesus' declaration to the Pharisees of His eternal deity.  This all adds up to Jesus as the unique preexistent one, contrary to what the sects of Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses teach (that Christ was created).  What do the LDS people believe?  They adhere to the fact that the Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible and their credo is "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."   All of creation was a work of the eternal triune God working in tandem:  from the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.  But Scripture (cf. Isaiah 43:10-11) says that before God ("Me") no God was formed. 

What then is the significance of Jesus' eternity?  He alone is self-existent and self-sufficient, needing no one or nothing!    He never had a beginning and will have no end which means He is able to save us to the uttermost and can give us eternal life; Christ is always relevant and never obsolete because He always was and will be; Christ's love is eternal and we can count on Him as Mr. Dependable in all our afflictions; Christ never saw us as an afterthought and He never had to change His plans because of Adam's fall--there never has been a Plan B, but God's perfect plan of redemption has always been His will; Christ knows the end, not because of some time machine or telescope into the future but because He decreed it so, and knows how it will all end up with His glory in control and us sharing in it; because He created all things, He reigns over them and is not subject to their authority as we are; and finally, Christ had to preexist in order to be the creator (it's impossible for anything to create itself).

 In sum, our faith cannot rest on a more Solid Rock than Christ, the eternal one, who alone is without beginning or end, the Alpha and the Omega of Scripture.