Table of Contents
Meet Jesus, Who is Jesus?
Did Jesus exist?
Is Jesus really God?
Is the Bible really true?
Aren't all religions the same?
Why do you need Jesus in your life?
How can you meet Jesus personally?
How can you know you're a Christian?
You can know God personally. The Creator of the universe made you and wants an intimate relationship with you. The way to know the Father is through his Son: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). How can you meet Jesus for yourself?
Who is Jesus?
The most important question in human history is the one Jesus asked his followers 20 centuries ago: "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Muslims believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, ascended to heaven and will return to our planet at the end of history--but they do not believe that he was divine. Many Buddhists and Hindus view him as an enlightened teacher. Many Jews see him as a brilliant rabbi.
How did Jesus see himself?
In recent years many people have claimed that Jesus saw himself only as a religious teacher, and that the Church deified him over the centuries. Not according to the eyewitnesses. When Jesus stood on trial for his life, the high priest challenged him: "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God" (Matthew 26:63). His answer sealed his fate: "Yes, it is as you say" (v. 64). Earlier he told his opponents, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58). He clearly claimed to be God.
Jesus told his enemies, "'My Father is always at work to this very day, and I, too, am working.' For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:17-18). Later he taught his disciples, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
C. S. Lewis was one of the most brilliant men of the 20th century. A converted atheist, he later wrote these words about Jesus:
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to (Mere Christianity [New York: Macmillan, 1943] 55-6).
Jesus' first followers accepted his claim to be God. Peter and the other apostles refused to stop preaching that Jesus is Lord, even when threatened with their lives (cf. Acts 5:29-32). Each disciple except John was martyred for his faith in Christ, and John was exiled to the prison island of Patmos for preaching that Jesus is God. Billions of people across twenty centuries have believed that Jesus is the only way to heaven, for he is our Savior and Lord.
Did Jesus exist?
The Bible says that Jesus existed and that he is the Son of God. But the Qur'an says that he is no more than a man. Buddhist and Hindu writings support their non-Christian beliefs. Nearly all faiths have a book which claims that their religion is true.
If we did not have the New Testament, what could we learn about Jesus? First, let's look at the early non-Christian historical records:
Thallus the Samaritan (A.D. 52) wrote a work tracing the history of Greece from the Trojan War to his own day. In it he attempts to explain the darkness of the crucifixion of Jesus as an eclipse of the sun. This is the earliest non-Christian reference to Jesus' existence and death.
Mara bar Serapion (writing after A.D. 70, as he describes the Fall of Jerusalem) adds: "What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after that their kingdom was abolished." His letter is on display in the British Museum today. It shows that the first Christians saw Jesus not just as a religious teacher, but as their King.
The Roman historian Suetonius (AD 65-135) later records, "Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief" (Nero 16.2). Note that the Empire would not punish people who followed a religious teacher, only one who made him Lord in place of Caesar.
Tacitus (AD 55-120) was the greatest ancient Roman historian. Around AD 115 he writes, "Christus . . . suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition broke out" (Annals XV.44). His description of Christian belief as "superstition" makes clear the fact that Tacitus considered the followers of Christus to believe something supernatural or miraculous, not simply that he was a great human teacher.
Pliny the Younger was a Roman administrator and author, governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor; two volumes of his letters are extant today. The tenth of his correspondence books (written ca. AD 112) contains the earliest non-biblical description of Christian worship: "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god." Note that believers worshiped Christ as God in AD 112, not centuries later after their beliefs "evolved," as some critics claim.
Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian (AD 37/38-97), records: "Ananias called a Sanhedrin together, brought before it James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others . . . and he caused them to be stoned" (Antiquities 20.9.1). Thus the Christians called Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.
Finally, consider Josephus' most famous statement about Jesus (Antiquities 18.3.3): "Now, there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works,--a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." While most historians do not believe that this paragraph represents Josephus's own faith commitment, it does document the beliefs of the earliest Christians regarding Jesus. Note that it was written before the end of the first century.
Now, let's consider early Christian beliefs, all recorded in the first generations following Jesus' earthly ministry.
The Didache, written before AD 100, repeatedly calls Jesus "the Lord." It ends thus: "The Lord shall come and all his saints with him. Then shall the world 'see the Lord coming on the clouds of Heaven'" (16.7-8).
Clement of Rome, writing in AD 95, repeatedly refers to the "Lord Jesus Christ." And he promises a "future resurrection" on the basis of his "raising the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead" (24.1).
Ignatius, writing between AD 110 and 115, refers to "Jesus Christ our God" (introduction to his letter to the Ephesians). To the Smyrnaeans he adds, "I give glory to Jesus Christ, the God who has thus given you wisdom" (1.1).
Justin the Martyr (ca. AD 150), repeatedly refers to Jesus as the Son of God (cf. Apol. 22). He describes the fact that God raised him from the dead and brought him to heaven (Apol. 45).
These statements were all made about Jesus generations before the Church supposedly deified him. The first enemies of Christianity tried to dismiss his divinity, but no one ever denied that he existed. There can be no historical question that Jesus lived, and that his first followers worshiped him as their God and Lord.
Is Jesus really God?
After Good Friday, Jesus' disciples assumed their leader was dead and gone. After Easter Sunday, they were transformed and began winning the world to Jesus. The resurrection changed their lives, proving that Jesus really was and is God.
The Bible teaches that Jesus' resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:13-15).
Is there objective evidence that Jesus rose from the dead?
David Hume was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, known today as the "Father of Skepticism." He made it his life's work to debunk assumptions which he considered to be unprovable, among them the veracity of miracles. He argued for six criteria by which we should judge those who claim to have witnessed a miracle.
They should be:
Numerous
Intelligent
Educated
Of unquestioned integrity
Willing to undergo severe loss if proven wrong
Their claims should be capable of easy validation (An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding [LaSalle, Illinois: Open Court, 1966] 128-9).
How do those who claimed to see the risen Christ stack up by these standards?
They were numerous: over 500 saw the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6).
They were intelligent and well-educated, as the literature they produced makes clear (the Acts 4:13 claim that they were "unschooled, ordinary men" meant only that they had not attended rabbinic schools). Paul was trained by Gamaliel, the finest scholar in Judaism (Acts 22:3).
They were men and women of unquestioned integrity, clearly willing to undergo severe loss, as proven by their martyrdoms. And their claims were easily validated, as witnessed by the empty tomb (cf. Acts 26:26, "this thing was not done in a corner").
So the witnesses were credible. But is there objective evidence for their claims? It is a fact of history that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, and that on the third day his tomb was found empty. Skeptics have tried to explain the empty tomb ever since.
The earliest explanation was that while the soldiers guarding his tomb slept, the disciples stole the body of Jesus (Matthew 28:11-15). But how would sleeping guards know the identity of the thieves? How could the disciples convince 500 people that the corpse they stole was alive? And why would these disciples then die for what they knew to be a lie?
A second approach claims that the women stole the body. But how would they overpower the guards? How would they make a corpse look alive? Why would they suffer and die for such a fabrication?
A third explanation is that the authorities stole the body. Then, when the misguided disciples found an empty tomb, they announced a risen Lord. But why would the authorities steal the body they had stationed guards to watch? And when the Christians began preaching the resurrection, wouldn't they quickly produce the corpse?
A fourth approach is the wrong tomb theory--the grief-stricken women and apostles went to the wrong tomb, found it empty, and began announcing that Jesus had risen from the grave. But the women saw where he was buried (Matthew 27:61); Joseph of Arimathea would have corrected the error (Matthew 27:57-61); and the authorities would have gone to the correct tomb and produced the corpse.
A fifth explanation is the "swoon theory." According to this view, Jesus did not actually die on the cross. He or his followers bribed the medical examiner to pronounce him dead, then he revived in the tomb and appeared to be resurrected. But how did he survive burial clothes which would have suffocated him? How did he shove aside the stone and overpower the guards? How did he appear through walls (John 20:19, 26) and ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9)?
There is only one reasonable explanation for the empty tomb, the changed lives of the disciples, and the overnight explosion of the Christian movement upon the world stage: Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He is therefore the person he claimed to be: our Lord and God. He was justified in making the most stupendous claim in human history, one no one else has made in all of recorded history: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). The resurrection shows us that Jesus is God and Lord.
Is the Bible really true?
The Bible claims that "all Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning that its words are the divine revelation of God. But nearly all religions possess books which make such claims. Is there objective evidence that the Bible is really true?
Historians ask three questions in studying any ancient book.
First: do we possess an accurate copy of the text? The original manuscripts do not exist for any book written before the fourth century of the Christian era. We do not have the original writings of Plato, Aristotle, Tacitus, or any other ancient writer. Books in their era were written on materials which did not survive the passage of time.
But we have copies, some in fragments and others in complete book form. "Textual critics" are scholars who study these copies, seeking to produce a manuscript as close to the original as possible. Those who work on the texts of the Old and New Testaments believe that the Bible we possess today is virtually identical to the original manuscripts. The only questions which remain affect matters of spelling, punctuation, and isolated verses. None relates to faith practices or essential doctrines.
Second: do archaeological discoveries confirm the book in question? Archaeologists have made hundreds of discoveries verifying the biblical record. For instance, the Pool of Bethesda mentioned in John 5:2 was once dismissed by skeptics as non-historical, before archaeologists found it. I've seen the ruins myself. We now possess a stone inscription documenting the life and work of Pontius Pilate, the Roman official who sentenced Jesus to be crucified. We have the coffin of Caiaphas, the High Priest who condemned him to die. We have an inscription which describes the work of Gallio, a Roman official living in Corinth (Acts 18:12-17). Such discoveries all confirm the trustworthiness of the Bible.
Third: if the book makes predictions, have they been fulfilled? The Old Testament contains more than 50 promises regarding the Messiah to come; Jesus fulfilled every one of them. The Bible clearly keeps its promises.
Objective evidence says that you can trust the Bible. But the best way to know if it is true is to test its claims personally. You know a car repair manual can be trusted if it works in repairing your car. A cookbook is proven by the meals its produces. When you meet Jesus personally, you will discover that he is who the Bible says he is. And that the Bible really is the trustworthy word of God.
Aren't all religions the same?
We can believe that Jesus existed, that he is divine, and that the Bible is trustworthy. But what makes Jesus the only way to God, as he claimed (John 14:6)? Don't all religions lead up the same mountain to the same God? Why do we need to trust in Jesus to go to heaven?
Some people say that objective truth does not exist, so the claim "Jesus is Lord" is merely personal and subjective. But if I say, "There is no such thing as absolute truth," haven't I made an absolute statement? We believe that the Holocaust and 9-11 were objectively wrong. Objective truth is an intellectual and practical necessity in life.
Other people say that all religions teach the same truth. But Buddha taught that there is no personal "god" (despite the fact that some of his followers now worship him). Hindus believe in thousands of individual deities but no "Lord" of the universe. Muslims believe that Allah (the Arabic word for God) is the one supreme ruler of the universe and that the Trinity is blasphemy. Jews believe that God revealed himself through the Laws and Prophets of their Scriptures, that Jesus was not the Messiah, and that the New Testament is not the word of God. And Christians say that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
If any one of these religions is right, the others must be wrong. None believes that other religions are equally correct or divinely inspired. The holy writings which the various world religions trust do not describe different paths up the same mountain, but very different mountains.
No other faith rests on historical evidence as compelling as that which exists for Christianity. No other religious leader was raised from the dead; no other ancient religious book possesses the kind of manuscript, archaeological, and prophetic evidence which the Bible can claim. If Jesus is alive, then he is Lord and God. And we can trust him to be our Lord and our God.
Why do you need Jesus in your life?
We know Jesus existed, the Bible is trustworthy, and Jesus' claim to be God is backed up by evidence and reason. Now, why do you need him personally? What will he do for you that no one else can?
The Bible diagnoses our problem: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If you're the exception, the one person who has never lied or cheated or had an immoral thought, I'd like to meet you and learn how you did it. The rest of us know that we've made mistakes and sinned. So what? "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). God cannot let my sins into his perfect heaven, or it wouldn't be heaven any longer. My sins must be punished, my debt paid.
This is why Jesus came: to die in our place, taking our punishment on himself (see Isaiah 53:5, 12). No one else in all of human history has done this, or could do it. Every other person has sinned, so that they owed their own debt to God. Only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), so he had no debt to pay. He could die for us, taking our place and purchasing our salvation. He then rose from the dead to prove his divinity, and to show us that we would live after death with him in paradise (John 14:1-6).
You need Jesus in your life so that your sins can be forgiven and you can spend eternity in heaven. He is the only one who can give you this gift. But every gift, even one which comes from God, must be opened.
How can you meet Jesus personally?
If you believe that Jesus is the risen Lord and his word is true, you are ready to meet him personally. You can now open the gift of salvation he died to give you.
These are the biblical facts which make it possible for you to have a personal relationship with God:
1. God loves you.
He created you and wants to have a personal relationship with you now on earth and eternally in heaven (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4-5).
2. Sin has separated you from God.
The Bible defines "sin" as choosing our will over God's. We have each made this mistake (Romans 3:23). Our sins have now separated us from our holy God, and he cannot allow us into his perfect heaven. Instead, we are each destined for an eternity separated from God in hell (Revelation 19:19-21).
3. You cannot repair your broken relationship with God.
Many people think we can be good or religious enough to earn God's forgiveness and go to heaven when we die. But the Bible teaches that the only payment for sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20). Someone must die for the sins we have committed.
4. Jesus died to pay the debt owed by your sins.
Since Jesus was sinless and owed no debt to God, his death could pay for our sins. He took our place on the cross and suffered the penalty we deserved. His death now makes it possible for a righteous God to forgive our sins and offer us salvation (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).
5. You must receive the gift he died to give.
Now you must choose to trust in what Jesus has done for you rather than trusting in your own efforts to restore your relationship with God. In faith, rely completely on Jesus to make you right with God. Confess your sins and mistakes to God, and choose to live by his word and will. Decide that you will make Jesus the Lord and Master of your life.
How can you make this decision? Through prayer you can meet Jesus today. There is no single prayer you must pray to become a Christian, no magic formula, but the following words are one way to trust Christ as Lord. They are the prayer I offered to God on September 9, 1973, when I first trusted in Jesus as my Savior. If you will pray them with the sincere commitment of your heart and life, you will join me in knowing Jesus personally and living for him as your Lord.
Dear God,
Thank you for loving me. Thank you that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and failures. I admit to you that I am a sinner, that I need you to save me. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I turn from them now. I invite Jesus into my life as my Savior and Lord. I turn my life over to him. I will live for him as long as I live. Thank you for giving me eternal life and making me the child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer for the first time, please tell someone about your decision. Christianity cannot be lived alone. A coal by itself goes out--it needs the heat of other coals. Share your new faith with someone you trust, and with a church where you can grow in your commitment to Christ. For helpful resources, such as a free, downloadable Bible, a local church finder, and answers to frequently asked questions, click here to visit Need Him Ministries.
How can you know that you're a Christian?
How can you be sure that you are God's child, that you have a personal relationship with him? What can you do when doubts about your faith arise?
First, trust his word.
Your salvation does not depend on anything you can do, but only on what God has done for you. If you have invited Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, his word promises that he has done what you asked him to do. He has forgiven your failures and sins, and made you the child of God. You have his word on it:
"Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). From the moment you "believed in him," you received eternal life.
"Whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:26). You have eternal life, right now. You will never perish. When you breathe your last breath here on earth, you breathe your first breath in heaven.
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). You are not holding onto him--he's holding onto you.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are a new creation, the child of God. It is not possible for you to return to where you were before you met Christ.
Once you have chosen to trust in Jesus, you have become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now it is impossible for you to choose to lose your salvation. A child cannot choose later not to be born. You are his child, and will always be his child, just as my children will always be my children. No matter how they feel, or what they say or do, they cannot go back and not be my sons, because they were born as my sons. You were "born again" as the child of God, and will be his child forever. Second, trust God, not feelings.
There will probably be times when you don't feel close to God, when you don't feel like going to worship, or reading the Bible, or praying. But the Bible nowhere tells us how it feels to be a Christian. Our feelings depend on many factors besides our relationship with God. They are the caboose at the end of the train of faith, not its engine.
If you're married, there may be times when you feel closer to your spouse than others--but you're still married. An employee's feelings about her employer don't change the fact that she has a job. A student's feelings about his teachers don't change the fact that he's in school. Feelings don't change facts.
Unfortunately, we still sin and fall short of the people our Father wants us to be. Fortunately, our assurance is not based on our abilities but God's grace. He says that we are his children. His Son died to pay our spiritual debt so we could join his eternal family. This is the word of the Lord.
Third, live your faith and it will become real.
It takes as much faith to believe in God now as it did when you first trusted in Jesus. Faith is a relationship, and no relationship can be proven. No married couple can prove to someone outside their family that they love each other. No friends can prove their friendship to those who have not experienced it. It's impossible to explain love to someone who has never felt it. Relationships are self-validating--the more they are experienced, the stronger they become.
So don't wait until you feel close to God--act as though you are. Read his word, pray, worship him personally and publicly, and get involved in the life and work of a local church. Act on your faith, and you'll find your faith growing deeper and stronger.
You were made by God to know Jesus and make him known. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only piece that will fit the hole in your spiritual jigsaw puzzle. He is the hub into which all the spokes of your life fit, the "true north" on your compass. If you haven't entered a personal relationship with Jesus yet, I sincerely hope you'll pray to meet him today. If you know him, I hope that you'll help someone else know him. Helping people follow Jesus is the greatest joy in life.
Written by Pastor Jim Dennison
The Resume of Jesus Christ
Address: Ephesians 1:20
Phone: Romans 10:13
Website: The Bible; keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus
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My name is Jesus - The Christ, The Messiah. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my accomplishments as set forth in my resume.
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Qualifications:
I founded the earth and established the heavens (see Proverbs 3:19).
I formed man from the dust of the ground (see Genesis 2:7).
I breathed into man the breath of life (see Genesis 2:7).
I redeemed man from the curse of the law (see Galatians 3:13).
The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me (see Galatians 3:14).
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Occupational Background:
I've only had one employer (see Luke 2:49).
I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.
My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me (see Matthew 3:15-17).
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Skills & Work Experiences:
Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised (see Luke 4:18).
I am a Wonderful Counselor (see Isaiah 9:6). People who Listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil (see Proverbs 1:33).
Most importantly, I have the authority, ability & power to cleanse you of your sins (see I John 1:7-9)
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Educational Background:
I encompass the entire breadth & length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding (see Proverbs 2:6).
In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (see Colossians 2:3).
My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and a lamp unto your path (see Psalms 119:105).
I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart (see Psalms 44:21).
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Major Accomplishments:
I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times (see Genesis 1:26).
I laid down my life so that you may live (see II Corinthians 5:15).
I defeated the archenemy of God and mankind & made a show of them openly (see Colossians 2:15).
I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!
There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't need an Internet connection or computer to access my website.
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References:
Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healings, salvation, deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance.
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In Summation:
Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly direct your paths (see Proverbs 3:5-6), and lead you into everlasting life (see John 6:47). When can I start? Time is of the essence (see Hebrews 3:15).
Send this resume to everyone you know, you never know who may have an opening!
Thanks for your help!
ETERNAL SECURITY POINTS OF INTEREST --- WHAT MORE CAN WE SAY?
Some say you can throw away your salvation, even after truly believing and accepting Jesus as Savior.
What does the Bible say? I asked Pastor Bill, and here is a starter list of how God holds onto His children.
Can a true child of God commit the “Unpardonable Sin”? (Rejecting the Holy Spirit and dying without asking forgiveness). Pastor Darryl says God will take the believer home to heaven before allowing him to reject the Holy Spirit in that manner.
~ His sheep have been given eternal life - they shall never perish (John 10:28).
~ No man can pluck the Christian out of His Father's hand, and that necessarily includes the believer himself (John 10:29).
~ All who are justified are finally glorified - none are lost along the way (Romans 8:28-30).
~ They are born again of imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:23) which yields the fruit of everlasting life.
~ They stand before God clothed in the imputed (credited) righteousness of Christ, and not in their own righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:19-21).
~ Their eternal lives are forever hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).
~ They are already seated in the heavens in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6).
~ The penalty for all their sin has been forever settled through the perfect and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:23-5:2; 5:6-9).
~ Loss of rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ is certain for the careless Christians, but not loss of SALVATION (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
~ God faithfully chastens (disciplines) all of His children, even to the point of taking home those who refuse their Heavenly Father's correction (Hebrews 12:6-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; 11:28-32).
~ They have already been delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:8-10).
~ They are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:23).
~ God is the one Who has begun the good work in the believer, and He has promised to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ; they are to "work out" (do the work of a Christian from a grateful heart for what He has done for us), not "work for” their salvation (Philippians 1:6; 2:12, 13).
~ They are already living stones in the spiritual building of God, of which Christ Himself is the Chief Cornerstone (l Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:20-22).
~ They are members of the Body of Christ, each with a peculiar function, and without each one, the Body would not be complete (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
~ They are kept by the power of God, through faith, not through the efforts or the works of the one who is saved. (l Peter 1:5).
~ Their incorruptible, everlasting inheritance is reserved for them by God (1 Peter 1:1-4).
~ They are God the Father's irrevocable gift to God the Son (John 17:6, 7).
~ He is able to save them forever because Christ "ever lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
~ They have grace and salvation freely bestowed, upon trusting Christ. They are sealed in Him (Ephesians 1:4-14).
~ Nothing can separate them from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
~ By one offering He perfected forever, them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:10-14).
~ They cannot be unborn (John 3:6-8).
~ Christ dwells in them forever (II John 2).
~ They are saved by grace (undeserved favor) and not by their own works (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
WHEN IN DOUBT, SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES!
"Of the making of books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” Ecclesiastes 12:12
It is difficult to calculate the number of books that have been produced in the 5,000 years of recorded history, but the number would be staggering. Of all those books, God’s Word is the most unique!
The word unique means ‘better than all others’ and indeed that can be said of the Bible. With over 4 billion copies in print (an estimate) this is the most printed book of all time. It has been translated into more languages and dialects that any other book.
God’s Word is also unique in so many other ways, such as:
Its stories: Stories like that of Adam and Eve in the Garden, Christmas, and the Passion of Christ are the most unique stories in all the world. Its literary genres: This book contains a wide variety of literary forms from simple prose to complex acrostic Psalms like number 119. This wonderful Psalm is comprised of 172 verses divided into 8 verse segments, each beginning with a letter from the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s one book with many within: When you study the Canon (the measuring stick) of how the Bible came to its current format, one is amazed at how this book, written over 2,000 years, by some 40 authors has an uncanny continuity.
Its message and impact: I’m but one of millions that heard the message and felt its impact. My life was transformed by the message that I was a sinner, that Christ became my sacrifice and the bridge between God and me, that this gift of redemption was free and that by placing my faith in the work of Christ, I would be adopted, bought, and sealed. Tell me of another message that rings with such uniqueness?
Its survivability: This book has been under attack since its inception and has survived the best-laid plans of mankind to destroy it.
It is this idea of the Bible’s survivability you will read about in this article. No book in history has had so many battles waged against it, and no book in history has so utterly confounded its opponents. Truly, this book is protected by its author, Almighty God.
Countless viewers have turned their TVs to watch Survivor. The premise of this program is simple, yet one that mesmerize. A group of ‘survivors’ are taken to a remote location and asked to survive with limited provisions. Each week we tune in to see which member of the group is voted out. History is replete with those who have tried to vote the Bible out of existence and have failed miserable. The most amazing of these stories follows.
The Roman Empire is the backdrop of the New Testament. God in His wisdom may well have initiated this culture to provide the stability for the Church to grow during the first century. Rome also built roads which allowed travel throughout the Mediterranean, thus allowing rapid transmission of the Good News. One of Rome’s emperors, Diocletian (243-316 A.D.) devised an idea of destroying the most unique book and faith in history.
During Diocletian’s reign he separated powers and ruled from the city of Nicomedia, moving the power base from Rome. He shared his power with a co-regent, Maximian. These two began their rule showing some favor to the Christian faith. However, in 303 A.D., Diocletian outlawed Christianity and was successful in moving Maximian to that view. Manuscripts of the fledgling faith were rounded up and destroyed. Thousands of those who were ‘Followers of the Way’ were slaughtered. After two years of tyranny, Diocletian erected a column commemorating his victory over Christianity with the inscription, Extincto nominee Christianorum (Extinct is the name of Christians). A coin was also minted that celebrated this systematic removal of Christianity and bore the inscription, ‘the Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the gods destroyed’.
But the unique survivability of God’s Word stood this strongest test. The emperor that followed this despot was Constantine. Some 20 years after the pronouncement that Christianity had been eradicated, Constantine had a vision that God would fight on his behalf (Conquer by this). Constantine’s conversion is recorded by Eusebuis who wrote that Constantine believed God would fight on his behalf. A spear was designed as part of the emperor’s vision and contained two large letters that represented Christ, a letter ‘P’ with the letter ‘X’ crossing the lower portion of the P. Constantine also built the city, Constantinople, which became a scriptorium–a place which protects and copied the scriptures.
In 313 A.D., Constantine proclaimed Christianity as the official faith of his empire and commissioned copies of the scriptures. Eusebius was to prepare these copies at government expense. The most remarkable aspect of this history is that over fifty copies of the ‘outlawed’ scriptures came out from hiding within a day of this edict!
Most know of the efforts of Martin Luther in the 16th Century and his fight to get the scriptures into the hands of the commoner. He wrote about the survivability of God’s Word, a fact he knew from firsthand experience.
“Mighty potentates have raged against this Book, and sought to destroy and uproot it–Alexander the Great, the princes of Egypt and Babylon, the monarchs of Persia, of Greece, and of Rome, the Emperors Julius and Augustus–but they prevailed nothing. They are gone, while the book remain, and will remain forever and ever, perfect and entire, as it was declared at first. Who has thus helped it–who has thus protected it against such mighty forces? No one surely, but God Himself, who is the Master of all things.”
Let’s focus our attention to the greatest story of survivability in the Word of God, found in Jeremiah 36:21-32. When you read this extraordinary recollection of the preservation of holy writ you will be amazed at the God Who has preserved this story.
This story illustrates the movement of God on the authors of scripture. Jeremiah was inspired to dictate words that were to cause repentance. However, the scrolls were burned by King Jehoiakim. Judgment was metered out to Jehoiakim for his disrespect of God’s Word. We are then told that God moved again upon the prophet and the words are miraculously replicated and preserved through time (“so Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch, son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote all his words on the scroll” Jeremiah 36:32). God’s Word may be destroyed by fire (Muslims believe that the Koran cannot be destroyed by fire) but its destruction isn’t permanent, rather it accomplishes that which is ordained by God (I Peter 1:23).
No article about the Bible’s survivability would be complete without a story from the world of missions. One such story is concerns a Scottish missionary, Alexander Duff. He set sail for India on the ship, Lady Holland; the ship was wrecked and all of his possessions were lost, along with his eight hundred-volume library. However, as Duff stood on shore he spotted one possession bobbing in the water, his Bible.
It is estimated that only ½ of one percent of all books last over seven years from their publication. Most books aren’t worth the paper they are printed as testified by a visit to a local bookstore. Most books make little or no impact on the hearts and minds of its readers. Most books don’t have the answers to the big questions of life. No books are protected by the hand of God, except the Scriptures. No book gives the story of God’s plan for mankind and the hope that is in Christ. Cherish this, the most unique book in history, God’s Word.
Century follows century--there it stands
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten--there it stands
Dynasty succeeds dynasty--there it stands
Kings are crowned and uncrowned--there it stands
Despised and torn to pieces--there it stands
Storms of hate swirl about it--there it stands
Atheists rail against it--there it stands
Agnostic smile cynically--there it stands
Profane punsters caricature it--there it stands
Unbelief abandons it--there it stands
Higher critics deny its inspiration--there it stands
Thunderbolts of wrath smite it--there it stands
An anvil that has broken a million hammers--there it stands
The flames are kindled about it--there it stands
The arrows of hate are discharged against it--there it stands
Radicalism rants and raves against it--there it stands
Fogs of sophistry conceal it temporarily--there it stands
The tooth of time gnaws but makes no dent in it--there it stands
Infidels predict its abandonment--there it stands
Modernism tries to explain it away--there it stands
- A.Z. Conrad
The Sermon on the Mount is the sermon that Jesus gave in Matthew chapters 5 - 7. Matthew 5:1-2 is the reason it is known as the Sermon on the Mount: "Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them..." The Sermon on the Mount is the most famous sermon Jesus ever gave, perhaps the most famous sermon ever given by anyone.
The Sermon on the Mount covers several different topics. It is not the purpose of this article to comment on every section, but rather to give a brief summary of what it contains. If we were to summarize the Sermon on the Mount in a single sentence, it would be something like this: How to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment.
5:3-12: The Beatitudes
5:13-16: Salt and Light
5:17-20: Jesus fulfilled the Law
5:21-26: Anger and Murder
5:27-30: Lust and Adultery
5:31-32: Divorce and Remarriage
5:33-37: Oaths
5:38-42: Eye for an Eye
5:43-48: Love your enemies
6:1-4: Give to the Needy
6:5-15: How to Pray
6:16-18: How to Fast
6:19-24: Treasures in Heaven
6:25-34: Do not worry
7:1-6: Do not judge hypocritically
7:7-12: Ask, Seek, Knock
7:13-14: The Narrow Gate
7:15-23: False Prophets
7:24-27: The Wise Builder
Matthew 7:28-29 concludes the Sermon on the Mount with the following statement: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." May we all continue to be amazed at His teaching and follow the principles that He taught in the Sermon on the Mount!
Article Date: 7/28/13
Author: Julie Barrier
%&*#! Potty mouth. Sexual innuendo. Cussing. Cursing. Smack talk. Smut. Swearing. OMG…Taking the Lord’s Name in vain!!! We have become desensitized to vulgarity.
“PG” ratings now use “R” language. What has happened to us? When did Christians tolerate such unclean language? Perhaps you don’t say those forbidden words…maybe you don’t say them in front of your children. But do you recoil when you hear them in the office, on your television or in the movie theater? Probably not.
WE CAN HAVE A BLESSED OR CURSED LIFE DEPENDING ON WHAT WE SAY.
TAKING GOD’S NAME IN VAIN
Your words can change you. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 NKJV. What does it mean to “take the Lord’s name in vain?” Any use of God’s Name devalues His character and holiness. The Jews never even spoke the name of YHWH. Oh yeah-and God ALSO says that He will surely punish us for using His name irreverently. It’s hard to obey a God you don’t respect. When you devalue Him, you will take His commands casually and flippantly disobey Him. Serious stuff.
I first noticed how pervasive the use of God’s name was when I watched a television show on HGTV. Innocuous show, one would think…..The designer transformed the ratty room of a client and then brought the fortunate family in for the “reveal.” To my shock and chagrin, EVERY person who viewed the transformation said the same three words. “Oh, my God!”
Come on, people! God has better things to do: creating universes, writing history, transforming lives. I don’t think He spends a lot of time hanging wallpaper. Is our vocabulary so limited? Are our pea brains so small that we no longer have descriptors other than “Oh, my God?” Is He your God? If He is, then that statement is the most powerful declaration you can make. You are His and He is yours. Say it every day! All of the time! But say it because you love and worship the One who gave His only Son to die for your sins.
EMPTY PROMISES
Jesus warned about swearing in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:33-37 RSV reads:
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
Jesus included these verses in His most significant sermon. He said, “Don’t make empty promises you don’t intend to keep. Do what you promised God you would do.” The Message translation describes this passage in a very relevant way:
“Don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it.” You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”
Here comes the kicker. Verse 37.
37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” RSV
Swearing comes from the Devil. He is the father of lies, the prince of darkness. We trivialize our empty promises, assuming there will be no repercussions for our insincere words. But guess what? We have just given Satan a foothold in our lives.
UNCLEAN WORDS
Roger, my husband, relates this story about profanity. The Barrier family reunion was in full swing. Aunts, uncles and cousins scarfed boatloads of chicken casserole, sweet tea and strawberry shortcake. In the midst of the revelry, five-year-old Roger skipped into the kitchen yellng f**k, f**k, f**k at the top of his little lungs. He was simply repeating the words of Sam, his oldest cousin. Rog’s Mom Helen was appalled. She grabbed him by the arm, marched him to the bathroom and made him wash his mouth with Ivory soap until he puked. Her punishment was rather extreme, but Roger never said that word again. Today, most parents giggle and give their kids a glib warning if they use unclean words.
Why should we clean up our speech? Because unclean words come from a smutty heart. We become crass, filthy people. Our light to the world is extinguished and no one sees Jesus in us.
“Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand! 11 It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean.” Matthew 15:10 NIV
Jesus also says that our unclean words lead us into depravity and sin. Our Christian purity is flushed down the toilet.
16 “Jesus said to them, “You are still no more intelligent than the others. 17 Don't you understand? Anything that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body. 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the things that make you ritually unclean. 19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. 20 These are the things that make you unclean.” GNT
James sums up the power of unclean speech in James 3:5-10.
“A large forest can be set on fire by a little flame. 6 The tongue is that kind of flame. It is a world of evil among the parts of our bodies, and it completely contaminates our bodies. The tongue sets our lives on fire, and is itself set on fire from hell. 7 People have tamed all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures. 8 Yet, no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison.
9 With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. Yet, with the same tongues we curse people, who were created in God’s likeness. 10 Praise and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen!” GWT
Notice the words I have emphasized in bold letters. Unclean words contaminate us and come straight from the pit of hell.
SO HOW DO YOU CLEAN UP YOUR MOUTH?
Confess your sin. (1 John 1:9) God is faithful to forgive your sin and cleanse you.
Stop talking. Let your words be few. That’s how you tame a horse. Bridle your mouth and give the reins to the Holy Spirit.
Read the Bible often. God’s Words are like Ivory soap. They purify your heart and uplift your thoughts.
Filter the filth input in your life. Practice saying and thinking positive things. Follow Paul’s advice, and you will experience peace and blessing.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
Start today and watch God bless your life!
A Christian understanding of God is unique, distinct, and unlike any other concept of God. It is different from the Jewish understanding of Jehovah, and unlike the Islamic understanding of Allah, even though these theological concepts are also monotheistic.
Theology is not a bad word! Some people have an aversion to theology, considering it to be the endless speculations of lofty ideologues fine-tuning their epistemological doctrines with ever more obfuscated semantics. There has admittedly been too much theological hair-splitting, but "theology", by definition, is simply ''the study of God" whereby we arrive at "an understanding of God." Theology, proper, is limited to the consideration of God Himself. Theology, in general, includes all subjects pertaining to God -His historical actions, His objectives, His projected future actions, etc.
It is incumbent upon mankind to engage in some form of theological consideration. As we seek to explain reality, the world around us, and ourselves, man is forced to confront some understanding of God, even if it is a concept of God that he subsequently rejects and repudiates. Even the atheist has some concept of God that he denies. The development of an understanding of God is a necessary starting-point for the cosmic consideration of human understanding.
God can only be known to the extent that He reveals Himself. ''No man has seen God at any time" (John. 1:18), but God has revealed Himself in His natural creation (cf. Rom. 1:20), as a Personal God to His people (cf. Exodus 3:14), and subsequently revealed Himself supernaturally in the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:14; 14:9; Luke 10:22). Our understanding of God is not a result of independent human reasoning having set out to find God and figure Him out. Our knowledge of God comes only by means of, and must be derived out of, His own Self-revelation. We must allow God to determine our understanding of Himself, and that by His own Self-revelation.
Human understanding of God is further limited by the finite faculties that man has been created with. Our knowledge of God cannot be exhaustive, for the finite is attempting to understand the Infinite who has revealed Himself. If we had an infinite and completely comprehensive understanding of God, we, too, would be God, having omniscience. God ever remains somewhat of an inexplicable "mystery" to the finite understanding of man.
In this attempt to develop "a Christian understanding of God" there are two presuppositional premises that will be used to format our thinking. They are:
What God is, only God is. God does what He does, because He is who He is.
These have purposefully been expressed as simply as possible in order to avoid making our understanding of God any more difficult than it already is. The legitimacy and veracity of these premises will hopefully be made evident as we proceed.
Our first stated premise is: "What God is, only God is." To begin with, this means that God stands alone as Who He is. Notice that the premise has already been expanded by using the personal pronoun, "Who." "What God is, only God is," is expressed equivalently as "Who God is, only God is." By using the pronoun "what", we do not want to imply that God is an impersonal being. We, the personal beings who make this inquiry into "a Christian
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understanding of God, cannot entertain the illogic of the personal derived from the impersonal, the living derived from the non-living, or something derived out of nothing!
The Bible begins, "In the beginning God (the living, personal God) created ... " (Gen. 1:1) all things -all things apart from Himself and except Himself, for He Himself is Self-existent (not self-created or self-caused, but self-existent). Note that the Bible presupposes the existence of God, and does not attempt to prove God's existence. God is the Self-existent, Creator God -and "what God is, only God is." God, the Self-existent Creator, must be regarded as distinct from the creation that He, the Creator God, created. Why is this important? Because, as C.S. Lewis points out in several of his writings, there are only two basic philosophies in man's understanding of God, and they are best represented in Christianity and Hinduism.} The Christian understanding of God always maintains the distinction between the Creator and the creation, by recognizing that ''what God is, only God is." The Hindu philosophy, on the other hand, merges the concept of creator and creation into a monistic oneness, whereby God is all that is -the very antithesis of "what God is, only God is."
Some would declare that the Christian understanding is dualistic, whereas the Hindu view is monistic. A distinction or dichotomy can logically create a duality, but the classic dualism is inherent within the monistic interpretation that requires a monistic equilibrium between good and evil-two equal powers, neither of which can overcome the other -as is illustrated in the yinyang concept. In this view, everything is good and evil in one sense or another; there is good within all evil and evil within all good; and neither good nor evil will conquer the other. That is why a monist can look at a putrid human cancer, at a fetid human slum, or at the disastrous consequences of war, and say, "From God's point of view, this, too, is God." C.S. Lewis responded by calling this "damned nonsense."2 The Christian understanding is that the Creator God is good, and "what God is, only God is." Though the opposite of good, i.e. evil, has come into the world and into man, God has overcome that evil in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, and God's intent is to restore His character of goodness to His creation. A monistic concept of God will inevitably disregard sin and evil, affirming all natural desires, whereas the Christian understanding of God views God alone as good, desiring to manifest His character of goodness in His creation in place of the fallen, natural, evil tendencies of man's desires.
God is Creator--and "what God is, only God is."
God is Good--and "what God is, only God is."
The extension of this premise must be applied to all of the attributes of God. "What God is, only God is." Theologians have long attempted to differentiate between the "non-transferable attributes" of God and the ''transferable attributes" of God. Such attributes as omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience have been regarded as God-only attributes which are nontransferable to man or the created order. Attributes such as "God is Good," "God is Holy," and "God is Love" have been regarded as character qualities of God that are transferable to man. The problem with this interpretation is that the attributes of God are not "properties" or "features" which God has as transferable commodities. The attributes of God are what God is in Himself, and are thus non-transferable, for "what God is, only God is." Anytime we attempt to attribute and attribute of God to anything or anyone else, we ever so subtly deify, or attribute an attribute of deity, to that other thing or person.
God is good (Mark 1 0:18). Can we ever say that another is good in the same sense that we say, "God is good"? No, for "what God is, only God is."
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God is holy (I Pet. 1:15, 16). Can we ever say that another is holy in the same sense that we say, "God is holy"? No, for "what God is, only God is."
God is love (I John. 4:8, 16). Can we ever say that another is love in the same sense that we say, "God is love"? No, for "what God is, only God is."
God is absolutely, intrinsically, inherently, self-existently Good, Holy, and Love, and the source of all goodness, holiness and love within His creation. Whenever His character is expressed within His creation, it is necessarily He expressing such. When Christians are referred to as "holy ones" or saints (Greek hagioi), it is only because God, in Christ, the Holy One (cf. Acts 3:14) is present and indwelling that individual, comprising the basis of their spiritual identity. Such a derived identity allows for the derived expression of God's holy character in the behavior of the Christian. Holiness is intrinsic to and inherent in God alone. What God is, only God is. Holiness cannot be acquired by or possessed by another.
The second presuppositional premise for a Christian understanding of God is just as important as the first. "God does what He does, because He is Who He is." A Christian understanding of God must commence with Who God is, and then proceed to what God does. Otherwise God's Being is established by His doing, and God is nothing more than a mechanical and functional principle of action that can be proceduralized for utilitarian purposes. Christian theology must commence with the character of God, Who God is, recognizing such from God's own Self-revelation. From the basis of His own character, God conducts Himself in absolute consistency with Who He is. God does what He does, because He is Who He is.
It is a sad indictment upon much Christian theology to note that the majority of systematic theology texts begin with what God does. They begin by addressing the plan of God, the predetermined or predestined will of God, the covenant arrangements of God, the decrees of God, God's methods of operation, the precepts of God, the Law of God, the grace of God, etc. These all pertain to what God does, to God's acting as an administrator, a project planner, a judge, a lawyer, or a benefactor. There is a widespread failure in Christian theology to adequately explain that "God does what He does, only because He is Who He is."
Has theology capitulated to the fallen premises of a humanistic society that emphasizes the pragmatism of productivity by performance in order to establish identity, priority and success? The fallen world order indicates that an individual is who he is, because he does what he does, and tends to transfer that premise to their concept of God in performance-oriented concepts: "To do is to be! Identity is established by industry. I am because I do!" This only serves to document that "our ways are not His ways" (cf. Isa. 55:8,9), for "God does what He does, only because He is Who He is."
God's Being is the basis of His doing, and not vice versa. God's character is always expressed in His actions. There is no divine action that is not empowered by and expressive of His own divine Being. The very Being of God cannot be separated or detached from anything God does. God does not employ a formula, a principle, or a law to accomplish what He seeks to do. He did not create, for example, by utilizing a "spiritual law of speaking a word of faith." Rather, God created out of Himself (Greek ek theos), His action being incorporative with the entirety of His Being. In so creating out of Himself, He could still create that which was not Himself, the greater creating the lesser, and thus retaining the important distinction between the Creator and the creation.
The Being of God is never passive, but always active. God always acts out of His own Being. He acts in accord with Who He is, i.e. consistent with His own character. Paul explains
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that "God is faithful; He cannot deny Himself' (II Timothy 2:13). Granted, the Bible states that
"with God, nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37), but it turns right around and says, "it is impossible for God to lie" (Heb. 6: 18). Why can God not lie? Because God "cannot deny Himself." He cannot deny Who He is by acting contrary to Who He is. God is in His essential Being, absolute Truth, and He cannot act contrary to His character. His activity will always express His Being. "God does what He does, only because He is Who He is."
Let it be noted also that God cannot overlook or tolerate that which is contrary to Who He is and incompatible with Who He is. That, too, would be to "deny Himself." God does not condone sin, which in its broadest definition includes anything contrary to the character of God. God does what He does, because He is Who He is, and therefore has taken remedial action to address sin and its consequences in His Son, Jesus Christ. He continues to function in the restorative intercessory activity of His Spirit to overcome sinful behavioral expressions by the manifestation of His character -doing what He does, because He is Who He is.
We have formatted this study by establishing two presuppositional premises that will form the context of our subsequent considerations for understanding God.
What God is, only God is
Since we have insisted on beginning with Who God is, we are obliged to commence by considering some of the attributes of God's Being. We shall begin with some of the most difficult statements of Who God is, and consider five (5) of these statements at this point in the study:
God is One
God is Being
God is Person
God is Spirit
God is Love
Other attributes of God will be considered later.
God is One
Does the Christian understanding of God believe that "God is One"? Yes, the Christian understanding of God is monotheistic, meaning "one God", in contrast to all forms of polytheism, meaning "many gods." But there are divergent ways in which the oneness of God can be defined. All forms of monotheism are not the same. There are different varieties of monotheism.
The first type of monotheism is that of a monad monotheism. This understanding views God as a singular, unitary monad, i.e. as a single, unextended unit of one. The Judaic understanding of Jehovah is that of an unextended monad. The central creed of Judaism is the Shema statement of Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, 0 Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord." Other statements abound in the Jewish Scriptures indicating that Jehovah alone is God, and that there is no other God other than Jehovah (cf. Deut. 4:35; I Kings 8:60; I Sam 2:2; Ps. 86:10; Isa. 44:6; 45:5,6,21). The Islamic understanding of Allah is also that of a single monad deity. The central
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statement of Islam is "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet." Muslims repudiate all forms of polytheism and any extension of God such as that expressed in Christian Trinitarianism. In the early church there were some (ex. Arius) who sought to retain the Jewish concept of monad monotheism rather than accepting Trinitarian monotheism, and there are still some contemporary groups (ex. Jehovah Witnesses) who promote monad monotheism.
A second form of monotheism is that identified as monistic monotheism. This understanding of God views everything to be incorporated in a singular and unitary God-reality comprised of, and expressed in, the whole universe. This is the monistic concept of oneness wherein "God is all that is" (cf. discussion above). Such an understanding of a monistic oneness impinges upon the distinction of the Creator and the creation. There was a form of monistic monotheism is some Greek philosophy, as "nature" was elevated as the ultimate substance of everything. Monistic monotheism is also evident in some forms of oriental religious philosophy, as well as in Unitarian forms of monism in Christian Science teaching and in the so-called New Age philosophy. Some have attempted to express Christian teaching as a monistic monotheism, misusing such verses as Isaiah 45:5,6 in the KJV, "I am the Lord, and there is none else," to indicate that there is nothing else but God.
The third form of monotheism is Trinitarian monotheism, which has been the historic Christian understanding of the oneness of God. The oneness of God is not conceived of merely as a singular, mathematical oneness, i.e. an unextended numerical integer of one, but as a relational oneness of divine being in the Triune Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Such an understanding of Trinitarian relational oneness can still accept the Old Testament statements of God's oneness, interpreting them in the inclusive understanding of Trinitarian monotheism. Christians also often see intimations of relational Trinitarianism in the plural pronouns that refer to God (cf. Gen. 1:26,27), as well as in the Hebrew plural noun, Elohim, employed as God's name throughout the Old Testament.
Trinitarian monotheism is unique to the Christian understanding of God. This is not an idea that Christians concocted to complicate the understanding of God. This concept of God's relational oneness was forced upon Christian understanding by God's own Self-revelation. Jesus, the Son of God, came as Messiah, and declared, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Such a statement either had to be repudiated as a blasphemous declaration impinging upon the monadic understanding of God (which the Jewish leaders did, saying, "You being a man, make Yourself out to be God," and sought to stone Jesus); or there had to be a rethinking of what divine Oneness entailed. Jesus' statement indicates a plurality and a relationality in the Oneness of God. Some (usually those with a monadic concept of God's oneness) attempt to avoid the problem of Jesus' statement by claiming that He meant, "I and the Father have a single purpose or objective." But, Jesus was not speaking of something that He and the Father had, but He said, "I and the Father are one."
Later Jesus prayed to the Father for His disciples (and for all Christians), praying, "that they may be one, even as we are one" (John 17:22). Jesus was not praying that Christians would have a common monistic essentiality with God, in which case they would be God, in violation of the premise that "what God is, only God is." On the contrary, Jesus was obviously referring to a relational oneness. Jesus was praying that His followers, all Christians, would function in a relational oneness in the one Body of Christ, in like manner as He and the Father functioned in relational oneness in the Oneness of the Trinitarian Godhead. Christians have the privilege of participating in the inter-relational oneness of the Triune God, and expressing the interpersonal relationality of God's Oneness.
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What we are emphasizing here is that the oneness of God must not be viewed as merely a mathematical oneness, a static numerical integer, for this creates (at best) a monadic concept of God as an isolated individual deity. That "God is One" must refer to a relational oneness.
To illustrate this relational oneness, I will employ an admittedly inadequate analogy. My wife and I are married. The Biblical statement for marital union is that "the two shall become one" (cf. Gen. 1:24; Matt. 19: 5; I Cor. 6:16). Now, obviously, this is not a mathematical oneness. To express this colloquially, "she is she, and me is me," but when "we are we," we are one in the relational oneness of marriage.
Paul employs this relational oneness of the marital union as an analogy of the oneness between Christ and the Christian. Quoting the Genesis 1:24 text of "two becoming one" in marriage, he states, "I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:31,32). The oneness of husband and wife, and the oneness of Christ and the Christian are not mathematical onenesses of essentiality, but they are both relational onenesses.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he again quoted Genesis 1 :24 explaining that in the marital union "the two become one" in a relational oneness, and then proceeded to explain that "the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (I Cor. 6:16,17). The entire context of the passage has to do with the relational oneness that is established in sexual union. Like the marriage union, the spiritual union between Christ and the Christian is a relational oneness. Not a monistic oneness, or an organic oneness, or a merged oneness, or an absorption oneness; but a relational oneness.
If my wife and I were essentially absorbed or merged into an intrinsic or monistic oneness in marriage, then I could say, "I am Gracie," and she could say, "I am Jim." That would be absurdity. It would not be the marital union of relational oneness.
In like manner, if the Christian is essentially absorbed or merged into intrinsic or monistic oneness with God, then the Christian could say, "I am God," or "I am Jesus Christ," or "I am the third person of the Trinity; 1 am the Holy Spirit." God, in tum, could say, "I am Joe Blow" or "John Doe." Not only is this absurd, it is blasphemous, and preempts all relational, spiritual oneness, union, and unity.
That is why NPG clearly indicated in his writings that ''to say 'I am God," or 'I am Jesus Christ' is blasphemy. The same is true for saying, "I am the third person of the Trinity." He went on to say that "the essence of idolatry is to claim to be what only God is. And in reference to the Christian being one spirit with Christ, NPG wrote, "Our oneness with Christ does not alter our two-ness. In other words, it is a relational spiritual oneness.
Those who cannot, do not, or will not differentiate between the relational oneness of God and other concepts such as merged oneness, absorbed oneness, or universal oneness, or any other form of mathematical oneness, cannot maintain a Christian understanding of the Trinitarian relational oneness of God. (Ex. Michael Nevins. Pressed the idea of "union" as mathematical oneness to the point that he logically had to deny the Trinity -which he did, and ended up with a deterministic unitarianism. That is why Sylvia asked that her articles and her ministry no longer be linked to his website.)
In the new covenant Self-revelation of Himself, God revealed Himself as Trinitarian relational Oneness. It took a while for the Christian community of the first few centuries to think this through and explain such, but this Trinitarian monotheism was clearly advocated at the Council of Nice a in 325 A.D., and has been the historic Christian understanding of God through the centuries. Allow me to interject an interesting side note here: Those who adopted the Arian concept of a mathematical monad monotheism, those areas (ex. North Africa) of
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Christendom capitulated and were overcome by the Islamic conquest of the 7th and 8th centuries. Without a Trinitarian understanding of the relational oneness of God, their God was no different, and had nothing more to offer, than the Muslim monad of Allah. With the militant "push" of lslam in our day, is the necessity not apparent that we must explain the ontological dynamic of the relational oneness of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Those without a Trinitarian theological foundation are susceptible to accommodating the Islamic Allah as equivalent to the Christian God.
[t is imperative that Christians share the "good news" of the Christian gospel, and its distinctive understanding of the Triune God. Anyone receptive to God's Self-revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ can be drawn into the relational oneness of the Triune God, in the Atone-ment of reconciliation, wherein we are joined in a relational "one spirit" oneness with the three Persons of the Godhead. It is not that we are mathematically merged, or that we are integrated into a single integer union, but we participate in a relational oneness with God, in Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit.
Thereby we have a relational oneness and unity with all other Christians who are likewise so joined in relational oneness with God. Being relationally "one spirit" (I Cor. 6: 17) with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, allows us to "stand firm in one spirit" (Phil. I :27), being "united in spirit" (Phil. 2:2), in the "unity of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3), allowing love to be the "perfect bond of unity" (Col. 3:4) in Christ.
So, when we declare that "God is One," we are indicating a Trinitarian, relational Oneness. Not an abstract oneness of monism. Not a single integer oneness of a divine monad. But the Trinitarian relational Oneness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then, our first presuppositional premise is valid: "What God is, only God is." And because God is Who He is, He has acted in the Self-revelation of Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, to facilitate mankind 's relational At-one-ment with God in reconciliation and regeneration. This, in tum, allows for relational unity in the interpersonal relationships of mankind -contingent upon, and derived from, the relational oneness of the Trinity.
Is it any wonder that the relational oneness of Christian unity in the Body of Christ has been so lacking? We have not understood that it can only be produced by the relational oneness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at work in His people!
God is Being
This is not to say that "God is a being" among a multiplicity of beings. No, we want to consider how it is that God is the essence of all being.
"Being," in its broadest sense, has to do with that which is or that which exists. The Greek word, ollsia, was used by Greek philosophers in this abstract sense, as was the Greek word hypostasis, indicating foundational existence. The Latin words essentia and substantia were also used in the sense of total existence. Used in this way, " being" is equivalent to existence, i.e. to all that is.
If we recall our previous insistence on the distinction between the Creator and the creation, the statement "God is Being" cannot be construed to mean, "God is all that is." That is not a Biblical concept, despite that fact that some have misused [ Corinthians 15:28 to attempt to indicate, "God is all in all" The contextual interpretation of this statement to the Corinthians must take into account that Paul is referring to the future consummation of Christ's reign when "all things," including the Son, "will be (future) subjected to the One (God the Father), that
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God may/should (subjunctive) be all in all." God will eventually be all that He intends to be in all of
His people. This will be a perfect, heavenly expression of His Trinitarian relationality of Being.
Paul was not telling the Corinthians that "God is all in all." If God is all that is, then all that is is
God. This idea is at the heart of the monistic,pantheism that is prevalent in the East, and is
becoming popular in the West via the medium of "New Age" thinking, but it is not a concept of
God that is compatible with a Christian understanding of God.
So (to repeat), the statement that "God is Being" cannot be construed to mean, "God is all that is." That would fail to maintain the distinction between the Creator and the creation, and violate the first premise that "what God is, only God is".
A Biblical understanding of God's Being is based on the fact that "God is personal Being." God did not identify Himself as "all that is," but as "I AM that I AM" (Exod. 3:14). This is not just a statement of God's existence, and certainly not a statement that "God is all that exists." God reveals Himself as Personal Being.
In the progressive revelation of Himself in the new covenant, God reveals Himself more fully as Relational Personal Being. Revealing Himself as the incarnate Son of God, Jesus continues the self-revelation of God in His corollary statements: "I AM the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). "I AM the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). 'I AM the light of the world" (John 8:12). "I AM the good shepherd" (John 10:11,14). "I AM the door" (John 10:7). "I AM the bread of life" (John 6:35,48,51). "I AM the expected Messiah" (John 4:26). "Before
Abraham was, 1 AM" (John 8:58). "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).
Such statements of Self-revelation required that the early Christians develop an understanding of God that went beyond their previous understanding. They had to recognize that God is Relational Personal Being in the tri-unity of His Godhead as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As noted earlier, such a concept of God is not something that Christians dreamed up, for human reasoning would never have postulated the intricacy of a Trinitarian God. The Trinitarian understanding of God is determined by the fact that God has revealed Himself as such. The early Christians pondered and evaluated this Triune Self-revelation of God as Relational Personal Being for approximately three hundred years before a stated clarification of this Christian understanding of God was drafted at the Council of Nice a in 325 A.D., a council convened by Constantine for that purpose. Arius claimed that the Son of God and the Spirit of God were not the same being (Greek anomoiousion -not like being) as God the Father. Athanasius, however, won the day by documenting from scriptural sources that Father, Son and Holy Spirit were the same being (Greek homoousion -same being), and arguing that this was the Self-revelation of God. After the Nicene Council the semi-Arians flip-flopped on the original Arian position, and stated their willingness to accept that the Son of God and the Spirit of God were of similar being (Greek homoiousion -like being), but not of the same being (homoousion). This semi-Arian understanding was also rejected, but it was the occasion of the argument, "Does it make an iota of difference?" And the answer must be an unequivocal "Yes, it does make a difference!" From 325 A.D. onwards the Christian understanding of God was clarified and expressed in the Trinitarian understanding of the shared Being of God in three persons. The three persons of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, relate and function together as the same divine Being.
That "God is Being" has been more precisely defined: God is Triune, Relational, Personal Being. And "what God is, only God is." What is the practical meaning of this understanding of God for Christians? The personal, relational Being of God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the only Being that can provide being,
i.e. His Being, in the human being, in order that we might become a "new being," a "new
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creature" (II Cor. 5:17), a "new man" (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10), by the presence and function of the triune Being of God in us. Christians can thus "live and move and have their being" (Acts 17:28), functionally being what God intends them to be by His Being operative in their humanity. There is a sense, therefore, in which we can only be a legitimate "human being" when we are deriving our being from His Being. On the basis of His Being, the relational, personal "I AM," I can, as a Christian, know "who I am" in a derived identity united with His Being. Collectively, this relational personal Being of God in Christians will be the basis of our interpersonal relationships with one another as we interrelate in community, the common-unity of personal, relational beings expressing the Being of God. The Trinitarian "community of Being" will be the relational reality that is expressed in the ecclesial "community of being", i.e. in the Church, the Body of Christ.
God is Person
Unlike those whose god, or gods, are an impersonal and idolatrous object made of wood or stone, and unlike those whose god is an impersonal and monistic amalgamation of"all that is," the Christian understanding of God has always conceived of a personal God. But the monadic concepts of God in Judaism and Islam also claim that God is personal, so how is the Christian understanding of a personal God in Trinitarian monotheism different from these other views of God?
When we state that "God is Person," we are not merely indicating that God is a person in the singularity of individualism, or the isolation of solitariness, for such would comprise a monad monotheism. Neither are we stating that "there is only One Person in the universe" in the sense of a monistic universalism. Nor are we declaring that God is an individual person patterned after a created human being, for we cannot argue backwards from man to God. We are certainly not saying that God is the personification of an idea, ideal, or universal concept of abstract Being, whether individuated or universal. It is not even sufficient to say that God is personal, rather than impersonal. And we obviously mean more by this statement than the general observation that God is personable, amicable and likeable.
What then do we mean by "God is Person." Our understanding of this statement will depend on how we define "person."
Originally the Latin word persona, from which we get the English word "person", referred to the mask worn by a dramatist as he played a role and projected himself in a different persona or facade. Later, the Latin word persona was applied to the actor himself, the role-player who was wearing the mask. As the language evolved (as all languages do) the word persona designated an individual human being. If we accept Shakespeare's analysis that "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players,"3 then it is not difficult to see how all individuals are regarded as but role-players. In modern English usage, the word "person" is almost invariably defined in psychological terms, as one having personality. Descartes' emphasis on human thought and rationality as the defining factor of the human being set the stage for the psychological definition of person as one having mental, emotion, and volitional capability in mind, emotion, and will; how we think, feel and choose. A "person" is often defined as one having the capacity of decision in the free choice of self-determinism, or as one possessing the self-consciousness of self-desires. The humanistic orientation of Western society defines the "person" almost exclusively in these psychological terms.
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This is not how Christian theology has defined God as Person for the last 1700-1800 years. The Council of Nice a (325 A.D.), at the insistence of Athanasius, determined that God as Person is defined by the fact that God is relational Person within the inter-relations of the Triune Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, as Person, is not defined by psychological function, but by relational function or social function. Colin Gunton asks,
"In what sense is God personal? The answer from all that has gone before is clear: He is personal as being three persons in relation, of having His being in what Father, Son and Holy Spirit give to and receive from each other .... "4
Earlier Gunton wrote,
" ... a person is different than an individual, in the sense that the latter is defined in terms of separation from other individuals, the person in terms of relations with other persons. To think of persons is to think in terms of relations... "5
A "person" is only a "person" in relation to other persons. Relatedness, relationality, sociality is at the root of personhood. Martin Buber was on the right track when he noted the "I-Thou" interpersonal relationality of personhood, although his Jewish presuppositions did not allow him to apply this to God.
Trinitarian relational Personhood is distinctive to the Christian understanding of God. God is a communion of persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relating to one another in "common union". The particular uniqueness of Trinitarian monotheism is that the tri-personalism of the persons of the Trinitarian God is such that their persons can only be defined in relation to one another. Their personal relations mutually constitute each other. The person of God the Father can only be defined in relation to the person of God the Son, and both of their persons can only be defined in relation to the person of God the Holy Spirit.
Allow me to employ another inadequate human analogy. I am the father of five children. But I can only be a "father-person", if I am personally related to a "mother-person", and we have a "child-person." Without the relatedness to these other persons, I cannot be a "father-person."
God, as Person, is defined by the personal relatedness of the three persons of the Trinitarian Godhead. But, we must make a careful distinction at this point. We do not want to get caught in the logical absurdity of indicating that God is three Persons in one Person. Proper logic will not allow us to employ a syllogism that 3 Xs = 1 X. That is invalid. The historic statement of the Triune understanding of God has been that God is three Persons in one Being. This preserves the distinction that avoids logical absurdity. The Trinitarian relational Oneness of God in the inter-relations of the three Persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, constitute and comprise a God who is the essence and source of all relational personhood. When we declare that "God is Person", we are declaring that God is Trinitarian relational Personhood, and that all proper interpersonal relationships are grounded in and derived from the Trinitarian relational Personhood of God. Thus, we can state, "God is Person," and that "what God is, only God is."
The inter-relatedness of the three Persons of the Triune Godhead creates a perfectly harmonious interpersonal community of divine Being as they express divine character one to the other. It is that perfectly harmonious interpersonal interaction of relationship that the Triune God wants to impart to and actuate in the created relational persons of mankind; i.e. you and me! When that was destroyed in the fall of man into sin, God's intent was to restore humanity to the
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intended interpersonal relations with Himself and with others. In order to do so, the Son of God became a man in the hypostatic union of deity and humanity, and the God-man was the "one mediator between God and man" (I Tim. 2:5). Jesus took upon Himself the death consequences of sin, that by His Spirit He might impart the divine life of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to receptive mankind. The divine provision of the presence and function of the Triune God in Christians is the sole basis for harmonious interpersonal relationships in the Christian community. That is our privilege -to participate in the perfect and harmonious Trinitarian interpersonal relations of the Trinity.
So, when we state that "God is Person," we are explaining that God is Trinitarian relational Personhood, and the actuator of all legitimate interpersonal relationships between human persons. What God is, only God is.
God is Spirit
When Jesus declared to the woman at the well in Samaria, "God is Spirit" (John 4:24), He does not seem to have been stating that "God is a spirit" among many spirits. That is to fall into the same hermeneutic trap as those who add the indefinite article in the prologue of John's gospel and translate the words to mean "the Word was a god" (John 1:1), not wanting to admit that Jesus, the Logos, was, and is, God.
Neither was Jesus telling the woman, "God is a spirit-force or a spirit-energy -an abstracted and impersonal "fourth dimension" within the universal cosmos. Nor was Jesus indicating that "God is spiritual," especially since the adjective "spiritual" and the noun "spirituality" can be applied to anything and any action, as is obvious in our terminology today.
The declaration that "God is Spirit" should not be interpreted merely as a statement that "God is invisible." That God is invisible (cf. I Tim. 1:17), and that "no man hath seen God at any time" (cf. John 1:18; I Tim. 6:16) is certainly true, but this does not seem to be the point that Jesus was making. Jesus was not defining God by the privation or absence of human ocular visibility. To do so would be to create a static and impersonal concept of God as but some nebulous, abstract, intangible, incorporeal, immaterial, non-physical anti-matter. If pushed to its extreme, this line of reasoning would be to declare, "God is nothing."
Jesus appears to be making a positive statement about God when He declared, "God is Spirit" It is interesting to note that references to the "Spirit" both in the Old Testament (employing the Hebrew words ruach and n'shamah) and in the New Testament (employing the Greek word pneuma) usually have a dynamic context. For example: "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). "The Lord God ... breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life" (Gen. 2:7). When Jesus tried to explain the Spirit to Nicodemus, He said, "the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). When Jesus said, "God is Spirit," this was not a statement of static invisibility, but a positive statement of the dynamic activity of the living God, wanting to express a visible manifestation of His character in the effects of His dynamic activity.
Consistent with our previous explanations of God, the "God is Spirit" statement declares that God is personal, relational Spirit-Being. The context of the statement is the subject of worship. Just previously Jesus said, "true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers" (John 4:23). The extended statement is, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 11 4:24).
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Note the references to God the Father and the personal pronouns referring to "His" and "Him." There is a relational sense of personal worship implicit in Jesus' words. When the
woman subsequently states that she knows "that the Messiah is coming (He who is called
Christ) ... " Jesus responds with the divine Self-revelation of "I AM HE" -the expected Messiah
of God (John 4:25,26). The Trinitarian relationality of the "God is Spirit" statement is evidenced
by reference to God the Father (4:23), God the Son (4:26), and God the Spirit (4:24).
Jesus was telling the Samaritan woman, "God is the personal and relational Spirit-Being of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Real worship requires such an understanding of God. One cannot extol and exhibit the worth-ship (the root of the English word "worship") of God, except one extols and exhibits the worth-ship of the personal, relational Spirit-Being of the Triune God. Real worship is relational, personal, and spiritual. It is not just throwing accolades at God up above. It is not just getting "high" on emotional and subjective appreciation of God. If we are to understand the depths of Christian worship we must come to appreciate how it is that we are drawn into the inter-relationality of the Triune Spirit-God. Worship becomes a far greater privilege than we ever imagined as we participate in the inter-relational expressions of worship within the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can worship one another through us. The Son worships the Father though us, and the Spirit worships and glorifies the Son through us. "God is Spirit," the only One worthy of our worship, and it is He who is the actuator of all relational worship of His own Triune Spirit-Being. It requires His Trinitarian Being in action in order to ''worship in spirit and truth" (4:23,24). "God is Spirit," and "what God is, only God is," for God alone is Spirit in this sense of being the object, essence, and source of all true worship.
It does not matter what spiritual mountaintop you are on. It does not matter which religious temple-box you are in. True worship is to be drawn into the interpersonal and interrelation worship activities of the Triune Spirit-God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God created mankind, not because He was lonely and needed some personal relationship, "someone to 'hang with'." Absolutely not! In His Self-existence, God has always been the Triune relational God with perfect interpersonal relationships. The expression of worth-ship has always flowed to and from the three Persons of the Trinity. God created mankind so that His all-glorious character might be even more abundantly enjoyed, worshipped, and glorified by human creatures that would allow His character to be expressed in their behavior. We were "created for His glory" (Isa. 43:7), and "He does not give His glory to another" (Isa. 42:8; 48:11). God created us with spiritual, psychological and physical functionality in "spirit and soul and body" (I Thess. 5:23). Those who are "joined to the Lord, are one spirit with Him" (I Cor. 6:17) in a relational spiritual union, and have the opportunity to participate in the inter-relational spiritual worship of the Trinitarian God, who is Spirit. May we continue to learn to appreciate the privilege of Christian worship by understanding that "God is Spirit."
God is Love
Twice in his explanation that consistent Christian behavior must of necessity be expressive of God's loving character, the Apostle John makes the statement, "God is Love" (I John 4:8,16).
"God is love" does not mean that God is lovely, and worth loving by others. Nor does the statement mean that "God is loving," Le. that He engages in activities of love. It is only because "God is love," and does what He does, because He is Who He is, that His Being Love is expressed in active loving expressions.
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John's statement does not mean that "God has love," as if love were some entity or ideal that God has and can give, distribute or dispense to others as a God-commodity; perhaps like "love-potion #9".
Charles Stanley --- http://www.intouch.org/
Chuck Swindoll --- http://www.insight.org/
Phoenix Seminary / Dr Darryl DelHousaye --- http://www.ps.edu/
John MacArthur --- http://www.gty.org/
Bible Gateway --- http://www.biblegateway.com/
888 Need Him --- http://www.needhim.org/
888 Need Him --- http://needhimresources.com/
C. S. Lewis --- http://cslewis.com/ http://www.cslewis.org/
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