1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
Lately I’ve been doing a devotional on the Psalms of Psalms; Psalm:1. It is the blessed man who avoids the wicked and delights in the Word, the law of the Lord. But what does the Word in the Bible mean?
According to Logos.com, the Word can mean 3 different things in the Bible
Logos in its standard meaning designates a word, speech, or the act of speaking (Acts 7:22).
Logos in its special meaning refers to the special revelation of God to people (Mark 7:13).
Logos in its unique meaning personifies the revelation of God as Jesus the Messiah (John 1:14).
In other words, Logos is generally referred to as an actual act or a message from God being the Bible or Jesus as personification of the message. In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul states “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
However, also according to Logos.com, Logos has a wide semantic meaning. It can mean the following:
It is Jesus Himself who is the Word and spoke out, creating everything (John1:3 and Colossians 1:16).
Colossians 1:16- For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him.
John 1:3- All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Jesus is eternal and is God. He existed before the foundation of the world.
We see a striking resemblance to Genesis 1:1 which says- In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.
Christ is the embodiment of the Logos; He was there in Genesis 1:1 as preincarnate Christ, fully present in the creation of the World as part of the trinity.
If Christ is the Logos, our creator, we owe him our obedience, worship and allegiance. He is the true God and the only way to salvation (John 14:6).
Mother Teresa exuded extraordinary care for others and said she was called by God; a missionary to spread the love of Christ, devoting herself to the slums in Calcutta in India and even starting a school for the children there. Her awards include the Nobel Peace prize in 1979, Pope John Peace Prize, Nehru Prize, and Balzan Prize. Was she saved? I don’t know. Many would say surely, of all people, Mother Teresa is saved; a Christian. Look at her life! I believe some Catholics are saved if they don’t truly believe what the Catholic church teaches. Many Catholics don’t know the official teachings of the Catholic church. The real question is, did she believe in the God of the Bible? Did she trust in Christ alone for salvation or was she trusting in all of her good works to get herself to heaven? Works don’t save you. (They do authenticate a transformed heart.) Believing in the wrong Jesus doesn’t save you. I don’t know Mother Teresa’s heart. I don’t know your heart. But what I can tell you is faith comes through hearing the Word of God (Romans:10) Christians believe in the true God of the Bible and don’t trust in their works for salvation but what Christ did alone on the cross. Is this you? Who is the Jesus of the Bible? Are you believing in the wrong Jesus? Read on. Eternity is at stake. Your soul is at stake. Hell is not a party with other sinners but everlasting torment. Man is appointed to die once then comes the judgment. But there is Hope is the good news of the Gospel!
-But These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
This is the thesis statement of the Gospel of John. Have you ever though about what the most important question is for this life and the life to come? Who is God? Who is Jesus?
According to the Pew research center, 9/10 Americans believe in God. That seems great on the surface. However, digging deeper, many, many Americans don’t believe in the triune God of the Bible. The Jesus who is the forever God-man.
Why does this matter? You say you believe in Jesus and God. Aren’t we the same? The answer is an emphatic no. There is one God. He is the way, the truth and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through me (Christ) John 14:6. Acts 4:12- And there is salvation in noone else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Christianity is unique in that it is exclusive, based on grace, trusting in Christ alone and what he did on the Cross. Eternal life is at stake. Our days are numbered. Tragedies occur at any given moment. Maybe you’re young- 21 years old maybe just coasting and living out your limited time here on Earth. All of a sudden, a young woman dies because of a drunk driver.
Even if you’re young, you could die at any moment. Any time. All that will matter in the end is what you believed about Jesus and how you lived your life. Even a full life, 85 years maybe, is very, very short compared to eternity.
Going through school, we are told that the most important question we will ever answer is what we want to do with our life. Are we going to be a Pharmacist? An engineer? A teacher? People put their identities into their career, jobs, and what they do for a living. However, the most important question every human being will ever have to answer is the question Jesus asked himself.
**************** Who do you say that I am? ***********************************
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus has been raised from the dead, then you are saved (Romans 10:9). Salvation hinges on hearing the Gospel and truly believing who Jesus is – The eternal God-Man who is part of the trinity. How does Peter respond?
-You are the Christ, the son of the living God..
This is the God of the Bible- The God of the Bible who became man in the incarnation (Philippians 2:6) What are the implications?
Without the incarnation, there is no Christianity. For unbelievers, the stakes are eternal hell. We need to get who Jesus Christ is right. For believers, the stakes are the witness of the Gospel and the unity of the Church as a representation of Him.
According to John Mac Arthur, “Morphe signifies in the Greek a form that fully expresses the being which underlies it. It is true to the essential nature. It is a reflection of his deepest being. 2 Greek words for form. The other skema from which scheme comes. They both mean form. Morphe of who I am (My manhood. I’m always a male human being) The schema has been changing constantly. (Start as a baby, child, boy, young man, middle aged man, old man)
The skema was the skema of the man.
Jesus is in the essential form of God. He is unalterably God. He never has been or will be any other than God. He doesn’t become God or cease to be God.
His Skema changed. He was a fetus in a womb. He was an infant born. He was a young man. He was an adult. His Skema changed, his morphe never changed. Christ Jesus exists as the unchanging Character of God that never changes. He is God. He has equality with God because He is God. ”
In John 10:30, John clarifies that I and the father are 1. Other passages that denote Christ’s divinity include John 1:1, Colossians 1:15, and the I Am statements. However, our study here is focused on Philippians:2.
Going on, according to John Piper, “He is equal to God. He refuses to cling to that equality. Refuses to cling to the privileges and the rights that go along with that equality.”
This is the Kenosis, the self-emptying of Christ of his rights and privlidges to advantage other people. However, his deity was never empty. He stayed the same; He is the unchanging God!
CHRIST’S HUMILITY AND EXALTATION LSB Scripture
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 fulfill my joy, that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose,
3 doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves,
4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
15 so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to boast because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.
17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
18 And you also, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
He emptied himself of the privileges, prerogatives, and the rights that were his. He emptied himself to advantage others. He did not empty himself of his deity; He did what the will of the Father was at all times. In Mark 16:12, Jesus appears in his resurrection body. Christ was truly Human in every sense; ascending as the God-man; He will come back as the God-man again.
In verse 8, we see that He became obedient even to the point of DEATH. Christ was so service oriented and committed that He was willing to die to follow the Father. This is the reason he came.
In verse 9, we see the validity of Christ’s sacrifice. He was raised from the dead and has a name.
Every knee, even unbelievers, will bow the knee to Christ. See Isaiah:45
There are only 2 options. Reject him now and be in Hell forever and accept him later or accept him now and be in Paradise forever. Have you bowed the knee?
Where does Unity come from?
Unity comes because you follow the example of Jesus in His humility; our attitude should be the same as that as Christ Jesus. Just as a reminder,
So if there is any encouragement (from being united in Christ) in Christ, any comfort from (His) love, any participation(Fellowship, harmony) in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, (Then) complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, consider others more significant than yourselves.
How can we cultivate true unity in the Church with our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Cultivate the Humility of Christ. Have other people’s best interest in mind (See above)
Forgive 70*7- As Christians, we have a heart of forgiveness. We can either look over the offense or confront with the purpose of helping the brother or sister become more like Christ. Everyone messes up and is growing.
Assumes the best about motives and others (1 Corinthians:13)- People are naturally prone to assume the worst about people and their motivations. Even to the point where people will say “I know your motivation.” This creates disunity in the church and is a hindrance to the Gospel and church unity.
Encourages others toward Sanctification- In the Word, fellowship, prayer, obedience, and providence. This goes hand in hand with encouraging others to live out their identity in Christ.
Reconciles quickly and doesn’t gossip to slander.
Acknowledges that we have so much to work on and are on the right path.
Invites people into their life who might benefit from fellowship. The World has their cliques and only invites people into their life who benefit themselves the most- They pick people who they can get things from. Christians love and serve the brethren no matter what is provided. They understand the importance of the Humility of Christ. Every situation is different but as a general rule, the heart of the Christian invites to benefit others.
The humility of Christ and the Kenosis have eternal implications. Unbelievers will be impacted by the doctrine of the incarnation and the example believers should be showing by following the humility of Christ and the importance of the unity of the church. There are needs all around the church- Financial, relational, serving, etc. Stay humble and pray for the humility of Christ and keep pursuing God’s glory with the right thinking about who He is (Doxa). Your belief about the incarnation and who Jesus is will be exemplified through the humility of Christ lived out in your Words and actions. Do you have the humility of Christ? Is humility and the unity of the church a goal of yours? What do you need to work on and what are you working on already? Below is a self-reflection chart! Lets challenge ourselves and reflect on whether we are truly Proud or Humble! Are you generally more humble or proud? We have a lot to work on!
Breezy murmurs, a fleeting conversation. My icy breath sweeps through the humid, cold night. A misty cloud forms with every exhalation. The air turns crisp as the cold wind carries every cloud exhaled toward the ever frigid sea of dreams. One breath. One cold wind. One sea of dreams. Everything I said was being briskly carried from my breath by the wind to the sea. In a few moments, it was done. So is life. Every breath we take is one more day we have to live. Another day to repent. The wind is God’s common grace to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this life carried along by His sustaining grace. And the sea of dreams is where we think we will end up. If we are good enough, many say, we will end up here. Here in the sea of dreams where Heaven is. Where Jesus is.
Many people are deceived. They believe that If I just believe, I will go to heaven. After all, doesn’t scripture say in John 3:16 that “For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is indeed true. But may I ask, which Jesus are you believing in? The Apostle John is clear when he writes in John 20:31- “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Well even the demons believe and shudder. James 2:19- “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this and they tremble in terror.” Just believing in Jesus is not enough. Saving faith requires trusting in Christ alone and what He did on the cross. The true Christ. Believing and repenting of your sins. There will be many, many surprises in heaven. Salvation is doctrinal. We need to believe in the right Jesus to have a saving faith- to be a Christian.
Mormonism
On the week of Oct.18, 2012 the Billy Graham association removed Mormonism from their list of cults. Astonishing. Mormons (Latter Day Saints) Do not believe in the God of the Bible. The essential beliefs of what it means to be a Christian are not the same. Below are what many Mormons believe (I understand that not all Mormons believe in the same things.)
There are many Gods (In fact unlimited Gods) Every Mormon has the chance to become a God if they are good enough to reach exaltation or the celestial heaven.
There is a mother Goddess- Christ and the Devil were born as spirit Children. In fact, the God of this age was a man on another planet who is now exalted because he reached the celestial heaven.
The trinity is not 1 God in 3 persons but 3 Separate Gods.
Where do these Ideas come from? It’s important to note that Mormons (They like being called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have at least 4 sources of truth- The Bible (Seen as corrupt. They like to say it works in tandem with the Bible), The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the current day Prophet that supposedly speaks out revelation from God.
Names are retained in the book of life by an investigative judgment of Christ, examining our lives. There is no assurance of salvation; Christ’s work wasn’t sufficient. Sins aren’t fully forgiven yet.
Jehovah Witness(Source The Gospel Coalition/Personal Evangelism)
Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity because it’s never used in the Bible. However, all three persons of the Trinity are called God in scripture.
God the Father 1 Peter 1:2- according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
God the Son John 20:28- Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Hebrews:1- Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
God the Holy Spirit– Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, “ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for your self part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard these word, he fell down and breathed his last.
In creation- Genesis 1:26- Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Referencing the Trinity)
Jehovah Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God.
When evangelizing to some Jehovah Witnesses, they told me that Jesus was not God based on John:17. Some claim that John 17:3 negates the deity of Christ. Jesus, after all, referred to the Father as the only true God. They would say Jesus was created by Jehovah, the only true God and Jesus is another god small g.
Well we have to look at what was happening in the culture at the time. Many were Polytheists. Jesus was counterfeiting the polytheist’s ideology that many Gods exist. In addition, many, many texts affirm Christ’s Deity. The whole Gospel of John proclaims the deity of Christ. He is the creator of the World, the great I AM that existed before Abraham. He died for our sins and rose again, taking on God’s wrath. In fact, if he hasn’t been raised from the dead, our faith is futile. He is expressly stated as equal with the Father in Philippians :2. He is our Great God and savior (Titus 2:10-13) He is referred to as Lord and many other titles. This is not a secondary issue. If Christ is not God, there is not Christianity. There is no resurrection that saves from our sins. This is a primary issue. If Christ is not God, we are still in our sins and there is not salvation. That is how important this doctrine is.
Other beliefs-
There is no hell
There are 2 redeemed peoples. The 144,000 and the “Other sheep”
Salvation requires obedience of rules. It’s not by grace through faith.
If you are in the Jehovah Witnesses religion, I pray that you would believe in the True God- The trinity, Elohim that is One God comprised of three persons. The Jesus of the Bible who is God. Who saves from our sins. The fact is that Jehovah Witnesses is a cult religion that is not Biblical. False doctrine leads to Hell. We have to believe in the true Jesus of the Bible. The good news is that God can save anyone at anytime. There is still time to repent!
Why am I writing this article? Many, many people are deceived on who Christ is. In my next article, I’ll support who Jesus Christ is and why from scripture. But for now, Christ is the second person of the trinity; He is the forever God-Man who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead. If you truly believe in this Christ, the Christ of the Bible, you will be saved from God’s wrath. There is one God in three persons. Christ is uncreated and has always existed from the beginning. This is the Messiah, the Alpha and Omega, the Prophet, Priest, and King of a better covenant. If you confess with your mouth that he is Lord and believe in your heart that he has risen from the dead, you will be saved. We were sinners headed for hell. But now, by trusting in what Christ did alone on the cross, we have a new heart. If you haven’t come to Christ, believing in the true Christ of the Bible, believe and repent today. Our days are numbered, God is great, and He will get the glory in the end. I pray that you will believe in the Christ of the Bible. Today is the day of salvation. It’s no accident that you are here reading these very words. To God be the Glory!
A life well Spent 