Category: Christ’s deity

The Childhood of Jesus Christ

Friday, August 24, 2012

“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40 KJV).

What was Jesus’ childhood like?

In the verses previous to today’s Scripture, Jesus is described as a 41-day-old infant (verses 21-39). The verses after today’s Scripture mention Jesus at age 12 (verses 41-50). Scripture does not mention Him again until He is about age 30, when He begins His ministry (Luke 3:21-23). The Bible speaks much of Jesus’ birth and ministry during ages 30-33, but it is nearly silent about the three interspersing decades. Many speculate what He did during those years (most of these hypotheses are preposterous). Today’s Scripture and its context provide a small, yet definitive, glimpse of Jesus as a boy.

Perhaps the hardest Bible doctrine to comprehend is what theology calls “the hypostatic union,” that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man. While we cannot fully understand this dual nature of Christ, we believe it without question because the Bible teaches it. For instance, Jesus forgave sins because He was God (Matthew 9:2-6; cf. Philippians 2:6 KJV), yet He slept because He was also a man (Matthew 8:24,25; cf. 1 Timothy 2:5).

Today’s Scripture shows us that Jesus, as a man, matured like we do: He grew physically, and He increased in knowledge. He learned as we do, and He especially studied the Old Testament daily (this is how His Father, God, taught Him, “morning by morning;” Isaiah 50:4-6). Consequently, later on, after today’s Scripture, Jesus, at age 12, knows more about God’s Word than Israel’s elderly religious leaders, who are amazed at His wisdom (Luke 2:41-50)!!

Jesus’ humanity is demonstrated again, between ages 12 and 30: “[Jesus] was subject unto them [Joseph and His mother Mary]…. and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:51a,52). In short, Jesus Christ’s childhood was undoubtedly the greatest childhood ever lived!! He was always obedient, and He studied God’s Word. Saints, it is this very life that God offers to live in us today if we simply trust Him to do it! 🙂

We Troublemakers Are Grace Partakers #4

Saturday, July 28, 2012

“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin” (Romans 3:9 KJV).

The Apostle Paul delivered such awful news in verses 10-20, in order to present the good news, the Gospel of the Grace of God.

Our very nature, let alone our deeds, condemns us. Furthermore, the Ten Commandments prove our sins offend God (who cannot even look upon sin without exacting punishment at some point). Yes, all of mankind is worthy of God’s wrath, a terrifying everlasting lake of fire and brimstone. What horrible news! “But,” verses 21 and 22 are the first glance of the ray of hope, God’s grace: “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”

“The law and the prophets” “witnessed” that mankind could never measure up to God’s holy demands. The Law could never help mankind keep it; it could only demonstrate that he could not keep it. “But now,” in our Dispensation of Grace, God has provided us a way to obtain the righteousness the Mosaic Law demanded… without us having to keep the Law. We can be “made the righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of this dispensational change (Law to Grace), God is “manifesting” His righteousness (His standard of rightness) “without the law.”

By the “faith of (not ‘in’ as modern “bibles” suggest) Christ,” God is offering every single person (“unto all”) salvation from his or her sin and sins. But, this salvation is not imputed (applied) to that person until he or she trusts alone in Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary as the sufficient payment for their sins (“upon all them that believe”). Today, the horrible sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary demonstrates that we could never be fit for heaven through religious ceremonies or self-reformation.

It would take God Almighty to pay for our sins….

A Prophetic, Genetic Record

Sunday, July 22, 2012

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:… And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died” (Genesis 5:3,5 KJV).

Genesis chapter 5, which lists Adam’s ancestors, is called “the Bible’s death chapter.” The phrase “and he died” appears eight times within this chapter (verses 5,8,11,14,17,20,27,31). With the exception of Enoch (verse 24), all the patriarchs from Adam to Lamech die physically. Yet, within this chapter, there is a hint of life… eternal life….

Notice the names of the people listed in Genesis chapter 5: Adam (verse 1), Adam’s son Seth (verse 3), Seth’s son Enos (verse 6), Enos’ son Cainan (verse 9), Cainan’s son Mahalaleel (verse 12), Mahalaleel’s son Jared (verse 15), Jared’s son Enoch (verse 18), Enoch’s son Methuselah (verse 21), Methuselah’s son Lamech (verse 25), and finally Lamech’s son Noah (verse 28,29).

While this may look like an ordinary genealogical record, you will be surprised to learn that Moses was not simply writing a family tree. This seemingly boring information was actually scrupulously prophetic! When we understand the meaning of these 10 names, they form a code to show that Genesis looked forward to Calvary’s cross to reverse this “death chapter”:

  • Adam = “man”
  • Seth = “appointed”
  • Enos = “mortal”
  • Cainan = “sorrow”
  • Mahalaleel = “the Blessed God”
  • Jared = “shall come down”
  • Enoch = “teaching”
  • Methuselah = “his death shall bring”
  • Lamech = “the despairing”
  • Noah = “comfort/rest”

What a surprise! “Man appointed mortal sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down teaching His death shall bring the despairing rest/comfort.” This is one of the profound examples of how the Holy Bible is not an ordinary book. The author of Genesis—God Himself—foretold of the day when He would come down to earth and rescue wretched man from his sin and despair. Moses had no idea when he was writing these names, but this record was actually prophesying the death of Jesus Christ, over 2,000 years beforehand!! The Bible—what a Book!!!! 🙂

When Israel’s God Will Come

Monday, June 25, 2012

“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6 KJV).

Today’s Scripture has a two-fold application: the First and Second Comings of Christ.

According to the prophet Isaiah (preaching circa 700 B.C.), Israel’s God is coming:

  • Notice the first part of today’s Scripture: “[Israel]… Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.” This is actually a reference to Christ’s Second Coming, when He utterly destroys His (and Israel’s) enemies with fire (Zechariah 14:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 19:11-21). The believing remnant in Israel will then be ushered into her 1,000-year earthly kingdom (Revelation 20:4).
  • The next portion of today’s Scripture was fulfilled 2,000 years ago, when Israel’s God came to her the first time: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing” (cf. Matthew 11:5,6; Matthew 15:30,31; et al.). Jesus performed these miracles to demonstrate the physical healing and deliverance from sin’s curse that will occur during that kingdom (Isaiah 33:24; Acts 2:22; cf. Hebrews 2:3-5).
  • The ending of today’s Scripture—“for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert”—is another reference to Christ’s Second Coming (see Zechariah 14:8-10, which refers to the earthly kingdom that Jesus Christ will establish).

Isaiah chapter 35 (which you should read in its entirety) discusses the prophecies when Israel’s God will come to her. In hindsight, we see that God was actually referring to two separate events, nearly 2,000 years apart. Israel’s God came… and He will come again!

Ignoring the Creator #2

Friday, June 15, 2012

“Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 2:29 KJV).

In the context of today’s Scripture (verses 26-32), the nation Israel is guilty of ignoring her Maker, JEHOVAH (the LORD). Instead, she worships pagan idols as though they deserve her allegiance. This blasphemous activity still occurs today…. albeit worldwide.

Our world abounds with idols: money, education, sex, drugs and alcohol, statues, religious leaders, and unquestionably self! In the scientific world, the preeminent “god” is certainly not Jesus Christ: the emphasis concerning origins is not on our intelligent Creator, but on some mystical, impersonal, inanimate, random process known as organic evolution. (Scientists still cannot explain how non-life spontaneously developed into life.)

“[They] worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator [Jesus Christ], who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:25b). Israel had reduced herself to such ignorance—praising wooden and stone idols as though they had given her life. God responded in judgment (the Babylonian captivity of 606 B.C.).

We live in the Dispensation of Grace, so God is extending grace, mercy, and peace. However, God’s wrath against pagan idolatry will not be postponed forever. As God cautioned rebellious Israel, “…but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble…” (verses 26-28).

In the day of God’s righteous wrath against idolatry (Tribulation), no idol will be able to deliver wicked mankind, just as Israel’s pagan gods could not save her from God’s chastisement (Babylonian and Assyrian captivities). All the silly idols man has reverenced and faithfully served these past 6,000 years will prove themselves to be totally worthless.

Why not worship the true and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, “who loved and gave himself for you” (Galatians 2:20d), by trusting in His finished crosswork on Calvary as sufficient payment for your sins? Unlike pagan idols, Jesus Christ is your Creator, so He alone is worthy of your praise, love, and dedication. Do not ignore your Creator! 🙂

His Word Was With Power

Friday, May 25, 2012

“And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power” (Luke 4:32 KJV).

As today’s Scripture indicates, the Jews were amazed by the doctrine that our Lord Jesus Christ taught. They had never heard a Man speak with such wisdom and authority.

When Jesus Christ spoke, “his word was with power.” He never presented feel-good messages, nor did He teach “sermonettes for Christianettes,” as lukewarm Christendom does today. No, His very words reached down to the souls of His audience, exposing them to truth, and convicting them of their error: “For the word of God is quick [living, and life-giving], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

As Jesus Christ taught, He sounded unique. His voice and doctrine was authoritative, just as God’s voice should be. Psalm 29:4 says: “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” Today’s Scripture becomes apparently clear! These Jews knew that when Jesus spoke, it was the voice of their Creator God. It was the great I AM, Almighty JEHOVAH, speaking!

The King James Bible is unique in that linguists and literary scholars testify to its beautiful and majestic literary style. After all, it was translated when the English language was at its zenith (purest form), unlike modern versions, which are written during the period of the English language’s deterioration! Although many “Christians” criticize it, even lost (hell-bound) people recognize its excellence!

When you read your King James Bible, or hear it read, it sounds powerful and supreme. Contrariwise, modern English “bibles,” translated using varying degrees of dynamic equivalence (man’s interpretation), read like ordinary literature (unsurprisingly, for they all have man’s “wisdom”). This alone should cause us to doubt the veracity of modern “bibles.” Would God’s Word really sound like a newspaper or novel?

Our King James Bible is unparalleled: its language is authoritative and majestic. What do we expect? After all, God’s Word is “with power.”

333’s 333rd: The Triune Godhead

Saturday, April 28, 2012

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 KJV).

We dedicate our 333rd devotional to the triune Godhead.

In Bible numerics, the number three (3) is the number of God, mainly because God is three Persons. The Bible says, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). Sadly, modern English “bibles” omit this verse (the Johannine Comma), which is undoubtedly authentic and inspired of God (cf. Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18).

By noting the wording of today’s Scripture, we learn that Jesus Christ, “the Word” (cf. Revelation 19:13), is God. According to John 1:14, “the Word became flesh:” unquestionably, that refers to Jesus Christ (God’s incarnation, His indwelling a human body). In the beginning Jesus Christ “was with God” (indicating He is a Person separate from God the Father), and Jesus Christ “was God” (indicating He is one with [equal to] God the Father).

The best way to comprehend the Godhead is to consider that we are all equally human by nature, but we are also individuals. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all individuals, but they are all equally God by nature and in essence (all three are omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, righteous, just, holy, et cetera), thus making all three “one” (1 John 5:7).

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit live for each other. They fellowship with one another, and they want us to fellowship with them! God became a man in order to restore our fellowship with Him. We cannot see all three Persons of the Godhead. However, God the Son stepped out of eternity and entered time, and “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9; cf. John 14:9). Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, so He can take God by the hand and man by the hand and link them (1 Timothy 2:5)!

The invisible triune Godhead has been made visible via the God-Man, Jesus Christ!

The Suffering God

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

“The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:5,6 KJV).

Can you guess the Man described in today’s Scripture?

  • “The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear:” Jesus Christ prayed to His Father, “I have given unto them [the twelve apostles] the words which thou gavest me” (John 17:8a; cf. John 14:31; John 15:15).
  • “I was not rebellious:” God the Father said of Jesus Christ, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; cf. John 8:29). Jesus Christ prayed to His heavenly Father, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42b). Hebrews 5:8: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (cf. Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 10:5-9).
  • “Neither [I] turned away back:” Jesus Christ prayed to His heavenly Father, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).
  • “I gave my back to the smiters:” “They buffeted [struck] him: and others smote him with the palms of their hands” (Matthew 26:67). “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him” (Luke 22:63).
  • “I gave my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:” Although not recorded in the Four Gospel Records, His beard was literally ripped off during His trial.
  • “I hid not my face from shame and spitting:” “Then did they spit in his face” (Matthew 26:67a). “And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head” (Matthew 27:30). “And some began to spit on him” (Mark 14:65a). “They did spit upon him” (Mark 15:19).

Today’s Scripture, written 700 years before it happened, was describing, in vivid detail, the life and suffering of Jesus Christ. What wondrous love our God had for us, to face all that and more, to purchase the everlasting salvation we now enjoy! Rejoice in Christ Jesus!

Behold, God’s Abounding Longsuffering!

Monday, April 9, 2012

“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Timothy 1:16 KJV).

Imagine seeing the entire universe. Zooming in, we see the Local Group, a massive coalescence of dozens of galaxies. In the Local Group, we find the Milky Way, and in the Milky Way, we find our Solar System, eight bodies and their natural satellites orbiting Sun. One of these eight bodies is Earth. Earth, the “blue and green marble,” appears very peaceful and hospitable. Beware!! The chief occupants are sinners!

Our holy and righteous Creator, Jesus Christ, is currently looking down from heaven, and He sees us humans, some of the most wretched, miserable, and selfish creatures. Mankind’s sin has so complicated His simple and “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31). Earth, viewed from outer space, seems so appealing… until you consider its residents—the wicked human race. We (mankind) have caused God such indescribable grief. Once, God was so “grieved” by man’s sin that He literally sent a global flood to destroy the earth and most of the human race (Genesis 6:5-7).

We may never fully understand it, but God had such pity on us that He came to rescue from our sins. He became a Man, Jesus Christ, to save us from ourselves, to die for our sins. God even knew most of mankind would totally disregard His sacrificial death, but He had such longsuffering, mercy, and grace that He still went to Calvary’s cross to purchase our salvation. God in His abounding grace, mercy, and longsuffering is still tolerating wicked mankind.

The Apostle Paul, before salvation, was anti-God. Saul had God’s people imprisoned and/or put to death; he hated Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 26:9-11; Galatians 1:13,14; 1 Timothy 1:13). And yet, as today’s Scripture teaches, God saved Saul, “shewing forth all longsuffering.” If God could save His chief enemy, Saul, and make him Paul our Apostle, and if He could save us wretched infidels who still enjoy sin, we exclaim, having eternally thankful hearts, “Behold, God’s abounding longsuffering!”

The Glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ #1

Sunday, March 18, 2012

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13,14 KJV).

We enter this world as sinners, heirs of Adam’s sin nature (Romans 5:12). As King David wrote, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). Saints, we were once hell-bound sinners, marred by sin—that was our “glory” in Adam. Now that we are “in Christ,” we have obtained the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Adam was “made in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26,27). Originally, Adam was sinless, in complete and unbroken fellowship with his perfect Creator God. Once Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he lost that fellowship. Sin destroyed his link with his sinless Creator. Mankind had chosen the way of Satan, seeking his own glory instead of the glory of his Creator. He was now lost, God’s enemy.

Jesus Christ, humbly left heaven’s glory, to walk earth’s filthy streets and subject Himself to wicked man. Why? God the Son became a man, to undo what Adam did, and reconcile man unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18,20). He came to die for our sins, to be buried, and to be raised again for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus’ perfect blood was shed to restore us to the perfect fellowship that Adam (mankind) once had with God!

Now that we have trusted Christ alone as our Saviour (the Gospel), we have “obtained the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (today’s Scripture): we have been “sanctified” (set apart for God’s purposes) and “saved” (from sin and hell). We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ’s perfect nature has been now applied to us Christians! Jesus’ blood has made atonement for our sins (Romans 5:6-11); sin no longer prevents us from fellowshipping with our Creator God. Glorious truth!