It is mission critical that believers stretch toward a
fuller comprehension of the person and the work of JESUS CHRIST. For the remainder
of this season leading up to the Holy Week commemoration of the vicarious
suffering and death of Jesus Christ and the celebration of His resurrection,
our primary focus will be an in-depth examination of the character, the life
and the ministry of our Lord and Savior.
Exactly who is this man called JESUS CHRIST?
The Apostle John portrays Him as The Pre-Existent Christ. In other
words, Jesus Christ predates all of creation and all of human history. He
is The Logos, The Living Word of God, who always was
and forever shall be. (Hebrews 13:8 – Luke 1:33) The Apostle John expresses
this truth with profound clarity:
John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and
without Him nothing was made that was made.
Additionally, the book of Hebrews confirms
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the express image of God and the chief
architect of creation:
Hebrews 1:1-5 (NKJV)
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time
past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us
by His Son, whom He has
appointed heir of all things, through
whom also He made the worlds. Who
being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His
person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by
Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels,
as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You
are My Son, today I have begotten You?” And again: “I will be to Him
a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?”
As the Son of God, Jesus Christ manifested as “the
propitiation for our sins” i.e. for the sins of “the whole world.” (I John 4:10
– I John 2:2 – Romans 3:25 – Hebrews 2:17) Dictionary.com defines
“propitiation” as “conciliation.” As such, propitiation is synonymous
with atonement, reconciliation, restoration and peace offering. In other
words, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” (II Corinthians
5:19)
Of necessity, this was designed to be a vicarious or
substitutionary act of atonement. According to the Word, “all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) However, fallen
humanity had no effective means of redemption after our corporate rejection of
God. Thus, Jesus Christ entered the scene of human history as the perfect
solution to the dilemma between the justice
of God, which requires punishment for sin, and the mercy of God, which infuses grace
and forgiveness. (Romans 6:23) Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man,
thus He is the (only) just representative of humanity and merciful representation
of God.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin and forerunner. To
wit, he prepared the way for Christ’s coming by preaching the gospel of
repentance in the Jordanian wilderness. His task was to turn the hearts
of the people toward God and to publicly identify the Savior.
John 1:29;36 (NKJV)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward
him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!”
As believers, our mandate is to behold Him, to honor Him,
to love Him and to obey Him. Throughout
this series, let us remain prayerful and open to a fuller and deeper revelation
of Jesus Christ. Stay tuned…more to come
tomorrow.
Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please
(above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.
Maranatha!
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