WHO IS THIS JESUS?
Jesus Christ is not a mere manifestation of every person's good will, nor is he a myth that should be dismissed as an old fashioned storyteller's writings. Rather, it is vital for all of us to grasp the fact that Jesus Christ is GOD - the one true God that is alive, and reigning on the spiritual plain we call 'heaven'. He and His father (also goes by 'God') is the Creator of all things, and one day shall return to Earth and reign over His people. He is the direct center of forgiveness of sins, the final authority on all moral values and standards, and the rock which millions turn to.
So what happened 2,000 years ago? Well God sent his Son (yes he has a son) to manifest Himself on earth. He did this through divine intervention with the virgin Mary (you've all heard the story I'm sure)....He couldn't have just 'appeared on earth' as God for some very good reasons. First of all, He had to come into this world as a man, so that he could conquer sin as a man, and take the place of man on the cross. If He had come into the world other than human, His victory over sin, and His taking our place on the cross would be invalid. He also had to come into this world as God that He might forgive sins. His teachings were 100% accurate at all times because He was God manifest in the flesh. So Jesus Christ came to the earth 2,000 years ago through the virgin Mary. He grew up knowing who He was (although His parents didn't fully understand). When he hit age 30, he began the public mission that He was sent to earth for. In His first trial or temptation, Jesus overcame sin in the desert. That was a very important victory, for if He succumbed to sin, He could not have taken our place on the cross. He had to remain pure because all sinners are worthy of death. Sinning would have forced Him to die for Himself and we would all be lost. Why? When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all of us. This means that if you ask God to forgive your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God will forgive your sin because Jesus died for you on the cross. God (the father) will see you as sinless because a great exchange took place at the cross. God placed the entire (past, present, future) sin debt on Jesus (who was sinlessly perfect) to punish sin and by His grace allows the sinlessly perfect (righteousness) life of Jesus Christ to be applied to our lives, but this comes only through faith.
Let's not forget the resurrection though. The resurrection was the most important part of Jesus' Mission on Earth, for if He had not risen three days later from the grave, then that would've meant He hadn't overcome death. If Jesus hadn't overcome death, how could He have been God? If Jesus hadn't been God, how could He have provided forgiveness of sins? Exactly. Christ's death on the cross was designed to put our sin to death, but the resurrection is what brought us a new life - our new life with Jesus Christ. Scripture better describes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ...
1 PETER 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
ROMANS 8:10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
JOHN 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
How does Jesus Apply to...
Homosexuality? - This has become a controversial issue now in some "churches". Unfortunately not every Christian seems to have the correct answer to this question. The truth of the matter is this: Many in the world says that homosexuals have 'no choice' over their sexuality and believe it or not, there is some merit to that response. Those who not saved by God's grace do not have Jesus Christ as their Lord and are in bondage to sin. Homosexuality is a sin. It is my opinion that we as Christians should engage other "Christians" who try to baptize this particular sin as an acceptable lifestyle and therefore should be permitted by the church. Their misguided attempts to be loving to people trapped by this sin is in reality one of the most hateful things someone could do to them. I say that because if what the Bible says about this sin is true (and it is), it must be repented of (agree with God that it is sin and turn away from it) just like all sin. Failure to do so could result in damnation. Any person who believes and endorses the "homosexual lifestyle" as acceptable in the church is working against God's revealed will and a deceiver. They could be aiding and abetting the works of darkness as an unwitting agent of hell. Christians are supposed to rescue the perishing, not make them comfortable as they walk down the road to hell.
JOHN - 8:34 ¶ Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
This is what a lot of Christians, in my opinion, need to understand. Those who are not Christians have no power against sin. They are completely powerless. If you are unsaved, you yourself are a slave to sin, it has mastered you. BUT the great news that unfortunately isn't spread throughout the world as much as it should be, is that Jesus Christ IS who holds the power to change...
ROMANS - 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
ROMANS - 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
ROMANS - 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
ROMANS - 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
If you find yourself asking, "But why should I change?", allow me to help answer that question by asking another one, "Who is Jesus?" Is He God? Is He the LORD of Lords? Is He the KING of Kings? The answer is yes and with the authority of Supreme Ruler over all creation, God has decreed and made known that He didn't create the human body for sexual sin. The act of homosexuality itself is an abomination to the Lord. Premarital or extramarital sex is also a sin. Unfortunately, many would rather swallow their morals and believe "it's okay as long as I don't hurt anyone" rather than come to repentance. The Bible says these people will face judgment in the end. Values have degraded so much in the world today that nobody is sure of what to believe, yet the rock solid values that Jesus Christ and the Bible conveys to us have not changed throughout history. These rock solid values are absolute, not obsolete. Time and experience has proved "the narrow way that leads to eternal life" also leads to a better and healthier life in the here and now, that is when they are followed. I think this quote by G. K. Chesterton sums up what is lacking in the place in time that we live in, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.". You can trust that God knows what is best for us, even when we don't.
How does Jesus Apply to...
..the 'Good people go to heaven' theory? - I've heard this error to many times. "Since I'm a good person, I don't see any reason why I need forgiveness for my sins, or to turn to Jesus". That statement alone is sinful enough to require the need for forgiveness. In the minds of some people, "Hell is the place where the REALLY bad people go and everyone else by default goes to heaven." This assumption is completely antithetical to what God says in His word. The default destiny of all of humanity is hell! The only way we can avoid hell is by the divine intervention of God in Christ. There's one thing that all people who go to hell will have in common - they failed to receive forgiveness from their sins because they rejected the cure. To add insult to injury, the cure was given freely to all who asked for it.
From a purely logical standpoint, just the fact that you have rejected Jesus Christ, the son of God, is a sin deserving hell. Each one of us is faced with the option of either accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as our Lord. If you don't accept him, you reject him. This is a basic thought pattern concept. From a scriptural standpoint, I'll let the word of God speak for itself...
ROMANS - 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
EPHESIANS 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
What would I have to give up?
If you're asking that question, then you missed the heart of the message so far. Salvation isn't received through subtraction or addition. You may need to re-read the part about Jesus coming and dying on the Cross to forgive our sins. Salvation is received when we invite the light of Christ in our hearts. The theological term for this is justification. Then that "light" begins to identify and overcome the darkness contained in us. It's a life long process that begins and continues to conform us into the likeness of our Savior. The theological term for this is sanctification. Sanctification is the addition and subtraction of certain things and occurs after justification.
I am a firm believer in 'grace by faith' and not good works, however there needs to be a dark line drawn in the ground when it comes to leading a life worthy of Christ. (Phil 1:27). Jesus never once told people to come to him for eternal life, and then go back to your old lifestyle. We are new creations in Jesus Christ! When we choose to make Jesus our Lord, that entails following him. There are things we need to change in our life, but when you make Jesus Christ your Lord, your old self dies with him on that cross, and you are given a fresh new life. Faith doesn't come from sacrifice, rather faith should produce the desire to sacrifice all for the Lord. We need to realize how much love it took for Jesus to die for our sins. It wasn't a picnic. People severely beat Him and spit in His face. Some people tossed derision and other insults at him. This culminated in His crucifixion - a horrifying, excruciatingly painful death. Jesus endured all this that we might have eternal life through Him. His love should break us. When you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord, you will hopefully see even more of this self sacrificing love becoming manifest in you. Our mindset should not be "What do I have to give up", rather it should be "What can I give up". The answer to the question "What should I give up?" is your will. You need to release what you prefer to do and cleave to what God wants you to do as a response to what He has already done for you. Give your will to Jesus Christ and let him lead the way in your life. He will give you the power to overcome your sin, and He will give you more faith in Him as time goes by. Jesus wants you to turn your will over to him.
LUKE 22:42 "Not my will, but yours be done". This verse speaks of Jesus agonizing about the horrific death that awaited Him but could also be applied in a sense to people like you and me. The self application might go something like "God, please help me to overcome the desire to do what I want to do at this moment. My desires seem to be contrary to what You created me to do, so help me please to do what You want instead.
Faith in Christ can start out small like the faith of a child. If you are afraid of not being able to give up your sin, don't let that stop you from coming to Christ. Jesus didn't die for people who think they're capable of conquering sin in their own power, He died for those who realize that they need His power to overcome sin. Come to Him through faith first and then ask Jesus to give you the desire to serve Him. He will help you. Jesus is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Recap of the basics:
Just to recap the foundation of Jesus Christ, here is a small outline to consider...
Jesus Christ came to earth from Heaven, through Mary, who was a virgin.
Jesus Christ led a sinless life.
He had foreknowledge of His death on the cross as a means of redemption.
After dying on the cross, He rose from the dead three days later.
He appeared to more than 500 people, including the apostles.
His death on the cross gave us redemption and reconciliation to God through Him .
Those who choose to reject Him and not follow Him will not be forgiven of their sins and will face the punishment due them.
It is important to note that we all deserve to burn in hell. The Bible says that we have all fallen short of the glory of God (no matter how good we are) and deserve death, but the gift of God is eternal life. When you come to Jesus, He forgives you for your sins and makes you presentable before God. This is the only way to enter heaven. Otherwise, we get what we deserve - hell. Hell is a very real thing even though not many people like to think about it. It's not "the devil's home", it's actually a place of punishment created by God. Satan will one day be thrown into it.
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you! He wants to speak to you through prayer, obey Him, and follow His leading for your life. He's not some impersonal "being" that just sits in heaven. He's so huge, that He can have a relationship with you personally, and that is exactly what He wants.
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this page last updated on February 18, 2005 - 9:00 P.M.
