Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christ is the Eternal God!

John begins his Gospel in eternity past. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word (LOGOS) was with God  and the Word was God( John 1:1) John uses the Greek word  LOGOS here  for the Word.LOGOS has many meanings. It means a thought or idea communicated to another. LOGOS is the source of wisdom and power. Paul wrote that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge(Col 2:3). Philosophers suggest that LOGOS is first cause, the unknown intelligence or reason behind the universe. It is the creative power( Ps 33:6).John testifies that this WORD was the person of Jesus Christ, the expression of God's thoughts to mankind (John 1:14). He is eternally equally and essentially God.

In the beginning was the Word. This shows Christ's preexistence. When time began the WORD was already there. Christ is eternal Word, the revelation of God to mankind. Eternity is the duration without beginning  or ending, present without past or future, youth without infancy or old age, life without birth or death, and today without yesterday or tomorrow. Jesus claimed"before Abraham was I am"(John 8:58). He was with the Father before the world began(John 17:5).His throne is for ever and ever(Heb 1:8,9)..Christ is the begotten Son of God. Early Christians accepted Jesus as the Son of God. He was with the Father alone neither made nor created but begotten.

The deity of Christ is the fundamental Christian doctrine.We may differ on the fine points on prophecy and practices. But if we differ on the deity of Christ we are not saved at all. His name designates that He is the Savior(Is 43:3).Jesus means Savior(Matt 1:21).He is the anointed Savior promised in the Old Testament (Dan 9:26).He is the only begotten God who was in the bosom of the Father(John 1:18).Thomas said of Jesus"My Lord and My God(John "(20:28).Jesus claimed God as His Father and coequal with God(John 5:18). That was equal to blasphemy and deserved capital punishment..Because of that Jews sought to kill Jesus.
He is called Lord in the New Testament some 250 times.He is the Lord of Glory.He is the Holy one(Act 3:14).Jesus claimed that He possessed the attributes  of God Himself.(Matt 16:17).He was unique in His moral perfections. His works were Godlike works. Even a casual reader of the New Testament will accept this truth. He is the creator and preserver of this universe(Jn 1:3;Heb 1:2,3).He directs and Controls the course of history.He has the power to forgive sins(Mk 2:5). He has power to raise the dead(John 11:25). He has the power to judge the living and the dead(John 5:22).So He deserves the equal honor with the Father(John 5:23).

Yes indeed  Jesus is more than a  teacher and humanitarian.To know Jesus is to know God(John 8:19).To see Him is to see God(John 12:45). To receive Jesus is to receive God(Mk 9:37). To honor Jesus is to honor God(John 5:23).May God help us!!


Friday, December 23, 2011

He Came to His Own! .

John begins his Gospel with the statements to prove the deity of Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God(Jn 1:1). Thus John begins his Gospel in the eternity past and shows that Jesus is the Son of God. Unlike Matthew and Luke Gospels we don't see the genealogy of Jesus in this Gospel because God has no genealogy.  Christ's incarnation is a mystery (1Tim 3:16).Mary conceived Jesus of the Holy Spirit(Matt 1:20).It was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy( Is 7:14). The incarnation of Christ  is a very important Christian Doctrine. Though His conception was supernatural His birth was natural. Thus the eternal Being invaded the planet to redeem us. He had to come because we could not save ourselves from sin.

In the genealogy of Jesus and the early account of His early life we see many profound truths about God's love and His mercy. Matthews gives as the legal genealogy of Jesus to prove that He is the promised Messiah. On the other hand Luke gives His natural genealogy. There are some women with questionable back ground mentioned in the genealogy of Christ. That was not a customary practice in the Jewish genealogy. By doing that God has shown that He is the God of mercy and grace. Thus He removed all the man made barriers in the plan of salvation.. He is the God who wants to save Jews and gentiles, male and female,good and bad . Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost in their sins.. In the Messianic line there was a curse pronounced upon king Jeconiah that his descendant shall never reign in the throne of David(Jer 22:24-30). Since Jesus was supernaturally conceived and came through the line of  Mary this curse did not affect Him.

 Jesus was born in Bethlehem according to prophecy(Mic 5:2). It happened in the fullness of time(Gal 4:4). There was spiritual and mental awakening among people during that time. Greek culture and language became universal. Yet there was a spiritual vacuum among people. The philosophers and reformers couldn't fill that vacuum. It was also politically important time. Roman empire was in its prime time. Roman law brought law and order in the society and their roads linked people every where. During the reign of Roman Caesar Augustus Jesus was born.Since Augustus ordered that census to be taken Joseph and Mary had to come to Bethlehem since they were descendants of king David of Bethlehem. Thus the prophecy of Micah 5:2  which was made some 700 years before was fulfilled. In all these things we see how precisely God was controlling the history for the coming of the Savior.  Christ's birth was not an accident but a divine appointment.

Jesus was born in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloth(Lk 2:7).  This perhaps shows that He was born to die. We are all born to live but Christ came to give His life a ransom for many(Mark 10:45) There was no room for the creator of the universe to born. He came to His own and His own received Him not. On the cross He laid His on His shoulder. His body was placed in a borrowed tomb. Once Jesus said"foxed have holes, birds have nests but the Son of man has no place to lay His head." He wants to be born in our hearts. He still waiting for you to welcome Him.

Many were the participants in the birth of Jesus. King Herod, Mary, Angels,Zechariah,Elisabeth,shepherds, Simeon and prophetess Anna and wise men were some of them. They all have a message to proclaim about their Savior. We also must have  message to tell to the world.

Mary was willing to receive her unexpected gift from God. She never questioned  God's gift. She was willing to obey God in faith.She was not sinless nor understood why she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Mary magnified the Lord in worshipful song. She acknowledged in her song that God was mindful, mighty and merciful towards her.She saw Jesus as her Savior  and rejoiced in Him.(Lk 1:46-56).Zechariah praised God for His purpose and plan of the salvation revealed  through the prophets of old. He saw that Messiah  would bring redemption and salvation. God's unchanging covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus Christ(Gal 3:8).Angel brought the good news about the birth the Savior of the world(Lk 2:10). Fearful shepherds received the massage of joy, peace and hope.They responded unconditionally and did not wait to see Jesus. They were diligent in seeking Jesus and proclaiming the good news about Him. They glorified God.  Simeon  was an old saint waiting for the coming of the Messiah.Further more Holy Spirit promised him that he will not die before he sees the Savior of the world. He saw in baby Jesus the prepared and promised salvation  for the whole world( Lk 2:29-32).Ann was an old prophetess waiting for the coming of Messiah. She served the Lord in her old age with out giving up. She Saw Jesus and thanked the Lord. She was diligent in sharing about the Savior. Wise men came from the east to worship the king of the Jews who was born. When they saw Jesus they rejoiced with great joy. They worshiped Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh recognizing His deity(Matt 2:10,11). Worship is an expression of gratitude and joy. No one can worship God  in vacuum. May the Lord help us love and serve Him in the coming days.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Johns Gospel : Introduction

The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ. Though there is none highly esteemed like Jesus, He is the most misunderstood person in the world. For many Jesus is a good man and a model humanitarian. Others consider Him as a great prophet and teacher. For many Jesus is a compassionate miracle worker. Once Jesus asked His disciple the personal question" who do you say that I am" (Matt 1615). In these days of Christmas celebration  we need to answer this question to make our celebration meaningful.

Natural man can never understand Christ because He is a mystery (1Tim 3:16) Mystery can't be understood apart from divine revelation. Disciples were divinely enabled to understand Christ and confess that He is the Christ, the son of God( Matt 16:16,17). Secular historians paid little interest to know Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus remains as the historical person. Gospels are the historical account of the life and work of Jesus Christ. The four gospels present four portraits of Jesus. History is His story. It is the glory to glory story. History is incomprehensible without Christ.

The Bible is all about Jesus Christ the Savior. In the old Testament we see Him in types and shadows. The New Testament is the historical account of His life and ministry. The gospels reveals Christ. In fact He is the Gospel. The facts of the Gospel are found in the four gospels. The force of the Gospel we seen in the book of Acts. The interpretation of the Gospel is given in the Epistles. The Epistles are important books because facts without interpretation can lead to error.

The gospels are written by the disciples of Jesus Christ. Matthew was and Apostle and and an eye witness of Christ. He presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and the hope of the nation of Israel(Matt 1:21).  Mark was one of the close associate of Peter. He presents Jesus as the Servant God who came to minister (Mk 10:45). Luke was a close associate of Paul. He presents Jesus as the very Son of Man who came to save the lost(Lk 19:10). John was the beloved Apostle of Jesus Christ. He wrote his gospel to silence the philosophical speculation about the person and and work of Jesus Christ. He present Jesus Christ as the very Son of God. who gives eternal life( Jn 20:31).

There are 89 chapters in the four Gospels. Out of them only 3 or 4 chapters cover the early life of Jesus.
The first three Gospels are called synoptic Gospels because they look alike in the chronological account of the life of Jesus. But John's Gospel is different from other Gospels in many ways. It was written in a narrative format. It is the interpretation of the facts of Jesus's life. Ninety percent of it's content is not discussed in the synoptic Gospel. The heartbeat of this Gospel is evangelism( Jn 1:29). Some consider this as the most amazing book ever written. It is commonly recommended to new believers as a training manual. The best known Bible verse is Jn. 3:16.

The study of the Gospel will produce deeper understanding of the person of Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ is eternal life(Jn 17:3).His life is an example to motivate us for humble service(1 Pet 2:21) .