Jesus ONLY. John, no.3

56 minutes ago

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podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/58e65280/jesus-only-john-no-3

Jesus Christ.

The name has power; the name has authority. And I wince when it is thrown out as a curse. The words Jesus Christ are not a first and last name; the name Jesus is derived from the Greek form of the name Jeshua or Joshua, meaning "Jehovah-Savior" or "the Lord saves." The title Christ comes from the Greek word for Messiah, and means "anointed one."1 Aha.

With the gospels in our hands, through the retrospective of time and history, we know Jesus was the Messiah, Son of God, sent to redeem mankind! But what did the first-century world do with the arrival of Jesus?

Read carefully as John tells us: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (those words, oh those words) ...from his fulness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. John 1.10-18, excerpted.

In Jesus Christ, grace and truth; the words scream out of the passage to me! Right here in John chapter one is the gospel message: as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God! Only Jesus . . . how He loves.

Turns out, almost every religion believes in Jesus. Wait, what? It is true - they all have something to say about the historical figure of Jesus Christ; the determining factor is what they say about Him, and who they say he was/is.

A number of years ago, I took a mediation course at Northwestern University in Chicago. Jumping into a taxi, I remember this conversation like yesterday.

‘How’re you doing this cold morning?’ I asked my cabdriver, as I pulled the door shut.

I couldn’t delay any hoped-for as the ride from my hotel to the university was short.

‘Oh, I’m fine,’ he said, as I noted his thick accent and very dark skin.

‘Where ‘you from?’ I asked.

‘Somalia,’ came his terse reply. Short on opportunity, but curious just the same, I cut right to it—‘so would you be a man of faith?’

‘Yes.’

‘Muslim, perchance?’ I asked. And up came his right hand to cock the rearview mirror down to get a look at who was asking. Oh I had seen the right-hand move to the mirror in other taxis... ha, it makes me laugh, because obviously, once they get a look at me, they realize I am no physical threat. Smile.

Deciding I was safe, he then asked me, ‘How about you—you a person of faith?’

‘Oh yes, I am.’ I smiled and said, ‘I’m a Christian.’

Then he uncovered his center console and produced a tract which he handed to me: "What Muslims believe about Jesus." In spite of myself, I smiled again—here I was trying to make inroads with a stranger about the great love of God, evidenced by Jesus, and this guy snuck one in on me. It was okay, because I listened, I learned, I took his tract, tipped him very well, read the literature, and learned more.

What does Islam say about Jesus? In brief, the Quran teaches that:

--Jesus was born of Mary, a virgin

--Jesus was one of God's messengers2 he is worthy of our respect.... (more at bottom)

but Muslims do not believe that:

->Jesus died on the cross; so of course, did not rise from the grave

->Muslims do not believe Jesus is God3

Hmmm... at this moment, some of you are mulling over Mormon beliefs - and maybe even the name change to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints--except the church has now dropped 'of Latter Day Saints'. So, is it the Church of Jesus Christ? Your high school students have been told by their wholesome classmates that they are Christians too, just like them. Is that true? What do they believe about Jesus Christ?

Discernment is critical when reading statements of belief; always, the Bible is our guide.

Your attention? Mormons often refer to Jesus Christ as “the Son of God” as well as their “personal savior” which is confusing to biblical Christians. It is important to understand that their Jesus is much different than the Jesus of the Bible. The Mormon Jesus is the first of many sons of God. Jesus’ heavenly Father and mother also had celestial parents, who also had parents and so on.4

And from one who knows very well, J. Warner Wallace, this on the difference between the Jesus of the Bible, and the Mormon Jesus:

The Mormon Jesus can be described in the following way:

Jesus was first “procreated” as a spirit child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, then later conceived in an act of physical sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary. He is the spirit brother of Satan, and is rather common in terms of His nature (in that he is one of many gods who share the same nature). Jesus earned His salvation through good works, eventually being exalted into godhood (like other obedient Mormons have been and will be). He is not a member of the triune Godhead but is instead a separate god from God the Father.5

We must know and believe what Scripture says about Jesus Christ, and be careful not to add to Jesus or change Him. Every time Christians adopt a little of ‘this’ from one false teaching, and a little of ‘that’ from another, they reject Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life … he finished the sentence this way, no one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14.6

While we should be tolerant of people of all faiths, we must not adapt or change biblical Christianity to make their beliefs correct. What is correct? Read the aforementioned statement made by Jesus. It is clear and very straightforward.

It is not Jesus + anything else.

Your attention? Do not confuse the word ‘tolerant’. Love people, accept them where they are for whatever they believe or don’t believe, but don’t make a paradigm shift in your own mind to say ‘it is all the same … as long as people believe in God, that is all that matters.’ That is false. It might be all that matters to keep conversations peaceable, but we are talking about Christianity--we are talking about eternity--and what matters is absolute truth.

Besides, could it have been God the Father’s plan for Jesus to die if there were more than one way to get to Heaven? If so, that would make him cruel at best. Jesus would not have suffered as he did, if other ways were just as good … if sincerity were enough. No, Jesus said it clearly, no one comes to the Father except through me.

When Jesus came to earth, born as a human being, grown to be a man, he came to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. John tells us here in chapter one, His own did not receive him. Jesus showed us the way to live, he taught about it, and then he gave up his life, so that we might live with him forever. The Jews had nothing in their minds about a dying messiah, so many--especially the Jewish religious leaders--rejected him. [But bear in mind that all of the first followers of Jesus Christ were indeed Jewish.] The next time Jesus comes, and he will—he will come as conquering king, not as a baby and not humbly. It will be with trumpet fanfare and blast, in the clouds for all to see and hear. Unbelievably amazing...I can only imagine.

Lord,

Would you show us how to live in truth and with grace?

There are people we will encounter today who are dying inside for want of both truth and grace - someone to point them to you and tell them how to get there.

Looking around, there is so much confusion, outright hopelessness,

and without you, darkness.

Thank you for being the Light and the Life and our salvation.

Give us opportunities to share you and the confidence to speak up. Amen.

Let's live with grace and always in truth,

Christine

John, no.3

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1 - More than a Carpenter, Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, p.11

2 - "Who is Jesus according to Other Religions?" Cold Case Christianity.

https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/who-is-jesus-according-to-other-religions/

3 - "What Muslims Believe about Jesus" Joel Rosenberg, The Joshua Fund. https://joshuafund.com/learn/latest-news/what-muslims-believe-about-jesus/