The belief that Jesus is God, one of the three Beings
(Persons) of the eternal Trinity, profoundly impacts of our lives in many ways:
·
TO SHOW US THE ENORMITY OF HIS LOVE: Romans
5:8-10 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his
blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if,
when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his
Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
God’s purpose is to demonstrate His love for us even when we
were His enemies and hated Him. If He paid the ultimate price for us when we
hated Him, we can be assured, now that we are His friends, He will do anything
to protect His investment, His beloved friends.
However, if Jesus is just a created being, it would have
cost God nothing to speak 50,000 Saviors into existence without any cost
to Himself. Therefore, the sacrificial death of a created being could not begin
to demonstrate God’s love for us!
Nor could the death of a “being” who was no more than a
manifestation or an appearance of God, as the modalists believe, demonstrate
His love. The death of an appearance represents no loss or cost to God at all!
In contrast, the suffering and death of God Himself is the
only sacrifice that could have proved His love for me. I had been suffering to
such an extent that I could not shake the doubt that God might be a deceptive
sadist. I didn’t want to believe this, but it often felt this way to me, and
there was no way to convince myself otherwise, until I realized that it had
been God Himself who had suffered for me. A deceiver or a sadist would
never have died for me. Instead, this one act proved that He genuinely loved
me.
·
JESUS HAS TO BE GOD TO SHOW US THE ENORMITY OF
OUR SINS: Hebrews 10:4-7 “…it is impossible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for
me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said,
'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to do your will,
O God.' "(Psalm 40)
The blood of animals could not pay the substitutionary price
for our sins. Nothing short of the death of God, the Son, could atone for our
sins! This should tell us something about the offensiveness of our sins before
God. If a created being could have made an adequate payment for our sins, the
Father would have redeemed us through him (Matthew 26:39), but even a spotless
being could not begin to atone for the sins of the world.
Since our sins are such an offense to God (Exodus 33:2-5,
14), we must regard them in the same way and absolutely flee from them.
During OT times, the Israelite who sinned had to bring an
animal sacrifice to substitute for their sins. However, since Jesus has redeemed
us, we need only bring confession and the promise of our heart, repentance, to
be restored to our Savior.
·
THE DEATH OF GOD, THE SON, WAS ALSO NECESSARY TO
HUMBLE US: Romans 3:24-27 [We are] “justified by his grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a
propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to
show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting?
It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of
faith.”
Our sins are such an offense to God that His holy nature
required (“propitiation”) the death of His Son Jesus. Before Jesus had died as
a substitute for the death we deserved, God endured our sins and merely
“passed over” or covered the sins of His people. It was not a true forgiveness,
the eradication of our sins and the cleansing of our conscience so that we
could joyously approach our Savior (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Twice, Paul wrote that Christ’s death was to teach us by
showing us His righteousness, His hatred of sin and His need to punish it. This
understanding should eliminate any boasting and humble us since we caused
Christ’s death.
·
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DEITY OF CHRIST BRINGS US
PEACE, CONFIDENCE, AND TRUST: Colossians 1:15-21 “He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the
head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among
the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to
himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross. the interests of others.”
Paul listed many evidences that Christ is God. Among these,
He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Why is this important for us
to know? Since Jesus is the Heir of all things and since we are co-Heirs with
Him (Romans 8:17), we are indescribably wealthy and for all eternity:
·
Colossians 2:8-10 “See to it that no one
takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on
human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have
been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”
If we know how rich and beloved we are, we will not be
seduced by various philosophies and therapies, which claim to bring happiness.
Instead, we can endure and patiently await the return of our Savior. However,
we are just co-heirs with a created being or a manifestation, this serves to
diminish the glories of heaven and God’s promise to give us all things in
Christ.
·
CHRIST AS GOD PROVIDES AN ADEQUATE FOUNDATION
FOR ETHICS: Philippians 2:3-8 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or
vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you
should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of
others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in
very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient to death--even death on a cross!”
Because Jesus had humbled Himself to empty Himself to die
for us, we are also asked to humble ourselves to serve the needs of others.
However, if Jesus had simply been created to die for us, He had not truly
humbled or emptied Himself for us, since He had nothing from the start.
Nor does a mere manifestation, only appearing to die
for us, provide a compelling example for us to sacrifice our welfare for the
sake of others.
But how can we follow the example of Jesus? I fail daily. We
tend to be so centered on taking care of our own needs and desires. How then
can we honor others before ourselves and to satisfy their hungers before our
own? I must admit that I’d rather my wife give me a back massage than the
reverse. It is humbling to continually be confronted with my selfishness.
How can we bear this constant diet of spiritual failure?
Only by knowing the love and forgiveness of our Lord! Only by seeing His
compassion for those who call upon Him, like for Peter who had denied Jesus
three times after promising he would never do so!
Yes, I fail Him daily, but I am convinced of His tender
mercies towards me. This gives me the courage to persist. It also endears me to
my Savior who delights to daily give me a fresh start. To Him be all the glory!
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