Proud and Unloving

Proud and Unloving

College football player, Michael Sam recently came out and publicly made known that he practices homosexuality. Immediately it seemed like everyone – from the major sports and news media outlets, to friends and former coaches, to some of the highest government officials of our once godly and God-fearing nation – came out and expressed how “ proud ” they were of this “bold” and courageous young man… And all I could think about was how incredibly sad I was for this hard-working young man, who appears (at least according to the reports I heard and read) to have no one in the world who really loves him; how sorrowful it must be for this young man, to be so vehemently and violently hated, by so many in his young life… Please permit me to explain…

As loving parents, when our children are just beginning to learn and grow, we incessantly warn them of the impending and deadly danger inherent in certain courses of action, don’t we? We endlessly repeat, reiterate, re-introduce and reinforce the admonitions that they are not to play near or chase a ball into traffic; that they are not to talk to strangers; they are not to play with household poisons, electrical sockets, or matches because of the potential, ever-present, and inevitable life threatening danger inherent in those practices. And we do this out of genuine, true, and heartfelt love because we don’t want to see them endlessly and needlessly suffer, don’t we? That’s what the highest level of true love does, doesn’t it? Yes… period.

And so, I would lovingly ask, “What is the inevitable, unchangeable, and eternal end result, of a life lived while choosing to indulge in the abominable sin (according to God; please see: www.clevelandcoc.com/?page_id=170) of homosexuality?” God answers that question clearly, concisely, and unmistakably in His eternal and “forever firmly fixed in heaven” word (See Ps. 19:7-11, 119:89 ESV). His unchanging and unalterable answer is:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination (Lev. 18:22). If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination… (Lev. 20:13). Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev 21:8).

This is God’s answer. It is forever. It will neither change, be altered, suspended or circumvented. And no earthly government, court, leader, or group of powerful people will ever be able to even edit it one iota – ever. And so, if anyone truly loves such homosexuals as Michael Sam, what will they do? Warn him of the eternal outcome of choosing to continue in his sin, and let him know he has a choice!

But what do these apparently unloving coaches, politicians, and professional sports reporters and players do instead? They spread their hateful and spiteful encouragement and acceptance of his self-destructive course of choice, instead of expressing to him the love of God which demands choosing a change of course because God doesn’t want to see him eternally suffer the consequences of his sin.

They tell him how proud they are of him… proud of him for continuing to defy and resist the almighty God of heaven and earth – something no one has ever continually done and won, but have always been destroyed for doing in the process.

They say what a wonderful thing his abhorrent-to-God sin is; but God says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good, evil… Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight (Prov. 5:20-21).

They say how proud they are of him; but God says of them: Professing to be wise, they became fools… Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie… For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; …who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them (excerpted from Romans 1:22-32).

God’s unchangeable truth is both forever firmly fixed in heaven (Ps. 119:89), and has been divinely dictated and placed in plain and simple black and white in all of our holy bibles (II Tim. 3:16-17) for our inevitable and infinite benefit. It is straight from the heart of an all-knowing God and Father who lovingly warns us all about the eternal outcome of continuing to commit such heinous and horrific sins against Him and His holy statutes – and it is there in plain sight for all honest men and women to read and heed for themselves. And Michael Sam, Jason Collins, and any of the other possible professional sports homosexual athletes around, please pay careful, honest, and complete attention – because your eternal life or death destination depends on it: You can watch the sales of your jerseys spiralingly skyrocket; you can appear on the cover of every major magazine from now until judgment day; you can even enjoy the endearing support of every godless high government official imaginable, “but what will you do in the end” (Jer. 5:31), when God’s unalterable word and unavoidable judgment comes completely to pass, causing the impenitent of the abhorrent to eternally perish (Lk. 9:25-26)?

Please understand that despite the uncaring and unloving masses you have perhaps surrounded yourselves with who couldn’t care less about your eternal soul, there are those that do truly love you enough to want to see you saved; who do truly love you enough to tell you the truth; and do truly love you enough to extend to you God’s love and grace – so that you can at least have the opportunity to accept it by repenting and be washed and forever changed (Acts 2:38; I Cor. 6:9-11). For more on this real love, please see www.clevelandcoc.com/?page_id=2856.

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Recognizing the Church

Recognizing the Church

Jesus promised to build only one church.  Matthew 16:18, “and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Jesus shed His blood and died for only one church.   Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it“, [Singular].  Christ only purchased one church with His blood, Acts 20:28, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”  And Christ is the head of and the savior of only one church.  Ephesians 5:22-24, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”  The body of Christ is the church.  Since Christ only built, bled for, died for, rules and saves one church then doesn’t it make sense that we must be a part of that church and no other?

OK, so if I am not a follower of Christ and I want to be, then how do I find one?  Or, am I trying to live for Christ and I want to know if the one I am associated with now is the church Jesus built, bled for, died for, rules and saves?   How do I recognize it when I see it?  What does it look like?  Where can I find it?  How do I join it?  The purpose of this lesson is to help us and others who may not know, learn to determine what the Lord’s church is and how to determine if it is a genuine, authentic new testament church.

The short answer to this question is that it needs to look just like the church Jesus built, bled for, died for, rules and saves as it appears in the new testament.  It makes perfect sense that if we are a member of the new testament church that worshiped, lived, taught and believed as it appears in the scripture then we will be in the church that Jesus built, bled for, died for, rules and saves.  In short, a church that looks and acts just like the church of the new testament must be the church of the new testament.  A church which looks and acts just like the church that Jesus built, bled for, died for, rules and saves must be the church of Jesus Christ.

Not only does this make perfect sense, it is also a Biblical way of approaching this.  In 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14 Paul wrote, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.”  The church in Thessalonica patterned itself after the churches in Judea and Paul was thankful for that and he praised them for it.  The application for us is that we can do the same thing by examining the church of the new testament and using it, we can imitate it in the same fashion and know beyond any doubt whatsoever that we are in the church Jesus built, bled for, died for, rules and saves.

What is the New Testament church?

The Bible was written in a language known today as Koine Greek.  In the first century, this was the language of the common man on the street in this period of history.  The Greek word for ‘church’ is pronounced ‘Ekklesia’.  This word has two distinct meanings depending on the context in which it is used.  The word ‘Ekklesia’ does not automatically have a religious association at all.  This word is used to describe a mob of people who were upset with Paul’s teachings in Acts 19, verses 32, 39 and 41.  In this context, the word Ekklesia is translated as an assembly in KJV.   Therefore the word carries the meaning of an assembly of people in some contexts.  It can mean as assembly of Christians or just a general assembly of people for any given reason.   In Romans 16:16 we have an example of this word being used to represent individual assemblies of Christians.  “…The churches of Christ greet you” (NKJV).

This word is also used in scripture to represent the one universal body of Christ.  In Colossians 1:24, Paul wrote, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body [singular], which is the church [Ekklesia]”  There is only one body of Christ, or church [Ekklesia] and individual assemblies of the one church are also called churches [Ekklesia].  The context is used to determine which meaning of the word applies.

This teaches us that the church is a people and not a physical thing.  The word Ekklesia was never used to describe anything physical in the new testament.  The church is not a building, it’s not a temple, it’s not a place or a location.   An Ekklesia is a group or assembly of people regardless of whether it was for a religious purpose or not.  The church is not the building, rather it’s the assembly of people within.  We are the assembly therefore we are the church.

How did the New Testament church Worship?

One can tell a lot by how a church worships.  The worship period is when the local body has assembled to offer worship to God.  Regarding worship, Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”  From this we learn that it is possible to worship God in a manner which is vain or worthless.  In Colossians 2:22-23, Paul wrote, “Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”  The NKJV translated “will worship” as “self imposed” worship.  Paul connects this with the commandments and doctrines of men in V22 and he he said all who did such things were going to perish.  Jesus said it was vain.  So “vain worship” and “will worship” or “self imposed worship” according to the commandments and doctrine of men are no only vain, it is condemned.   So if one is worshipping God in such a manner that cannot be observed in scripture then it had to come from the mind of men and therefore results in that worship being rejected by God.

Scripture mentions the kind of worship that is acceptable to God.  Jesus declared in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  So we have vain worshipper and we have well worshippers who worship according to the commandments and doctrine of men.  And on the other side of the fence, we have true worshippers who worship in Spirit, meaning from the heart, and in truth, meaning in accordance or agreement with God’s word.  God’s word is truth, (John 17:17).  So we know that the new testament church was required to worship in spirit and in truth.  So with that said, let’s have a look at how they worshipped when they assembled.

The new testament church met on the first day of every week

We know from scripture that the new testament church assembled to offer organized worship to God.  Paul gave explicit instructions for them to follow in numerous places such as 1 Corinthians chapters 11 through 14.  These chapters are devoted wholly to the conduct of Christians in the assembly.  James made reference to conduct in these assemblies in chapter 2:2-3.  In Philemon we learn that the church assembled in his house.  In Colossians 4:14 we read of another church that assembled in someone’s home so we know that the church gathered into local assemblies on a regular basis.

Acts 20 verse seven teaches us this this regular assembly took place on the first day of the week; “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together..”  In 1 Corinthians 16:2-3 Paul wrote, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”   In the original language it really means the “the first day of every week”.  The Greek word “Kata” is in the original language it means “every”  The NASB translates this verse correctly, “On the first day of every week“.  So we know that the new testament church assembled on the first day of every week to offer worship to God.  And we know from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 that we can imitate this practice today and be sure that we are assembling in accordance with God’s will.

The new testament Christians prayed to God in their assemblies

The new testament Christians prayed at all times, both good and bad, (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).  Prayer is requested by Paul on his own behalf on several occasions, and he prayed for his brethren always.  We are told to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  Paul desired that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1).  1 Timothy 2:8 is an example of instructions on prayer in the assembly, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting”.  So we know from these verses that prayer was a part of the first day of the week assemblies of the new testament church.  And we know from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 that we can imitate this practice today and be sure that we are worshipping in accordance with God’s will.

The new testament Christians sang praises to God in their assemblies

Christians were given explicit instructions to sing in the assembly in Hebrews 2:12, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You“.  Paul gave instructions to the Ephesians and the Colossians regarding their singing, Ephesians 5:19, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” and in Colossians 3:16-17, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”  

Verse 17 goes on to say , “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  The scriptures never ever said to play anything during new testament worship.  And Paul went on to say right after he commanded singing that whatsoever we do should be backed up by the authority of Jesus.  The scriptures never authorize manmade musical instruments in worship and secular history proves that they were never used for centuries after the new testament church was established.   We also know from scripture that is forbidden to go beyond what is written in 1 Corinthians 4:6 and 2 John 9.  With all this in mind, we know that if we simply sing in our worship to God, we are absolutely assured of our worship being both in spirit and in truth.  Let’s keep in mind that Jesus said our worship MUST be in spirit and in truth.  We must be sure on this.  Adding manmade musical instruments is a violation of God’s word to refrain from going beyond what is written.

The new testament church sang and we know from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 that we can imitate this practice today and be sure that we are worshipping in accordance with God’s will.

The new testament Christians partook of the Lord’s supper every first day of the week

The Lord’s supper is the memorial Christ established to commemorate his death.  Matthew 26:26-29, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  New Testament Christians assembled every first day of the week to remember this and to “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).  Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 gives instructions regarding the observance of that feast in the assembly, and Acts 20:7 sets the time of its observance to be the first day of the week.   Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”

The new testament Church had preaching in their assemblies

One of the primary purposes of assembly is to edify the body of Christ.  Ephesians 4:11-13, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ“.   Paul came to Troas, and in the assembly, “spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (Acts 20:7).  Preaching is an important part of the worship.

The new testament church had preaching in their Lord’s day assemblies and we know from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 that we can imitate this practice today and be sure that we are worshipping in accordance with God’s will.

The new testament Christians gave of their means on the first day of every week

Paul established the first day of the week contribution as something Christians “must do” 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, “Now concerning  the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper so that there will be no collecting when I come.”

Christians are instructed to “give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Giving is a rewarding and necessary part of Christian worship.  The new testament church gave in their Lord’s day assemblies and we know from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 that we can imitate this practice today and be sure that we are worshipping in accordance with God’s will.

That is all we are authorized to do in scripture in the Lord’s day assemblies that pertains to worship. Anything more than this is a violation of the commands not to exceed what is written and add to the word of God. Anything more than this had to come from the mind of man and is a commandment and doctrine of men. Anything less is a violation of the command not to leave anything out. By doing these five things and only these five things in worship we can be sure that we have fully obeyed all of what God’s will is on the worship we offer. We need to remember that God is the object of our worship. It is directed towards Him and He directs how it is to be done.

The new testament Christians did not worship in temples

Many people today think God must be worshipped in a large magnificent building. That is not how new testament Christians often worshipped. Sometimes then met in homes sometimes, they met in other places. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” In Acts 17:23-25, “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything” God says He does not dwell in manmade temples nor is He worshipped in or with things made by men’s hands. We can worship God anywhere we want as long as we do it in spirit and in truth.  We can gather in a home and with nothing more than our hearts, voices and the word of God offer acceptable worship to God and be sure that He is pleased with it.

The new testament church taught and practiced the Biblical way of salvation. 

Following the principle of not adding anything to or taking anything away from scripture we can know how new testament Christians were saved.  New testament Christians were required to believe in Christ.

The new testament church taught and practiced that we must believe in Christ

John 3:16-19, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

But it doesn’t stop there.  If we stop there, we have left something out of the word of God.  We can’t do that if we want to be sure of our salvation.

The new testament church believed and practiced that Christians must confess Jesus Christ before men

Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

Paul wrote in Romans 10:9-11, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Paul says right there that confessing Jesus is a part of one’s salvation.

The new testament church baptized believers for the remission of sins

Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”  After Paul was confronted on the road to Damascus, Ananias told him in Acts 22:16, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

The new testament church believed that baptism placed the believer “into Jesus Christ” 

Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  Romans 6:3-4, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

The new testament church believed that baptism was essential to salvation

Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”  1 Peter 3:21, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

The new testament church believed that members were added to the church by God

Acts 2:47, “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  No one votes on church membership.  Anyone who is saved is a member of the church by the operation of God.  Man has nothing to do with it.

The new testament church believed that one had to remain faithful until death to be saved

Matthew 10:22, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved“.  Revelation 2:10, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

In part 1 of this lesson we saw how scripture teaches us that we can be sure of our salvation.  We can know beyond any doubt that we have God.  We can have that confidence through knowing the word of God and being obedient to it.  We must be obedient to the gospel.  Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, “and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

Eternity is a long time.  We only get one chance to get it right.  When we pass from this existence, all that will matter then is whether or not we lived in accordance to God’s will.  The stakes are high, the rewards or punishments are for ever.  We must be sure.  And John made it crystal clear in 1 John 2:3-5 that our assurance comes from obedience to His commands: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”

In conclusion, let’s look at a verse we read earlier and let’s make an application to it.

1 Thessalonians 2:14, “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.”  We can do the same thing and be sure that we are right with God.  That’s how they did it in Thessalonica and we can do it today.  If we study the new testament church and believe what it believed, teach what it taught, practice what it practiced and be what it was, then we can be sure that we are part of the one body of Christ.  The one church that Jesus established, bled for, died for, rules and saves.

We can be sure.  We must be sure.  And the Bible tells us exactly how to do it.

 

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Why Worry?

I dare say that there’s not a single one of us that hasn’t been overwhelmed with worry at one time or another.  Yet with some people, worry is a daily occurrence.  Let me ask you, friend: are you a worrywart?

Some time ago I read an interesting article that I believe puts worry into perspective.  Evidently (according to the National Bureau of Standards), a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of 100 feet is composed of something less than one glass of water.  Now I don’t know much about fog (other than the fact it’s often a burden to drive in), but if that is true, that’s an amazing statistic.  I believe this illustration is a fair comparison to our worry or anxiety about worldly matters.  If all our worry about earthly things were reduced to its true value, most of it wouldn’t be worth our time.

According to Luke 10:41 Martha was much like that fog: “And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” Jesus tells us not to worry (Matt. 6:25-34). Put God first, and things will fall into place.  Paul puts it this way, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

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The Power of One

The Bible is the autobiography of God. It is His story and we are living out not our lives but the very story of God and His creation. A fundamental truth of this epic is the power of one. Just as we recognize the power of unity in a military fighting force or sports team we see the same power of oneness in everything God does. For us it is important to recognize this unity as His children. In Ephesians 4:3 Paul writes that we are to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” With this plea the following truths are set forth (vv 4–6); There is:

One Body – What mankind (and Satan) has done to cause division in the church and create the plethora of denominations, false teachings, and confusion has led to a weakening of the cause of Christ. God commanded that we be united (1 Corinthians 1:10, 12:25) but warned that divisions would come (Acts 20:29–30; 1 Timothy 4:1). While the religious world recoils at the doctrine of one true church the Bible bears out that there is one body and in it there is great power.

One Spirit – The job of the Spirit was to reveal God’s words, His message, to mankind (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13). It was the spirit who proclaimed and confirmed the message through inspiration and with powerful miracles. Let us not miss the great power in the Spirit: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

One Hope – The Bible reveals then the one true hope: salvation from our sins and eternal life in Heaven, escaping the eternal torment of a devil’s hell. Many people have tried to assert that even if Christianity is false, or if God is not real, this life is still the best life to live. However the Bible disagrees. In fact Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:10). There is eternal power in the one hope.

One Lord ­– We have all heard the old adage of there being too many “cooks in the kitchen” or “too many chiefs and not enough Indians.” Spiritually speaking the world has too many lords: self, family, work, money, sports, sin or anything else that unseats Christ from the throne of your heart. There is power and freedom in having the one true Lord of lords ruling your life.

One Faith – Another damning division and effective tool of Satan has been the idea that there are many different faiths. This has taken a bit longer than denominationalism to materialize but we now are told that it really doesn’t matter what you believe, what faith (system of belief) you follow everyone goes to heaven (except for the really bad people). But as Christians we need to be more assertive with our defense of the one true faith (Jude 3). It is this one faith that has the power to save us (Ephesians 2:8).

One Baptism – The Bible lists seven different baptism, so what do we make of this “one baptism” here in Ephesians 4? The only one commanded, taught and said to put us into Christ (Galatians 3:27) and wash away our sins and save us (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21) is the baptism in water for the remission of our sin in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus shed His blood to redeem us and coming into contact with that blood is essential (Romans 6:3–6). There is power in the blood and there is power in the one baptism.

One God and Father of all – This is His story. He is the author of life, both limited physical life and eternal spiritual life. He is omnipotent (all-powerful)!

There is power in one but that power is not in you and I individually as finite, sinful human beings. We must then be submissive, obedient, and faithful. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

 

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The Deity of Christ

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-15) (1)

The question of the Deity of Christ is debated by many. The atheist denies the existence of God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim Christ was a created being. The Mormon believes Christ was a man who became a god. Muslims declare Christ was simply a prophet of Allah. The answer does not rely upon the decision of any individual or group. Jesus is either Deity or He is not based upon fact. Most Christians believe Jesus is Deity based upon the belief the Bible is a God-breathed, inerrant, word for word record by which God wants man to pattern his life. It is therefore the final authority of examination for all answers man derives (2 Peter 1:2-3). In a nutshell, the Word of God is truth and if any conclusion contradicts the Word, the conclusion must be in error (John 17:17). Before and after the appearance of Jesus, man looked to the scriptures, now completely revealed, to affirm the Deity of the Messiah. By the lifetime of Christ, the world had the Old Testament in complete, affirmed by Christ, and the prophets to examine any claim of Deity. By the end of the first century, man also had the complete New Testament of the Bible to examine any claims of Deity, during the formation of which the apostles and prophets affirmed the scriptures. Since the Bible is declared the source for the claims of Deity, whether one believes in the inerrancy of the Bible or not, verification the Bible makes the claim of Deity for Christ must be accomplished.

The contemplation of Christ as Deity must be broken up into two separate questions: First – Is Jesus Deity? Second – Is Jesus God? For some, this question means the same thing. For others, it does not. They declare Jesus is a god, but not God; He is just the son of God, a demigod, but not equal to the eternal God of all. The concept of a triune or “trinity” God is rejected by some because this would in their mind mean that there are three Gods and not one God. Since this article will not examine in depth the “trinity” or Godhead, it must be understood that this author believes the Father (John 20:17, I Corinthians 8:6, Galatians 1:1, Philippians 2:11), Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4, 2 Cor. 3:17-18, Mat. 28:19), and Jesus the Son are one God in total. They are three individual entities of the Godhead. To illustrate, consider an army. An army from the Commander in Chief all the way down to the private is still one army, but many parts. Also consider the marriage which is composed of two separate parts, a man and a woman. Together they are not marriages, but a singular marriage. Finally, consider the Church as a singular body consisting of many members making up its whole (Romans 1:16, Galatians 3:8, I Corinthians 12:12-27). In all of these cases, there are different responsibilities, but this does not divide their singular makeup. Jesus declares about God: “…Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” (Mark 12:29). If it is concluded that Jesus is Deity, then it should be clear to see that Jesus is also God.

Deity is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as: “1. a god or goddess 2. the state of being divine; godhead 3. the rank, status, or position of a god 4. the nature or character of God”. (2) In order to determine that Jesus is Deity and therefore God, the definition of Deity must apply to Him.

John the immerser speaks in John 1:40 and the following occurred: “One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” Who is this Messiah or Christ they were looking to find? Knowledge of the coming Messiah dated back to the Old Testament. God promised Abraham that through his descendant (singular referencing the Messiah) all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3, Genesis 22:18). Isaiah said He would be one referred to as “with us is God” and be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He also said this Messiah would be named “mighty God” and “eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6). Micah 5:2 establishes this Messiah would be born in Bethlehem though his existence was from always or everlasting. This establishes that the Messiah to come would be God for the Lord said this about himself in Isaiah 41:4, “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he.” If the Messiah were from everlasting, then it means he could not come after God. He must, therefore, be God. Taken with the other Old Testament verses, this is quite obvious and confirms Christ’s Deity.

From the introductory scripture of Matthew 16:13-15, Christ asked his disciples who they believed He was. Peter’s answer was that Jesus was “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. The retort by skeptics of Christ as God is in part made from this verse. Christ is only the son and not God establishes the accusation. However, putting aside for the moment the claim Christ is not God, the phrase “Son of God” needs to be understood. For ages leading up to and beyond the time of Christ, the phrase “son of God” has been applied to leaders of nations and others thought to have divine nature. It applied to the genuine belief the individual being spoken about was Deity. This phrase was even seen during the times of Daniel when the fourth image was seen with Daniel and his friends in the fiery pit. Nebuchadnezzar then used the phrase, “son of the gods” in reference to Deity in Daniel 3:25. This was some 500 years before the time of Christ.

The Jews of Jesus time had a very clear understanding of what it meant to claim to be the “Son of God”. In Matthew 26:63-65, Jesus is before the Sanhedrin, the spiritual leadership of the Jews. Jesus is asked if He is “the Christ, the Son of God”. His reply, declaring that He would come in the clouds of heaven and they would see Him, leads the Sanhedrin to declare that Christ has blasphemed. It is not perfectly clear, initially, upon what they base the claim of blasphemy. Is it the affirmation that He is the Son of God? Or the declaration He would come from heaven? Or perhaps the idea He would be coming in judgment (God Judges – Ecclesiastes 12:14)? What aids in making this situation clearer is the passage found in John 10:22-39. The Jews gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Dedication. They asked Jesus to tell them clearly if He was the Christ. He tells them that He has told them before and the works He does should identify who He is. Jesus further tells them that He gives eternal life and He and the Father are one. There are those today who believe the statement that Christ was one with the Father means they both have righteous purposes. However, that is not at all what the Jews understood. They state: “You being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Jesus responds by pointing out God has referred to them as gods (judges with divine authority – Psalms 82) who were to impart and uphold the commands of God. Being in that position, they were accusing Jesus of blaspheming by saying that He was the Son of God. Remember, they equated the phrase “the Son of God” with being God from their own words in this text. Jesus asks them with their understanding of the Law of God, if they were making the charge because His works were contrary to the Law. Of course, His works were not contrary. He further bolsters his case of being God (Son of God) by pointing out the miraculous works which confirmed He was who He said He was. It should be noted in neither Matthew nor John did Jesus deny His Deity, but rather affirmed it in both situations. The Son of God references Deity.

How can Jesus claim to be the son of man and Son of God and not be a demigod? A demigod is part mortal and part God. If Jesus was part both, why is He not considered a demi-god? Christ was indeed flesh. He was born of a virgin as prophesied (Matthew 1:18-25). He was born a descendant of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3). He was a descendant of Abraham according to the flesh (Acts 2:29-32). By the flesh, Jesus suffered for mankind (I Peter 4:1). In His flesh and blood, He was crucified and put away the Law of Moses through fulfillment (Ephesians 2:13-16, Colossians 1:22). In His flesh and blood, He died as all men die (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus was resurrected in His flesh and appeared to the disciples and ate with them (Luke 24:36-43). It is the flesh and blood of Jesus which man remembers in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-29). Jesus was 100% flesh. He was not partly flesh. Jesus was not born from Heaven. Jesus was sent from Heaven (Matthew 21:37, John 3:16, 5:23, 6:39, 10:36, 14:24). He was the begotten of God (John 1:14, 3:16, 3:18, I John 4:9). The term begotten used in reference to Christ means “single or one of its kind” according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions. Colossians 2:9 says of Jesus, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”. This certainly would explain Jesus being the begotten of God. God took the form of man and His name was Jesus. As established by “all” and “fullness”, it was not “part” of God in the form of Jesus. It must be understood Christ is the “only” of God because He was 100% Deity. Jesus was not part man, part God, and thus, a demi-god. Jesus equals God.

To say Jesus is equal to God must be demonstrated through the use of scripture. It has already been established the Jews understood Jesus was claiming to be equal to God (John 5:18) and He backed this claim with the power of God. Paul further affirms this fact by his inspired words in Philippians 2:5-7, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” This verse establishes Jesus was in the form of God. The word “form” refers to his image, nature, makeup, and essence. “Form” doesn’t mean just “personality” or righteous attributes here. Jesus was God in heaven and therefore being God it was not an issue to be considered equal to God. When Jesus was sent to man, He completely assumed the role of servant and put on the image of man, being flesh. Though, He took the more humble form of man, He did not give up his Deity.

When attempting to discern if there is a difference in the nature of God and Jesus, the process is relatively simple. Identify the unique attributes of God and if Jesus does not have these attributes, then he cannot be God. When the Jews identified Jesus’ claim as having equality with God, Jesus laid out a number of attributes showing it was so. In John 5:9-24, He mentions that whatever the Father could do, He could do. He could raise the dead, judge all men, receive the same honor, and give eternal life. At the end of the passage, Jesus again mentions the miracles witnessed His words as true. Further attributes to be noted: Jesus could forgive sins (Mark 2:5). Jesus knew the hearts and minds of men (Matthew 9:4, John 2:24-25). God has no sin (I John 1:5), Jesus did not sin (I Peter 2:21-22). Jesus accepted worship of man (Matthew 28:9), while stating such was for God alone (Matthew 4:10). Jesus is omnipresent (Matthew 18:20). God is everlasting (Psalm 90:2) and Jesus is everlasting (Hebrews 1:8). By examination of attributes alone, Jesus can be seen to be God.

The Hebrews 1:8 scripture not only proclaims Jesus as everlasting, but even more astounding is the knowledge the words spoken there are by God and He calls Jesus “God”. This is not the only place in scripture Jesus is identified as God. Jesus established himself as existing before Abraham and identified Himself as “I AM” the same way God did to Moses (John 8:58-59, Exodus 3:13-15). Following Jesus’ crucifixion, the apostle Thomas said he would not believe Jesus had risen until he personally could “see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side,” John 20:24-28 records those comments and the moment Thomas saw Him and then and there declared to Jesus “My Lord and my God”. Jesus did not rebuke him, but affirms his belief. I Timothy 3:16 speaking of Jesus Christ, proclaims God appeared in the flesh. Romans 9:5 announces Jesus as God overall all. Titus 2:13 speaks of the return of Christ calling Him God and Savior. One verse is all that is needed to validate Jesus as God, but there are numerous examples in scripture.

Another identification of Jesus Christ in scripture is by the Greek term “logos” or simply “Word”. The first 18 verses of the first chapter of the book of John go a long way to understanding Jesus relationship to Deity by using the term “logos”. John 1:1 establishes three things: 1) The Word was in the beginning, 2) the Word was with God, and 3) the Word was God. The evidence the Word is Jesus dominates the full text. Verse 4: The Word was life – Jesus is the life (John 14:6). The Word was the light – Jesus is the light (John 8:12). Verse 7: John came to bear witness of the light – John bore witness of Jesus (John 1:29-30) [Note: John says in this text Jesus existed before him, yet, Jesus was six months younger… see Luke 1:35-36… this points again to the Deity of Christ.]. Verse 10 – The Word was in the world – Jesus was sent into the world (John 3:16). Verse 14: The Word became flesh – Jesus became flesh (Romans 1:3). The Word was the begotten of God – Jesus was the begotten of God (Acts 13:33). There are many more proofs within the John 1 text which demonstrate Jesus was God, but from these samples it is clear the statement is true. The New World Translation attempts to say Jesus was “a” god, however, it does so in attempt to try to prove Christ as simply a glorified man. This is a twisted doctrine which ignores the Greek language and even contradicts its own application of the grammar in question. This belief is brought up now in light of all the evidence thus far seen regarding Christ’s Deity. A deep analysis in the Greek is not needed when it is clear such a twisting of scripture would contradict the Bible presentation of Christ extensively.

The final examination of the Deity of Christ must be taken from the Church of God. This is a phrase which the apostle Paul used with the Churches in Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia, and Thessalonica (Acts 20:28, I Corinthians 1:2, 10:32, 11:16, 22, 15:9, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:13, I Thessalonians 2:14, 2 Thessalonians 1:4). Additionally, he referred to the Church of God in his first letter to Timothy (I Timothy 3:5, 15). It is seen that God added the saved to His Church in Acts 2:47. If it is God’s church, should He not be the head of it? Ephesians 5:23 says Christ is the head of the Church and Savior of it. The Church is also sanctified by Christ (I Corinthians 1:2, Ephesisans 5:26). The Church is presented to Christ by Himself (Ephesians 5:27). How could He present something to Himself which is not His in the first place? The Church is described as His body in Colossians 1:24 by the apostle Paul. He used the term Church of God many times, yet uses the synonymous phrase “Churches of Christ” in Romans 16:16. With such evidence, how can one claim that the Church of God is not the Church of Christ? Even more importantly, how does an individual claim Christ is not God? It is God’s Church. Continuing on from the initial passage of this article (Matthew 16) upon Peter’s confession, Jesus is the Christ and Son of God, Jesus tells him upon that rock (which is Christ – I Corinthians 10:4, I Corinthians 3:11), “I will build my Church”. Whose Church is it? Christ’s Church! Whose Church is it? God’s Church! There is one Church, one body, built by the one God of all (Ephesians 4:4-6). God is the one and only Deity. He is the Father, He is the Son, and He most certainly is Jesus the Christ.

While those who utilize means of authority outside of the Bible will continue to proclaim “Jesus is not Deity, He is not God”, the Bible as the sole means of authority to the Christian confirms that He is. Jesus the Messiah was presented as being God in the Old Testament. Jesus also was presented as being God in the New Testament. Being the Son of God, He was obviously understood to claim Deity by the people of His age. He was all man and all God and not just part of one or the other. He is equal to God, shares the attributes of God, and proclaimed to be God by God and man. He is said to be the Word God, present from the beginning, and presented upon the earth in the flesh. The Church of God has the blessing of being Christ’s Church, the only Church, and the Church accountable to His headship. If Christ is not God, then the Bible is a false witness, and the Christian faith is in vain. The concept of the Deity of Christ must not be set aside or approached lightly for it is the foundation upon which Christians are born and the Church stands.

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