It seems as if every "Christian" knows who the Son of God is these days. In fact, there's movies about him, books about him, and every Christian swears up and down that they personally know him. In fact, we are taught that every "salvation" experience is personal but how are we so sure that this is the real salvation experience?
Now I am saying may be offensive to some people, because it causes people to audit themselves. Of course if you have a personal experience with God, it is very personal and close to you. But in order to get beyond a personal conviction or feeling , we must line up our experience with the word of God. At the end of the day we must remember 2 Corinthians 10:5 and cast down any imagination that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.
God is not the author of confusion so either we must line up our own selves and personal experiences with the Bible. The message of salvation must be the same for everyone, God is not going to tailor make everything for the individual. We must humble our own selves before God and his word, and not the other way around. Yes, God delivers different people from different things and in different ways, but how we must come to him is the same no matter who you are.
Now I am going to get off the salvation message for a bit, to break down divine revelation. Divine revelation is the means by which salvation is made possible. In fact, Luke 10:22 and Matthew 11:27 are two verses that explain that it is only the Son who can reveal to us "The Father." In other words the revelation of who God really is, is something that only the Son of God can reveal. Now John 6:44 tells us that no one can come to the son, unless they are drawn by the Father. These verses both establish that it is only God who gives divine revelation. The question becomes, what is the role of the Son and the role of the Father? Isn't God one, what does this all mean?
Now if we go back to Luke 10:22 and Matthew 11:27, wee see that it is only through the Son that the Father can be seen! Colossians 1:15 tells us that the Son, is the image of the Father. Now we must remember that the body or flesh of the Son, is only a material image. According to Colossians 2:9 we know that inside of this image dwells the very fullness of God himself. Of course this God again, according to John 4:24 is a spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Now the flesh of God, by itself is just flesh and is completely incapable of doing anything. This is why Jesus says in John 5:30 "I can do nothing of myself."
The image of flesh is not what we lift up and worship, but it is the Spirit of God who dwelled in this Temple of flesh. He dwelled in this temple of flesh in the same way he dwelled in the Temple of Solomon! Now, not only did he dwell in this Temple of flesh not made with human hands but he walked in it! In fact, Leviticus 26:12 prophetically tells us that He will WALK among his people and be their God!
Now going back to John 6:44 this verse tells us that it is the Father who draws men to Christ. This "drawing" happens when people witnessed the very power of God which was demonstrated through his mighty works, acts character, and words of truth that he spoke, through His Son! In fact, according to John 12:49 and John 14:10 all the words that Jesus spoke, were ALL his Father's! 2 Corinthians 5:19 says that it was the mighty God IN Christ, reconciling the world to himself.
Jesus brought unparalleled glory to God because, God himself was made manifest in Jesus. In fact, the name of the Hebrew God was concealed from God's people until Jesus was lifted up on the cross! In fact, the only way to call on the one Hebrew God who spoke the word into existence, is to call upon his revealed name, the name of Jesus! In fact the Old Testament God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said in Isaiah 45:23 that "unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." It's interesting to note that Philippians 2:10 says the exact same thing, only this time it reveals who the "me" is in Isaiah 45:23 is. "At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow."
We don't have time to go in depth to show that God's personal name in Hebrew, "יהוה," (YHWH in English.) is actually an acronym. This acronym is revealed in John 19:19 when Pontious Pilate put a sign above the cross that read: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." This sign was written in three languages, Hebrew or Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. It's interesting to note that this sign in Hebrew, if translated to English would read: "Yeshua Ha’Netzeret W‘mlech Ha’Yehudim." It's clear, even the name of Jesus reveals who he is! It is only through the Son that the Father is lifted up and revealed! Even the concealed name of the Father was lifted up when Jesus was lifted up on the cross!
1 John 2:23 tells us that if we reject the Son, we reject the Father. If it were possible to know the Father without the Son, then practicing Judaism would be another route but there is not another route. We must all have the blood of God (Acts 20:28) applied to the door posts of our heart, so that we can pass over from death to life.
This is the close of "Have You Seen The Son Of God" Part I, please continue to Part 2.
Now I am saying may be offensive to some people, because it causes people to audit themselves. Of course if you have a personal experience with God, it is very personal and close to you. But in order to get beyond a personal conviction or feeling , we must line up our experience with the word of God. At the end of the day we must remember 2 Corinthians 10:5 and cast down any imagination that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.
God is not the author of confusion so either we must line up our own selves and personal experiences with the Bible. The message of salvation must be the same for everyone, God is not going to tailor make everything for the individual. We must humble our own selves before God and his word, and not the other way around. Yes, God delivers different people from different things and in different ways, but how we must come to him is the same no matter who you are.
Now I am going to get off the salvation message for a bit, to break down divine revelation. Divine revelation is the means by which salvation is made possible. In fact, Luke 10:22 and Matthew 11:27 are two verses that explain that it is only the Son who can reveal to us "The Father." In other words the revelation of who God really is, is something that only the Son of God can reveal. Now John 6:44 tells us that no one can come to the son, unless they are drawn by the Father. These verses both establish that it is only God who gives divine revelation. The question becomes, what is the role of the Son and the role of the Father? Isn't God one, what does this all mean?
Now if we go back to Luke 10:22 and Matthew 11:27, wee see that it is only through the Son that the Father can be seen! Colossians 1:15 tells us that the Son, is the image of the Father. Now we must remember that the body or flesh of the Son, is only a material image. According to Colossians 2:9 we know that inside of this image dwells the very fullness of God himself. Of course this God again, according to John 4:24 is a spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Now the flesh of God, by itself is just flesh and is completely incapable of doing anything. This is why Jesus says in John 5:30 "I can do nothing of myself."
The image of flesh is not what we lift up and worship, but it is the Spirit of God who dwelled in this Temple of flesh. He dwelled in this temple of flesh in the same way he dwelled in the Temple of Solomon! Now, not only did he dwell in this Temple of flesh not made with human hands but he walked in it! In fact, Leviticus 26:12 prophetically tells us that He will WALK among his people and be their God!
Now going back to John 6:44 this verse tells us that it is the Father who draws men to Christ. This "drawing" happens when people witnessed the very power of God which was demonstrated through his mighty works, acts character, and words of truth that he spoke, through His Son! In fact, according to John 12:49 and John 14:10 all the words that Jesus spoke, were ALL his Father's! 2 Corinthians 5:19 says that it was the mighty God IN Christ, reconciling the world to himself.
Jesus brought unparalleled glory to God because, God himself was made manifest in Jesus. In fact, the name of the Hebrew God was concealed from God's people until Jesus was lifted up on the cross! In fact, the only way to call on the one Hebrew God who spoke the word into existence, is to call upon his revealed name, the name of Jesus! In fact the Old Testament God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said in Isaiah 45:23 that "unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." It's interesting to note that Philippians 2:10 says the exact same thing, only this time it reveals who the "me" is in Isaiah 45:23 is. "At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow."
We don't have time to go in depth to show that God's personal name in Hebrew, "יהוה," (YHWH in English.) is actually an acronym. This acronym is revealed in John 19:19 when Pontious Pilate put a sign above the cross that read: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." This sign was written in three languages, Hebrew or Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. It's interesting to note that this sign in Hebrew, if translated to English would read: "Yeshua Ha’Netzeret W‘mlech Ha’Yehudim." It's clear, even the name of Jesus reveals who he is! It is only through the Son that the Father is lifted up and revealed! Even the concealed name of the Father was lifted up when Jesus was lifted up on the cross!
1 John 2:23 tells us that if we reject the Son, we reject the Father. If it were possible to know the Father without the Son, then practicing Judaism would be another route but there is not another route. We must all have the blood of God (Acts 20:28) applied to the door posts of our heart, so that we can pass over from death to life.
This is the close of "Have You Seen The Son Of God" Part I, please continue to Part 2.