Saturday, September 17, 2016

God's Message Through Jesus

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,[1]

In the final stages of the Jewish era God chose to speak through his son. God’s communication with Israel had been mostly through prophets, but now as the period of the first covenant drew to a close, God sent his Word. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.[2] What communication so important, so amazing, so absolutely essential, required that God would extend himself through his son to make it known? To me, Jesus coming to earth was God’s magnificent “show and tell”. God through Jesus wanted to “tell it like it is” without the embellishment or exaggeration of religious teachers. There are likely millions of books from which we can learn about Jesus. However, it is more important to know Jesus, than to just know about him. Jesus was God’s living message, and we’re told that it is only through Jesus we can approach God.

Any Church or religion that downplays the role of God’s living message is not Christian. No matter how long and hard Moslems try to prove that they and Christians serve the same God, it is not so. The god of Islam is not the God of the Bible. According the Quran, “Christ Jesus the son of Mary was a messenger of Allah. … Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: …above having a son.”[3] Since Allah is above having a son, he is not the God of the Bible, the God of the Bible spoke of Jesus, “Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!’”[4] The Watchtower teaching on Jesus’ pre-life status is that he was created, and that the beginning of John’s gospel where he said that the “Word was with God and was God,”[5] well, that’s a mistranslation. The Watchtower teaching denies Christ’s equality with God, I suppose this is important to that society because it needs to be seen as elevating Jehovah as the one and only God. The God of the Bible made it abundantly clear that salvation is through the name of Jesus, and in him alone. Mormons believe, “In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints ‘do not believe in the traditional Christ.’ ‘No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak'”[6] The Mormon Jesus annihilated fourteen cities and countless people, before stating he was Jesus Christ the Son of God. After the Mormon Jesus died and was raised he visited America giving the people a message. Whereas most Churches publically claim allegiance to Jesus, many seem more aligned with the particular doctrines of their denominations. The Roman Catholic Church diminishes Jesus by claiming that its pope is infallible when speaking from the throne, and that the scripture is only correct when interpreted by the Church. How is it that “the vicar of Christ” is enthroned and Jesus hung on a cross? The Catholic Church venerates Mary, by doing so goes against the will of God, depreciating Jesus.

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.[7]
I applaud Churches in which Jesus is elevated and which recognize him as the only path to reconciliation with God. It doesn’t matter to me what denomination a person belong to, as long as Jesus is accepted as the only path to God. It is imperative that believers are aligned with Jesus and not just members of a Church. Church membership is nothing, being in Christ is everything. Whether part of an organized denomination (Church), or a small group, or even alone, living in and for Christ is vital.
let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.[8]
Jesus himself said he was the only way to God, and it is obvious that God agreed with him. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[9] “…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.[10]For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.[11]For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”[12] If Jesus isn’t Lord of your heart, you have no means of being close to God.

There is a very sad portrayal of people who thought they had been doing God’s work, but obviously weren’t.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'[13]
The illustration focuses on people who can only be described as very religious, judging from their claims. Yet the Lord said he had never known them, despite their assertions of performing many miracles in his name. One might wonder if ordinary people who could not perform miracles would have had any hope of being accepted. The key lies in the first sentence; “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Only those people who did the Father’s will were permitted entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Something was missing in the service of those rejected; presumably they hadn’t been doing the Father’s will, even though they were religious and performed miracles. There were a few remarks earlier in Jesus’ proclamation that hint of important behaviours. “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.[14]Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.[15] And, immediately following the portion in question, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.[16] Contextually the passage, in which religious people were rejected, is part of a larger pericope, which included traits of life that were seen as being the will of God. I wonder if what Jesus said of certain miracle workers is analogous to some involved in Church activities today. Jesus prefaced his condemnation saying, “Not everyone who says to me…” From that, presumably some who performed miracles would be accepted. Those who were accepted would been doing the will of God.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[17]
Human doctrines belittle Jesus when they focus on Church interests; when his name is used profanely, headlining programs designed to entice people into a specific Church. Jesus said he would draw all people to himself. Jesus was the embodiment of the two great Laws, “The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.[18] These are not mantras to recited, they must form the foundation of living. There is no place for the veneration of “saints”, or the veneration of icons. Most evangelicals would agree with that statement, but is the practice of exclusivity around traditional doctrines any better? Matthew’s gospel says, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.[19] It seems to me that the two great laws should be the litmus test for any religious practice. Anything that detracts from the centrality of Jesus is wrong. “…it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.’[20] We don’t know if that label was derogatory or complimentary, but we understand its origin was likely because disciples spoke of and acted like the Christ. The point to be taken is that it was obvious to people in the vicinity that believers represented and followed Jesus. Since the development of political or commercial Christianity namely the Roman Church of the fourth century, the Church has been the dominant feature of the Christian religion. The term Christian no longer stands for a disciple of Jesus, it means an adherent to the general Christian religion. Under the broad heading of Christian we find: Unitarianism, Mormonism, Christian Science, British Israelism, and many more. It is difficult to find current numbers, but in 2012 it was estimated there were 33,000 denominations under the flag of Christianity. Originally the disciples were lumped together under the designation Christian because of similarities and a relationship with Christ. The denominations of Christianity demonstrate human pride and arrogance, and worse, a general disregard for Jesus. The divisions among Corinthian believers pales in comparison to the dilution of Christ’s influence in modern times. The greatest threat to Christianity is not Islam or Atheism, it is the commercialization of Christianity and the proliferation of denominations.   

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.[21]



[1] Heb 1:1-3 
[2] Joh 1:14 
[3] 4:171, Yusif Ali
[4] Luke 9:35 
[5] Joh 1:1
[6] LDS Church News, week ending June 20, 1998, p.7.
[7] Joh 20:30, 31
[8] Act 4:10-12 (NRSV)
[9] Rom 8:1
[10] 1Co 15:57 
[11] Gal 3:26 
[12] 1Ti 2:5 
[13] Mat 7:21-23
[14] Mat 7:12
[15] Mat 7:15, 16
[16] Mat 7:24
[17] Php 2:5-11
[18] Mar 12:29-31
[19] Mat 22:40 
[20] Act 11:26 
[21] 1Co 1:27-2:5

No comments:

Post a Comment

Is What we Believe Tradition or God's Word?

  A sampling of comments and thoughts to think about when considering what we believe: A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” “In tod...