|
Jesus : the Truth and the Life * This book in one sentence: God has given us life in the kingdom of God.
* A note from the author: I am single in a society where most are married; charismatic in a church which is not; rich in a world that is poor. We may not have much in common on the surface, but what we do share is a heavenly Father who loves us, for God made us all in his image. You are my family through Jesus. I love you from all my heart. I desire God’s blessings for you, his grace and his love. So I offer the following scriptures and brief remarks for your consideration regarding life in the kingdom of God. *
I [Jesus] say to you, he that believes on me has everlasting life. from John chapter 6
A note from the author: I was in my 50’s before I read this scripture and realized it said has, not will have in the future. The good news is not that we die and go to heaven and then live forever. The good news is that we have life forever now on earth, from the day we are baptized into Jesus. This is where hearing has, instead of will have, led me. *
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be? Jesus said to him, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not die, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not die, but have everlasting life. excerpts from John chapter 3
A note from the author: “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit” is a reference to baptism. “the Son of man be lifted up” is a reference to Jesus being lifted up on the cross. We receive spiritual life when we are baptized, for that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. *
Jesus said to his disciples, It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life. from John chapter 6
To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. from Romans chapter 8
A note from the author: We receive physical life from the Spirit dwelling in us, quickening our mortal bodies. (quicken means to make alive: revive: to cause to be enlivened). *
A note from the author: These scriptures changed what I understood the good news to be. I have everlasting life. That life is spiritual life and physical life. It begins the day I was baptized. Everlasting means lasting forever. There is no point in time at which I will not have life. Therefore, I will never die. The good news is that we have life forever now on earth, from the day we are baptized into Jesus. *
And now why do you wait? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. from Acts chapter 22
* Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call. from Acts chapters 2
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. from 1 John chapter 1
You know that Jesus was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. from 1 John chapter 3
this is the promise that he has promised us, even eternal life. from 1 John chapter 2 *
A note from the author: Because Adam sinned, he died. Sin entered the world and death followed. These scriptures show me that if I repent and am baptized, that I am forgiven all my sins and cleansed from all my unrighteousness, that I am righteous and without sin. Righteousness is a free gift from God through Jesus. It isn’t partial righteousness. I am made completely clean. Free of sin, I am no longer condemned to death. Therefore, I will never die. I receive the gift of righteousness at baptism. And righteousness is how God gives me everlasting life. This is God’s promise to me, which he fulfilled through Jesus. From a different direction, from scriptures on righteousness, I reached the same conclusion as I did in the opening pages. The good news is that I now have life forever on earth, beginning from the day I was baptized into Jesus. *
After the resurrection, Jesus appears to his apostles in the upper room. Luke records this: As they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and afraid, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said to them, Have you here any food? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. from Luke chapter 24
For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. from Galatians chapter 3
A note from the author: The Webster’s dictionary definition for put on: put on: to dress oneself in: don Jesus has incorruptible flesh and bone. Acts 2 says his body did not see corruption even in the tomb. A child of God is dressed in Jesus. In baptism, we are born spirit and we are dressed in God’s flesh and bone. *
In the old testament, Isaiah writes: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. from Isaiah chapter 61
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will he gave birth to us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. from James chapter 1
A note from the author: God has given birth to us in baptism. We are changed, we are made new. We are no longer a man, born of Adam, born out of earth, we are now a child of God, born from above, having been born of God. Birth is an event, it is not a process. *
There was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and besought him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus to him, Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The nobleman said to him, Sir, come down that my child not die. Jesus said to him, Go your way; your son lives. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Your son lives. Then he inquired of them the hour when his son began to mend. And they said to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, Your son lives: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee. from John chapter 4
A note from the author: I see two lessons. Jesus gives life by speaking. And that life heals sickness. When I saw in the scriptures that I now have everlasting life, it was Jesus who opened my eyes. I saw what I had not seen before, I heard what I had not understood before. Jesus gave me life by speaking to me. And I received that life by believing Jesus.
And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. from Luke chapter 1 *
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, having five porches. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been a long time in that case, he said to him, Do you will to be made whole? Rise, take up your bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. And on the same day was the Sabbath, the Jews, therefore, said to him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said to me, Take up your bed, and walk. Then asked they him, Who said to you, Take up your bed, and walk? And he that was healed knew not who it was, for Jesus had went away, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come to you. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. excerpts from John chapter 5
A note from the author: I see a simple lesson. I receive healing by obeying Jesus. I see a more difficult lesson. Jesus expects me to sin no more. Jesus will not ask me to do something which is not possible for me to do. Ceasing to sin is not only possible, Jesus requires it. (There are more scriptures coming on this point shortly.) *
And it came to pass, as Jesus went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said to him, Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole. from Luke chapter 17 *
And it came to pass, that as Jesus was come near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought to him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What will you that I shall do unto you? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said to him, Receive your sight: your faith has saved you. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. from Luke chapter 18
A note from the author: What exactly was the blind man’s faith? He called Jesus the son of David. He called Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. He believed Jesus was the person the old testament had written about, and he knew the scriptures wrote that the Messiah would give sight to the blind. From these two things which he knew and believed, he boldly asked to receive his sight. And he immediately received what he asked. Faith is the combination of knowledge of the scriptures, with belief that Jesus is the one scripture writes about; Jesus has come as the Christ to fulfill the scriptures. Do you notice Jesus asked the man to speak his faith before he healed him? Jesus was modeling how the kingdom of God operates. Ask and you will receive. Knowing who I am, believing I am the Christ, ask me for what the scriptures say I will do, and I will do it for you. And Jesus spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for awhile: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night to him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth? from Luke chapter 18 *
And Jesus spoke this parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. from Luke chapter 18
A note from the author: What does it mean to be exalted? As least part of the answer is in this passage. Exalted means to be justified. And justified means to be made righteous. To be exalted is to be made righteous. We are made righteous, without sin, in baptism. We are exalted when we are baptized. The Pharisee thought it was his works which made him righteous. He was proud, he did not think he needed God’s mercy, he thought his own works were sufficient proof he was righteous. In his pride he ignored the fact that the law said to transgress any part of the law was to transgress it all. The Pharisee ignored the fact he had committed one or more sins in his lifetime, and was thus as guilty in God’s eyes, being a sinner, as the publican. The publican understood it was God’s mercy which made him righteous. He humbled himself by seeing himself as a sinner who could only be made righteous by God’s mercy resting upon him. The Pharisee came to the temple, spoke to God, and declared himself righteous. He left still a sinner. The publican came to the temple, admitted he had sinned, cried to God for mercy, and was forgiven. He left the temple clean of sin, made righteous. Jesus said, the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them, even so the Son quickens whom he will. For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son, honors not the Father which has sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed out of death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. from John chapter 5
Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. As he spoke these words, many believed on him. from John chapter 8 *
A note from the author: The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. This is the good news in one sentence. There is a death sentence resting upon sinners. When a man comes to Jesus, repents and is baptized, he is forgiven his sins and made clean. He is no longer a sinner condemned to death. Now he is righteous and has everlasting life. The good news in three words: hear and live. *
continue reading Jesus : the Truth and the Life
JESUS : THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
|