Where does the Bible say that Jesus was God?

I am forever thankful for those who have given their lives defending the deity of Christ. Because of their faithful study of the Word I have never questioned that Jesus was, is, and will always be fully God. They valiantly defended what the Bible declared (Heb. 1:1-3), and what Jesus himself affirmed on multiple occasions in the gospel record (John 5:17-25). Jesus was fully God.

The deity of Christ is clearly presented in the first chapters of three New Testament books: the Gospel of John, the book of Colossians, and the book of Hebrews. These chapters explicitly express that Jesus is God and has been so for all eternity.

The writer of Hebrews captures it best when he writes,

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:1-3).

In verse 3 some Bible translations render the word radiance as the word reflection. But this is a misleading representation of the nature of Jesus.  There is a difference between reflection and radiance. The moon reflects, but the sun radiates. Jesus doesn’t simply reflect His Father’s nature like the moon reflects the sun’s light. His personal deity shines forth radiantly like the sun burning hydrogen at several hundred million tons per second.

The MacArthur Study Bible captures the meaning in one succinct sentence:

The Son is the perfect imprint, the exact representation of the nature and essence of God in time and space.

Throughout the gospel record Jesus often affirmed the truth that he was fully God at the most critical junctures of his ministry. For instance Jesus was constantly attributing his decisions, his work, and his wonders to his heavenly Father. That may not seem like a big deal to us, but it was to those living in first century Judaism.  In their world the claim to son-ship meant equality with one’s father. So when Jesus referred to himself as the Son of God, without disclaimer, he was communicating equal authority with God.

John’s Gospel records this debate after one of Jesus’ numerous miracles.

But Jesus answered them,

“My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:17-18).

Some have taught that Jesus wasn’t really claiming to be God, but that the religious leaders misunderstood him. Ponder that for a moment. If someone were threatening to kill you, and it was all a simple misunderstanding, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to correct the misunderstanding? I would. But Jesus doesn’t correct them. Instead, he affirms that they heard him right.

So Jesus said to them,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing… 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father… (John 5:19-23).

Jesus never denied that he was God, and when given the opportunity to clarify his position he only affirmed the truth more strongly.

Why every work day should feel like Friday

Work. Sooner or later we all have to do it. But have you ever considered what gives work its inherent value? Perhaps you think of your paycheck. Many do. If you really love your job, you might think that your personal enjoyment gives your work value. But what if you’re not paid much, or you really don’t like your boss?

For the longest time I thought that work was a result of the fall of man. That after Adam and Eve had sinned in the garden, God disciplined Adam with labor, and then God disciplined Eve with labor of a different kind (one which every man I’ve ever met was thankful he didn’t have to go through).

Here were God’s words to Adam after the fall:

Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:17-19).

But while the fall of man occurs in Genesis 3, man is actually assigned work to do in Genesis 2. Here is Adam’s job description:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Genesis 2:15).

Prior to his punishment Adam is responsible to work and keep the garden. Interesting. Work is humanity’s responsibility in a pre-fallen world.

Herein lies the inherent value of work: God not only assigned work, but God does work.

Consider these verses:

In the beginning God created
 (Gen. 1:1)

He who began a good work in you
 (Phil. 1:6).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
 (Eph. 2:10).

Work has value, because God is a worker (Gen. 2:3), and we were made in his image (Gen. 1:26-27). When we work with the right attitude we are reflecting the image of God to those around us. Such a perspective does not require a pay raise, a good boss, or even that you like your job.

Contentment is possible when you reflect upon the truth that God created you to work, and you make visible his invisible character, when you do.

Remembering that life is a “Y”

Years ago someone introduced me to the benefit of viewing my life through the letter “Y.” That singular image has helped me understand the desires of my heart (and the consequences of following those desires) more than any other image. I continue to use it in discipling, counseling, and with anyone who is willing to listen. Today’s devotional is simply this image. Look at it. Study it. Pray through it. And make choices today in the light of it.

The subtle shift of eyes, desires, and beliefs

The phrase they got away with murder communicates that we believe our sense of justice has been vilified. Whether on the basketball court or the courtroom we think that someone did something wrong, and that they didn’t have to pay.

Such a belief nearly led to the undoing of Asaph, the writer of the 73rd Psalm. He wrote,

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 73:2-3).

There are three subtle shifts that Asaph confesses. Because they are subtle, each of us is vulnerable to the same temptations that Asaph faced.

His Eyes Shift

For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 73:3).

Jealousy starts with a longing look. The coveting heart is revealed when our glance lingers. Jesus had strong words about the eye as the lamp to the body (Matt. 6:22-23). He understood that staring at something allows the mind to begin to desire it even though it is not our possession. Asaph’s eyes shifted off of the Lord, and unto the prideful man. For just a moment, he wished he could be that man.

His Desires Shift

They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind (Psalm 73:5)

If we look at what we can’t have long enough eventually it awakens our desire. We become dissatisfied with the life that we have been given, and we long for something more. The phrase they are not communicates how his desires had shifted. Asaph wanted the freedom of the wicked man. From his perspective, the wicked could do what he wanted without consequence.  He could feed his guilty pleasures, without feeling guilty. Then, he could wake up the next morning and do it all over again without the slightest pang of conscience. Dissatisfaction with one’s circumstances is sure to undermine the belief that God is good (Psalm 84:11).

His Beliefs Shift

Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.  All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence (Psalm 73:13).

It was not in vain that the Psalmist had done the right thing, but it certainly felt that way.

Once the eyes dwell upon another’s possession, once the desire for what you don’t possess intensifies, your belief system will start to crumble.  Asaph temporarily lost sight of the eternal rewards that would be his, and the eternal judgment that would fall on the wicked. He had a rising sense of entitlement. Such a position hardens your heart to your need of grace. 

But there is hope. For the Psalmist ends his song with refocusing his eyes, his desires and his beliefs.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength and my portion forever . . . But for me it is good to be near to God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of your works(Psalm 73:25-26).

Is my pain and suffering God’s will for my life?

Those who teach a prosperity gospel leave little room for the place suffering has in the will of God for the believer. Granted, most of us would like a life without pain or difficulty. We would like to keep suffering at arm’s length if we could.

But two Biblical characters reveal that suffering may be a part of God’s will for all those who live in this fallen world: Jesus and Paul.

700 years before he was born, it was prophesied of Jesus:

Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Isaiah got even more specific in an often overlooked verse a little later in the chapter.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief. . . (Isaiah 53:10).

Ponder this: At some stage in his earthly life, Jesus’ human eyes fell upon that phrase.  It was the will of the Lord to crush him. Perhaps this was the stimulus for his remarkable submission in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus understood the will of God, and he realized that it involved suffering.

Jesus wasn’t alone in this understanding of suffering. Think about the first message the apostle Paul received upon his conversion. Ananias brought a message that must have seemed confusing at best; nevertheless, it had come directly from the Lord.

Go, for he [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name (Acts 9:15-16).

This should bring us hope. Does God want what’s best for us? Certainly.  See Psalm 84:11. Is he a loving and protective Father? Absolutely. See Psalm 91:1-4. But sometimes what is best for us might include a path we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves. Sometimes that path might be the way of suffering, but it is a path we will not walk alone.

God has all the time in the world, but we only have today

The eternality of God is one of his attributes that the Scriptures affirm.

Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2)

Jesus said,

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13).

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last. Jesus is saying from A to Z I am God.

Wayne Grudem captures the eternality of God in one succinct sentence.

God has no beginning, end, or succession of moments in his own being, and he sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time.1

This should bring great comfort to us. The Bible means what it says when it records: “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it” God has all the time in the world to make you what he wants you to be.

But while God has all the time in the world, we do not.

The Bible declares:

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14 NKJV)

When I was a child and fighting a cold, my mother would plug in the vaporizer; hot steam would come up from this tank by my bedside. But if you unplugged the unit, the vapor was gone—instantly. That’s how God wants us to look at life. Here today – gone tomorrow.

When we understand the brevity of our life we will guard against two dangers: procrastination and overconfident planning (James 4:13-16). While these seem to be opposite extremes, they actually have the same base thought. Both perspectives arrogantly assume they have more tomorrows. God wants us to remember we are only assured of today.

For he says . . . Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).

Sometimes we get these roles confused. We want God to act right now. But we would like to put off for another day, what God wants us to do right now. We need to remember: God has all the time in the world, but we only have today.

Footnotes:

1. Grudem, W. A. (1994). Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (168). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Six steps to improve communication with others

James gave some of the best advice ever on communication when he penned,

Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20)

This is especially necessary in our family relationships.

The author is unknown, but I have found the simple acrostic ladder to be helpful in applying the truths from James 1:19-20.

Look at the person speaking to you.

Ask questions.

Don’t interrupt.

Don’t change the subject.

Empathize.

Respond verbally and non-verbally.

3 words to remember when you serve…

Serving others is not without its challenges. Three words describe our service to the Lord: faithful, joyful, and sacrificial.

Serve Faithfully: Are you looking for every opportunity to serve the Lord? Jesus tells a parable about three servants. The master commends two of the three because they were faithful (Matt. 25:21, 23). They had actively looked for every opportunity to invest what the Master had entrusted to them. Our Master expects the same of us. Don’t waste your life. Look for every opportunity to serve the Lord.

Serve Joyfully: Are you looking for man’s approval or heavens? John the Baptist had a growing ministry until Jesus came on the scene. Suddenly, many of John’s followers became Jesus’ followers. When John was questioned about this occurrence his response was: “Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30). Serving others can be challenging. It’s easy to get your feelings hurt. Find your joy in heaven’s approval, not the approval of those you’re serving.

Serve Sacrificially: Are you looking for what you can give up to serve? The Good Samaritan understood what it meant to be a good neighbor.  When he saw one who was in need, his heart opened up. He gave his time, his ride, his money, his service (Luke 10:33-36). All of this cost him. Ministry didn’t come at a convenient time in his schedule, and it won’t likely come in yours.  Prepare yourself to sacrifice. But know this: It will be worth it!

Hear the joy in Paul’s writing: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love
, my joy and crown, stand firm
in the Lord” (Phil. 4:1).

As you serve, serve the Lord faithfully, joyfully, and sacrificially. God will be honored and you will be blessed.

Jonah’s one right thought…

The story of Jonah is one of those that we learn young. Show a child a picture of a man in a whale, and if he doesn’t guess Pinocchio he’ll probably say its Jonah.

Yet it was only in the belly of the creature from the deep that Jonah actually thinks God’s thoughts (Jonah 2:1-10). It’s only from within a stomach lining that Jonah begins to grasp his need for grace. Unfortunately he never fully desires for his enemies to have that grace (Jonah 4:2-3).

Tucked in Jonah’s submarine prayer is one of my wife’s favorite verses. The NIV captures it this way,

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs (Jonah 2:8)

You might want to reread that verse. Read it slowly. It is life changing, but it doesn’t have to be. You see it was life changing for the Ninevites — they heard Jonah’s preaching and repented from their idol worship and turned to the living God (Jonah 3:8). It was life changing for the sailors bound for Tarshish. Having thrown Jonah into the Sea, the storm stopped, and they worshipped the Lord and got committed (Jonah 1:16).

But it wasn’t life changing for Jonah; its effects on his attitude were only temporary. Jonah’s idol was his bitterness and bigotry. Certainly the  Ninevites had done cruel acts to the surrounding nations. The pleasure they took in their violence and torture of others was renowned. But Jonah did not deem them as worth saving. He knew if he preached to them, they just might repent. And he knew if they repented, God in his grace would forgive. That’s why he got on the west-bound ship, when he should have been going east. He chose to cling to his worthless idol.

What root of bitterness consumes you? A wrong committed against you in the past? Something that happened to you as a child? The unfaithfulness of a spouse? The deceit of a friend?

Be careful of clinging to the pain of another’s wrongdoing, you might discover that you’re forfeiting the grace that could be yours.

The answered prayer for which I never asked

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;

I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things;

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy;

I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among men, most richly blessed.

At the end of the civil war, this prayer was found folded in the pocket of a Confederate soldier.