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About Jesus Steve Sweetman What
God Do You Serve? Christians
are often told that all religions serve the same God.
From a Biblical perspective, that's just not true.
The apostle Paul uses the phrase "God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ" in 2 Corinthians 1:3. Paul's
words tell us what God Christians serve.
He served the God who was Jesus' God and Father.
I emphasize the word "serve"
because it's a word seldom heard in Christian circles these days.
If we serve the God and Father of Jesus, we need to know who
Jesus is. Once knowing who
Jesus is, you'll soon see that we don't serve the same God as other
religions. John
1:1 reads, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God." There's
no real debate over who the "Word" is.
The Word is Jesus.
So in the creation account of Genesis 1 we see Jesus being with
God, yet at the same time actually being God.
Genesis
1:1 reads, "in the beginning God created…"
The Hebrew word "Elohim" is translated as God in this
verse. "Elohim" is
the plural form of the Hebrew word "El".
"El" is the "all-powerful and most supreme
One". This means
that the essence of God is plural. This
plurality is also confirmed in Genesis 1:26 when the text says,
"let us make man…" You
might ask, "who is us?" In
Genesis 1:3, 6, 14, 20, and 24 we read, "God said…"
These two words are in reference to God using words to create the
universe. From the words of
His lips, God simply spoke things into existence.
These words are, or at least came from, the "Word" who
is Jesus, as seen in John 1:1. Jesus
was with God, and in fact was God at creation, making the very essence
of God plural. That being
said, we know from Scripture that God is one.
One God who is both one yet plural.
Throughout
the Old Testament Jesus appeared in various ways to various people.
For example, He was the one who wrestled with Jacob in
Genesis 32. Yet there came a
time when the Word would appear in a human body.
In Luke 1:33 an angel tells Mary that she will give birth to a
son whose name will be Jesus. He'd
be called "the Son of the Most High."
Luke 1:35 says that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and the
power of the Most High would overshadow her.
That's why the holy one born of Mary would be called the
"Son of God". As
God breathed life into Adam, so He breathed a new life into Mary. When
God breathed into Adam, something of God was placed in Adam.
In like manor, when God overshadowed Mary, something of God was
placed in Mary. God united
Himself with humanity, producing a Son that Mary gave birth to.
Unlike Adam who was created in God's likeness and image, that
which was born of Mary was "God's exact representation"
(Hebrews 1:3). Adam was
created similar to God. Jesus
was never created, because He is God, and God is eternal. Concerning
Jesus, Peter said in Acts 2:36 that God made Him to be both Lord and
Christ. As "Lord,"
Jesus is the final authority over all there is.
As "Christ," He is the only means of salvation for men,
women, and the rest of creation. Jesus
is pictured in the book of Revelation in His present state of existence.
He is seen as the beginning
and end of all things, who is, who was, who is to come, the Almighty, as
in the "Almighty God" (Revelation 1:8).
When John first saw Jesus in his vision he saw Him as one who
looked like a man, dressed in a white robe.
His hair was white as snow. His
eyes were like flaming fire. His
feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace of fire.
His voice sounded like the thunder of rushing waters. Like In
Revelation 3:14 we see that Jesus is "the ruler of God's
creation." He will rule
over all creation until He puts all who oppose God under His feet.
Then He will stand before God His Father and hand all creation
back to Him (1 Corinthians 15:28). The
next time John saw Jesus in his vision is found in Revelation 5.
John wept bitterly because he thought there was no one found in
all creation who could open the seven seals.
He was told to turn around because there was one worthy and
powerful enough to open the seals. Expecting
to see the one looking like the military general he saw earlier, John
turned around and saw a Lamb that had been slain, murdered because of
the sins of humanity. What a shock that must have been.
The mighty general is now portrayed as a slain lamb.
That's the dichotomy of who Jesus is.
As Peter said, He is Lord, and He is Christ.
Jesus
presently sits on the throne of all creation.
He is the final authority over all there is.
He has no competition, no real rivals.
He is God in some kind of super-human redeemed body.
He is the mighty general, but if you look closely, you'll notice
traces of a wounded body, suffered at the hands of a humanity He loved.
This is who Jesus is at this very moment.
He is both God's son and God Himself.
The Biblical account states that Christians serve the God and
Father of "this Jesus". Now
you tell me, "is this the same God that other religions claim to
serve?"
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