Brothers :
The Holy Spirit
and Jesus
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13. Jesus' Indwelt Word
Same Gene Pool
The Lord God in the person of the Holy Spirit indwells Jesus' word. Simon Peter answers Jesus on one occasion in Matthew 16.16 and says, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." In our modern usage, Peter's acknowledgment of Jesus as the "Son of the Living God" indicated his belief in the fact that he was "of the same gene pool" as the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Being the son of the "living god" indicates Saint Peter's belief in the "living" power of Jesus, which he witnesses in the many miracles that Jesus performed. Jesus was not a dead powerless deity but an active, alive one.✞
Family Affection
At Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan, we had another indication that the Lord God lived in Jesus. The Holy Spirit appeared like a dove and descended on Jesus. A heavenly voice said in Luke 3.22, "You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased." Here we see Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Heavenly Father as members of the same family, sharing family affection. They love one another! ✞
The Word
The mighty name, "the Word," describes Jesus Christ at the opening of John's Gospel. The gospel of John starts, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This loaded phrase, "the Word," is a deliberate reflection of a passage from Genesis 1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." It reminds us of John 1.1, "From the beginning, what we have heard, and seen, looked at, and our hands touched, this we proclaim about the Word of life." ✞
Supreme Jesus
The supreme Jesus is over all other gods despite the societal pressures to make all gods equal. The pressure is to be politically correct rather than biblically correct! The definition of "politically correct" is "the elimination of language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in sex or race)." Jesus was careless about offending or upsetting any group of people in society with the truth. The Scriptures describe Jesus as being "with God" at the Creation and that he "was God." Saint Thomas acclaims in John 20.28, "My Lord and my God!" Unlike Thomas, many Christian leaders today are being politically correct but biblically incorrect. Many would publically address Jesus as "God" in the face of other world faiths for whom Jesus is just a prophet. One of the five marks of a church successful in reaching the Millenials today is that they refer to "Jesus" rather than the vaguer "God" in their worship. We all tend to fall into this politically correct trap! ✞
God Overall
Saint Paul urges the church elders at Ephesus in Acts 20.28, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his blood." The words "the church of God" are also translated as "the Lord." The phrase "his blood" may mean "with the blood of his own Son." We, too, are encouraged to look after the disciples of Jesus who are committed to our care. ✞
Image of God
Saint Paul uses an exciting phrase in Romans concerning Jesus. In stating that Jesus is "God over all," he also adds new meaning to the generally used words "made in the image of God." Saint Paul writes in Romans 9.5, "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, the human ancestry of Christ is traced, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." He is saying that Jesus is the "Messiah, who is overall. Praise God forever!" or "Messiah. God, who is overall, be forever praised!" "Christ, who is God overall" is a lovely and complete description of the deity of the supreme Jesus Christ.✞
Jesus Christ's Divinity
The divinity of Jesus Christ is the most significant fact of history and the foundation of the transformational power received by human beings at conversion. We define "divinity" as "the state or quality of being divine." However, it is hard to comprehend the divinity of Jesus Christ or his "being in very nature, God." The term "divine God" summoned up an image of the Creator of a vast expanse of the universe, or the one who can magically take soil and mold it into flesh and blood. ✞
Very Nature God
Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians of this very truth about Jesus in Philippians 2.6-8. He wrote (Jesus), "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantage, rather he made himself nothing, by taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!" We note that the translation "in very nature God" may also be "in the form of God." The phrase "the very nature of God" may mean "the form of God." ✞
God Became a Man
Here is a reversal of rational thinking. Now, we have to think of the divinity of Jesus Christ as "God becoming a man" rather than "man becoming a God," which is the intent of most other religions. Saint Paul argues in Philippians 2.9-11, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. That at Jesus' name every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to God the Father's glory." Jesus deserves, said Saint Paul, to receive all the praise and honor generally given to the deity. Jesus bears and uses the powerful "I am" name of the Lord God himself! ✞
Eternal True Jesus
The eternal honest Jesus comes in bodily form from God, who is timeless to this earth to dwell amongst humans like us. In Colossians 2.9, Saint Paul makes the astounding statement, "For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form." Titus writes in Titus 2.13, "While we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." The verse "all the fullness of deity" is compared with "the glory of our great God." Here Jesus is described as "the great God and Savior." Like the Lord God, Jesus has "a throne" to sit upon and "a scepter" to hold to indicate his power. The writer to the Hebrews 1.8 says, "But about the Son, he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.'"✞
Your Throne
The epistle writer in 1 John 5.20b further exalts the person of Jesus as "the true God and eternal life." It continues, "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." The great marvel here is that God blesses fragile and sinful human beings so that they can know "the true God and eternal life" as a friend and companion. Do you realize who the eternal Jesus is? ✞
High Priest Jesus
Jesus is interrogated by the Temple High Priest Caiaphas and accused of blasphemy. Matthew 26.63b-66 retells the story of the trial of Jesus. "The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God:'" The High Priest doesn't realize that Jesus as God can swear an oath under his name! The High Priest continues, oblivious to his words, "Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus replies, "You have said so, but I say to all of you, from now on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." These words anger the High Priest. "Then the High Priest tore his clothes and said, 'He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?' 'He is worthy of death.'" These words from the high priestly Jesus are not blasphemy but are the whole truth and nothing but the truth. ✞
The Messiah
Luke 22.66-71 continues the story. "At daybreak, the people's elders council, both chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, with Jesus led before them. 'If you are the Messiah,' they said, 'tell us.' Jesus answered, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.' They all asked, 'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied, 'You say that I am.' Then they said, 'Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his lips.'"
Unspoken Sacred Name
Jesus again used the unspoken sacred name of the Lord God of himself in his short but powerful words, "I am." The Jewish leaders insisted in John 19.7, " 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.'" Jewish people had the proper conclusion but the wrong response, for they should have bowed down and worshipped the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, then and there. ✞
"Jesus' Indwelt Word"
by Ron Meacock © 2021
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