Romans 1:4 He is God and Lord!

4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 1:4 NIV

This is the verse that makes you want to jump up and down and cheer. We serve the One and Only. 

He is the One whom the Spirit of holiness (The Holy Spirit) declared with power (not in weakness, in power) to be the Son of God (an heir to the throne and He is God) by his resurrection (He had the power to overcome sin and death. He was the final sacrifice, but He didn't stay there. He rose up to conquer that which would conquer us without the Him.) Jesus Christ (the name that is above all names) our Lord. (Not only is He our Savior, but He is our Lord - Master, King, the ultimate Leader of our hearts and our lives.)

See why I want to jump up and down? Romans 1:4 is my salvation. It is my hope. It is my eternal address. In Him and only in Him will I live and breathe and serve. 

Lord, I am weak. I can't do anything without the power of You in me. Thank you for your sacrifice -- for paying the price so I won't. I worship you as my Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. So be it.

Further Thoughts:

1. How is the trinity declared in this verse?
2. How is His resurrection a declaration that He is the Son of God?
3. What is the difference between Jesus as Savior and Jesus as Lord?
4. Have you moved into the realm of living with Jesus as Lord? You can start today.

Romans 1:2-3 The History

2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David....   ~ Romans 1:2-3

Here we see the history of the gospel. The plan before Jesus ever arrived. Now we knew of the trinity from evidences of a divine 3-in-1 existence before this point. But the prophets laid out the specifics. And then even more important to the culture, we see the lineage of Jesus to show His humanity. I just love that the Messiah was a descendant of a man whom God used in powerful ways who was also the youngest of his family and from the least of the tribes. He wasn't expected to do anything, but by God's power, David became a mighty warrior and king. That always gives me hope - He can use even me, and He can use you to do great things for His glory. 

I serve a wonderful God who has a plan. A plan for me. He doesn't just set us to "be" in the world and when we are done, we are done. He loves us so much that He provided a way back to Him way before Jesus was born. 

Jesus was always the plan and He still is today. What hope that brings to a world who so desperately needs Him!  

Lord, help me to show others the plan so they too can have the hope only You can give. So be it. 

Further Thoughts:

1. What Scriptures are the evidence for Jesus' existence from the beginning?

2. Search the prophets for the foretelling of Jesus' birth. 

3. Why does this being the plan all along bring hope?

4. Who do you need to tell today about the hope of Jesus Christ?

1 John 10:30 "Jesus, 100% God"

I and the Father are one. ~John 10:30

The divinity of Jesus is questioned by many, but has many points of proof as to its veracity. God, the Father, sets the stage from the very beginning of creation with His use of the word, “us” to describe Himself amid the Trinity. Then the prophets predict Christ’s virgin birth showing forethought and divine intervention. How else would a baby be born without intercourse unless God intervened.

Christ’s life continues to demonstrate His divine nature. He possessed a knowledge of people beyond given information. His ability to heal the sick and raise the dead showed a power beyond a mere human being. His wisdom and authority over the spiritual realm by calling out demons displayed for all present an authority beyond humanity.

But even with all the evidence, there is still an element of faith that must be practiced to believe that Jesus was God incarnate. And that is a step we all must take to walk as His devoted followers.

Further Thoughts:

1. What Scripture other than John 10:30 speaks of Christ’s divinity?
2. What is the definition of “Immanuel?”
3. Why is it important that we believe He is 100% God?
4. How does Christ’s divinity separate Christianity from other religions?

Father, thank You for sending Yourself to atone for my sins. You humbled Yourself; now teach me how to humble myself before You and others. Amen.

Hebrews 1:1-3a "In His Image"

NOTE: Okay, took a little longer than a week. Jury duty took over my life. In the Word, but not online. (Read a lot from Proverbs.) I'm back now and ready to tackle a new book and learn many new truths.

Read Hebrews 1:1-3a.

"...he has spoken to us by his Son...." NIV

Here is the essence of the Old Testament versus the New Testament. In the Old, God spoke to the prophets, and they spoke to the people God's words. But now through Jesus Christ, we have direct access to the Father. That is just amazing to me. How blessed we are. We do not serve a distant God who like the mythological gods sat on their thrones far away and in their self-centeredness, dictated our fates. Our Father loves us so much that He became one of us and makes it possible for us to "draw near to Him and He will draw near to us." His dictates are not for His own gain, but for our good. His guidance is 24/7. He never sleeps or ignores us. Even when He takes His time to answer us, it is because His timing is perfect, and His ways are right. Out of His tremendous love, our Father makes Himself available to His children, and it is only possible through Jesus Christ -- the "perfecter and finisher of our faith."

I also love the first part of verse three. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." All of God's glory could not have been contained in one human being. So Christ is the radiance of His glory -- a mere fraction to give us a glimpse of who God is. But in Christ's being, He is an "exact representation" of the Father. Everything we see and learn from the Word about Christ, that is God. His compassion, justice, understanding, knowledge, power, anger at sin, unconditional love -- these are all God's attributes. As God Himself, Jesus shows us in a human package, what our Father and Creator is like. And then to be told that we are made in His image. Wow. Stop and think about that a minute. I am made in the image of the Creator. I'm not equal with Him, nor will I ever be. But like a child resembles their parents in looks, I resemble my Father in my spirit. If I put away the sinful nature that wants to take over each day, I am truly designed for good. There is something very comforting in that truth. And powerful. By the power of Jesus Christ, I am in touch with my Creator whose character I am designed to embody.

I'm still human and will never be perfect. But, wow, what a leg up we have. We are designed for perfection. Now to just allow His Spirit to mold our hearts to match.

Further Thoughts:

1. What other Scripture says that we were designed in God's image?
2. What would Old Testament life been like?
3. Has New Testament revelation made life to easy for us? Or at least, can we become lazy over Old Testament devotion?
4. Does direct access to the Father make arrogance a temptation? How do we avoid that?
5. Even though we are made in His image, we are still so small, and He is so BIG. Live in humility.

1 John 1:1-4 "The Witness"

Read 1 John 1:1-4.

"... we have seen it and testify to it...." NIV

John jumps right in to counter the false teachings of Gnosticism with an eye-witness testimony to the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. John and the apostles heard Him, saw Him, and touched Him and could say that Jesus truly was "the Word of life." So John and the other apostles were proclaiming it to The Church so they would not turn away from the truth to the lies being planted among them.

In a similar way this is exactly what we are doing today, but in a spiritual realm. If we have received Jesus as our Lord and spent time growing with Him, we have seen Him, heard Him, and even felt the touch of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who lives within us, testifies to His existence every day. And the power of His death and resurrection is lived out in the lives of millions who follow Him. So many want to deny the divinity of Christ, but His work in our lives and indwelling in our hearts is part of the proof of His divinity. We are the living examples of who He is and why He came.

So, like the apostles, since we can testify to the power and truth of Jesus Christ, we have the same responsibility that they had in proclaiming to others "what we have seen and heard." Our Lord is alive and well. He is still at work in millions of lives, and we must share the hope and direction that He can bring through a relationship with Him. We are the body, and we are His Plan A. There is no Plan B. If we don't tell them, who will?

Further Thoughts:

1. Why does John call Jesus "the Word of life?" Where else in the Bible is He called this?
   
2. What statement does John make to give evidence that Jesus was with God from the beginning of time? For what reason does he emphasize this point?
   
3. What of Jesus that you have "seen and heard" could you proclaim to others? 
   
4. What would have happened if the person who proclaimed the power of Jesus to you hadn't?