Journey

The daysman

Published January 29, 2010 Uncategorized Closed

(Job 9:32) For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33: Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

NLT - Job 9:33 - If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none.
1 Tm :2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(Job 33:12) Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

I believe the above example tells us that God cannot be man, and Jesus was a man, and the following examples of scripture expresses the same, God is not man, and Jesus was a man, not a mere man, but a man the same. We see that Numbers 23, goes even farther to say God is not the son of man either, a name Jesus is called in the new testament.
We can continue to call Jesus God, but saying so, don’t make it true. When the scriptures say God is not a man, that does make it truth.

Is Job ch:9: the reason some men call Jesus God? do they perceive Jesus as another god who stepped in and stopped The Creator from beating man, a kinder god stopping a vengeful god, I know some religions see it that way, I didn’t know Christianity did. And before you say “don’t be absurd” I can point you to a blogger who claims to be a follower of Christ, who sees it exactly that way. (there is more out there I’m sure)

(Num 23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
(1 Sam 15:29) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
(Isa 31:3) Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; …
(Hosea 11:9) I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

Paul’s backup

Published January 23, 2010 Uncategorized Closed

Lets look at some contemporary writers of Paul, and what they said about Jesus. And the idea of a trinity God.

Phil: 4:3: And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Clement (ca 85 A.D)
Clement acknowledges that there is One Almighty God and one Christ. He taught that the creator of the universe is the Father.
“The church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the church of God sojourning at Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ.
For Christ is of those who are humble, and not of those who Lord over his flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a humble state.” (16).
Let us look steadfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe. (19).
All these the great Creator and Lord of all has appointed to exist in peace and harmony, while He does good to all, but most abundantly to us who have fled for safety to His compassions through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom be glory and Majesty for ever and ever. Amen. (20)
calls upon His glorious and holy Name, faith, fear, peace, patience, longsuffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, through whom be to Him glory, and Majesty, and power, and honour, both now and for evermore. Amen. (58).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, and with all everywhere that are the called of God through him, through whom be to Him glory, honour, power, Majesty, and eternal dominion, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen. (59).”

Paul thought highly of Clement, he considered him saved.

Rom: 16:14: Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.

Hermas (ca. 100 A.D)
Hermas acknowledged one God who created all things by his powerful word and great wisdom.
“First, believe that there is one God who created and framed all things, and made all things out of nothing. (Commands, 1).
The God of powers, who by his invisible mighty power and great wisdom has created the world, and by His glorious counsel has beautified his creation, and by his powerful word has fixed the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth upon the waters.” (Visions, 1, 3)”

Paul called Hermas brother.

Three other writers of that time before the trinity creed was adopted.

Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 110 A.D)
Ignatius, who is Theophorus, to the Church which has received grace through the greatness of the Father Most High. (Third Epistle).
I have learned that certain of the ministers of Satan have wished to disturb you, some of them asserting that Jesus was born [only] in appearance, was crucified in appearance, and died in appearance, others that He is not the Son, the Creator, and others that He is Himself God over all. (To the Tarsians, II).

Polycarp
Polycarp taught that God Almighty is the Father and his son is Jesus Christ.
To the Philippians
Polycarp and the elders with him. To the Church of God sojourning in Philippi. Mercy and peace from God Almighty and Jesus Christ our Saviour be multiplied to you.
Now may God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal priest himself, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, build you up in faith and truth... to all under heaven who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in his Father who raised him from the dead. (12).

Papias (ca. 110-130 A. D)
Papias taught clearly how God will redeem creation back to himself. He said Christ reigns by God’s will and will conquer all God’s enemies. Even Jesus Christ himself will be subject to God, so God may be in all.
The presbyters, the disciples of the apostles, say that this is the gradation and arrangement of those who are saved, and that they advance through steps of this nature, and that, moreover, they ascend through the Spirit to the Son, and through the Son to the Father, and that in due time the Son will yield up his work to the Father, even as it is said by the apostle, “For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” For in the times of the Kingdom the righteous man who is on the earth shall forget to die. “But when He says all things are put under him, it is manifest that He is excepted Who did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subjected to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to Him, Who put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (Fragments of the Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord, 5).

Not so common

Published January 22, 2010 Uncategorized Closed

It is not uncommon to hear this greeting upon calling the congregation to order today.
“Welcome to our church this morning! Where we worship our lord and savior Jesus Christ, Although Jesus was God, he took on the form of man, so that he could die for our sins, so that we might be saved.” If you heard this, you might not think anything about it,
But , I’d like you to take a moment to think about what you just heard, and if that is the message given us in the bible.
First, we go to the Gospels. There are four gospels in our Bibles, and only two, Matthew and Luke, provide us any detail of the “Nativity scene” that is always portrayed in children’s Christmas programs. Listen to the actual verses and what they are telling us:
Mt: 1:20: But while he (Joseph) thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived (gennao) in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The Holy Spirit, which is the same thing as “The Spirit of God” in the Old Testament, is the mind and energy behind the works and word of God. Simply speaking, the Spirit is God’s power. This power caused Mary to miraculously conceive in her womb, a baby. Conceive, or in Greek, gennao, means to be begotten – come into existence. Jesus was brought into existence by God through God’s Spirit. If Jesus was brought into existence at the moment of conception, he was clearly not existing prior to being ‘begotten.’ The Scriptures are very clear on this that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and clearly presents the facts of exactly when he was begotten and how he was begotten and by whom he was begotten.

There is no mystery in this. The gospel lays it all out for us, clearly, simply, concisely in both Matthew and Luke.

Luke gives us further detail on this matter:
Lk: 1:34: Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
For that reason, or because of Jesus’ supernatural birth [by] the divine intervention of the Almighty God; created Jesus in the womb of Mary, and because of this, his title would be “Son of God.”
Just as God created man (Adam, the first man) in Genesis 1-2, God created Jesus in the womb of a virgin, Mary, and Jesus would later also be called the ‘last Adam.’ (I Corinthians 15:45).

Look at I Corinthians 15:20-23 and Romans 5:10-15 to explain further the importance of ‘the one man Jesus Christ’ who was a type of Adam (uniquely created by God). Adam brought sin and death into the world, but Jesus, through his obedience to God to the point of death, brought grace and eternal life.
When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are not celebrating the falsehood that is so prevalent today: “that God came down to earth in the form of a baby!” This is not found anywhere in Scripture. Jesus humbled himself, yes! But, if you read the context of this ‘humbling’, found in Philippians 2 (which is where most people substantiate this claim), it is all about the fact that Jesus was obedient to God to the point of his dying on the cross, and because of this reason, God highly exalted Jesus and gave him every authority, power, dominion, and name possible to bestow upon him!

Although Jesus was born to be the King of all nations, he didn’t behave pompously and arrogantly, demanding to be served. Instead, he behaved humbly and obeyed God in every possible way, costing him his life. Jesus was then rewarded with a resurrection from the dead and eternal life,
I am not saying Jesus was born a common man, because the description of his birth tells us plainly he was not.
And the message Jesus brought within the doctrine of God, tells us we cannot remain a common man and ever enter God’s kingdom. We must become the uncommon man at birth Just like Jesus did, we must be reborn/ born again. we too, will be rewarded with a resurrection from the dead, and the gift of eternal life. If we go humbly before God the creator, and repent, and stay faithful until our end upon this earth.
If you humble yourself before God, you might be surprised what God can do through you, a not so common man.

May God the Father of Jesus bless you.