Jesus Christ proved while He dwelled among people on earth that He was the promised Messiah the Jewish people had been waiting for for many generations. Through His earthly ministry and all the works He has accomplished He fulfilled many prophecies, gave understanding, fulfilled the Law, and ascended back to Heaven after His death and resurrection with a promise that He would return and fulfill what remains to be fulfilled. Most of all, He became the Way of salvation for all who will believe in faith that He is the Messiah and that salvation comes only through faith in Him by the grace of God.
In John 1, we get to see Jesus referred to as the Messiah, being acknowledged as the One the people had been waiting for. In this part of the gospel story Jesus was identified by John the Baptist as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, and he explains that this was the One he, John, was to come before and prepare the way for.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’
A couple of John’s disciples followed Jesus immediately after hearing this from John, and before going with Jesus Andrew went to get his brother, Simon (Peter). Andrew clearly wanted to share this news and experience with his brother. He was excited about finding the Messiah and clearly knew the importance of getting his brother first to join him.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”[a] (which is translated “the Christ”),
Not only did Andrew go get Peter, but he also acknowledges his belief in who Jesus is when telling his brother he found the Messiah, the Anointed One, the promised savior of the Jewish people. When Andrew and Peter showed up again, Jesus called out to Peter, letting him know that He knew who he was.
42 and he brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John.[a] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated “Peter”[b]).
I love that Jesus displays His knowledge of Peter, and I love also that He does the same for us. Not only does Jesus know each of us by name, but He knows every detail of our lives, thoughts, personalities, likes, dislikes, and every other grain of information even we don’t know about ourselves. He knows all of this, and also He knows every sin, every slip, every hurt, and every idol. He knows where we are in our lives, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going. He knows us better than we could ever know ourselves because He made us, crafted us, designed us, numbered our days, and prepared a plan for our lives according to what we would do each step of the way and how He would provide, call, and teach us along the way.
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[b] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[c] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
He knows all of this, and because he knows it He knows we could never pay the penalty for all of our sins, that He is also intimately aware of, so from the very beginning He knew He would come to be the sacrifice that would pay the penalty for our sin in order to redeem us. He knows every detail of your life and died to save you from your sins so that you could have abundant and eternal life through faith in Him.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
When Andrew told Peter that they had found the Messiah, he was acknowledging his belief in the prophecies of the One to come and save them from their oppressors, bringing peace to the Jewish people. We see in other parts of the gospels the acknowledgment that Jesus is the Messiah, and the faith of those who believed this of Him.
16 and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary,
who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, fourteen generations.
While the Jewish people commonly believed it was their worldly enemies the Messiah would save them from, Jesus came and taught them, just like us, that He came to save every person who would believe in Him from their sins. He wasn’t there to defeat the romans, but to defeat sin. For us today, we ehave hope in that He did defeat the power of sin over those who give their lives to Him by faith.
The Messiah suffered in our place
It is important that we recognize that Jesus is the promised Messiah, but also that we recognize that the Old Testament is filled with foretellings of His coming, as well as explanations about why we should believe in Him. In Luke 24 Jesus explains that He was the One written about in the Old Testament, through the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and Psalms.
44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written:[a] The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for[b] forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Here we read that Jesus was destined to suffer, and not just suffer but suffer in our place. He obtained salvation through the blood sacrifice of Himself. The just punishment for sin is death, and that is the punishment we all deserve. Jesus, though, wanted us to be restored to God and paid for our sins with His own. Life. He defeated the power of sin and death when He rose again from the dead, making the way for all who would believe in Him to be saved from the penalty of sin and restored to our He
The Messiah gives understanding
Luke also states that Jesus “opened their minds to understand the scriptures”. Not only is He the promised Messiah who died in our place to save us from the penalty of sin, but when we have faith in Him He grants us understanding as well as salvation. He explains that the Messiah will suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. By this, those who repent will be forgiven because of His sacrifice on the cross.
In knowing His identity as Messiah we learn the importance of the history in scripture, the foretellings and prophecies, and the gift of understanding provided when we choose to have faith in Him. He provides us with all we need in this earthly life to prepare us for the promise of abundant and eternal life in Heaven with Him all throughout His Word, and commands us to learn from His Word, meditate on it, remember it, and do what it says. Seek Him and His Kingdom, obey Him in love, and follow Him in faith.
8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
After exploring many names for Jesus as the Son of God, we are jumping into some of the names of Jesus as the Son of Man. This is a vital part of Jesus’ identity and role in our lives that we should seek to understand. What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man, and why is this important for us to know?
In Luke 19:9-10 we see Jesus name Himself the Son of Man, and with this, He also declares His purpose for coming to dwell among mankind for a time. We will be taking apart this passage in context, referring to the original Greek, and exploring what He is teaching us in this chapter and other relevant passages.
9 “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
In Luke 19, we see the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, trying to just catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passes by. He climbs a tree to be able to see Jesus, and Jesus ends up calling upon him and telling Zacchaeus that He will be staying with him. The crowd is not pleased and begins to complain that Jesus is choosing to stay at a sinner’s house.
In response to their complaining about His choice to stay with Zacchaeus, Jesus reveals that not only does He know their hearts and intentions but He knows Zacchaeus’ as well. This man is a known sinner, a chief tax collector who extorted money from the people. Not only do the people know of his sin, but Jesus does as well. Jesus also knows that Zacchaeus just repented and that his commitment to repay much more than the law requires is a result of a true change of heart. Jesus, therefore, declares that “salvation has come to this house”.
10 I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart[a] to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Jesus knows the true condition of our hearts, knows our every sin, and knows if we have truly repented, truly had a change of heart, and have honestly turned away from our sin and toward Him. Therefore, He can declare who receives salvation or not. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of God, and only those who have truly repented and turned to Jesus in faith will receive salvation. It is Jesus, the Son of Man, who will intercede with God on behalf of those who have faith in Him. It is up to the Almighty whose name is written in the Book of Life and will be saved in the last days.
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
In Luke 19:9 Jesus says that Zacchaeus is now a son of Abraham. Whether he is or is not actually a descendant of Abraham, He is now counted as part of God’s chosen family. Jesus is teaching that those who choose Jesus in faith will become sons of Abraham, adopted children of God, and thus counted as part of God’s chosen people and saved. He also explains in John 15 that those who do not have faith in Him, abide in Him and Him in them, will be cut off from the Vine.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Just as the Son of Man intercedes for believers with God, declaring the believer’s sins paid for by His blood, He also grafts believers into the Vine when we choose to have faith in Him as the Son of Man. Jesus is the true Vine, and those who have faith in Him are then grafted in to abide in Him and Him in us, making us part of the Body of Christ. Those who reject Him will be cut off because of unbelief, no matter who they may be. He wants our sincere faith and knows when faith is sincere or not.
17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root[a] of the cultivated olive tree, 18 do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware,[b] 21 because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you—if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?
In Luke 19:10 Jesus says that He, the Son of Man, has come to seek and save the lost – the sinners. Why would Jesus seek the lost, broken, sinners of the world? God’s plan was always for His people, created in His image, to be with Him. His plan has always been to reconcile His people to Himself, and the means for this plan is Jesus. He seeks us in order to restore to Himself those who will accept Jesus Christ in faith.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
God reveals Himself to all of His creation and draws us all to His Truth and to His Son. No one can come to Jesus in faith unless God draws them, and God draws all of His creation into a relationship with Him. It is then up to each of us whether we choose to acknowledge Him, to have faith in Jesus, or not. If we choose to believe and have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will be justified in the sight of God and receive the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus. If we choose to reject God’s promptings and revelations of Himself, He will give us up to sin and the consequences of our sin which is eternal separation from Him and all that is good.
God wants to save each of us so much that He chose to send His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, to save the sinners who would choose Him in faith. When we respond in faith to Jesus seeking us out, we receive the gift of salvation by the grace of God because of our faith. We then enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus saves the lost sinners who choose to have faith in Him, the Son of God and Son of Man, who came to reconcile us to our Heavenly Father and Creator.
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God does not want to see His creation perish, and does not want to be separated from any one of us. He does not want to condemn us, but because of His holiness, there has to be justice for sin. The penalty for sin, to transgress against the holiness of God, is death. Jesus paid that price with His own life for the sake of those who would have faith in Him, accept His sacrifice for their own sake, agree their sin deserves this punishment, surrender to Jesus, repent of sin, and allow the blood and power of Jesus Christ to make us new.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
What work does the Son of Man give His people to do?
We are called to have faith in the Son of Man, repent of our sin, turn toward Him, and be made new in and by Him. Just as He grafts in those who have faith in Him, He also grants us His Spirit and begins sanctifying us, making us more like Him, and as evidence of true faith we will begin to bear fruits that coordinate with God’s Spirit. If we are following Jesus with a pure heart and honorable intentions, God will know, and our life will reflect our faith.
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
When we choose faith in Jesus, it shouldn’t stop there. We are called to an active faith, a transforming faith, a faith that is seen throughout our lives. When we are truly living and growing in faith, there will be evidence of this in our lives. We will bear good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, and will also be able to participate in God’s plan to draw others to Himself by the power of Jesus dwelling, living, working inside of us and pouring out into our lives.
3 Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.
Seek God’s way and instruction in all circumstances, filtering all things through His Word
2 Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[b]
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost, and He calls on those who have been saved to participate in His great plan of redemption by learning and growing in the Lord’s wisdom, love, and ways. He also commissions us to share this Truth with others in the same love He has for us. We should be so grateful for the blessing of salvation that we cannot help but share it with others so they may accept and grow in it as well.
How can you share the love and Truth of the Son of Man with the people in your life this week? What are some ways that you disciple others and share the gospel? How have you experienced the transforming power of Jesus in your own life? I would love to hear about your ideas and experiences and am sure others reading along with you would be encouraged by your story as well.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus Christ has many names throughout scripture. Learning His many names helps us to learn more about His identity as the Son of God, and also helps us to better understand our relationship to and with Him. All of the following names of Jesus teach us about His role and identity as the Son of God.
They also teach us that all of creation was made through Him, by Him, and for Him. We were all made by His power, through His means, for His plans, purposes, and honor. Jesus is our ultimate example, as the One God is well pleased with, and He teaches us how to also please God.
By studying these many names of Jesus as the Son of God, you will grow in your faith and relationship with Him as your understanding of Him expands. You will learn more about your purpose, how to serve Him better, how we are called to live, and why God sent His Son in the first place.
If we love God, we will also love Jesus, God’s Beloved Son. If we have faith and believe in Jesus as the Son of God and sacrifice for our sins and repent we will be saved from the penalty of our sins. Through our faith in the Son of God, we enter into a personal relationship with the Father and become His children also, born of God. Everyone born of God can overcome the world by their faith in Jesus Christ because our faith is in Christ, who overcame the world.
As we learn and grow within our personal relationship with God through our true faith in Jesus Christ, we will be transformed, become more like Christ, grow in our understanding of the Lord and His Word, be equipped for the works which God has prepared for us to do, and be able to resist the temptations of this world through His power that now dwells in us.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 “What is your name?” he asked him.
“My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons[a] begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
We are called to have faith and believe in the Son of the Most High God. Believing the true identity of Jesus Christ is vital. When you believe that Jesus is, in fact, the Son of the Most High God who came to dwell on the earth, die as a sacrifice for our sins, and rise again to defeat death, and you accept Him as your Savior in faith, you are saved from the penalty of your sins and enter into the family of God. By faith, we are saved, and we are blessed children of the Most High God.
Jesus Christ is Lord of All, on earth (those who live on this earth, G1919), in Heaven (those who dwell in the heavenly realms, G2032), and even under the earth (departed souls in the underworld, G2709). Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. This means that all of creation, in the physical and spiritual realms, will bow in honor and worship (G2578), and every tongue will confess, or acknowledge openly and joyfully (G1843), that Jesus Christ is truly Lord of All.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
As children of God saved by His grace through faith in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God, we are called to follow Christ, live a life worthy of the gospel, repent and turn from sin, strive toward holy living, and bring God glory in the ways we live. This should be done in gratitude, love, and faith. It should come naturally as the Holy Spirit works to transform us to become more like Jesus and less like our old sinful selves. None of this is done by us or in our own wisdom or strength, but only by the grace and power of God. God saves us, redeems us, and transforms us for His good pleasure and glory, out of love for His creation, when we choose to accept Christ as our personal Savior in faith.
Christ is the only way of salvation. Salvation through faith in Jesus as the image of the invisible God is the only way to be made right with God and be made holy for and by Him. He is before and above all things. He is preeminent, which means He is first, He has priority. We are designed to put Him first in all things, all areas of our lives, every relationship, every desire, everything. We were created by, for, and through the image of the invisible God – we were made by Christ, to live according to His will and purposes, which brings God glory and honor. He knew we in our sinful state could not accomplish this so He became the sacrifice for our sake so that through faith in Him as the sacrifice for our sin debt, we could fulfill His desires and purposes, and draw others to Him for the same purpose.
God identified Himself to Moses as I AM and told Moses to tell the Israelites this name for Himself. In John 8:58 where Jesus claims the name “I AM”, Jesus is claiming this exact same name. This very clearly communicates to the Jewish people, who would know Moses’s story intimately and therefore the significance of this name, that Jesus was claiming to be God, and was claiming the Godhead – the same God that was with Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, and whom these people claimed to serve and worship.
Jesus Christ is the Alpha. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, signifying that He is first, He is the beginning, was there at the beginning, and is the beginning of salvation as well. Through, by, and for Him, all things begin and exist. He is superior to all creation making Him first in rank, firstborn of all creation, and first in priority throughout all of creation. We are instructed as believers to put Him first in all we do and to place Him in the right place of priority in every area and relationship of our lives. Jesus Christ is before and above all of creation, always.
As Jesus is the Alpha, the first, the beginning, He is also the Omega, the last, the end. Omega happens to be the last letter of the Greek alphabet, signifying that He is not only the beginning, but He is the end and the last. All created things were made through, by, and for Him, and all ends will also be determined by Him and occur through Him for His glory.
Being in a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through faith in Jesus, recognizing His divinity and authority as the Almighty, we should live in a state of worship and gratitude, seeking to learn more of Him, His ways, and the ways He wants us to live our lives. We should live in such a way that brings the Almighty glory and draws unbelievers to the truth, love, and glory of God.
15 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
We are to pay careful attention, to be obedient to His will and Word, and in so doing we should be living examples of the truth of His gospel and share His truth. When we are faithful to His instruction we are participants of His great plan, doing the work He has prepared in advance for us to do in order to grow the Kingdom of God and help lead others to the only Sovereign, the only Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Not only did He create us, but He gave His life to save us if we will have faith in Him. He is the one who made us by His power, for His purposes, and who gave His life in payment of our sins so we could be reconciled to God. This gives Jesus the authority to judge the living and the dead according to His power and purposes.
For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Through the works which Jesus accomplished through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ has all authority in Heaven and on Earth. He was the means as well as the purpose for which all of creation was made, and He has the superiority to lead, judge, and save creation.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus,[a] the pioneer and perfecter[b] of our faith. For the joy that lay before him,[c] he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of perfect faith. Having taken the lead, He Himself brought faith to perfection, setting the highest example and standards for us – remaining faithful to God even unto death. He is the leader of our faith, having provided the reason and occasion for our faith – that through His death in our place, He became the way of redemption. He is our example and standard to seek, look to, focus on, and strive toward as the one who perfected faith and as the example for us to learn and grow according to.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus has many names, as we have been learning so far through our Names of Jesus study series. This week our focus is on Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. This is an imperative name to grasp and embrace. It is paramount to the true faith of a believer. What does it mean that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith? To understand this, we will be exploring Hebrews 12:1-2 and Hebrews 11:1 as a deep word study. Word studies can help explore the biblical meanings of a passage of scripture in the correct context from the original languages.
What is faith?
Before diving into the passage itself, and identifying what it means that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, we must address the question of what faith is. It is vital we find our definitions within scripture itself and in the correct context, and we can find a clear Biblical definition of faith in Hebrews.
Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence of things not seen.
to perceive by the use of the eyes, to see, look, descry
Faith is…
Faith is the tested and proven confident belief and conviction of things that exist that cannot be seen or discerned with our eyes, that God is who He says He is, that we receive eternal salvation through Christ alone, and to have confident joy while we wait for faith to be perfected and salvation to be completed.
We cannot see God with our eyes, we cannot see salvation, we cannot see the promises that await those who believe, but faith believes these are true and exist. Faith is believing the evidence of God all over our lives, all throughout the Bible, in the witness of others, and so much more. Those who earnestly seek Him will find Him, and therefore find and believe the evidence of His truth.
You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
Faith believes with full confidence that Jesus is the Son of God and that God sent His Only Begotten Son to die in our place, paying the price we agree that we deserve so that those who do have faith in Him as their personal Savior will have redemption through His blood.
Faith is the complete conviction and agreement with God about who He says He is, who He says we are, and that He promises to redeem those who have believed in His Son and His sacrifice for our sakes. Seeing is not believing. Believe, be truly convinced, and you will begin to walk by faith rather than by sight and to understand God’s Word.
3 By faith we understand that the [a]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faith is when, even though we don’t see God with our eyes, we are in agreement with Him and believe what He says to be true through His Word. It is to be in agreement with God about what He says about Himself, His Son, ourselves, and creation. Faith is believing God to the point it convicts you – to be so fully convinced and to believe so strongly that it leads you to confess and repent of your sin, which in turn leads you to change from sin and live in accordance with what God says, by faith.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel [a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [b]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [c]manifest [d]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [e]Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Now that we have a deeper understanding of the Biblical definition of faith, let’s jump back into Hebrews 12:1. At the beginning of Hebrews 12:1-2, the first part of verse 1 talks about being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
In Hebrews 11, the writer of Hebrews reviews the testimonies of the great faith heroes from the Old Testament that the Jewish people this letter was written for would have been intricately familiar with. Then the writer transitions with “therefore, since…” indicating those that had just been discussed are this great cloud of witnesses and are the reason for the statements to follow.
A witness; one who relays what they themselves have experienced, seen, or heard.
A spectator of a contest
Someone who provides a testimony
A witness is not merely someone who stands around watching, but who also shares their testimony. We are enclosed on all sides by a large crowd of witnesses and testimonies of the Old Testament faith heroes.
Lay aside every weight and sin that ensares us
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us
Because we are enclosed on all sides by a large crowd of witnesses who not only spectate but provide their testimony and example of faithfulness, by their testimony we can find encouragement to lay aside the weight and sin that ensnares us.
Because we are surrounded by such a crowd of faithful witnesses and their testimonies, let their testimonies encourage you to cast off to the highest degree every manner of violation of God’s divine law that skillfully surrounds us and prevents us from running this race.
Run the race with endurance
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Because we are completely surrounded by a large gathering of the heroes of the faith and their testimonies, let us be encouraged to throw away all sin, all violation of God’s divine law, that thwarts us, and instead strive forward with constant, steadfast patience and endurance through all struggles, dangers, hindrances, and obstacles standing in the way of our divine appointment and goal of being made perfect in faith as followers of Jesus and coming into the promise of complete salvation.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
When we choose to have faith in Jesus Christ, believing what God says in His Word, who He says He is, who He says Jesus is, who He says we are, and also that we are sinners deserving of death and in need of a savior, we can look at the testimony of the great cloud of witnesses and be encouraged, running the race of faith toward to goal of perfect faith and complete salvation with patient endurance through all hindrances, dangers, and difficulties.
Because this is all through and by faith in Jesus, and those faithful witnesses left a testimony of their faith in Jesus, being examples for us as fellow followers of Jesus who successfully made it to the end of the race, we must change our focus, turning and keeping our attention completely to Jesus Christ – the author and finisher of our faith.
One who has Himself perfect faith and sets the highest example and standard of faith
Note: this is the ONLY instance this exact word occurs in scripture
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of perfect faith. Having taken the lead, He Himself brought faith to perfection, setting the highest example and standards for us – remaining faithful to God even unto death. He is the leader of our faith, having provided the reason and occasion for our faith – that through His death in our place, He became the way of redemption. He is our example and standard to seek, look to, focus on, and strive toward as the one who perfected faith and as the example for us to learn and grow according to.
What does it mean to be perfect?
In the Old Testament, the word “perfect” means to be finished, whole, complete. In context, it meant to be entirely committed to Yahweh. In the New Testament, “perfect” means having reached the end of the race, endured, made complete, perfect, and full. In context, to have endured in faith to the very end. (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia)
We all strive to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, but absolute perfection is beyond our grasp as finite beings. Perfection is only possible for our infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God. So why does scripture instruct us to be perfect as God is perfect?
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Perfection is the divine ideal that we can endlessly strive for, progress toward, recognizing that there is always room for improvement, we can always be learning, growing, and further sanctified to be made more like Jesus Christ, the reason for, perfector of, and standard of perfect faith.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
We are perfected in our faith when we endure and reach the end of the race. Through our faith, we should always be growing, always be learning, always be striving toward the promised prize, preparing ourselves for the promise of our eternal reward at the end of the race. This instruction should not discourage or overwhelm us but should instead encourage us.
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
We are not called to actually BE perfect, but to constantly strive toward the perfect example of Jesus Christ Himself as our standard and goal, and learning also from the examples and testimonies of those who have endured and finished the race before us.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Faith is choosing to believe wholeheartedly and to agree with God about Himself, His Son, His creation, and His will and purposes. By faith, we should focus on Jesus Christ as our source and absolute standard and example of faithfulness, and learn also from the faithful who have endured to the end of the faith race.
2 Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[b]
By faith, we learn to endure by Jesus’ example and provision. We are guided by His Spirit, bear His fruits, and grow in our faith; in our conviction and agreement with God that we are spiritually poor sinners deserving of death and believing that only because of the grace of our Holy and Righteous God, His Son died in my rightful place, and that by wholeheartedly believing this and repenting of my sin I have been washed clean of my sins by the blood of Jesus that was spilled on my behalf, allowing me to be reconciled to God and have a personal relationship with Him through faith.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
How do I grow in my faith and relationship with Jesus?
Faith should be active, alive, working in me and in my life, transforming me. This conviction should lead to change, teaching me to progress forward with endurance, to constantly be striving to become more like Jesus. By growing in my personal relationship with the Lord, He, therefore, works in me to help me grow in my faith and dependence on Him.
Some things we should all be doing constantly to grow in our faith and understanding of the Lord include:
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[a]
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Names of Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace
This week we are diving in and dissecting a very detailed name for Jesus. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. Understanding each element of this powerful name is important for each of us, and understanding the intricacies of this lengthy name can give us a greater understanding of our Lord and Savior that can make a lasting impact in our faith and lives. What does each part of this incredible name of Jesus mean, and how can it make a difference in our faith and lives?
For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Before exploring the name itself, we must first explore the preceding statements. The prophet Isaiah wrote by divine influence of God’s Holy Spirit about the coming of God’s Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He tells us that a child will be born, that a virgin will conceive, and that His name will be Immanuel, God with Us. We learn in the gospels that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah, born of the line of David, and from Nazareth. The child that was prophesied was the coming birth of Jesus Christ.
14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: See, the virgin will conceive,[b] have a son, and name him Immanuel.[c]
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
Seeing the prophecies of the coming of Jesus throughout the Old Testament, and then being able to see the fulfillment of those prophecies through the coming of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is incredible. This is a beautiful reminder that our God is a promise keeper, that He has a plan for everything, and that no matter how long, in what ways, through whom, God’s plan will come to fruition.
A Son will be given to us
Not only do we find encouragement in the promise-making and promise-keeping of our God, but we also find encouragement that the child sent to us was none other than His Only Begotten Son. God sent His own Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. He came to earth, lived a sinless life, and carried the full weight of mankind’s sins on the cross so that those who would believe and have faith in Him would receive forgiveness for their sins and be made right with God.
7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger,[a] because there was no guest room available for them.
16 For God loved the world in this way:[a] He gave[b] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Through the works which Jesus accomplished through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ has all authority in Heaven and on Earth. He was the means as well as the purpose for which all of creation was made, and He has the superiority to lead, judge, and save creation.
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
Jesus is our extraordinary and ideal ruler and advisor whose wonders and wisdom are beyond our understanding. He is the one whose advice we should always seek and always follow. He is the Word and gives us His Word so that we can learn His counsel. Through scripture, Jesus counsels and guides us in all of life’s circumstances. His ways will always be higher than our own, and beyond our own understanding. We should each accept Him as our Savior in faith, repent of our sins and surrender ourselves to be made new in Him, and then seek His counsel throughout His Word and apply what we learn to our lives as we learn it.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance,[a] because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation[a] for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
By His power, He resisted temptation, carried the entire weight of every sin of every person to the cross and into the grave, defeated the power of sin and death, rose again, and ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He is the only one with this power, the only one with the power to judge and to forgive, to impart mercy and grace, as well as justice and punishment.
29 Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk: 30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything; 31 a strutting rooster;[a] a goat; and a king at the head of his army.[b]
We can find comfort and hope in Jesus as Mighty God because it is by His might that we, too, can find victory over our sins, be saved from the penalty of our sins, and receive the promise of eternity with Him, the source of all that is good and wonderful. We are weak even in our greatest strength, and we will always lack what we need on our own, but by His strength, we can do anything, and by His power, we can find peace.
13 I am able to do all things through him[a] who strengthens me.
This part of Jesus’ name speaks prophetically of the Messiah as God the Father. This is another name God uses for Himself and was used to prophesy the Messiah being God and not merely just a mighty man. God is eternal, therefore Jesus is eternal. Jesus was with God during creation, and all that was created was made through, by, and for Jesus. He is omnipresent, outside of time, completely eternal, and forever existing.
16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Jesus Christ died to save all of mankind from all past, present, and future sin if they choose to believe and have faith in Him as their personal Savior. He is not surprised. He is working all things, in all of time, together for His divine plan and purposes. He knows everything you have done and will do, and died to save you because He knows every detail and that you could never pay the penalty yourself. So, out of love for you, He humbled Himself and gave His own life in order to give you the free gift of salvation to restore you to God through His blood.
Prince of Peace
Jesus as the Prince of Peace is incredible and important for all believers. He is not only our ideal ruler and source of wisdom and guidance but is also our divine leader of war, bringing peace in and from war. This is vital as we learn about spiritual warfare. There is a very real spiritual war raging around us at all times, and Jesus is our General, bringing peace to His people in the midst of war. This peace helps us to persevere and remain steadfast in times of trouble.
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior means that you now have Jesus, the Prince of Peace, with you and that His power is within you to help you fight your own battles. His strength gives you strength. His peace gives you peace. His armor gives you protection. When we focus on Christ, trust in Him as our Prince of Peace, and let Him fight our battles, we will find true peace in and through Him alone. He is the only source of true peace which our souls hunger and thirst for.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.[a] 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,[b] 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus Christ has many names and many roles over creation. God gives Jesus the name and role of Judge, and it is important for us to know and understand just what this teaches us about Him, as well as what it means for us. We should not only know and understand, but we should apply this knowledge to ourselves in the ways God instructs us to.
What is a Judge?
Jesus Christ is the Judge of all of Creation. He is the Kritēs (G2923), which means He passes judgment over everything He has created. He takes this responsibility on Himself, and it is given Him by God. As Judge, He determines what is good and what is evil and imparts blessing and discipline accordingly.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.
Jesus is not only our Judge, but as we studied in previous weeks He is Lord of All, the Only Begotten Son of God, Alpha and Omega, and so much more. All of Jesus’ names teach us of His sovereignty, divinity, and rightful place over creation. All things were created through, by, and for Jesus. We were made by His means and power, for His plans and purposes.
Not only did He create us, but He gave His life to save us if we will have faith in Him. He is the one who made us by His power, for His purposes, and who gave His life in payment of our sins so we could be reconciled to God. This gives Jesus the authority to judge the living and the dead according to His power and purposes.
22 The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Scripture is very clear about how Jesus will judge each of us. The very first and most important factor in judgment is whether or not we have faith in Him as our Savior and therefore have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through Him. If we do, our names are written in the Book of Life. If we do not, our names are not written in the Book of Life.
Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be saved at the time of final judgment and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior and have this personal relationship with God are promised in God’s Word that we will get to spend our eternity with Him in Heaven, while those who did not accept Jesus as their Savior through faith will be thrown into the lake of fire.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.
12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.
13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
14 It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.” 16 These people are discontented grumblers, living according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.
17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.
God reveals Himself to all of creation, draws each of us to Himself, and that it is the responsibility of each individual to heed that call and come to Him in faith. There is no excuse for neglecting these prompting or rejecting God. Those who truly seek the Truth will find it, but those who follow their own desires will also find their reward which will result in eternal separation from God.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Not only are we judged for having or neglecting faith in Jesus, but we are also judged based on the fruits of our deeds. If we have faith in Jesus and truly love Him, we will obey His Word. If we obey Him, we will live the way He wants us to live and let Him work in us, teach us, and grow us. This sanctification will enable us to produce the fruits of the Spirit, which will equip and enable us to discern and participate in the works which God has prepared and called for each of us to do.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.[a] 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
We are saved through faith, but we are judged by our faith and by our works that come as a result of our faith (or lack-there-of). He knows the intentions of our actions, the motivation of our hearts, and knows where our deeds are stemming from. He will judge our deeds based on our obedience, faithfulness, and intentions. This is all in accordance with His holy design and divine plan for mankind.
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
As someone who will also be judged by God, we do not have the right to judge others but to impart grace and mercy upon others as we have also been given grace and mercy. We are told very clearly that if we judge others, we will be judged likewise. If we neglect to impart mercy, mercy will be withheld from us. If we fail to forgive, we will not be forgiven. We shouldn’t judge, but we should encourage, edify and uplift others to live set apart for God.
9 Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!
All of mankind has fallen short and will continue to fall short of the glory of God. None of us are perfect, and all of us are still learning and growing. Where one person may be in their faith journey may be more or less mature than your own place in your own journey, but their journey is their own and yours is also unique to yourself.
31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.
31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you[a] in Christ.
God knows each one of us inside and out, all of our thoughts, deeds, intention and He died for every single sin committed by every single person. He is the Judge, and we are all part of His great redemptive plan. Just as you would want mercy and grace to be given to you, we are to give it to others, with love and understanding.
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. 3 Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess[a] to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Forgive others as we have been forgiven by God, love as we are loved by God, but judgment belongs to the Judge alone. We are all sinners in need of grace and mercy, and should treat others with the same grace and mercy we would want them, and God, to treat us with.
How do I prepare for Jesus’ judgement?
Understanding why and how Jesus judges His creation is important. It is also vital to the life of a Christian to learn how to prepare for this judgment. The very first step is always to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior in faith., to believe He is the rightful Judge, who died to pay the price of your sin, and rose again to defeat the power of death and sin.
Some additional ways scripture encourages us to prepare for the coming judgment are:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[a] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,[b] free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
8 There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.[a]
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our Sovereign Lord of All, the Image of the Invisible God, and the Only Begotten Son of God. The names for Jesus seem endless, just as He himself is endless, the Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. He is before, during, and after all time. He has no beginning and no end, and because of who Jesus is we can come to Him in faith to be saved. Today we will explore what it means that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and how this part of His identity is relevant to us.
What does King of Kings and Lord of Lords mean?
It is important to first understand the Biblical definitions of these titles and ranks in order to better understand their application to Jesus Christ. In 1 Timothy 6:15, we see Jesus named as the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords“.
15 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Here, the word used for “King” is basileus (G935) and means “leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king”, and the word for “kings” (small “k”) is basileuō (G936) which means “to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign”. As King of kings, Jesus is the leader and commander of world rulers – He rules the rulers, leads the leaders, commands the commanders. He is King (big “K”) over all other rulers.
The word used for Lord here is kyrios (G2962) which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has the power of deciding; master, lord;” and in this context is the title specifically given to God as ruler of the universe. Lord (little “l”) is kyrieuō (G2961) means “supreme ruler”, and is also used in relation to dominions of the world, for which Christ is Lord of All. As Lord of lords, Jesus is being identified as the Owner and Master of the universe and everything in it. This use of Lord (big “L”) is another name used to identify God, and here again, is another name by which Jesus is declared to be God.
Jesus Christ is Sovereign above every other ruler to ever exist, them having been made by, through, and for Him, and He is the Creator, Owner, and Master of the entire universe. He is the only Sovereign, the only one who is immortal and eternal, the only one whom all honor is due and power attributed, and the only true Light, the only source of truth and goodness.
Why is Jesus the King of King and Lord of Lords?
Understanding what it means that Jesus is King and Lord, we must also ask why this is so. Why is Jesus the only Sovereign, and the Owner and Master of the entire universe? As with His other names, this particular name or Jesus is a means to identify Jesus again as God Himself. Not only this but God exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above every other name, identifying Jesus as Lord. In short, Jesus is King and Lord because God said so – and because He is God.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Additionally, in our studies of Jesus as Image of the Invisible God and the Lord of All, we discover that all of creation was made by Jesus’ power and means and that all of creation was also made for His divine purposes. Jesus Christ is also the one through whom God lets His absolute goodness, righteousness, and holiness be seen. As Creator, all He has made belongs to Him. He is the Creator, Master, and Owner of all things and God displays Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Because all things were made by His means, through His divinity, and for His purposes, and because the fullness of God is pleased to dwell in Him, Jesus Christ alone is the Ruler of the universe, Owner of all creation, and Master of all. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
What does Jesus do as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
As King and Lord, Jesus is our Judge, Lawgiver, and Savior. Goodness, instruction, wisdom, mercy, grace, and salvation come from Him alone. As the Only Sovereign, He is the only one who can save mankind from the penalty of our sins, is the only source of Truth, and is the only one whom we should strive to imitate.
Jesus as Lord and King instructs us in how to live in His plan according to His purposes, and He oversees, plans, leads, guides, provides for us as we walk with Him in faith. He judges all of creation according to His divine wisdom, disciplines disobedience, and blesses faithfulness. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all-present), and omnipotent (all-powerful).
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns[a] were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp[b] sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule[c] them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He discerns, calls, heals, transforms, and works in all of His creation. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who He calls for His purposes – He orchestrates His plans throughout all of time for the good of those who are faithful to Him and whom He gives the privilege of participating in His divine plans.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.
What is the importance of teaching about the King of King and Lord of Lords?
As King and Lord, Jesus Christ works all things together for those who are faithful to Him as their Savior and seek to do His will. It is important not only to understand this ourselves but also to share this life-and-eternity-changing truth. For those who He calls according to His purpose, He gives a commission – to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
We are to pay careful attention, to be obedient to His will and Word, and in so doing we should be living examples of the truth of His gospel and share His truth. When we are faithful to His instruction we are participants of His great plan, doing the work He has prepared in advance for us to do in order to grow the Kingdom of God and help lead others to the only Sovereign, the only Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
We should teach others of our love for Christ and His truth. When we truly love God, we obey Him. When we are truly obeying Him in love, we are intentionally growing in our knowledge and understanding of Him through His Word, and growing in relationship with Him through earnest prayer and obedience. When we are obedient out of love, we are filled, and we bear the fruits of our faithfulness to the Lord. We will abide in Him and Him in us, learning to live in the ways He instructs us to and applying what we learn to do the will of the Lord. When we truly love the Lord, that love is reflected in the way we live.
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
We should love the Lord so much – love His wisdom, truth, salvation so much – that we cannot help but share it and do the work He has given us, to grow in our own faith and relationship with Him, and to draw others closer to Him so they, too, can share in the eternal inheritance and blessings we have been promised. We should not neglect or be selfish with the gospel of our salvation, the truth of our King and Lord, but instead, love God and love people so much His truth pours out of us as evidence of our faith and a testimony to the world of the goodness, grace, and glory of the Master of the universe.
When we understand who Christ is as Lord and King, we begin to better understand that to love your neighbor as yourself is to desire others to share in the salvation you have accepted from the Master of the universe. Love comes from the Lord, and when we truly love Him we are filled with His love and we pour out His love onto others. We display His love to others because we are so filled with love for and from Him. Through His love we draw others to Him, and play a vital role in His redemptive plan, preparing for His return.
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[a] 38 This is the greatest and most important[b] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[c]
How are you teaching others of the love and Truth of the King of kings and Lord of lords? How are you participating in the great commission we have all been given? What are some ways you can testify of the Lord this week? I encourage you to pray for opportunities to be used by the Lord and to be rightly aligned with Him to be flowing over with His love. Let us know how we can be praying for you and the work God has prepared for you to do for His great plan.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
After diving into Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, this week we dive deeper into this name by exploring what it has to do with Jesus as Almighty. This is yet again another name God uses to identify Himself that Jesus then uses to identify Himself and to acknowledge His divinity. As we explore Jesus as Almighty, we will also discover some confirmation of attributes we learn from some of His other names.
What does Almighty mean?
Looking back at the original Greek the word used for Almighty in Revelation 1:8 is pantokratōr (G3841). It means “he who holds sway over all things; the ruler of all; almighty: God”. Another way this word is translated is omnipotence, which speaks of God as all-powerful, and thus speaks of Jesus the same way.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
When we explored omnipotence previously we learned that Jesus is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Jesus claiming the name of Almighty further confirms that He is in all of time and outside of time, He is all-knowing, and He is all-powerful. He is God, and holds the same divinity as God.
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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace[a] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we boast[c] in the hope of the glory of God.
2 Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[b]
When we are justified by faith, we are then given God’s Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, making us more like Jesus, the Image of the Invisible God, and leading us to live in a manner worthy of Him. Once we have faith in Jesus as our Savior, we allow Him to transform us to become different and be made holy for Him. As we are made holy for Him, we begin to bear the fruits of His Spirit, grow in the knowledge of the Lord, and are strengthened by and in His Almighty power.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks[a] to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Living a life worthy of the Almighty leads to freedom from the bondage of sin, and allows the Almighty power of Christ to work in and through us to strengthen us against sin and temptation as only the Almighty can do. Those who strive for righteous living will seek the Kingdom of God first and one day inherit the Kingdom of God. Being set apart allows God to work in us, and to prepare us for eternity with Him.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Those who remain in their sin and neglect to have faith in the Almighty will focus on, seek, and conform to things of the world and inherit their reward from the world that perishes. Only those with faith in the Almighty will be saved and receive their promised Kingdom rewards.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous[a] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[b] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
We are called to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, but to focus on and build deep, personal relationships with the Almighty, first and foremost, as well as other believers. We are to be in the world but not of the world, meaning we are here to serve and glorify the Almighty rather than live for earthly passions, desires, and purposes.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
Each believer is a dwelling place for the Lord – we should share His gospel and display His love to all the world, in the ways and works He has prepared and called for us to do, but we are to do so in a way that places the Almighty in His rightful place and priority in our lives. When we have faith in Jesus and strive to live worthy of Him we are sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of and coheirs with Jesus.
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial?[a] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
As sons and daughters of God, He dwells in each of us and we should seek to bring the Almighty due glory and honor, and remember that those of the world do not live as we are called to. Nonbelievers are not held to the same standard we as believers are to be held, and are still bound by their sin. As Christ is Almighty, He is all-powerful and His power can break any bonds. His grace abounds and His power is all-encompassing. He has complete and total power and authority over all of creation, from the beginning to the end and on through eternity.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
We are all fighting the same enemy and should use the gifts and tools the Almighty equips us with to combat this enemy and share this truth with those who have not yet accepted Christ in faith. We should grow closer to Him, learn from scripture, and pray for unbelievers that they too may come to know and have faith in Him, that they may be set free of the bondage to sin and experience the Almighty power of Jesus Christ for themselves.
Glory for the Almighty
Being in a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through faith in Jesus, recognizing His divinity and authority as the Almighty, we should live in a state of worship and gratitude, seeking to learn more of Him, His ways, and the ways He wants us to live our lives. We should live in such a way that brings the Almighty glory and draws unbelievers to the truth, love, and glory of God.
23 By myself I have sworn; truth has gone from my mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
One day, everyone will recognize that Jesus Christ is the Almighty. He is the beginning and end, the first and last, the Alpha and the Omega, and one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is, in fact, Lord, that He is, in fact, the Almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. As He reveals Himself to all of creation, all of creation will eventually acknowledge Him as Soverign.
4 Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed.
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
How can you share the truth, love, and glory of the Almighty with the people in your life? Share your testimony, stand firm in your faith, build habits and live in a manner that is set apart for the Lord and His glory. Pray for nonbelievers, and strive to obey the Lord and resist the tactics of the enemy. Tell us how we can pray for you, as well as who in your life we can lift up and pray for them to accept Jesus Christ in faith also.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus has many names and each tells us more about Him. By learning the many names of Jesus we can get to know Him more personally and develop a better understanding of who He is. Some of His names speak of Him as the Son of God, some as the Son of Man, others as Savior, and plenty more that relate to Jesus as the Truth. Over the next two weeks, we will explore two closely related names that teach us about Jesus as the Alpha and Omega and speaks of His absolute divinity and relation to, with, and of God the Father.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
In Isaiah, we see God identify Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end – just like Jesus does in Revelation to the apostle John. This is not a mistake – this is Jesus clarifying once again that He is God. He is emphasizing His divinity, authority, and control over all of creation.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Jesus Christ is the Alpha.Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, signifying that He is first, He is the beginning, was there at the beginning, and is the beginning of salvation as well. Through, by, and for Him, all things begin and exist. He is superior to all creation making Him first in rank, firstborn of all creation, and first in priority throughout all of creation. We are instructed as believers to put Him first in all we do and to place Him in the right place of priority in every area and relationship of our lives. Jesus Christ is before and above all of creation, always.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
As Jesus is the Alpha, the first, the beginning, He is also the Omega, the last, the end. Omega happens to be the last letter of the Greek alphabet, signifying that He is not only the beginning, but He is the end and the last. All created things were made through, by, and for Him, and all ends will also be determined by Him and occur through Him for His glory.
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are how God chose to put an end to the Old Testament Law, evolving it into the new beginning of redemption through faith in Jesus. He was the end of the Law and the beginning of grace. He is also the last, final, end step in our salvation – He is enough. Faith in His saving works is what saves us – nothing else, nothing more, nothing less.
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you[a] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Through Him, we experience the end of our old selves and the beginning of our new life in Him. He is the Finisher and Perfector of our faith – He completes the works of faith in us, drawing us to the end of this life into the beginning of eternity with Him. Through Him, the first heaven and earth will end, and the new heaven and earth will begin. Nothing begins or ends that is not from, for, and through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has[a] come!
Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
God’s redemptive story is completed through Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, Lord of All. Matthew 25:31-46 explains clearly that faith or unbelief in Jesus will determine each of our own ends as well; faith leading to eternal life with Him with an end to sin and suffering, and unbelief leading to eternal fire and separation from Him and all that is good.
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
We are all called to choose Jesus. We are all drawn to Him by the Father, and through faith in Jesus, we get to come to the Father, being made right in His sight through the blood of His Son. Jesus was the spotless lamb, the perfect sacrifice, and He died to save each and every single one of us from the penalty of our sins by paying our hefty debts with His own life.
16 For God loved the world in this way:[a] He gave[b] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
By choosing to believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died and rose again as the perfect sacrifice to pay for your sin debt, you are justified, made right with God, and are welcomed into the family of God as fellow siblings with Christ. Today I pray you choose faith in Jesus, and let Him lead you in a life of love and obedience to the Father as He draws you closer to the end that is coming.
Dear Jesus, please move mountains in the hearts of each person reading this today. I pray that each person here right now who does not yet know You as their personal Lord and Savior draws closer to You today in faith, seeks Your face, asks You to come into their life today, and accepts You as their personal Savior. Lord, I pray that you soften hearts to You today and that glory is brought to Your precious name. Amen
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
What does it mean that Jesus claims the name “I Am”? If we swing back to Exodus 3, we see the story of God revealing Himself to Moses in the burning bush. Moses is instructed to go to the Israelites and tell them God has sent him to free them. Moses wants to know who he should say sent him and God says to tell them “I AM has sent me to you.”
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[e] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”
God identified Himself to Moses as I AM and told Moses to tell the Israelites this name for Himself. In John 8:58 where Jesus claims the name “I AM”, Jesus is claiming this exact same name. This very clearly communicates to the Jewish people, who would know Moses’s story intimately and therefore the significance of this name, that Jesus was claiming to be God, and was claiming the Godhead – the same God that was with Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, and whom these people claimed to serve and worship.
Jesus is telling the people that He is God Himself, and by this, He is revealing a few other key aspects of Himself. Jesus reveals His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Omnipresence means that God is everywhere, and everywhen. God is outside of time, yet within all of time at the same time, all at once. He is before all things, in the midst of all things, and after all things. He is the beginning and the end. Therefore, the same is true of Jesus as the Son of God whom all things were created through, by, and for.
16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Through the omnipresence of God, He knows the whole beginning and end of every person’s life. He knows the beginning and end of the story of mankind and all of creation. He is our Creator, and He is our Great High Priest. He knows what is ahead for each of us, prepares works ahead for us, makes the way for each of us to come to Him, revealing Himself to all of His creation through all of time.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
In claiming to be I AM, Jesus claims this attribute of God and acknowledges that He is the same God who was with Moses at the burning bush, with the Israelites through the wilderness, and is there with them right then. He is outside of time, outside of age, outside of our understanding, and remains so today and into eternity.
Omniscience of I AM
He also reveals His omniscience, which is God’s all-knowing power. The omniscience of God means that He knows all things. As He is outside of time yet existing within all of time, He also knows all of time and all things existing inside and outside of time.
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to[a] my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature,[b] because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Jesus reveals that He holds the omniscience of God by revealing the true heart of the people who were questioning Him. In John 8:30-47 Jesus reveals that though these Jews were appearing to serve God, and even doing so in God’s name, Jesus knew the conditions of their hearts and their true motives. He proclaimed that they were in fact children of the devil and not children of God. Only God could have known this, and Jesus was putting this on display.
10 I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart[a] to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
He, being outside of time, prepares ahead of us the works He has for us to do, revealing Himself to us, knowing what will draw us to Him and what will push us away, and all the time giving us the free will to make that choice.
As Jesus shows that He holds the same omniscience and omnipresence of God Himself, He also displays the omnipotence of God, which is God’s unlimited power and ability to do anything. Jesus reveals this all throughout the New Testament as He performs miracles and wonders, as He resists temptation and sin, as He fulfills the will of God by living a perfect life, going to die on the cross, and by rising from the dead. Here we see a glimpse of His omnipotence in John 8:58-59.
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden[a] and went out of the temple.[b]
Here at the very end of John 8, Jesus tells them again that He is I AM, and then before they can stone Him for blasphemy He veils Himself. He does this several times in scripture, and personally, it gets me every time. He discreetly displays His power in that He can hide in an instant as He deems fit. Here He knew the people’s hearts were hardened, had just called them out, and knew they would not believe the truth He was revealing to them because they did not really know God and therefore could not believe His truth. Instead of continuing to argue, or letting them stone Him, He simply hid Himself and walked away.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord[a] always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
Those who seek Him will find Him. Those who reject Him will harden their hearts against Him and be unable to know the truth. Jesus proclaims this lesson and hides Himself from those who refuse and reject His divinity and deity. Those who seek Him will find Him, and those who accept Him in faith will be saved by the grace of God. God’s Holy Spirit will then be with those who believe in Jesus as the Great I AM, through the end of time.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Because Jesus is I AM, He has the omnipotence of God. Because we who believe are in Christ and Christ in us, we can do all things through Him by His strength. He gives us His strength to endure and persevere in this world, to resist sin and temptation, and to run this race we’ve been called to.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus,[a] the pioneer and perfecter[b] of our faith. For the joy that lay before him,[c] he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It is up to us whether we trust in His omnipotence, His almighty power, His great strength that is greater than anything we could ever imagine, or whether we will trust in our own feeble (lack of) strength, which can do nothing. It is only through Christ we can persevere, and it is Him who is the victor on our behalf.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Jesus proclaims 5 absolute I AM statements. He uses a few metaphorical I AM statements as well, but these absolute I AM statements should be considered here. Each of these statements uses the same phrase for I AM as was used in Exodus 3:14 when God identified Himself to Moses.
20 But he said to them, “It is I.[a] Don’t be afraid.”
28 So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own. But just as the Father taught me, I say these things.
What do these absolute I AM statements reveal to us about Jesus?
I AM God – do not be afraid.
If you do not believe Jesus is I AM, you will die in your sins.
I AM the Son of Man and I AM God.
I AM Jesus of Nazareth and I AM God.
I AM the God of Moses and Abraham.
Jesus reveals in these statements over and over that He is God, He is the same God as was with Moses and Abraham. He is Jesus of Nazareth and God all at once, being the Son of Man, the Son of God, Image of the Invisible God. In this, we learn that we do not need to fear Him who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present but that we can come to Him and be saved. If we reject Him, reject who He has revealed Himself to be, we will die in our sins.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
This week we are going to dive deeply into Colossians 1:15-18 and take apart the whole passage to identify exactly what is being said. This powerful passage is packed full of so many things that are vital for us to understand about Jesus Christ as the Image of the Invisible God.
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God? The best way to begin answering this question is by diving into the original Greek and exploring exactly what each piece means.
Jesus is the likeness of God’s divine nature and moral excellence. Jesus Christ is the one through whom God lets His absolute goodness, righteousness, and holiness be seen. God is all good, and all goodness comes from God. There is no good or holiness apart from God. God is the only one holy, just and good, and He chose to show us His absolute goodness, holiness, and righteousness through the person of His Son.
9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily[a] in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe[a] through him. 3 The Son is the radiance[b] of God’s glory and the exact expression[c] of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins,[d] he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only[a] God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus Christ, as the image of the invisible God, is also the firstborn of all creation. This does not mean that Jesus was created, though. In Hebrew culture, the heir of the family was referred to as the firstborn. This did not necessarily mean literally the firstborn, just that the one who was heir to tha family was given the title of Firstborn. Referring to Jesus as the firstborn means that Jesus Christ is the heir of God, and that He has priority of rank. Jesus is superior to, sufficient for the salvation of, and has authority over all of creation. Christ is before and above all of creation, has always been and will always be.
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Christ is the heir of God, and also is the first to experience trueresurrection. His perfect life, death, and resurrection made the way for those who believe in Him to be saved from the penalty of our sins, which is eternal separation from God and therefore all that is good and holy, and makes it possible for those who believe in Him to be coheirs with Him and receive the promise of our own resurrections and eternal life with Him one day.
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.[a] 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is the redeemer of the world, the firstborn of all creation, the image of the invisible God. He humbled Himself and took on the sins of the world because He knew we could never pay the debt we owe for our sins, and therefore can never be made right with God on our own. In order that we may be made right with God and enter into a personal relationship with Him, Christ who is above all things paid our debts in full with His precious life.
All Things Created Through, By, For Him
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
Not only did He pay for the sin debt of the whole world with His life, but we were created by Him, through Him, and for Him as well. This means that by Christ’s means, all things were created to answer to His purposes. All of creation was made by Him and for Him. We were made by the power, design, and work of Jesus, we were created to do the works of Jesus, and we are saved by faith in the works of Jesus so that we can live according to His purposes. We were made by Him and saved by Him to live for Him and with Him.
Colossians 1:16 tells us that everything was created by Him, through Him and for Him.
leaders, rulers, authorities of angels and demons (G746 – archē)
authorities:
spiritual rulers, leading and powerful angels (G1849 – exousia)
19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.[a]
Christ created all things that exist which includes everything on earth and in heaven, and all levels of rulers and authorities on earth and in heaven. As we are made to answer to Christ’s purposes, and He created all things for His purposes, we are made to live by His design and plan.
28 We know that all things work together[a] for the good[b] of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
His purposes are good, and all things work together for the good of those who have faith in Christ, love God, and live according to His purposes. We are called to live by the purposes of Jesus, live as Christ, and know in faith that God is working it all out for our good. We will struggle, we will suffer along the way, it will be difficult, but God’s plan is bigger and better than anything we could ask, think or imagine and He wants us to be a part of the big picture plan, and be with Him for eternity.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
We will be tempted by unseen spiritual forces that wage war around and within us, being led astray from the purposes for which we have been made. Only faith in Christ can lead us to truly live in His purposes and plans, which is what helps us to combat this warfare. When we have faith in Jesus Christ as the image of the invisible God we are given new life, made spiritually alive by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, and go through the process of sanctification, which is the process of being made holy.
20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet.[a] Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
In All Things He is Preeminent, the Firstborn from the Dead
17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
Christ is the only way of salvation.Salvation through faith in Jesus as the image of the invisible God is the only way to be made right with God and be made holy for and by Him. He is before and above all things. He is preeminent, which means He is first, He has priority. We are designed to put Him first in all things, all areas of our lives, every relationship, every desire, everything. We were created by, for, and through the image of the invisible God – we were made by Christ, to live according to His will and purposes, which brings God glory and honor.He knew we in our sinful state could not accomplish this so He became the sacrifice for our sake so that through faith in Him as the sacrifice for our sin debt, we could fulfill His desires and purposes, and draw others to Him for the same purpose.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has[a] come!
Faith in Jesus opens the door to a personal relationship with God and the indwelling of His Spirit, and by this, we are made new in Him. Our old sinful self dies and we are spiritually born by His Spirit. When we choose to live surrendered to the will of God in love and faith in Jesus, His Spirit transforms us to become more like the image of the invisible God. We are called to bear the likeness of God’s holiness and nature through faith. He wants us to be made holy so we can be with Him for eternity and Christ makes this possible by washing us, His creation, clean by His blood.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh[a] but made alive by the Spirit,[b] 19 in which[c] he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people[d]—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge[e] of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; 44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Faith in Jesus is the only way of salvation.By faith, we are saved, and then God’s Holy Spirit leads us and transforms us to be more like Christ, the image of the invisible God, and less like the world and our own sinful selves. This is all possible by the beautiful and precious grace of God, and can never be accomplished by our own doings. By faith, we grow and change by the power of Christ in us, and we will begin to produce works as evidence of our faith and begin also to accomplish the works which the Lord has prepared for each of us within His beautiful plan for His glorious purposes.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Understanding who Christ is as the Only Begotten Son of God helps us to know more about who we are in relationship to God the Father as well as to Jesus the Son of God. In one of the most quoted passages of the Bible, John 3:16, we find Jesus named as God’s only begotten Son, but what does this mean and what does it have to do with us?
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Jesus Christ is the only one conceived of a human woman and God’s Holy Spirit. God sent His Son in His own likeness to dwell on earth being fully God and fully man and to live a sinless human life in order to fulfill His plan for the redemption of mankind. Jesus was the spotless Lamb offered as a perfect sacrifice for the salvation of those who believe in Him as the Only Begotten Son of God.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
The same Jesus who the world was created through, by, and for is the same Jesus who came down to live with us and save all who would believe in Him in faith. God sent Jesus to be both human and divine all at once, and to be the Way of salvation for all people. As the Only Begotten Son of God He is the only one qualified to accomplish the works necessary for the redemption of sinners.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
As the only Son born of God by His Spirit, Jesus is the heir of everything. Jesus Christ will reign over and judge the earth (Revelation 20:4-6), will open the scroll (Revelation 5:2-5), and everyone will one day bow to Him and confess He is Lord (Philippians 2:8-11). Those who believe in Him as the only Begotten Son of God will be with Him into eternity, and we will worship and serve Him gratefully.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [a]and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and [b]to loose its seven seals.”
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He is the firstborn, yet He is not a created being. He is one with God, is the image of God, and came down in the flesh so that mankind would dwell with God in the flesh for a little while, but He has always been and will always remain fully God. He experienced temptation, pain, and suffering as a man, but in His holiness and divinity He resisted all temptation, never once sinned, and obediently submitted to being the perfect sacrifice for all past, present, and future sins of the human race.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Those who believe in Jesus as the only Begotten Son of God through faith are adopted and grafted into the family of God and become brothers and sisters of Christ and to one another. We become children of God, and with this, we become coheirs with Christ, and will one day share in the promised inheritance of eternal life. We will be participants during judgment and will reign alongside Jesus, then be taken to dwell with God for eternity.
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[a] is the [b]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,[a] when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made [a]us kings[b] and priests to our God; And [c]we shall reign on the earth.”
Those who trust in Jesus Christ are in fellowship with God through and because of the blood of Jesus’s sacrifice. His blood washes our sin away when we repent and believe in Christ by faith. Our names will be written in the book of life and we will be forgiven and blessed.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, [a]“Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir [b]of God [c]through Christ.
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Jesus became the sacrifice for all the sins of the world because the love of God for His people is so great and He knew we would never be able to redeem ourselves, but we must be made holy in order to be with God. When we believe in faith that Jesus is the only Begotten Son of God, Christ makes us holy by the washing of His blood and allows us to come into a personal relationship with God as sons and daughters. God’s love for and desire to be with His creation is so great that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die in our place so that we may have eternal life with God if we believe in His Son.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.
By becoming children of God and coheirs with Christ we are given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to be a guide and a comfort on our way to our eternal inheritance. He will teach, correct, convict, guide and remind us as we seek to live a life that pleases God in faith and obedient love. We will bear the fruits of the Spirit as evidence of true faith in Christ, and we will be blessed by the measure of our faith and fruits.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[a] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
15 “Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.
As children of God saved by His grace through faith in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God, we are called to follow Christ, live a life worthy of the gospel, repent and turn from sin, strive toward holy living, and bring God glory in the ways we live. This should be done in gratitude, love, and faith. It should come naturally as the Holy Spirit works to transform us to become more like Jesus and less like our old sinful selves. None of this is done by us or in our own wisdom or strength, but only by the grace and power of God. God saves us, redeems us, and transforms us for His good pleasure and glory, out of love for His creation, when we choose to accept Christ as our personal Savior in faith.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
If you have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, lean into the Lord and seek a close and personal relationship with Him. Spend time with Him daily, make God a priority, and Christ-like living through faith and a desire to glorify God alone your heart’s desire.
If you have never trusted in Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I encourage you to invite Jesus into your life, repent of your sins, seek forgivenes from God, and accept Jesus as your Savior. It is a tough journey, but you are not alone!
If you once professed faith in Jesus and have strayed from His path, I encourage you to come to Him and repent, seek His forgiveness, and trust Him in faith again. Come back and continue to run the race with Jesus.
Those who earnestly seek His face and turn from their sin with a repentant heart will be forgiven. We would love for you to join us in the community for fellowship and encouragement. This life is meant to be lived alongside God as well as fellow believers. We are here for you! Join the community on Discord.
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 [a]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, [b]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
As we explore and study the names of Jesus throughout the Bible, we get to become more intimately familiar with His character, nature, power, and sovereignty. This is such a beautiful blessing for those who truly desire to know Christ and to know Him better over time and throughout life. The Lord of All reveals Himself to us through His Word and wants us to spend time growing in our knowledge of and relationship with Him.
36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.
Acts 10 tells us about a Centurion named Cornelius who was a God-fearing man. God gave Cornelius a vision and told him to send for Peter, which he did. Peter also had a vision, then men came to invite him to the home of Cornelius, and he went. There was a law that Jewish people were not allowed to visit or associate with foreigners, but Peter obeyed the Lord in visiting Cornelius.
While Peter was staying with Cornelius he declared a very important lesson – that God shows no favoritism, but as Christ is Lord of All He is Lord not only of the Jews but of the gentiles. To us, this means that He is truly Lord of all, no matter where you come from, who your parents or ancestors are, who or what you know, what you have done – He is Lord over all of creation.
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The Lord of All died to save all
Because He is Lord of All, He also came and died to save all. In Philippians 2 we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to adopt the same attitude as that of Jesus (Phil 2:5), and to be selfless and count others more important than ourselves. As Christ emptied and humbled Himself for the salvation of all, we must remember the conviction of Peter in Acts 10:42 that we are commanded to preach the gospel to all people. We are all His creation whom He sacrificed Himself on the cross to save us from the penalty for our sins. There is to be no favoritism, but we are to obey God and share His Good News with all of His creation.
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus Christ is Lord of All, on earth (those who live on this earth, G1919), in Heaven (those who dwell in the heavenly realms, G2032), and even under the earth (departed souls in the underworld, G2709). Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. This means that all of creation, in the physical and spiritual realms, will bow in honor and worship (G2578), and every tongue will confess, or acknowledge openly and joyfully (G1843), that Jesus Christ is truly Lord of All.
The Lord of All created all
Christ is Lord of All, and Creator of All. All things were created by, through, and for Him. He then came to dwell with His creation, and then die for the salvation of His creation. In Colossians 1 we learn that everything, seen and unseen, spiritual and physical, all was created by and through Him, and it was also created for Him. All of creation is under His authority and dominion.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of All is the only way to be saved from the penalty for our sins and be welcomed into the family of God, with the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. In order to receive salvation, each person must in faith believe in Jesus and His saving works.
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Again, there is no favoritism. Christ came and died for the sins of all of creation because He loves and wants a personal relationship with all of creation. All are given opportunities to know and believe in Jesus as their Savior, but only those who come to Him in faith will be saved. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you’ve done… Christ died to save you. He wants each of us to come to Him in faith and believe that He died to pay the debt for all of our sins.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
God has revealed Himself to all of creation. Christ died for the sins of all of creation to draw us all to the Father through Him, and all of creation are responsible for their responses to His revelations and promptings. He is Lord of All and wants to be in a relationship with us all.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
The book of Luke opens up in a beautiful way, telling of Gabriel predicting the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus, the Son of God. We see beautiful examples of faithful people believing the message sent from God, and willingly accepting God’s plan for the coming of His Son into the world. In the midst of this incredible story, we find another name of Jesus – the Son of the Most High.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, was sent to both Mary and Zechariah separately to tell them they would be parents by the grace and power of God. One child, Jesus, would be the Son of the Most High, and the other, John, would prepare the way for the Son of the Most High. While Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, doubted and was mute until John’s birth, Mary believed and was blessed.
34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” [a]
35 The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
This is an extraordinary and vital part of God’s story. The coming of the Son of the Most High into the world was carefully planned by the Most High Himself. He knew every detail, every step, every person involved, and knew exactly the responses, reactions, beliefs, and doubts of every one of them every step of the way.
Mary believed the message sent to her from the Lord by His messenger the angel Gabriel, and she gave great praise to the Lord. She counted this a blessing to be grateful for. She, in faith, accepted the will of God that she would bear the Son of the Most High, and bring the Messiah into the world.
Elizabeth and Zechariah both showed their faithfulness in naming John as Gabriel had told them, and Elizabeth’s proclamations of her son even in the womb. Scripture indicates that they raised John as the Lord had called them to, and John eventually did what he was born to do – he prepared the way for the coming of the Son of the Most High God.
Power of the Son of the Most High
In the book of Mark we see this name of Jesus come up again, but from a very different source. Jesus was traveling to Garasenes and was approached by a demon-possessed man who the people of that town had not been able to subdue. As Jesus got out of the boat the possessed man ran and fell at Jesus’ feet.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
9 “What is your name?” he asked him.
“My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
11 A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12 The demons[a] begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
We see again another extraordinary example of the knowledge and belief in Jesus as the Son of the Most High, yet here we see that even the demons know and believe this of Jesus and fell at His feet terrified and begging. Jesus’ mere presence provoked the demons and they begged to be cast into a herd of pigs rather than be cast away. The unclean spirits had to obey the Son of God, for the power of God dwelt in Him.
Importance of the Son of the Most High
We are called to have faith and believe in the Son of the Most High God. Believing the true identity of Jesus Christ is vital. When you believe that Jesus is, in fact, the Son of the Most High God who came to dwell on the earth, die as a sacrifice for our sins, and rise again to defeat death, and you accept Him as your Savior in faith, you are saved from the penalty of your sins and enter into the family of God. By faith, we are saved, and we are blessed children of the Most High God.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[a] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Mary, who believed the news not only that the Son of God was coming but that she would give birth to Him, was an extraordinary act of faith. Elizabeth bore a son late in her life by the grace of God and obediently raised him as the Lord instructed. Even the demons believed Jesus to be the Son of the Most High God and obeyed Him. Each of us is called to have faith and believe that Jesus is in fact the Son of the Most High God so that by faith we may be saved by the grace of God.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God.
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
As the new year approached, I prayed over how to dive into our studies this year. I looked back at how we spent 2021 and where I see God leading this ministry. Last year we explored a different theme in scripture each month and it was an incredible year of studying God’s Word. This year I am so excited to see how God will grow each of us as we explore a different name of Jesus every week. This week it is only fitting that we begin with His identity as the Beloved Son of God.
For the next couple of months, we are going to explore Jesus’s identity as the Son of God before embarking on a journey through even more of Christ’s identity and character. Each week we will learn more about another of His names that will help us come to know Jesus deeper. My goal for 2022 is to get to know Jesus Christ on a deeper and more personal level, making sure He is the focus and cornerstone. In order to do this, we will begin by learning about Jesus as God’s Beloved Son, with whom He is well pleased.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
As Jesus was getting baptized by John the Baptist, God declared His love for Jesus and the pleasure that Jesus brings Him. In getting baptized by John, Jesus was setting an example for all of us, and God declaring His love and pleasure for His Son shows us an example of how to also please God. We must follow the example of Jesus Christ in faith, and we therefore will please and glorify God.
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Being a Christian means you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Being a follower of Jesus means you have faith in Him and His works and you live by His example. Faith in Jesus is based on the belief that He is in fact the Son of God and that God sent Jesus, His Beloved Son, to be the Savior of mankind and pay the debt for our sins.
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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
By Christ, through Christ, and for Christ, all things were made. He has dominion over all of creation and, being fully God and fully man, was sent to reconcile mankind to God through His sinless life, willing death, and divine resurrection. God is well pleased with Christ who poured out His life to reconcile mankind to God and bring God glory. Faith in God’s Beloved Son is the only way for mankind to be redeemed and enter a relationship with God. God wants a relationship with His creation, and our faith in Christ makes that possible because through our faith the blood of Jesus washes us clean.
16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Jesus willingly died for us because the debt of sin that all mankind owes is a debt none of us can pay. God sent Jesus Christ to pay the debt on our behalf, knowing we could never pay it ourselves, and also knowing it is only by His grace we could be redeemed to Him. He made a Way where there was no other Way, and that Way is through His Beloved Son.
20 And we 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place so that we too may be sons and daughters of God, our Father in Heaven, and be in a personal relationship with Him through Christ our Savior. Through our relationship with God, we have access to Him and are given understanding so that we may come to know Him more and more, become more like Him, and eventually spend our eternity with Him.
16 For God loved the world in this way:[a] He gave[b] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
If we love God, we will also love Jesus, God’s Beloved Son. If we have faith and believe in Jesus as the Son of God and sacrifice for our sins and repent we will be saved from the penalty of our sins. Through our faith in the Son of God, we enter into a personal relationship with the Father and become His children also, born of God. Everyone born of God can overcome the world by their faith in Jesus Christ because our faith is in Christ, who overcame the world.
As we learn and grow within our personal relationship with God through our true faith in Jesus Christ, we will be transformed, become more like Christ, grow in our understanding of the Lord and His Word, be equipped for the works which God has prepared for us to do, and be able to resist the temptations of this world through His power that now dwells in us.
Keep your eyes, mind, and heart centered on your Savior, and allow Him to fill you up and give you the strength to overcome this world and become more like Him every day. By this, we can learn how to please and glorify God through our faith in the Beloved Son of God, with whom God is well pleased.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
