To whom should I pray?

I am fascinated by prayer. I want to understand every aspect of prayer: the why, how, what, when, and who of it. Yes, there is even a “who” question that comes up with prayer for Christ followers, though I hesitate to spend much time on this particular topic. To Catholics who are followers of Christ, this may be a point of controversy because I find no place in the Bible that supports prayers to saints or to Mary, the beloved mother of Jesus, although I agree she should be held in reverent regard. Misdirected prayers are, in the least, entirely ineffective and, at their worst, opening the person praying up to dangerous spiritual consequences. To that end, speaking against prayer practices unsupported by Scripture is a necessary step into controversy. We should never pray to those who have died even if we are sure of their Salvation.

The one instance that I am aware of where a communication was documented with the spirit of a dead person and the living did not go well. In 1 Samuel 28, Saul became desperate because God had left him and quit responding to his prayers (I Sam 28:15). So, out of desperation and instead of accepting God’s judgment, Saul used a spirit medium to contact Samuel. We assume Samuel will be among the saints since he was a faithful prophet of God, and yet Saul had a conversation with his spirit. His response was:

Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary?” 1 Samuel 28:16

Basically, Samuel is rebuking Saul for trying to do some sort of end run around God instead of accepting God’s decision and will in the matter. Saul was not specifically rebuked for this particular act of defiance of God, however this “prayer” or spiritual communication with Samuel was a furtherance of Saul’s ongoing self-directed defiance. Saul was already facing the full wrath of his rebellion.  So, the least that can be said of this prayer is that it was entirely ineffective. The most that can be said is that this prayer was like hammering the final nail into Saul’s coffin because was the pinnacle of a pattern of going his own way rather than God’s. If the only example of prayer to the spirit of a holy man or saint of God went so poorly, why would the practice of praying to saints or the Mother Mary now be an acceptable practice? I believe it is always an act of defiance, even if it seems to be rooted in a sort of reverent “let’s not both God with my petty self”. It is defiance of God’s call to fellowship with Him.

Among Protestant Christ followers, the “who” quest of prayer comes down to whether one can pray to Jesus instead of God the Father or can one pray to the Holy Spirit? Speaking into this very far is fruitless and would stir up what I believe to be needless controversy. So, I will not spend much time on it except to say that I believe God the Father, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all One and, at the same time, they are different and distinct persons. They are so united in their nature, their intent, and their thoughts that they are indistinguishable. However, they also are different in that they manifest in different ways and they each have carried out different roles in the gospel of God’s salvation.

The Holy Spirit has always, even in Old Testament times, been the one to speak to our inner being (our hearts, the core of who we are):

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 1 Peter 1:10-11

Jesus was the only born Son of God existing before this universe or any other of the creation began, yet humbled Himself to put on flesh and experience the fullness of being human:

…although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8

I suspect, though I cannot prove by way of Scripture, that it was Jesus with whom Abraham interceded for Sodom in Genesis 18 because it records that the LORD stood physically before him:

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD. Genesis 18:22

since God exists outside of His creation, including time, this is entirely possible. Also, the Bible says that no one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). But, that is not a curiosity rather than a necessary point of faith.

And, Jesus tells us that He and the Father are One and further describes how the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will come in the place of Jesus when He departs (see John 14). So, while the Bible’s many unmistakable references of prayers are to God the Father, I believe it a distinction with no meaningful difference to pray to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. A prayer to one is known by all. Since Jesus and the Spirit of Christ have chosen to be entirely submitted to God the Father, then there is no contention, no possessiveness, and no jealousy among them for our prayers. All glory is given to Jesus who points only to the Father and the Holy Spirit is Christ in us.

Now, there are a couple of verses that are not eminently clear, but do support that it is perfectly acceptable to pray to Jesus:

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 1 Corinthians 1:2

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 2 Corinthians 12:8 (the term “Lord” is “kyrios” which Paul uses to refer to Jesus and can mean messiah).

Also, in support of prayer to the Holy Spirit, we are also called to be in fellowship with Him:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

What is fellowship if not communing (communicating); fellowship and being in a dialogue or prayer seems synonymous or rather, one cannot experience fellowship without there being some sort of communication. And, I consider prayer simply spiritual communication. Let me now leave behind this preliminary matter and press on to more prominent aspects of prayer.

With a Little Help from a Friend

I suggested, last post, that we are called to obedience out of our love for Jesus. Prior to that, I asserted a hard-line of always turning to Jesus in times where we need comfort, reassurance and encouragement. That when we turn to something else, no matter how innocent it appears, then we sin. Indeed, both of these things that we are called to are beyond our reach as men and women. Such standards are impossible to us. So, is Jesus just setting forth an unattainable ideal? I do not think Jesus asks the impossible of us. Instead, He gives us a way through grace:

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:25-26

We cannot. He can. Our attempts at righteousness are but dirty rags. But, God the Father sent the Holy Spirit who is fully God to make the impossible possible. This verse gives us that promise and interjects some of how He works. The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of all that Jesus speaks to us. He reminds us of God’s written word and He reminds us of what Jesus has wrought in our lives. When we remember these things, we are strengthened and transformed by such truth.

Love and Obey: There is no other way

The last post from John 14 focused on a key verse pointing us to KNOW that Jesus was in His followers and His followers in Him although we cannot see, hear or touch Him physically. Jesus goes on to describe the nature of this relationship of being “in” one another:

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to 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 abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:21-24

I looked earlier in chapter 14 at this whole idea of obedience flowing out of love in a prior post so I encourage you to refer back to it so I can press into different parts of these verses. I will say that it is very pertinent that Jesus repeats this concept of obedience flowing from love in this chapter. When Jesus repeats something, I want to pay very close attention to it. True love of Jesus results in obedience – the desire to and the practice of keeping to His word. Absent that evidence, one must question whether they are genuinely “saved” or if there is some stronghold of Satan standing in the way.

It is interesting that Judas Iscariot questions Jesus at this juncture. Like many Jews of the time, I suspect that Judas was looking for a military and governmental Messiah who would free Israel from the grip of Rome. Judas is revealing that he is missing the whole point. He is showing that he joined up hoping to be part of the rebellion that re-established the Nation of Israel’s independence because he expects that all should see the display proving Jesus is the Christ. We are not terribly different at times. We want Jesus to do some outward display to the world. But, Jesus’ response to Judas makes it clear that He is indifferent to such a public exhibition, but that He is interested in our inner man – our heart.

Now, on the main point: Jesus repeats more than anything that the entire interaction of being “in” us and us “in” Him is permeated by love. Love drives the whole thing. Love is the foundation and the form of the relationship. And, the love of Jesus and the love of the Father are entirely united. There is no point of division so that no one can tell them apart. In another of John’s writings, he declares that God is love (see 1 John). The Apostle Paul also writes of the preeminence of love (1 Corinthians 13). But, there is little I can say about love that is not right there in scripture. It is to be experienced and received rather than explained. Jesus’ concern is on transforming our inner dominion with love and not transforming the world’s political landscape.

There are two things Jesus adds in these verses beyond the evidence of love and the doctrine of obedience. Jesus makes two promises that are crucial for a believer to take hold of to walk in the fullness of salvation. Jesus promises that He will disclose Himself to each of us who loves Him. Jesus will not remain an unfathomable mystery or distant entity – not some far off King. He will give us access into His Person. We will come to know His mind, His thoughts, and His nature. As I love Him more and I am receiving more of His gifts to me, I believe He will disclose Himself more to me. While His love for me is an established fact and fully present, I believe His disclosing to me His love and disclosing to me His nature will be a process. He will never overwhelm me; my love for Him sets the pace because that is how He chose to do it.

The other thing that He adds here is the whole idea of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father making their abode with me. Notice that Jesus uses the word “our” in reference to this ‘living with’ promise. Earlier in verse 16 He only says that the Spirit of Truth will come. This leads me to understand that the Holy Spirit is not just some mechanism or tool wielded by God. The Holy Spirit is fully God. The Holy Spirit is one with Jesus and one with the Father just as Jesus and the Father are one. And, by His presence, the presence of the Holy Spirit, then Jesus and the Father are present with me as well – fully present.

Next, I must contemplate further this whole “make Our abode” or “abiding” concept. This is no absentee Father. He is not just setting up a Post Office Box address with me where He can stop in occasionally and check the mail. This is a full-blown intimate relationship. He is with me when I wake up in the morning (Psalms 139:18). He is with me at all times. I may try, but I cannot evict Him. He is on the deed. I have not right to change the locks and keep Him out (though when I have tried He has not forced the door open, just persistently knocked). I am no longer living alone. This is not dependent on how I feel towards Him. It is truth; an established reality independent of my perception like a law of physics.

And, this actually leads me back into what I said I would not focus on. When two people live in the same space, each has their own idea of how things should go. I have friends who live together in a house purchased by one of them. There has been strife and conflict and also moments of healing and deepening friendship. However, only one name is on the deed and so ultimately, only one will remain in the home if agreement cannot be reached. I said before that Jesus’ name is now on the deed of the real estate known as ‘you’ if you have surrendered your life to Him. I believe His name is the only name on that deed. And so, if you are unwilling to be obedient. If your love has not grown so great with Jesus that you do not desire to please Him in all things yet, there will be conflict in the house that is you. There will be no peace in that home in any area where you are yet to yield to obedience. Unlike earthly roommates, Jesus will not evict you from the home to which He holds the deed. No, His nature is such that He will give you space if you refuse to yield. That quiet will not be one of peace, but one of feeling distant and forlorn.

If the house that is your life is not at peace. If there is conflict and strife. Look first to see if there are places of disobedience to Jesus’ words. If you find places of disobedience, you have two options. Continue to live with Him in conflict like roommates who squabble (you can argue with God all your like, just do not expect to win) and eventually He will afford you that space I mentioned. Or you can ask Him to teach your heart to grow your love for Him until you desire to be obedient in every area. Then true peace will come to that house. There is not other way.

How does one have a relationship with an invisible God?

If you have been following my posts on the powerful John 14 chapter from the Bible then you have read over and over again this idea of a relationship with Jesus. Many of you, even Christians, may find this concept a bit odd. Even if you are embrace the idea of a relationship with Jesus, you may struggle, as I did, with exactly how one has a “relationship” with an invisible God – a God that does not physically appear or speak words that vibrate the eardrum. After all, even long distance relationship with friends or family involves either seeing written words in emails or spoken words over the phone – some form of two-way communication.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18

I went for a walk this morning. I debated either taking the morning of from working out, or going to the gym. I had been reading the Bible and spending time in prayer and just had a sense that Jesus wanted me to go for a walk in the park. I hesitate to say that Jesus “spoke”, “said”, or that I “heard” because that is not the way I experience this dialogue with Him. Rather, using the word “prompting” or “sense” comes closer to explaining my experience. This prompting or sense is in my own head; I do not hear sounds. The sense forms thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts are images only, but usually they are words. These words I “hear” in my own internal voice, but there is a quality to them that is different from thoughts I generate myself.

At this point, you are either: thinking I am crazy; realizing your experience this too, but did not know it was a spiritual communication; or you are frustrated because you would like to have such a dialogue with God, but it has never happened for you. Stay tuned.

So, I was obedient and went for the walk. As I was walking, I saw this family up ahead that was sauntering slowly along. I knew I would catch up with them and, honestly, I began thinking of taking a different route. I did not want to encounter them. Even from that distance, I had the notion that they were not people I would ordinarily be attracted to or prefer interacting with. Go ahead and judge; you have those reactions too! But, a verse came to mind: “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.” (paraphrase of Isaiah 41:10).

Sure enough, as I was walking by, the mom spoke to me and asked a question. I stopped and began talking to the family. The conversation progressed quickly from commenting on the little work-out routine they had seen me doing to church. They had no church home and went from church to church. I invited them to my church. It turned out that she had encountered someone else from my church recently who invited her to Quest Community Church also.

Apparently, this lady had discounted that first invitation to Quest for a certain reason, but now she had encountered a second person and second invitation in a short period of time from two diverse sources whom she did not know. She acknowledged that she did not believe in coincidences. I hope to see them at church and I hope they find a church home, even if it is not my own church. The family seemed to need an infusion of spiritual truth and hope.

And so that is at least a glimpse of how we have a relationship with an invisible God. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the core of who we are (our “heart”) when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is this Spirit of Truth that communicates with us. As we seek out this communication we recognize the “voice” of the Holy Spirit better. As we listen and respond, we “hear” from Him more often and more clearly. All of this is how communication progresses with people, but it is a spiritual communication.

If you are not experiencing this, then you need to explore why this is. Trying to walk out a life of faith in utter silence from the very God you are trying to serve will leave you disheartened and apt to believing lies of Satan rather than truth. Here is a list of possible reasons why you do not have a dialogue with Jesus: 1) you do not know Him and the Holy Spirit has not taken up residence in your heart; 2) you are holding onto sin which creates a separation between you and God; 3) you have practiced disregarding his “voice” and so it has grown faint; 4) you do not believe He would bother speaking to you personally; 5) you do not devote sufficient time to pray which is the vehicle for spiritual communication; 6) there are other spirits, what the Bible calls “unclean spirits”, with such an influence upon you or at least access to your spiritual “ears” that they obscure God’s voice with their noise (like static on a radio); or 7) you spend insufficient time in God’s written word, the Holy Bible, which is His love letter to you.

If one or more of those seven items is blocking you from hearing from Jesus, get help from a Christ following brother or sister who appears to have a close relationship with Jesus.

Fantastic Five: The INDWELLING

Welcome to my 100th post in this blog. In the last few posts, I presented the incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection, and the ascension as essential articles of faith as a follower of Jesus. His birth, death and resurrection are completed acts that make way for us to bridge the gap caused by our rebellion that lies between us and God. It is by our belief that we receive this free gift of God.

Entering into a saving relationship with Jesus means we come to know Him (examine 1 John 4). This is not a “knowing” in the sense of knowing historical facts. Rather, it is a knowing which implies an intimacy. The barest “knowing” of Jesus resulting in salvation is: He is the Son of God and thus perfect and divine, but that He came into the world as a man; that He chose to sacrifice Himself though He never sinned to cover our sin debt; and that He arose again in victory over sin and death. We pass from death to life with this level of intimacy and our relationship with Him is then meant to grow ever deeper.

I also suggested that belief in the ascension of Jesus is also an essential element of faith, but in a different way than those first three. Whereas one must believe the incarnation, atonement and resurrection in order to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, belief in the ascension is essential to experience the fullness of life in Him. By the ascension we know that the sacrifice of Jesus was approved as an entirely sufficient propitiation of sin once and for all. Because He ascended to the right hand of God the Father, we have access to come before the Father as well. This is true whether we believe it or not, yet we only apprehend the reality of this by our belief.

In the same way, every believer in Jesus is indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a matter of fact whether experienced or not:

And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:20-22

Note that this was prior to the day of Pentecost. Some argue that this was a special gift only for those disciples present, but then we see that this was extended to all believers:

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

And in commenting on the Holy Spirit coming to Gentile believers, Peter shows the universality of this gift:

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” Acts 11:15-17

The Holy Spirit is present but, it is the belief in this indwelling through which His power is unleashed in and through us. We limit the Holy Spirit when we limit our belief in Him and we unleash the power of the Holy Spirit when we expand our belief. Some believers confuse the ever-present indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the filling of the Holy Spirit:

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31.

The filling of the Holy Spirit, unlike the indwelling, is subjectively unmistakable. The day of Pentecost was the most famous example of the filling of the Holy Spirit, while around 40 days earlier Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit to the disciples is the first example of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling may be overlooked subjectively because it may be quiet as a breath.

The Greek word used in John 20:22 for “breathed” is intriguing. It is used nowhere else in the New Testament, but it was chosen by the translators of the Old Testament Hebrew text for Genesis 2:7 where God breathed life into Adam. It is also a word that can indicate a soft blowing such as one would use to play a flute (I got this from last from Derek Prince, a Greek scholar and preacher). Soft yet profound – it brings life that is everlasting. In contrast, the filling of the Holy Spirit appears to descend upon believers to accomplish a certain task and in a measure equal to that task, but it also subsides.

If we hold to the belief that the Holy Spirit dwells within us whether we feel His presence or not, then we have the assurance that Jesus is with us. We then face each challenge with confidence and each struggle with joy because “greater is He who is within us than He who is in the world”. 1 John 4:4.

To bring this series of six posts full circle, my intent was to strip away as many religious beliefs as possible to get to the barest essential beliefs of a follower of Christ. This is the same task as many New Testament authors undertook because the enemy constantly seduced people into buying into Jesus plus doctrines. However, there are some core beliefs without which one can be deceived by a watered down, everything goes New Age philosophy. I am no scholar and I ask no one to take my word for these assertions I have made. Rather, search the scripture, pray and seek God’s own truth about these matter. And, as always, I invite you to challenge me and sharpen me as iron sharpens iron.

I am begging you friend, build your house on a foundation of faith – not works!

This is an email I just wrote to my friend who says Jesus was only a man and there was no atonement by Jesus for sin. I post it here with his name replaced:

Friend,

When did I ever say that works do not matter? Works matter – they just do not save. Belief (faith) saves. Not the kind of belief as in, “yeah, I believe in the historical Jesus” but the kind of belief that is better described as “believing into” (as opposed to “belief of”). It is a believing that involves a knowing. Knowing someone means a relationship exists. You cannot know someone without being in a relationship. You can only know of someone in which you are not in a relationship.

If one has this genuine, believing into kind of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior – knowing Him in that way – then one will want to do works because they will be growing in love for God. Jesus is the giver of salvation because God the Father granted that to Him. It is by grace which we are offered this gift and by belief that we receive it. When we know Jesus, we know God; when we know God, we know Jesus (see 1 John 4; John 14:7).

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” John 17:1-11 (emphasis added)

 Friend, these verses above are so rich and full. They show that in some way we cannot fully understand Jesus and God are distinct from one another and yet entirely united. Jesus clearly says He was in glory with God before the world ever began. Contrast this to Lucifer, a created and perfect being (at least when created, see Ezekiel 28:15) sought to glorify himself by seeking something he was not entitled to: equality with God. And so he led God’s beloved people astray. Jesus was born of God (born, not created and also perfect). He actually was entitled to equality with God, but to bridge the gap and bring God’s beloved people back into relationship He humbled himself by taking on the mantle of flesh and complete submission to the will of God the father. Thus, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness through His shed blood; His death. 

 

To say that we must behave a certain way or do sufficient good deeds to make things right with God is the spirit of anti-christ because saying that is saying Jesus was not enough. The word “anti” does not just mean “against”, it also means “in place of”. Works have their place as an outgrowth of and evidence to a saving relationship with Jesus, but should never be in place of that belief into Jesus. 

 

Your cited verses speak to this:

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49

The foundation is belief in Jesus. The foundation is faith. The works are the house. The foundation is salvation. The house is the process of sanctification. A believer will do works and an unbeliever will do them also. Both houses may look great from the outside. The difference is the foundation. Your verse makes the very point I have been trying to convey: if you are doing works on a faulty foundation then it is of no use. The Pharisees foundation was belief in themselves – their own ability to be righteous and thus bridge that gap with God. I am telling you the true foundation is grace, not works. Grace received by believing that God loved you so much that He sent His only born Son into the world, taking upon Himself the mantle of sinful flesh – though He never succumbed to sin, so that He would be the propitiation (payment in full) of our personal rebellion and the rebellion shared by all mankind.

 

The works I do, I do upon that foundation. Friend, I hope you know I would not spend the hours I have spent nor taken the risk I have taken with you if I did not have love for you. Jesus’ love is greater and He is real and alive this day. I believe your heart is longing to exchange the burden of works for the yoke of faith, but all this head stuff (intellectual arguments) is sooo noisy. And I will say one more time – there is no way you can read John 17 above and the other verses I gave you and stay convinced that Jesus is a really wise and trusted teacher. He did not leave that as an option. He was either flippin’ insane, a skilled con man, or the only BORN SON OF GOD existing in glory with the Father from before the universe existed. Why? – Because He claimed to be the Son of God existing in glory with God before the universe began. Either that claim is true or it is not. 

 

If that claim Jesus is making is false – then all He said and did is suspect. But, if it is true – oh, my! If it is true, then that means I (and you) can enter into relationship with God by faith because Jesus canceled my sin debt. It is a free gift and I only need receive it – something I could NEVER earn. 

Jesus is Lord

A colleague of mine with whom I have been engaged in an ongoing dialogue about the divinity of Jesus quoted this scripture as “proof” that Jesus was not God:

Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'” John 20:17

The implication being that if Jesus calls God the Father “My God”, then He cannot also be God. But, I have cautioned my colleague to avoid taking verses out of context and adding unspoken implications to them. If one goes further in this chapter, we see:

Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” John 20:28-29

So, let us look at the context of these two verses – a dead man has come back to life and is talking to His disciples. Not just a man who appeared dead, but someone who was scourged and bleeding profusely who hung upon a cross and had a spear shoved in His side to make sure He was dead. That same man laid in a tomb for three days behind a very heavy stone barrier. He was dead, dead, dead. Then He wasn’t.

And now Thomas has just stood there face to face with Jesus and STILL did not believe the evidence. Thomas, my hero! He was the most dubious; the hardest to convince and so he touched the nail marked hands (wrists maybe) and the spear wound. He believed and said Jesus was God! Jesus did not refute this, but affirmed it.

So, either Jesus was a liar (who somehow also was a dead man walking), a lunatic, or just who He said He was. Mmmm, I’m going with the dead guy standing before me. The first verse I quoted simply acknowledges what I wrote previously that Jesus chose to humble Himself and let the Father exalt Him. One cannot also add “and I am not God” because the verse can be read consistent with God consisting of more than one personage. He is a distinct person from God the Father and yet so exactly the same and unified that to see Jesus is to see God.