Thursday, May 9, 2024

          One common tactic for cults, false teachers and false teachings to pursue is to attack the person of Jesus.  We often find that these opponents attack the identity of Jesus as fully God and fully man.  Some opponents might strip away the humanity of Jesus while others minimize or do away with His deity.  Scripture teaches us that Jesus is fully divine and fully human.  We are not to emphasize one above the other but rather hold fast and firmly to both aspects of Jesus’ identity.  John helps us to do this correctly.  In I John 4:2-3, we read, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”  In John’s day, the humanity of Jesus was under intense attack.  Some false teachers proposed that Jesus only “seemed” to be human or “pretended” to be human but was really 100% God and zero percent human.  John, under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, soundly refuted this claim.
            In the opening of his gospel, John emphasized the deity of Jesus by pointing out that His birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of Jesus’ existence.  It was the moment that God entered into the world like one of us, born as a baby to Mary, but it was not the moment that Jesus came into existence.  Jesus has always existed.  He has always been.  John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3).  To those who might have believed that Jesus was a man but not God, John issued a stern rebuke.  Even today, there are unitarians who do not accept the Trinity or believe that Jesus is divine.  But the theologically and biblically correct portrayal of Jesus has always been fully God and fully man.  We want to be clear about this as we serve and share the good news of Jesus with others.
            You might be tempted to ask “why does theology matter?”  Simply put, the truths we believe have a direct impact upon how we live.  Beliefs govern behavior.  Theology presides over actions and decisions.  Most of all, what we believe about Jesus determines where we will spend eternity.  And that is a big deal!  False teachings today consistently attack the identity of Jesus and the authority of Scripture.  When we lose sight of who Jesus is, it can be easy to lose sight of some other beliefs and values too.  Near the end of 1 John, the apostle made clear his purposes for writing the letter.  We read, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).  Knowing Jesus assures us of eternal life.  And because we know Christ, we will value His Word and allow His Word to be our final standard for right and wrong.  Have a great Thursday!  This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day.  We will gather for “Muffins with Mom” at 9:00-9:45am in the fellowship hall as moms and their kids are treated to something special.  We will recognize and honor mothers and the gifts of women in our church.  Bible study is at 9:45am and worship is at 10:55am.  Our children will play a big role in helping us to worship on Sunday.  Their presence and the joy they bring always bless us when we worship.  Who has it better than us?  Nobody!  We’ll see you on Sunday!