A reminder for
today
In the beginning [before all time] was the
Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was
[continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things
were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one
thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to
bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines on in the
darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate
it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]. (John 1:1-5)
Is Jesus the Creator
God? Is this even an important question? Absolutely! If Jesus is not God, and
therefore the Creator, then He is a created being. If Jesus is created, then
how could He have been an adequate sacrifice to atone for sins committed
against an infinite God? Jesus must have been God to adequately atone for our
sins, which bring upon us unlimited guilt and cause us to deserve an eternal
hell.
But does it really
matter whether or not we believe that Jesus is God? Yes! If one places faith in
a false Christ, one that is not described in Scripture, then can this false
Christ save them? Truly, the identity of Christ is of utmost importance. And
yet, in today’s culture there are people teaching that Jesus was a created
being. They are leading people astray.
What sets biblical
Christianity apart from cults and other world religions? It is the person of Jesus
Christ—who He is. In Islam, Jesus was a
messenger of God, but not the Son of God. In many cults, the deity of Jesus
Christ is negated, and in many world religions and personal views, Jesus is
just another wise teacher. But the Bible says that all things were created by Him and for Him.
We should expect
Satan, the adversary of God and the father of lies, to advance many variants of
the person of Jesus Christ. Satan would want all the false views to succeed in
some measure to lead people away from the true Jesus.
One may recall the
temptations of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). The great deceiver even attempted to use
Scripture to trick Jesus into sinning (Matthew 4:6). The tactic of the serpent in the garden
was to deceive the woman by distorting the plain meaning of the Word of God (Genesis
3:1–6). Satan, through the serpent,
quoted the words of God and abused their meaning. We must be aware of the
devil’s devices (1 Corinthians 2:11).
If God was the Word,
as John 1:1 is literally
translated, then it is no problem for the Word to have created all things. As
God, He created. How could the Word be with God and God be the Word at the same
time? The doctrine of the Trinity
(One God, three Persons) is the solution here. The Word was with God (the
Father) and God (the Son) was the Word. This understanding, consistent with the
rest of Scripture, eliminates any contradiction of multiple gods. There is only
one God, revealed in a plurality of Persons. The Jehovah’s Witnesses do not
have a solution to that alleged contradiction.
John, the author of
the Gospel, did not simply write the account and disappear. On the contrary, he
was the only disciple of Christ to live out his life and die of old age. He,
like Christ, had disciples of his own, and the two most noted were Polycarp and
Ignatius. It makes sense that John would teach his disciples the truth about
Jesus Christ and who He was.
Polycarp wrote very
little that has survived. Ignatius had quite a bit more. In Ignatius’ letter to
the Ephesians, it was clear that he viewed Jesus and the Father as the one true
God.
Therefore, many will
come and try to deceive you by trying to make Jesus look like a prophet or a
messenger or any but God. It is imperative that you stand strong against these
lies and understand that John knew Jesus as God and therefore He is God in the trinity.
There is only one God and Jesus Christ is His son.
Lord, keep our minds
safe against the lies of the enemy and lead us away from temptation and deceit.
Let us see the enemy’s lies for what they are and let us truly understand that
you are God and you are the only way. In Jesus name.
Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
