The Deity of Jesus
November 28, 2007 on 9:10 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsThat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:10-11
There are people today who say that Jesus never claimed to be God; it is just something people dreamed up. But that is a lie. Jesus claimed to be God. And any group who says that Jesus is not God is not a Christian group, no matter how big their Bibles may be or how much they might look like Christians. Jesus made clear claims to deity. He said, “For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). When Moses saw the burning bush and walked up to it, he heard a voice speaking to him that said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. . . . I am the God of your father–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5-6). It was a claim to deity. So when Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” it means that Jesus claimed to be God. To suggest that Jesus never claimed to be God is ludicrous. For instance, we know that on many occasions He accepted worship, something that is reserved for God alone. He said to Satan during the temptation in the wilderness, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10). Yet on other occasions, Jesus personally accepted worship. When Thomas saw the risen Lord, he fell down before Him and said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus accepted that, because He is indeed the Lord and God.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Faith and Works
November 11, 2007 on 4:58 pm | In devotionals | 1 CommentBut be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. -James 1:22
A flurry of research recently has found that in spite of the secularism of popular culture, many people believe in God and identify themselves as being strongly religious. This is not only true of adults, but also of teenagers. However, analysts said that this so-called spirituality may be only skin deep. I think there are many people who believe they are Christians, but they really are not. The apostle James, the brother of Jesus, identified for us what true religion really is, what it means to be a real Christian, what it means to be a truly spiritual person, and what real faith is. He said we have a tendency to deceive ourselves (see James 1:22) or to deceive our hearts (see verse 26). We can be deceived and think we are automatically Christians because we are in church or because we have gone through religious rituals. But James showed us the balance between faith and works and how they work together. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The key is not only saying certain things, but also living a certain way as a result of our beliefs. James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (see also verses 17, 20). Let’s understand what James was saying. He was not teaching that we are justified by works alone. Rather, he was saying that having genuine faith, true spirituality, will impact a Christian’s lifestyle. If someone’s so-called faith does not produce this change, then it is not real faith at all.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
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