totallylovedbygod65
Member
- Mar 12, 2024
- 298
- 278
GUEST DEVOTIONS
Paul´s Wonderful Defense of the Deity of Christ
D G Miles McKee
Good old Paul, he can always be relied upon to come up with a robust defense of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul had a simple key to unlock the identity of the Lord Jesus. In his inspired thinking, Jesus was both God and man. Listen to him in 2 Corinthians 5:19 where he says,
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”
Paul gives us further confirmation of Christ’s identity in Philippians 2:6 where he writes,
“Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God;”
This is a very hard verse to translate, and many have given it varied and, sometimes, colorful renderings. Some translators say that, although He was in the nature of God, Christ did not think equality with God was something to be grasped. What the translators are saying is of course true, but it’s not the entire truth. Let’s look at this phrase, “thought it not robbery” to help us with our understanding. If we rob someone, we take something that is not ours. This is the exact opposite of that which Christ did. Christ’s Deity was His by right, not by robbery. Christ’s equality with God was never considered as theft.
Let me illustrate. The only person who cannot rob the famous Crown Jewels of England is the English Monarch. If you ever find yourself in possession of these gems you can be sure that someone somewhere has been guilty of theft. If the Monarch, however, was found to have these jewels in their possession, no one could object for they are Royal property. Likewise, for Christ to possess the divine nature was no unusual thing. He did not possess it through robbery, for the divine nature was His by right.
It should be further noted that in this passage Paul is not trying to prove that Christ is God. He takes it for granted that the Philippians already believe this mighty truth. Notice how, in verse 6, he uses the term, “equal with God.” This is a giveaway! The Greek word used for ‘equal’ is ‘isos’ and means having equal measurement! From this word ‘isos’, we get our term “isometric’ which means, ‘equal in dimension and measurement’. Paul, therefore, by this one word, declares Christ to be equal in every way to God.
Although this passage confirms the deity of Christ, the point of the passage is to tell the Philippians to have the same mind as Christ who, although He was in the form of God, took on the form of a servant. Jesus, although He was the Almighty, had a servant’s heart and the heart of a brother. He was highly exalted yet, in grace and love, He stooped and made Himself the lowliest of servants, a ‘doulos’ or quite literally a bond slave.
What a revelation of God Christ gives us! Consider Him, He is full of power and yet filled with such tenderness that He neither breaks the bruised reed, nor snuffs out the smoking flax (see Matthew 12:20). Consider Him, in Christ Jesus, the omnipotent Yahweh arrived here with the nature of a meek merciful, and mild man.
Consider Him, the divine creator walking amongst us.
Christ, we are told, emptied Himself of one form and took on another. It should be stressed, however, that, by the act of becoming a man, Christ could not possibly give up His Godhead. No act of condescension or humiliation could cause Him to cease to be God. For that to have happened, God would have ceased to exist. He did not, however, give up the possession of deity but rather gave up its outward expressions! Christ, for the sake of our redemption, gave up His rights, reputation, and riches. What immense grace!
And that´s the Gospel Truth!
Pastor Johan Lourens
Overcoming Joyfully!
“So that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ”.1 Peter 1:7 (AMP)
Being born-again does not exempt us from experiencing trials and tribulations in this world. However, Jesus, in John 16:33 and James, in James 1:2 tell us to rejoice whenever we encounter them! That’s because we can face each trial with joyful confidence, knowing the victory over each one is secured! All we are required to do is keep our attention on what God’s Word says concerning the trial. Trials are not easy nor are they comfortable, however they certainly put our faith to the test. Since the devil’s only legitimate battleground concerning the believer, is the mind, we must be sure to re-enforce our thoughts and emotions with God’s Word. A mind renewed to God’s truth is calm, stable, well-balanced and well disciplined (2 Timothy 1:7). It will easily recognize thoughts and emotions that are from the enemy. Those thoughts have a mandate to overwhelm us with anxiety and discouragement, and they pull us into the realm of fear. But a mind renewed to God’s Word is so securely anchored in what He thinks, when trouble comes, its first response is to laugh at the devil! Why? Because it knows the outcome is going to be victorious - even before we cast the care over to Him! Once we have given the problem over to the Lord, we keep our minds focused on victory, and we answer every negative thought of the enemy with the Word! The faith, joy and peace of God will flow up from within our spirits like a mighty force, and keep us in that place of victory, until the answer is manifest, and the need is met! This is called patience - it’s a supernatural force of God that undergirds our faith, making it unwavering and unshakable - until we see the favourable outcome! The Word says it’s the testing of our faith that produces this patience. Never allow the enemy to derail you or take you out by making you think you can’t overcome these trials. Faith is what pleases the Lord, and our joy is an indication of our confidence in Him to honour His Word. Which is why we can overcome every trial joyfully!
Paul´s Wonderful Defense of the Deity of Christ
D G Miles McKee
Good old Paul, he can always be relied upon to come up with a robust defense of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul had a simple key to unlock the identity of the Lord Jesus. In his inspired thinking, Jesus was both God and man. Listen to him in 2 Corinthians 5:19 where he says,
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”
Paul gives us further confirmation of Christ’s identity in Philippians 2:6 where he writes,
“Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God;”
This is a very hard verse to translate, and many have given it varied and, sometimes, colorful renderings. Some translators say that, although He was in the nature of God, Christ did not think equality with God was something to be grasped. What the translators are saying is of course true, but it’s not the entire truth. Let’s look at this phrase, “thought it not robbery” to help us with our understanding. If we rob someone, we take something that is not ours. This is the exact opposite of that which Christ did. Christ’s Deity was His by right, not by robbery. Christ’s equality with God was never considered as theft.
Let me illustrate. The only person who cannot rob the famous Crown Jewels of England is the English Monarch. If you ever find yourself in possession of these gems you can be sure that someone somewhere has been guilty of theft. If the Monarch, however, was found to have these jewels in their possession, no one could object for they are Royal property. Likewise, for Christ to possess the divine nature was no unusual thing. He did not possess it through robbery, for the divine nature was His by right.
It should be further noted that in this passage Paul is not trying to prove that Christ is God. He takes it for granted that the Philippians already believe this mighty truth. Notice how, in verse 6, he uses the term, “equal with God.” This is a giveaway! The Greek word used for ‘equal’ is ‘isos’ and means having equal measurement! From this word ‘isos’, we get our term “isometric’ which means, ‘equal in dimension and measurement’. Paul, therefore, by this one word, declares Christ to be equal in every way to God.
Although this passage confirms the deity of Christ, the point of the passage is to tell the Philippians to have the same mind as Christ who, although He was in the form of God, took on the form of a servant. Jesus, although He was the Almighty, had a servant’s heart and the heart of a brother. He was highly exalted yet, in grace and love, He stooped and made Himself the lowliest of servants, a ‘doulos’ or quite literally a bond slave.
What a revelation of God Christ gives us! Consider Him, He is full of power and yet filled with such tenderness that He neither breaks the bruised reed, nor snuffs out the smoking flax (see Matthew 12:20). Consider Him, in Christ Jesus, the omnipotent Yahweh arrived here with the nature of a meek merciful, and mild man.
Consider Him, the divine creator walking amongst us.
Christ, we are told, emptied Himself of one form and took on another. It should be stressed, however, that, by the act of becoming a man, Christ could not possibly give up His Godhead. No act of condescension or humiliation could cause Him to cease to be God. For that to have happened, God would have ceased to exist. He did not, however, give up the possession of deity but rather gave up its outward expressions! Christ, for the sake of our redemption, gave up His rights, reputation, and riches. What immense grace!
And that´s the Gospel Truth!
Pastor Johan Lourens
Overcoming Joyfully!
“So that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ”.1 Peter 1:7 (AMP)
Being born-again does not exempt us from experiencing trials and tribulations in this world. However, Jesus, in John 16:33 and James, in James 1:2 tell us to rejoice whenever we encounter them! That’s because we can face each trial with joyful confidence, knowing the victory over each one is secured! All we are required to do is keep our attention on what God’s Word says concerning the trial. Trials are not easy nor are they comfortable, however they certainly put our faith to the test. Since the devil’s only legitimate battleground concerning the believer, is the mind, we must be sure to re-enforce our thoughts and emotions with God’s Word. A mind renewed to God’s truth is calm, stable, well-balanced and well disciplined (2 Timothy 1:7). It will easily recognize thoughts and emotions that are from the enemy. Those thoughts have a mandate to overwhelm us with anxiety and discouragement, and they pull us into the realm of fear. But a mind renewed to God’s Word is so securely anchored in what He thinks, when trouble comes, its first response is to laugh at the devil! Why? Because it knows the outcome is going to be victorious - even before we cast the care over to Him! Once we have given the problem over to the Lord, we keep our minds focused on victory, and we answer every negative thought of the enemy with the Word! The faith, joy and peace of God will flow up from within our spirits like a mighty force, and keep us in that place of victory, until the answer is manifest, and the need is met! This is called patience - it’s a supernatural force of God that undergirds our faith, making it unwavering and unshakable - until we see the favourable outcome! The Word says it’s the testing of our faith that produces this patience. Never allow the enemy to derail you or take you out by making you think you can’t overcome these trials. Faith is what pleases the Lord, and our joy is an indication of our confidence in Him to honour His Word. Which is why we can overcome every trial joyfully!
