Son of God | By His Grace

Posts Tagged ‘Son of God’

The Importance of Jesus’s Death on the Cross

Posted by: Sober Chick on: September 18, 2012

In: encouragement | Getting To Know God
23 Comments

There are many reasons why Christ’s death on the cross is important. First, Jesus’ dying on the cross is the only way we are able to establish a relationship with God the Father. If Jesus’ death and resurrection did not happen, we would not be able to have this relationship with God the Father because our sin separates us from God until we receive salvation through Christ. Salvation is not possible without Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus made this possible by taking upon our sins with Him on the cross and dying for us.

Secondly, by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then being raised from the dead, we are given the opportunity to have a place in His kingdom. Jesus clearly explains that the only ones who will enter into heaven are those who believe and accept Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 3:16, 14:6). The most important decision you will ever make is to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

Jesus’ death is not like any other person’s death. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to the earth to destroy the works of the devil. In 1 John 3:8 it tells us, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

It’s important to know that it was the devil who brought death to this earth, not God. It was God’s plan for us to live eternally with Him from the beginning. But because of the sin of Adam and Eve, and their disobedience to God, not only did a spiritual death come to us, but the physical death of dying came about as well.

The significance of Jesus dying on the cross was in fact God’s way of showing the devil who is still “in charge”. Christ’s death freed us from the chains of sin and death on this earth. Christ’s death shows Satan that just because our physical bodies may die, we do not have to die spiritually but can have an eternal life with Him in heaven. Christ’s death on the cross showed that Jesus has the authority over death, not Satan. By believing in Christ as our Savior and believing He died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead, we are able to have salvation through grace in faith in Jesus Christ. It enables us to be able to go to heaven when we die. It enables us to have a relationship with God the Father.

Thirdly, if Jesus didn’t die on the cross we would not be able to have the Holy Spirit indwell in us. The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts after we are saved (also known as “born-again). This is a gift from Jesus after His death. Christ told us about this in the book of John 14:16 that He will send an “advocate” in His place for us. The Holy Spirit is also our “comforter” and gives us strength and courage in such a wicked world we live in. A regular human’s death cannot achieve all this. They cannot give us their spirit. Only Jesus could do this.

And finally, Christ’s resurrection gives us the assurance we will also receive perfectly resurrected bodies after our death and will be given these bodies when we go live in His kingdom, which will be a new heaven and a new earth. Essentially that is what Jesus is talking about when He says “His Kingdom”. His kingdom consists of us believers living on a new earth “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Some say it will look like the Garden of Eden and we will be able to live amongst Jesus and other believers. How wonderful this sounds!

Jesus was in fact a great spiritual leader, but he is so much more. He is our Savior, He is the Son of God, He is our friend, He loves us more than our minds can comprehend. He is the only way for us to have are relationship with God and the only way for us to receive His Holy Spirit by believing through faith. Salvation is an undeserved favor of grace from God. As Scripture says, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and Life, no one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

Tags: Bible, Christ, Christianity, Faith, God, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Religion and Spirituality, salvation, Son of God

A Triune God

Posted by: Sober Chick on: August 8, 2012

In: Christian Walk | Getting To Know God
14 Comments

One of the greatest mysteries of Scripture is what’s known as “The Trinity”. The Trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Although the word “Trinity” is not found in the Scriptures, the Trinity is at the very heart of the Christian faith. God is a triune God. God is one in essence, one in Godhead but 3 in person. He is 3 persons yet one God.

The following 3 statements are taught in Scripture:

God forever exists as 3 persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Each person is fully God.
There is one God.

God reveals Himself as 3 persons in both the Old Testament and New Testament. In Genesis 1:26, He says, “let us make man, after our likeness”. Who is He speaking of? He is speaking of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Romans 1:7, we are told that God is our Father. In Colossians 2:9, we are told that Christ is all God in a human body. In the book of John 14:16,17, Jesus speaks of giving us the “Comforter”, who is the Holy Spirit.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are equal in deity and power yet they have different primary functions when relating to the world and creation.

For example:

God the Father planned deliverance and salvation and sent His Son into the world.
God the Son obeyed the Father and carried out redemption for us.
God the Holy Spirit transforms us after salvation. He gives us a new spiritual life and dwells inside us giving us strength and understanding.

There are many mistaken views about God and the Trinity. Scripture is often misinterpreted and taken out of context. One of these mistaken views is called Modalism. In Modalism, it teaches that there is only one God but that God appears in different “modes” or forms, such as the Son and the Spirit. It denies the fact that God is three distinct persons as clearly reflected in the Scriptures. When Jesus was baptized, the Trinity was represented all at the same time. God spoke from heaven and the Spirit descended in the form of a dove when Christ was baptized. If Modalism were true, then the baptism of Christ is compromised and doesn’t make sense.

Another mistaken view is called Arianism. Arianism was developed by a bishop named Arius. Arius died in A.D. 336 and his teachings were condemned by the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Arius taught that Jesus, the Son of God, did not always exist but was “created” by God and also was inferior to God. He based his views largely on the wording “only begotten” as written in John 3:16. The word “begotten” is a derivative of the word “beget”. Beget means to procreate or to generate. So Arius believed that if Jesus was created than He didn’t always exist.

There is little debate that God the Father is fully God. But what about the Son and the Holy Spirit? Although Jesus is called the Son of God, he was not created by God. Christ is the eternal Son and existed from the very beginning. There are many references calling Jesus “God” in the Bible. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.” Jesus is the “Word”. Romans 9:5 also states that Jesus is God, “…and he is God, who rules over everything…”.

The Holy Spirit is also a distinct person and not just a force or power. The Holy Spirit is referred to as “He” in John 14:16,17. The Holy Spirit has many personal activities such as teaching, bearing witness, interceding or praying on our behalf to God, distributes gifts to believers, and he knows the thoughts of God.

It is interesting to note that all three persons of the Trinity took part in creation. When God the Father spoke, His glory was manifested in creation. The Bible tells us that all things were created through Christ, the Son of God. The Holy Spirit hovered over the surface of the earth in Genesis 1:2 as God was forming the world.

We as human beings can never fully understand God. God is infinite, as we are finite, or limited. God has always existed and will always exist. He is eternal just as the Son and the Holy Spirit are eternal. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. That is where our faith comes into play. We trust God and learn of Him and His ways through the Scriptures. What we don’t understand we put our faith and trust in the Lord and continue studying His Word and spending time with Him through prayer and meditation on a continual basis.