Twelve Points That Prove Christianity - In the New Testament Jesus Claimed To Be God, Proved To Be God, Therefore Jesus Is God.

Introduction:

    We have pursued a series that lays out twelve points that cumulatively build a case to proving the truth claims of Christianity. The outline we have been following, originally devised by the late author and Christian apologist Norman Geisler, is as follows

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. Opposites cannot both be true.
3. The theistic God exists.

4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.

5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God.

6. The New Testament is historically reliable.

7. The New Testament says that Jesus claimed to be God.

8. Jesus’ claim to be God is confirmed by miracles.

9. Therefore, Jesus is God.

10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.

11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.

12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).

    We have considered the first six points in previous posts. In today's post we are going to combine points seven, eight, and nine that deal with the historicity and claims of Jesus Himself. The way Geisler lays out these particular points gives us a short logical argument, with two premises and a conclusion.

Premise #1 In the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.

Premise #2 Jesus is proved to be God.

Conclusion: Therefore Jesus is God.

    The reader only need remember that each of the prior six points build on top of one another as a cummulative case. As I accept one point, the next point after it follows. Up to this point in our series, we've arrived at demonstrating the reliability of the New Testament. As we get to the final three points in this twelve point system, issues such as Biblical inerrancy and the ultimate conclusion of the Bible being the Word of God will come into view. To bridge the distance between mere "reliability" to "inerrancy", we must see how Jesus treated the Scriptures and understood Himself. As far as I can tell, the purpose of points seven, eight, and nine provide this very bridge.

Let's look then at these points and offer some brief examples of them in the Gospels. I would encourage readers to consult each of the verse references below to observe what Jesus taught about the Bible so as to draw their own conclusions. 

Premise #1 In the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be God.

A. Direct statements (Mark 14:61-62; John 8:58).

B. The titles He used for Himself (“Son of Man”, over 80x, only in the Gospels; Son of God; Lord). See for example Mark 14:62-63.

C. Equating Himself with the Father (John 5:25-29; 10:30)

Premise #2 Jesus is proved to be God.

D. His actions and claims (John 2:5-7).

E. His knowledge of the future (Mark 14:16).

F. His miracles attest His identity, teachings, and claims, see for example Matthew 11:1-6; John 5:36.

G. His fulfillment of prophecies (Matthew 21:5 and Zechariah 9:9)

Conclusion: Therefore Jesus is God.

    In today's post we considered points seven, eight, and nine of the twelve point case for proving Christianity. We took those points and laid them out in the form of a logical argument. We also gave same verse references in the Gospel accounts that demonstrate Jesus' claims and actions. By establishing what Jesus had to say about Himself, coupled with what we've already demonstrated about the reliability of the Gospel records in previous posts, we are poised to consider what will be Jesus' attitude towards the Biblical documents in the next post.

The Sweet Aroma Of The Lord's Presence - Meditations On Jesus Anointing By Mary Of Bethany

Introduction: 

    I was thinking back to the days of growing up at home. My father would bake cinnamon rolls. In the late Spring, we would get off the school bus and could smell the sweet aroma of those rolls wafting in the breeze amidst the dandilions. It didn’t matter what kind of day we had, that sweet aroma made it all better. 

    Certain scents evoke memories don’t they? Whether good or bad, aromas evoke an awareness of the presence of someone we know or once knew.

The sweet aroma we’re going to talk about in this post is a mixture of joy and sorrow, pain and healing.  The anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany is included in the sequence of events leading up to what would be the Lord’s Table, Gethsemane, His arrest, the trials, His flogging, His crucifixion, His resurrection. We find it in Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-11; and John 12:1-8, with our focus being on Mark and John's accounts. 

    The scent of the presence of the Son of God would waft its way in this scene once that alabaster vial was broken. For some, like Mary, it will evoke the reminder that here is her Savior. For others, like Judas, it will expose his treachery. That scent would accompany our Lord through His arrest, trials, flogging, and crucifixion. Let’s explore what I’m calling “The Sweet Aroma of His presence”. 

Release of the sweet aroma from a broken vessel.  Mark 14:3

    We begin by noting Mark's words in Mark 14:3 

"While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head."

    John Gospel records the same event in John 12:1-3 

"Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." 

    As we study these two chapters, we need not worry of any conflict in the accounts. Mark 14:1-2 tells us the events to follow occured two days before Passover. In John's account, we are told he arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover. The great commentators Alexander MacClaren and John Calvin identify Mark 14:3-11 and John 12:1-8 as the same event, reporting different details. Calvin states that we are not told of the day of the anointing by Mary in John, only that he arrived in Bethany a week before His crucifixion. Mark's narrative gives us the day of the anointing event itself, quite likely Jesus' final day in Bethany (on a Wednesday) before proceeding to Jerusalem to observe the Passover on Thursday evening of His final week. 

    So back to the account. Mark and John record that the perfume Mary poured out on Jesus' head was of "pure nard". It is interesting how the Greek word for “pure” is closely related to the word "faith". The perfume was such as to draw all those who smelled it to its source. 

    Faith is that firm persuasion of the Spirit to draw to Jesus in trust. Mary had to take the alabaster jar or vial and physically break its seal. The little alabaster jar itself was in the form of a slender vase, with the contents released upon the snapping of its neck from the base of the vessel. Mary's action illustrates the principle that the sweet aroma of Christ's presence is apprehended in the life of a believer who has yielded in brokeness to Him.

The motives behind why Mary anointed our Lord.

    We've observed how the anointing of Jesus required Mary of Bethany to break the alabaster vessel wherein the perfume was housed. The next question we want to explore is why she did it? Below we will enumerate the motive, meaning, and message of the anointing of Jesus.

A. The Motive of the anointing: Celebration.

    The setting and circumstances of Mark 14:3-11 and John 12:1-6 enable insight into this first motive of celebration. For one thing, the town of "Bethany"itself meant “house of affliction”. Jesus approached Jerusalem (which was scarcely but a few miles from Bethany) with the understanding He was to undergo the severest affliction of the cross. No doubt the Lord had prepared where He would be anointed. He understood the time was coming for Him to be ready for the cross and His death. 

    Secondly, the alabaster box itself, as mentioned, required breakage to release the perfume. Alabaster boxes or vessels were expensive to make. As we read in the text, upon Mary's action, Judas and others comment that what she did was a waste - costing a year's wages. This sweet perform was not native to Israel. It may had derived from India or the Orient. All we know is that due to its expense, the aroma from it would accompany the one who wore its scent. Nevertheless, the perfume inside was worth more than the container holding it. Furthermore, its intended object - Christ Himself - was worth more than anything, or anyone. 

    Thirdly, MacClaren, Calvin, and other commentators have noted that this meal was to celebrate the raising of Lazarus. John 12:1-2 states

"Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him."

    In as much as the meal's occasion is to celebrate the miracle wrought by Jesus in the rescucitation of Lazarus from the dead (John 11), it is Jesus Himself that becomes the focus of celebration - at least by Mary. Her anointing demonstrates that the presence of her Lord supercedes even the attendance by her once deceased brother - a point sadly lost on most attending.

B. The meaning of the sweet aroma – propitiation.

     When we speak of "propitiation", we refer to how God's wrath is satisfied by ther substitutionary death of an innocent sacrifice on behalf of the sinner. This idea lies at the heart of the Bible's teaching on "atonement", literally, God's act of enabling believing sinners to be "at-one" with Him. 

    This detail on the anointing of Jesus reminds us of how often the Old Testament would speak of acceptable sacrifices as being a “soothing aroma” before our God. Over 40x we see this, with first mention in Genesis 8:21, with Noah after the flood. Moses writes in Genesis 8:20-21

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done."

    The wrath of God, expressed in the sending of the worldwide Flood, was proven satisfied in the form of these offerings made by Noah. God then stated His covenant with Noah and all of human history to never destroy the world with a deluge. Quite literally, that "soothing aroma" speaks of "propitiation" or satisfaction of Divine wrath.

    Number 28:7-10 elaborates on the morning and evening lambs offered daily by the priest, how they were to emit a “pleasing aroma, soothing before the Lord”. God’s wrath, the expression of His holiness in opposition to sin, was required when sin was done. 

    Amazingly, in propitiation, the same God who is holy delivers the provision for propitating that wrath - the revelation about the various sacrifices. Why rehearse these Old Testament examples? Because the Old Testament sacrifices, in all their forms, pictures and pointed to what Jesus would perform on Clavary's cross.

    You see, Jesus came to be our propitiation, to satisfy the wrath of God. Paul's writes about Jesus in Romans 3:25 

"whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed."

    Other places in the New Testament are explicity that, just as the Old Testament sacrifices emitted a "soothing aroma" in temporarily propitiating the wrath of God, Jesus would permantly do so in His once-and-for-all substitutionary atoning work (see Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Mary's action at the end of our Lord's ministry would illustrate this point. 

    It is interesting to note that we twice find our Lord anointed in His ministry. Luke 7:37-50 records a different incident of a sinful woman anointing our Lord's feet with a similar ungent like we find in Matthew 26; Mark 13; and John 12. Why two accounts? In the Luke 7:37-50 record, Jesus is portrayed in that anointing as the sinner’s perfect righteousness, more than enough to grant a sinner covering, forgiveness, acceptance before God. Then of course in the Mary of Bethany account, we see how His soon death will have this soothing aroma. 

    So, we have seen the motive and the meaning of the anointing of Jesus in Bethany. What of its message?

C. The message of the sweet aroma – submission.

Our Lord would become that broken vessel as He underwent the torture and agony of Golgotha. Just as Mary broke the alabaster vessel containing the liquid to pour out on Jesus' head, He in-turn would later break bread in the institution of the Lord's Table to depict His body (see Mark 14:3 and Mark 14:22). Jesus did what He did in submission to the will of the Father.

     Did you know, the Christian is called to be the same? To live a life yielded to the Father. Paul describes this in Ephesians 5:2 

"and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." 

Or again, consider these words in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God."

     When we realize the lengths to which Jesus went to carry out the will of the Father (His Divine will at one with the Father, with His human will submitted to that Divine will), it strengthens Christian faith. One of my favorite verses, Hebrews 12:2-3 states it this way

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Closing thoughts:

    Today we have meditated on the act of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus in Mark 14 and John 12. We noted the principle of how the sweet aroma of His presence is apprehended in a life that is broken, willing to live for Him. We then considered three motives in the anointing: celebration, propitation , and submission. Would it be that all true followers of Jesus aspire to live as broken vessels that carry forth the sweet aroma of His presence, just as He went forth, giving His life for them. 

The Doctrine of Scripture Series - Jesus In All 66 Books Of The Bible - Jesus Is Explained In The Epistles

Introduction:

    A few posts ago we were working our way through the books of the Bible, section by section, with the aim to understand how Jesus is revealed in the 66 books of the Bible. In today's post, I want to pick up on where we had left off in finding Him in the Book of Acts by noting how we see Jesus in the New Testament letters. Readers may review that particular post here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/02/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-jesus_17.html

    As we survey the New Testament, we find it is divided into four sections (The Gospels, Acts, The Epistles, and Revelation). The Gospels portray the incarnate Christ, eternal in Deity, coming into our world to add a human nature to His Person through the virgin-birth. It is in the Gospels we see "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14), "Immanuel" or "God-with-us" (Matthew 1:23) coming to be also "man-for-us", Jesus, the One who would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The incarnate Son of God, in His humanity, would minister, die, rise from the dead, and ascend into Heaven (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21).

    As we come to know the Christ portrayed in the Gospels, we come to know Him as the "pre-Pentecost Jesus", which is to say, as the incarnate-yet-not-glorified Christ. Once the Lord Jesus died and arose from the grave, His humiliation state spoken of in Philippians 2:5-8 would end. His exaltation (covering His resurrection to ascension through to His soon return), spoken of in Philippians 2:9-11, would begin. 

    The Lord Jesus would still retain (and will always have) His human nature - physical, bodily, finite. However, that human nature would become a glorified, resurrected nature. In the forty days intervening between His resurrection and ascension, our Lord would make a dozen appearances to followers and skeptics alike as the physically, resurrected Christ. Once our Lord would ascend into Heaven, this meant that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in His name.

    As we saw in Acts, the second major division in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, exalted in the Heavens as our Prophet, Priest, and King, is able to be with His church through the sending of the Spirit. This is what we noted as the "post-Pentecost Christ", meaning that the Person of the Son (still truly God and ever truly man), localized in Heaven as per His human nature; is by His Deity, shared with the Holy Spirit and the Father as One God, able to be with His people until He comes (Matthew 28:18--20; Acts 1:11-14). We do right to distinguish between the Persons of the Holy Spirit and the Son, while recognizing that the Holy Spirit's main job is to transmit and bring to us the Person of the Son of God as "God with us" and "man for us". 

    What Jesus is able to do now as "the post-pentecost Christ" far exceeds what we saw in the Gospels. As we prepare to journey into the New Testament letters or "epistles", we find all 21 of them devoted to two primary goals. 

    First, to explain all that has transpired in the wake of Christ's current ministry as the exalted, post-Pentecost Christ until His return. Then, the second goal of the New Testament letters is to explain how the Christian is to operate and live in carrying forth the great commission; love the Lord God and love others, and walk in the light of the Holy Spirit Who points them to fix their mind on Jesus Christ. 

    In every New Testament letter, we find the first section devoted to imparting to us sound doctrine about Christ, our relationship to Him, and the riches we have with Him in the heavenly realms as we live by His Holy Spirit in reaching souls for His sake. The second sections of the New Testament letters spell out the practical realities of these truths, whether marriage, raising children, working a job, working in the home, or fellowshipping in the local church.

    With that summary and introduction, I'll attempt to summarize how we find Jesus in the New Testament letters. Keep in mind that these are but faint outlines to whet our appetite to explore each letter in detail. As we embark upon the letters (also referred to as "Epistles"), we find their purpose to be that of explaining Christ in terms of what He did, and what He is continuing to do in Heaven as our Prophet, Priest, and King. And so, we continue in our study.

Romans= Jesus is our justifier.

      The doctrine of justification by faith asserts that upon saving trust in Christ's work of salvation, the sinner is declared righteous or acceptable by God apart from any merit. In justification, the grounds of right standing lies not in the sinner, but is credited to the the sinner from Jesus' accomplished life, death, and resurrection. Jesus, being God and man, is the Just One. He is the judge of all the earth. In becoming man for our sakes and going to the cross, Jesus took all our sins upon Himself, having credited to Himself our sin and unrigtheousness. This truth of "crediting someone else's work" is called "imputation". Jesus Christ is our justifier. Romans key verses in spelling out these truths are found in Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; 5:8; and 8:32-39.

1 Corinthians=Jesus is our Sanctifier

      In 1 Corinthians 1:30, we read of how Jesus Christ is "our wisdom, holiness, and sanctification". Justification is that one time judicial act whereby God declares the believing sinner to be legal right before His sight with the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. What follows from the legal act of justification is the practical, experiential process of sanctification, wherein the believer grows in their exercise of practical righteousness. Jesus Christ is the source of imputed righteousness and practical righteousness for the Christ.

2 Corinthians = Jesus is the glory of God

     What is God's glory? God's glory is the refracted sum total of His goodness, attributes, and being made visible within Himself and then to us. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, would come to manifest His Divine glory through His incarnation (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-6). Paul's point in writing 2 Corinthians was to urge all of us to heed the call to be Christ's ambassadors. We take His message forth as we view Him with unveiled faces, taking pleasure in His glory.

Galatians = Jesus is our sin bearer

      Galatians was written to proclaim the Gospel and to warn of the heresy of the Judiazers, which claimed one could be right with God by lawkeeping, circumcision, and right moral behavior. The problem is, the law cannot wash away the guilt of sin. Paul's central argument for Jesus being our sin-bearer is found in Galatians 3:10-13. He bore the curse of the Law, which expressed the ultimate curse God pronounced on Adam and Eve. Only when we trust in Christ alone,can the curse of sin be removed, with Christ's credited righteousness in justification being declared over the believing sinner.

Ephesians = Jesus is our beloved.

      Ephesians is the treasure chest of the Epistles. Paul prays in Ephesians 1:18-20 that the eyes of his readers would be open to all they have in Christ. Jesus Christ is called "the beloved" in Ephesians 1:4-5. In that wondrous truth of God's elective purpose of grace in choosing certain sinners before the foundation of the world, it is the Father who directed His love toward the beloved Son. 

    In so doing, He formulated the plan that would call forth sinners from every nation to believe the Gospel. The Holy Spirit would be the One sent by the Father and ther Son to perform this calling. In salvation, the call of the Spirit of God comes to my heart, awakening me to receive God's gifting of faith to believe on Jesus Christ, the Beloved One, who first loved me.

Philippians = Jesus our humble Savior

      Philippians 2:5-11 features the most extensive passage on the incarnation of the Son of God. The key to Christ's incarnation lies in His humility. Theologians call His coming into our world His "humiliation". Once He goes to the cross and dies, His resurrection begins what is termed His "exalatation", culminating in His ascension and enthronement in Heaven. This wonderful humility is to be emulated by His people (see Philippians 2:1-5).

Colossians = Jesus is Supreme

      Colossians emphasizes the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things. In Colossians 1:13-20, we see nearly fifteen characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ, among which being Him as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, as well as Head over His Church.

1 Thessalonians = Jesus the Soon Coming King

      1 Thessalonians draws our attention to what will be Christ's soon return. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 highlights the doctrine of the rapture of the church - that event in which Jesus will appear in the clouds to snatch up believers, raising to life and glory those having died, and transforming those yet being alive, with the goal to take them to be with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5 then teaches the Second Coming of Christ to earth, which will occur subsequent to the rapture of the church. Both events together constitute parts one and two of Christ's return, with a time interval of seven years in between called "The Great Tribulation" (see Daniel 9:23-27; Matthew 24).

2 Thessalonians = Jesus, the defeater of His enemies

       2 Thessalonians further elaborates upon what Jesus will do against his foes in the time between the rapture and His second coming. We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Supreme Judge. No matter what Satan may try to do against the church now, his time is short.

1Timothy = Jesus, the Mystery of Godliness

      1 Timothy is written to a young pastor named Timothy to give instructions on how the church ought to conduct itself before the Lord. 1 Timothy 3:14-16 is central to the overall argument of 1 Timothy. The Church is the "pillar of foundation of truth", carrying forth that wondrous mystery of the Eternal Son of God having been made flesh for our sakes.

2 Timothy=Jesus, the subject of Scripture

      Paul writes again to young Pastor Timothy to "preach the Word" (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2). The Bible, the Written Word of God, is in a continual relationship with Jesus Christ, the Living Word. 2 Timothy 4:1-2 portrays the act of preaching as taking place before the throne of Christ. It is Christ who is the center and circumference of the preaching of the Bible.

Titus=Jesus, the grace of God.

      Paul writes a short letter to a young Pastor named "Titus", urging him to establish elders on the small Island of Crete. It is in Titus 2:11 that we read about the Lord Jesus Christ: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men." Grace is not just an abstract concept or even just about God's unmerited favor toward sinners. Grace is the sum of all who Christ is and did. Grace tells us that God came Himself in the Person of the Son to become man for our sake.

Philemon=Jesus our forgivness

      Philemon is the shortest of Paul's letters, written to Philemon, urging him to forgive a runaway slave named Onesimus. Philemon's message of forgiveness is based upon what Jesus achieved on the cross. To forgive means "to let go". In Christ, the guilt and offense of the sinner's sinful condition before God is "let go", replaced by Christ's righteousness in saving faith.

Hebrews=Jesus our High Priest

      As to who wrote Hebrews, no one is certain. Although I still lean toward Paul being the author, there are good reasons for thinking it was someone else. Regardless of who wrote the letter, it bears the marks of Divine inspiration. In Hebrews we see the threads of the Old Testament being tied together in Jesus Christ. The theme of "better than" resounds throughout the book. Jesus is better than the angels (Hebrews 1); better than Moses (Hebrews 2); better than Joshua (Hebrews 3-4); better than Melchizedek and Abraham (Hebrews 5-7); better than the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8); and better than the Levitical priesthood and temple sacrifices (Hebrews 9-11). Only Jesus is fit to represent believers as their Permanent High Priest.

James=Jesus is the Judge

      James was the half brother of Jesus according to the flesh. In James 5:9, Jesus is depicted as the Judge standing at the door. We know this to be Jesus because all judgment and power was committed to Him by the Father (see Matthew 25 and Matthew 28:18).

1 Peter=Jesus our Precious Cornerstone

      Peter's first letter is addressed to a people scattered across what would be modern Turkey and Armenia. The Christian is portrayed as a pilgrim passing through this world. It would seem that the Christian's life is not valued by our world, and the Christ whom they follow is detested even more. Nevertheless, regardless of what the world thinks, 1 Peter 2 reminds us that Jesus Christ is that precious cornerstone, rejected by the world but precious to us who believe.

2 Peter=Jesus, our Heavenly hope

       One of the most comforting passages is found in 2 Peter 1:10-11 "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." Jesus is shown to be the heavenly hope of the Christian. He is the One who is building that everlasting city and the New Heavens and Earth, wherein dwells righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).

1 John=Jesus, the lover in my soul

      We saw in Ephesians how Jesus Christ is the beloved, the object of the Christian's affections. We can note as well that as Jesus Christ occupies the Christian by the Holy Spirit, it is He who enables us to love Him. 1 John 4:19 reminds us: "we love Him, because He first loved us".

2&3 John=Jesus is the health of my soul.

       John would write these two short letters to urge health in spiritual matters (2 John) and to urge health in the daily life of the church (3 John). Sound belief (orthodoxy) must accompany sound living (orthopraxy). At the center of orthodoxy and orthopraxy is the Eternal God/man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude=Jesus, the foundation of faith

      Jude wrote this short little letter to remind his readers: "contend for the faith once and for all delivers to the saints" (Jude 1:3). Throughout Jude's letter, He reminds his readers that certain heretics will attempt to steal their trust in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, Jude ends with one of the strongest statements that pertain to how Jesus Christ is the foundation and preserver of faith, Jude 1:24-25: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

More next time....

Part Two: How Jesus' View Of The Bible Ought To Inform Our View Of The Bible

Introduction:

       In our last post here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/05/part-one-how-jesus-view-of-bible-ought.html, we began to considerJesus' view of Scripture and why His view of  Scripture ought to be our view of Scripture. We noted three expressions Jesus used when talking about the Old Testament. First we observed His use of the phrase "it is written". Then, we witnessed His use of the term "the scripture", and where He deems the words of the Old Testament as God's voice in written form. Put another way, to say the phrase "Scripture" is to equate the words of the Bible as being tantamount to talking to God face-to-face and hearing Him speak. We demonstrated how those phrases point the reader to conclude that Jesus viewed the words of the Bible as without error or totally true - i.e. "inerrant", as well as incapable of error - i.e. "infallible". 

       In today's post I want us to consider two more phrases used by Jesus in His descriptions of how He viewed Scripture as further testimony of what the view ought to be of everyone that professes to follow Him.  

a. "Truly, Truly, I say to you"

     In addition to the phrase I alluded to above ("it is written", "the scriptures"), the next set of phrases that Jesus used to teach about the Bible was where he would either say "but I say" or "truly truly". These particular statements refer to Jesus's own self understanding of his Divine Authority as delivering the very words of God. He would often contrast himself with the Jewish traditions as found in the teachings of the Pharisees and Scribes. Hence, Jesus used the phrase "truly truly" in John 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20, 21, 38; 14:12; 16:20, 23 and 21:18. 

       We then find Jesus using the phrase "I say" with reference to his own Divine Authority in Matthew 5:18, 22, 22, 26, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 6:2, 5, 16, 25, 29, 8.10, 11; 10:15, 23, 29; 11:23, 24; 12:43; 13:30, 37: 14:9, 14, 18, 25, 30 / Luke 4:24 and Luke 5:24. In Luke 6:25, Jesus would use the phrase "but I say" to contrast himself to the Jewish traditions, as seen in Luke 7.9, 14, 26, 28, 47.10:12; 11:8, 9, 51; 12:5, 22, 27, 37, 44. 

       As Jesus proclaimed His own self understanding, He claimed the ability to forgive sins (Luke 7:47; 12:8) which is something the Old Testament taught that Yahweh, Jehovah God, could alone do (see Isaiah 43:10,11; Jonah 2:9-10). Jesus Christ came into this world with an unprecedented air of authority and self-awareness of He Himself being "God in the flesh". As only Jesus could achieve, His self-understanding as God-incarnate never came across as arrogant or out of place. Finally, we see this phrase "but I say" used in John 1:51 and in Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44 / Luke 6:27 / John 5:34, expressing everything I just noted about our Lord with respect to how He perceived Himself as the Eternal Son of God who came as the virgin-born, incarnate Savior - Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:21-23, "God with us or Immanuel"; John 1:14, "The Word made flesh"; Colossians 2:9, "He being the fullness of the Godhead bodily"). 

b. "Word of God" 

         The final major term that Jesus used to describe the scriptures was the phrase "the Word of God". Whenever we use the phrase "Word of God" to describe either the writings of the Old and New Testament or Jesus Himself, we are describing something or someone who speaks in God's place. Thus, Jesus used this phrase "word of God" in places such as Matthew 4:4; 15:6 / Mark 7:13 / Luke 8:11, 21; 11:28 / John 3:34; 8:47 / John 10:35.  In John 10:35, Jesus uses the particular phrase: "the Word of God cannot be broken" to refer to scripture's infallibility (that is, it's incapability of ever being wrong or ever failing to be right).

Closing thoughts

    We have labored to show through an exhaustive survey of the four Gospels the view of the Bible held to by Jesus. We noted the major phrases He used when referencing the Old Testament: "it is written", "the Scripture", "I say to you", "truly, truly", and "the Word of God". We discovered that such descriptions revealed what Jesus thought about Himself as God in the flesh. We also noted how such phrases demonstrated Jesus' high-view of Scripture as being totally true or "inerrant" and totally trustworthy or "infallible". Jesus' use of the Greek and Aramaic translations of His day expressed that He saw the inerrancy and infalliblity of the original manuscripts still having relevance in how those translations still carry with them the words and meanings of those originals. Finally, we concluded that Jesus'view of Scripture came to represent what would be the uniform view of the Apostles. Consequently, this high view of Scripture ought to be the view of the church at large - since Jesus Himself taught it as so. My hope is that these posts reinforce a revival in proclaiming and defending the Bible as God's authoritative Word - infallible, inerrant, and the final authority on all subjects pertaining to this life and the one to come. 

Part One: How Jesus' View Of The Bible Ought To Inform Our View Of The Bible

Introduction:

      There are two pillars that support the historic Christian view of the Bible. The first concerns what Jesus Himself taught - which is the focus of this post. The second considers the Biblical documents themselves, their claims of Divine inspiration, demonstration of inerrancy, fulfilled prophecies, preservation of their words in the thousands of manuscripts and translations, and demonstration of their reliability from archaeology and historical studies. This second "pillar" fits under the theological study of the doctrine of Scripture that is called "Bibliology". Bibliology is important in its own right, since despite centuries of scrutiny, the Biblical text continues to show its character as totally true or without error. Bibliology, rightly understood, complements what we learn from the first pillar of our understanding of the nature of Scripture - namely Jesus' teaching.

    Dr. Michael Kruger, an eminent Biblical scholar and expert in the history of the Biblical text, has this to say of the importance of Jesus' view of Scripture,

"One need only consider Jesus' own view of the Old Testament. Time and again, Jesus appeals to Old Testament passages and always receives it as truth, never correcting it, criticizing it, or pointing out inconsistencies. Indeed, He not only refrained from correcting the Scriptures, but He also affirmed the Scriptures "cannot be broken" (John 10:35), and that "[God's] Word is truth" (John 17:17). It is unthinkable that Jesus would ever have read an Old Testament passage and declared, "Well, this passage is simply wrong." 

      We will argue that whether we consider Jesus' approach to Scripture or go the second route of establishing the preservation, reliability, and prophetic claims of the Bible itself, both methods arrive at the same conclusion - Biblical inerrancy (that is, without error as oriignally revealed) and infallibility (that is, incapable of being wrong as originally revealed).  By focusing on how Jesus treated and understood the Old Testament Scriptures of His day (the New Testament had not yet been composed during His earthly ministry), we can establish what I call "an argument to inerrancy". 

Jesus taught that the scripture is inspired, inerrant and revealed by God.
       

        In Jesus' day, the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible, "The Tanak", as it is sometimes referred, standing for "Torah = Law"; "Neviim = Prophets"; "Kethuvim = Writings") was the only Bible known. Jesus Himself referred to "The Law, The Prophets, and The Writings or Psalms" (see Luke 24:44), corresponding to the Jewish divisions of the Hebrew Bible into the above "Tanak" acronym. There were no New Testament books, since Jesus had not yet died, raised and ascended. The Old Testament books were revealed by God through the prophets in Hebrew (98% of the Old Testament text) and Aramaic (2% of the Old Testament text). 

       By the first century, almost every Jewish person in Israel spoke Aramaic, which meant that the copies of the scriptures read in the synagogues were Aramaic (called "Targums", meaning, "to interpret"). Other Jews throughout the rest of the Greco-Roman world had access to Greek copies of the Old Testament associated with the Septuagint Greek Old Testament (so-named due to the tradition that the project was translated by seventy Jewish scribes, symbolized by the Roman numeral LXX). 

       The Septuagint (LXX) was translated over a period of a century, beginning in 275 b.c. It is likely that Jesus and the Apostles had familiarity with the Aramaic Targums and Greek translation of the Old Testament.

       There were of course copies of the Hebrew text, however, very few Jewish people knew Hebrew. Despite various translations of the Old Testament in circulation by Jesus' day, His view of the Divine authority carried by such translations did not alter. As we shall see below, Jesus viewed the translations of His day as carrying forth the authority of inerrancy and infallibility of the originals from whence they were translated. This point is vital, since it shows us how to treat and regard English translations that are translated from the underlying Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament and Greek New Testament. 

        Several key phrases that Jesus used to describe the scriptures attest to His views, which ought to inform us as to how to view our translations of the Old and by extension, the New Testament. Let me mention three of them today.

a. "It is written"

      Jesus would sometimes use the phrase "it is written" to assert the Divine authority of the Old Testament (Matthew 4:4, 6, 7, 10; 11:10; 21:13; 26:24, 31 / Mark 1:2, 7:6, 9:12, 13; 11:17; 14:21, 27 / Luke 4:4, 8, 10, 17, 7:27; 10:26; 18:31; 19.46; 20.17, 22, 22:37; 24.44, 46 / John 6:31,45; 8:17; 10:34; 12:14, 16; 15:25; 19:19, 20, 22. At least 16 times in the Old Testament do we find this phrase used to refer to the words of other Old Testament books as being God's Word. 

       To say that the Bible is "God's Word" or "it is written" was Jesus' way of saying that to hear the Bible read was equivalent to hearing God Himself speak. The human author's writing style, background, setting, historical situation, and place in history were orchestrated by the Holy Spirit in producing original documents that were true in all they said on matters of history, science and doctrine. 

b. "Scripture"

      Jesus used another closely associated term, "Scripture", to describe the Old Testament (Matthew 21:42, 22:29, 26:54, 56/ Mark 12:24, 14:49 / Luke 24:27, 32, 45, John 5:39). In these instances, Jesus describes the scriptures as fulfilled, having Divine authority, without error or "inerrant" (Matthew 22:29) and incapable of failure or "infallible" (John 10:35).  This reminds us of that trait of the Bible possessed by no other book in the world - historically verified fulfilled prophecy. 

         God alone knows the future (Isaiah 46:9-10). According to the reputable "Payne's Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy", there are over 700 prophecies in the Old and New Testament Scriptures, covering historical events predicted of historic nations, including Israel, as well as over 300 prophecies touching upon the Person and work of Jesus Himself. This use of "Scripture" by Jesus shows how He understood the Bible to be "Divinely supernatural" in its accurate predictions of events in history - He Himself being the center and goal of all of it.

More next time....

Introducing Maundy Thursday: Jesus' Great Commandment For Christians To Love One Another

 

John 13:1 "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."

Introduction:

         For those Christian fellowships that follow closely the Christian calendar, today marks what many call "Maundy Thursday". For many in non-liturgical church fellowships, such holy-days may not hold a lot of significance. The church that I serve at will be celebrating Good Friday tomorrow and of course Easter on Sunday. But what about this day called "Maundy Thursday"? John 13:34-35 records these words of Jesus:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

        Whenever one reads the ancient translation of the Bible called "The Latin Vulgate", the first two words of John 13:34-35 gives us the name our holiday in question, "Mandatum novum" = "New commandment". Thus the whole point of this day is to remind the Christian of the necessity to love the Lord Jesus and to love one another. Robert Webber has written a helpful book that explains the meaning of the Christian calendar and its associated days and observances entitled: "Ancient-Future Time". Webber notes the following about "Maundy Thursday":

"The term 'Maundy' derives its meaning from the Latin 'Maundatum Novum', which means "New Commandment". Thus, Maundy Thursday is the day Christ instituted the new commandment of love both by word and symbolic action."

        Now before I go on, let me make some important disclaimers. In all fairness, it is good to avoid emphasizing form over the substance or truth of the scripture. With that important thought of avoiding the route of becoming legalistic and ritualistic, the other ditch to avoid is ignorance. That is to say, ignorance about what previous generations of Christians did to apply the scriptures and live them out. 

      Scripture is the pattern, the standard, and the authority by which any traditions are judged. If we find, on the same token, certain expressions that can immerse one in the Word of God and focus more on Jesus, then we have in effect demonstrated the pattern of sifting our expression of worship through the Words of God in the Bible. This post is an attempt to better understand how observances like "Maundy Thursday" can benefit the Christian as we continue to insist on the important doctrine of "sola scriptura" (Scripture alone, referring to the unique and sufficient authority of Scripture). 

The Main Points Of Maundy Thursday

        As noted already, "Maundy" refers to a particular commandment of love Jesus issued to His disciples and all Christians on the eve of His crucifixion. In searching through various books that feature the various cycles and holy days of the Christian calendar, one finds that Maundy Thursday centers around what Jesus did on the Eve of His crucifixion in the upper room in John 13-17.

The humility of Jesus' love.

        In the standard Maundy Thursday celebration, the pastor or Bishop (or whichever Christian leadership position is part of the given tradition) begins the service through a foot-washing ceremony. For non-liturgical fellowships (the term "liturgy" refers to a certain, prescribed way of expressing the worship of God by the church) that may not follow a formal route or structure, details such a foot-washing, reading of certain scriptures and other activities might seem unusual. 

        With that said, what can we say about foot-washing? Though foot-washing is not an official ordinance of the church, nonetheless, can be a powerful symbolic action of communicating the devotion of Christ-like service and love Christians ought to have for each other. We read Jesus' closing remarks following the washing of the disciple's feet in John 13:12 

"So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?" 

Jesus' love in willingly going to the cross.

         Jesus' question certainly is cause for pause: do we really know what He did for us? He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

         In stooping down to wash the disciple's feet, the Lord Jesus Christ was re-enacting His own "stooping-down" as God in human flesh in the act of His incarnation. Amazingly, as truly God, He already expressed humility as a Divine attribute (see Psalm 113:6-8). 

       The fact God would even choose to create the world was an act of condescension on His part. Christ's incarnation, followed by His earthly life, ministry and death on the cross would carry out the most intense act of humility and condescension of God in the Person of the Son (see Philippians 2:5-11).

The love of Jesus' shown in the Lord's supper.

          Maundy Thursday not only includes focus upon Christ's service to us in the act of foot washing, but also in the commemoration of the Lord's Supper. In typical fashion, reference will be made to God's institution of the Passover in Exodus 12. When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper in John 13-17 and in the other Gospel accounts, He was fulfilling the imagery associated with the Lord's Table. He prescribed this covenant meal for His church (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-27). Jesus, after all, is the ultimate "Passover Lamb" (see 1 Corinthians 5:7). 

Why Maundy Thursday Can Be Useful For The Christian

Christians ought to love looking for the 2nd coming.

         As one considers the events of Jesus' final hours with His disciples before His crucifixion, we as His church are, as it were, in the "final hours" before the close of this age. The Lord's supper not only points back to what He achieved on the cross, but also looks forward to His soon return. Maundy Thursday is just as much about reminding Christians of their identification in Christ's second coming as what He did in His first coming. 

Christian love is rooted in what Jesus did on the cross.

        Maundy Thursday also takes us into those final moments when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. I can recall years ago attending what was the only Maundy Thursday service I was ever at and a participant. A pastor friend of mine invited other pastors and the community to take part. Admittedly, he did some of the details differently. Nevertheless, he centered the time around Jesus' moments in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the service, each participant read some scripture, offered prayers and then we took up a collection to be given to a local mission in that town. When the service was done, I came to appreciate all that this particular day meant. 

        Jesus wrestled in the Garden with the temptation of by-passing the cross. He of course did not yield to such temptation, but instead aligned His sinless human will with what He and the Father had agreed upon in eternity with respect to the One, unified Divine will. In effect, Gethsemane was a threshold Jesus chose to step over in order to express His unyielding allegiance and desire to do the Father's will. 

Closing Thoughts:

      As Maundy Thursday slips into the night hours, may we thank the Lord for what was a willing choice made in His humanity to yield to what had already been a decision made in eternity: to be the Savior of the World.  

How To Find Jesus In The Book Of Psalms

 

Luke 24:44 "Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to introduce readers to the Book of Psalms - with particular focus upon how Jesus Himself is referenced among them. The Book of Psalms is essentially the ancient hymnbook of Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Psalms is the first book in the third division of the Hebrew Bible called "Ketiviim", or what is known as "The Writings". Whenever Jesus appeared to His disciples in His post-mortem encounter with them on the road to Emmaus, He unpacked how the Hebrew Scriptures spoke concerning Himself. As the reader can note in the opening quotation from Luke 24:44, the three-fold division of the Hebrew Old Testament is enumerated - with "Psalms" representing what I just said about the "Ketiviim" or "Writings".  

    The Book of Psalms itself is a series of five collections of 150 songs in total. Each collection or "Book" is comprised of the following Psalms, arranged in a combination of chronological order and topical arrangement:

Book I = Psalms 1-41

Book II = Psalms 42-73

Book III = Psalms 74 - 89

Book IV = Psalms 90 - 106

Book V = Psalms 107 - 150

    Each "Book" begins with a headline Psalm and ends with a praise song to God (otherwise known as a doxology). The entire Book of Psalms itself (otherwise known as "The Psalter") begins with Psalms 1-2 functioning as "Pillar Psalms" for the whole collection. Whenever the reader arrives at Psalms 145-150, these appear to draw the Psalter to its conclusion and God-focused end. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, page 779, states the following in its introduction to the Book of Psalms:

"Of all the books in the Old Testament the Book of Psalms most vividly represents the faith of individuals in the Lord. The Psalms are the inspired responses of human hearts to God's revelation of Himself in law, history, and prophecy. Saints of all ages have appropriated this collection of prayers and praises in their public worship and private meditations."

    The Book of Psalms occupies the section of "Wisdom literature" in our English translations. Truly, it is appropriate to deem the Psalms as "wisdom literature". Wisdom refers to the God-given skill to relate to God and to others through a lifestyle that can lead in a Godward direction. The greatness of the Psalms lies in how widely varied they are in application across human experience. For instance, different types of Psalms are identified by scholars to express their contents and method of poetically connecting with the Lord or the human predicament:

1. Penitential or prayer Psalms, like Psalm 63.

2. Torah Psalms, which celebrate God's Word, such as Psalm 19 or 119.

3. Enthronement Psalms, which highlight the enthronement of the king in Jerusalem, such as Psalm 2. 

4. Imprecatory Psalms, which feature the author praying down curses against his enemies, as in Psalm 69.

5. Mourning Psalms, which detail a time of grief in the author's life, as in Psalm 42 or Psalm 43.

6. Confessional Psalms, in which the author is confessing their sins to God, as in Psalm 51.

7. Messianic Psalms, which, though closely related to enthronement Psalms, seem to focus attention on the (then) future Messiah as related to the throne of David in Jerusalem, as in Psalm 110.

8. Rejoicing Psalms, which focus attention on the worship of God, as in Psalm 150.

    There are several other categories, but the above gives a general sampling of how far-ranging the Psalms are. What I find very helpful is using the Psalms in times of prayer. Who, for instance, cannot miss seeing Christ in Psalm 23, or hearing His voice on the cross in Psalm 22? Psalm 110, quoted or alluded to over fifteen times in the New Testament, is a prime example of how the Psalms direct our focus upon the Triune God - and particularly the second Person of the Trinity - the Son of God Himself.

How the Psalms show us Jesus

    Whenever we read those particular Psalms that are referred to as "Messianic Psalms", we need to keep in mind a few principles that aid us in discerning the Person and work of Jesus. 

    First, we must pay attention to the immediate context of the Psalm. Most of the Psalms will contain "headings" which inform readers about the author and perhaps the situation in which the Psalm was written. Sometimes though, some Messianic Psalms may not have a heading - such as Psalm 2. Oftentimes, we know we are dealing with a Messianic Psalm whenever it contains the term "Messiah" or "Anointed One", which refers to King David or some other King on Jerusalem's throne in the immediate context. Often, the Messianic Psalms can "switch worlds" to an ultimate Messianic figure yet-future to the Psalm; a "Heavenly Figure" or some combination of the two. If we take Psalm 2, for instance, its context suggests the coronation and enthronement of David as king over all of Israel, yet, the Psalm then "switches worlds", speaking of some Heavenly figure that is referred to as "You are My Son, Today I have Begotten You" (Psalm 2:7).

    The second trait of a Messianic Psalm which tells us that we will likely link to Jesus is when that Psalm is quoted in the New Testament. If we consider Psalm 2 once again, Psalm 2:7 is quoted by the Apostle Paul in his sermon in Acts 13:33 and twice by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5. Now if we consider that Psalm 2 originally first described the enthronement and establishment of King David, coupled with it "switching worlds" to focus attention on a conversation between Yahweh and another whom He call "My Son", we can see then why Paul and the writer of Hebrews would connect Psalm 2 to the resurrection and eventual coronation of the ascended Jesus in Heaven. Also too, the identity of the "Heavenly Figure" in Psalm 2 is truly Divine, that is, the Person of the Son in Psalm 2 is truly God in the same sense as Yahweh who is addressing Him. Such observations "set-the-table" for the full revelation of the equality of the Father and Son in the New Testament and the full revelation of the Trinity itself.

    Thirdly, and lastly, the way we can see how a Messianic Psalm is pointing us to Jesus is in how it may very well relate to other Messianic Psalms. For example, if we take the two above criteria for identifying Jesus in the Messianic Psalms and consider this current criteria, we can observe how Hebrews 1 strings together several of these Psalms. For instance: Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7; Hebrews 1:9 cites Psalm 45:7; and then Hebrews 1:10-12 replicates Psalm 102:25-27. Whenever we see such a "string of pearls" with respect to the citation of one Messianic Psalm after another in affirming the person and work of Jesus in the New Testament, we know we are well within our rights to look for Jesus in that Psalm. 

    As I close out this post today, I want to simply list the Messianic Psalms in which we can see the Person and work of Jesus. Below the reader will note how each Messianic Psalm corresponds to at least six particular activities or fulfilled events in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Christ's eternal pre-existence: Psalm 102:26-28

2. Incarnation: Psalm 8:4-7; 40:5-7

3. Crucifixion: Psalm 22:1,19; 69:2,10; 109:25

4. Burial: Psalm 16:8-11

5. Ascension/Enthronement: Psalm 2:7; 16:10; 45:7; 102:26-28; 110:1,4

6. Second coming/reign on earth: Psalm 89:3-4,27-29,36-37; 110:1,4; 132:10-11,17

 

Five spiritual resources to get you through any crisis or situation

Introduction:

      The other morning I was meditating on spiritual resources which enable the Christian to get through any difficult time. As all of us are experiencing the ripple effects of COVID-19, I'm sure we wonder how we will fare? Furthermore, as we emerge out from underneath this time, and face a whole new way of living life amidst what are bound to be sweeping changes, how can the Christian effectively navigate through such choppy waters? Below I offer five truths that God provides for spiritual and emotional strength through this time and, really any situation we may face in the future.

1. Sovereignty of God.

      What is God's sovereignty? Divine Sovereignty is that perfection in which God has the unlimited right to be God over all He has created. The sovereignty of God is crisply expressed by Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper, where he said in effect that there is not one square inch of all creation where Jesus does not say: "mine". King David wrote in Psalm 103:19 perhaps the clearest words about God's sovereignty anywhere in God's Word, the Bible -

"The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will. 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

Some additional passages which affirm God's ultimate right of dominion over the events of our world are Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23-24; 14:17; Romans 8:28 and Romans 11:36. 

       Why is Sovereignty such a strengthening truth? To know that God is on the throne and that there is nothing random or meaningless means there is a purpose to everything - even when we cannot see it in the short-term. I heard author Charles Swindoll once note in a sermon something to this effect:

"Although I may not be able to comprehend all that is in God's Sovereignty, yet because of His Sovereignty I find great comfort and peace".

       God's exercise of His Sovereignty in our world is called His "Providence", meaning, He directs the course of all things, and uses both good and evil to accomplish His greatest good. Providence, simply put, is where God's "right-to-reign" becomes "the exercise of His reign in the maintaining of our world". Although God is not the author of evil and suffering, His plan included it. He works His will through the secondary agency of human choices and the secondary instrumentality of the laws of nature, history and events. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 expresses this point of God's providence:

"God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise."

      God chose to create a world that included, in His plans, the Fall of man and the Crucifixion. The inclusion of the crucifixion of Jesus and permission of the Fall of man points us to God's morally sufficient grounds for using both to achieve His most-wise ends. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in Modern English notes about Divine Providence in matters such as COVID-19 (notice the underlined words) - 

"All things come to pass unchangeably and certainly in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, who is the first cause. Thus, nothing happens to anyone by chance or outside of God’s providence. Yet by the same providence God arranges all things to occur according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or in response to other causes."

2. The Savior - Jesus Christ

       When Jesus came into our world to live, suffer, die and raise from the dead, He came as the Savior of the world and His church (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:2; 4:10; 2 Peter 3:9). We read in Acts 4:27-28 a prayer the early Christians expressed that had a strong view of God's Sovereignty and focus on the Savior - Jesus Christ:

"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence."

       As the early church was undergoing increased pressure, they found spiritual and emotional resources in the mission and majesty of Jesus Christ. The writer in Hebrews 13:8 reminds us of about Jesus as unchanging, with respect to His Divine nature, whenever we consider our rapidly changing world: 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever".

One other quote from the inspired Book of Hebrews about the Savior, Jesus Christ, captures His empathy which He experienced as truly man for us in Hebrews 4:15-16 - 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - ESV

I love that particular text of scripture, since there is an invitation to come to the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer whenever we're in need of help. The last line of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 article on "God the Son" reminds us:

"He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord."

Other New Testament passages such as Hebrews 12:1-3 direct the Christian to focus on Jesus when facing hardship (also consider 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 2:6). 

3. The Scriptures.

     In addition to God's Sovereignty and the Savior, the third life-sustaining truth for Christians to remember when facing situations such as COVID-19 or other times is the Word of God - i.e. "the Scriptures". The term "scripture" derives from the Latin "scriptura" and means "that which is written". The Bible is God's Divinely written, inspired, inerrant words as originally given to the prophets and apostles. Psalm 119:105 reminds us in these dark times:

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Romans 15:4 gives us this life-practical reminder of why we need the Bible in times such as these: 

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Readers can also turn to the following Biblical passages about the necessity and sufficiency of scripture in difficult times (Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

4. The Spirit of God.

       For the Christian, having God's presence directly active in their life ought to give great comfort in a time such as this, which is why Jesus promised the sending of the Holy Spirit upon His ascension into Heaven (see John 14:16-17; 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:7-11). 

       The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, meaning, He brings to us the direct presence and power of God as God. Put another way, I sometimes refer to the Holy Spirit as the "Ambassador of the Trinity", since it is He Who makes available to the Christian access to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father (see Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:6; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 4:15-16). The presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian means that God is literally with every believer, and that there is no chance of having to face any crisis alone apart from God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20).

5. Certainty of God's promises.

      I've read over the years that various authors estimate some 8,000 promises from God to the Christian.      What promises can we turn to when facing difficult times? Let me mention a few examples. Whenever you are trying to discern God's will for future employment, your family or your current situation, Proverbs 3:5-6 gives this counsel:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

       What about knowing how to pray whenever you feel overwhelmed? How can you cope with overwhelming burdens such as bills and health? The Apostle Paul gives us this prescriptive promise in Philippians 4:6-7 - 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

     Then of course the impulse we all feel to get out of our homes and go "do something". For others, the current "holding-pattern" is nerve-racking, especially whenever one feels the urgency to get back to work or somehow try to transcend a situation in which they have no control. The promise we find in Isaiah 40:30-31 is timely - 

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Closing thoughts:

      We've considered five truths to get us through any situation: God's Sovereignty; the Savior - Jesus Christ; The Scriptures; The Spirit of God and the certainty of God's promises. I've found in over thirty years of Christian living that these five spiritual resources enable endurance through any and every situation. May the Lord strengthen you dear reader as you look to Him.