Was Jesus the Son of God?

The most important question of the Christian faith -- "Is Jesus the Son of God?"

"the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?". I AM, said Jesus and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:61-62)
Jesus called Himself many things, all of which would point to the fact that, Yes, indeed He was the Son of God. In the book of John, He clearly stated who he was. "What about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I AM GOD'S SON?" (John 10:36)

Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham's day when he identified himself with the words "I AM." He claimed to come from heaven. (John 6:31-38) He said that He was completely united with God the Father and that if you've seen him, you've seen the Father. He claimed to be the truth (John 14:6), the way, the door to salvation, the Word, the bread of life and He told the woman at the well that He was the Messiah. He told the pharisees that He and the Father were one and that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (28:18) He told the Jewish leader, Nicodemus that He must be lifted up (on a cross) so everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. This life is in the Son. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn but whoever does not believe stands condemned already."In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made. In him was life. The light and the life shine in the darkness, but the darkness does not understand it. The world does not understand him but those who place their faith in Jesus Christ, those who say "yes" to receiving the precious gift Jesus came to give, those who accept his sacrifice of death so that they could move from the darkness of the world to the light of his love, they understand. God's love and forgiveness are real and Jesus is proof of that. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The Jews insisted, "We have a law and according to that law, he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God." (John 19:7) And that is exactly what He did. He died for you and for me for the forgiveness of our sins. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life...Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:1-5)

Jesus' primary purpose in coming into the world was to die as the Perfect Lamb of God to heal humanity's broken relationship with God and to rise from the dead to bring eternal life to mankind. Only Jesus truly knows the Father. (Matthew 11:27) Anyone coming to God must come through Jesus (John 14:6) Only those who love the Son are loved by the Father for the Father lives and expresses himself in his Son. (John 14:10-23)
"this is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29)

Standing in Holy Places

"Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul to an idol… He will receive blessings from the Lord…" (Ps 24:3-5)

What does it mean to be on Holy Ground? First it means that I must take off my sandals. I don't like to take off my sandals. Actually I don't even like sandals because I like to wear socks! I don't want to be so exposed. When I wear socks and shoes, I feel protected from anything that might harm me or make me uncomfortable.

But God tells me that its time to take off my sandals. In order to stand on Holy Ground, we must be willing to be "uncomfortable". I am learning this as I spend my days with the dying as a Hospice Volunteer. It's uncomfortable. I wonder what to say. What does one say to someone who may die any day? I don't really know, but God does. I find that when I walk into the room, God's Spirit goes with me. He leads me to offer a cold drink or a cup of coffee to the patient or a family member. He provides beautiful, sacred moments which compel me to touch a hand or speak a word of comfort or encouragement. With my "sandals off", I can walk on Holy Ground because I have to trust in God for my protection, my equipping, my confidence. It is only when I surrender and walk in humility that the "Christ in me" can reveal himself to those He places in my path.

"As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…" (1 Peter 2:4-5)

We are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12). Through our faith in Christ, we receive the righteousness that comes from God. God will lead us to do "right" unto others. Psalms 85:8-13 tells us "listen to what God the Lord says. He promises peace to his people….Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other... Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way…"

Walking on Holy Ground starts out as uncomfortable but turns to exhilaration. There is nothing like the joy that comes from being used as a vessel of God's love. He is love. He is forgiveness. He is mercy and justice. He created us so that we might be loved by Him and be equipped to pour His love into others.

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 87:11) An "undivided heart" is a heart solely directed toward God and the things that touch His heart. This is the place of the sacred and the Holy.

Lord,
Help me to take off the false protection of my sandals and trust in your everlasting love. Le me have clean hands and a pure heart. Lord, I want to stand on Holy Ground. I want to be present with you in your temple. Build me into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. I want my heart to beat for the things your heart beats for. It is a sacred place where Your Spirit dwells, where your love flows. "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep….How priceless is your unfailing love! Men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." (Psalm 36:6-9) As I stand on holy ground, I am aware of your presence. In it there is joy and peace. There is wisdom and knowledge. There is love and mercy for me and through me, for others. Standing on holy ground perfects my love. On Holy Ground, I am one with you . May heaven and earth be filled with your glory! Amen
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells." (Psalm 46:4)

Does Grace mean "no works"?

"for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)

Grace is God-given, made possible only by Jesus Christ and none other. The Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy that God gave to us by sending his son to die on a cross to give us eternal salvation. Strong's Concordance defines Grace as the state of kindness and favor towards someone, often with a focus on a benefit given to that object.

"are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14)

I could give you verse after verse on the Grace of God. Romans is a fascinating book outlining sin and righteousness, grace and law, flesh and Spirit. God's grace is a mystery indeed! That God would love us that much while we are yet sinners in almost unbelievable. How easy is it for us to love those we consider "sinners"? But God did. He sent His Son to die for our sins. He wants a relationship with us. Like a father or mother with their children, God wants to be with us and shower us with His blessings. Thank you Jesus for reconciling us to the Father! I whole heartedly believe that we are saved (put back into relationship with an all perfect God and going to heaven) by God's amazing Grace.

In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites "the law". Jesus' death fulfilled the law so we wouldn't have to. "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do… God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering." (Romans 8:2-3) Praise God! The righteous requirements of the law have been fully met for us. No more "working our way to heaven" by following the law! Jesus did that for us.

But……
Does that mean that we do nothing? That we no longer have to obey or work? I'm here to tell you that I have not found that to be the way of the Christian life. If God reveals differently to me in the future, I will humbly repent and let you know but I have found that if I want to truly be in relationship with God and receive His blessings, healing, joy and peace - I have to "do" things. I have to read my Bible and get to know God. I have to say "yes God". I have to repent and believe the good news! (Mark 1:15) Sometimes I have to say, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

I've been seeing a lot of web pages with "the Grace message". I am frustrated though because they seem to say that we do not have a part in "working out our salvation" (Phil 2:12). From what I've read in the Bible, God worked for six days before He rested. And he told Adam and Eve to "work" the garden, fill the earth and please, no, do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! (Gen 2) Adam was expected to work and obey. Sin had not entered the world at the time of this instruction from God. They already had a relationship and favor (Grace) from God.

By God's grace, given through the gift of His Son, we also can have a relationship with God, our heavenly Father. We must receive it. "For whosoever believes…" (John 3:16). With our sin out of the way, we can now again walk with Him in the garden. We can hear His voice. It is the voice of love, faithfulness and forgiveness. It is the voice of protection and strength. It is the voice of wisdom and of knowledge. God's voice will direct our path, turn our heart toward his and away from selfish gain and worthless things. It is the voice that tells us we are free from sin and filled with His Spirit. It is the voice we need to hear and submit to in order to live the abundant life he died to give us. His answers are sweeter than honey, more precious than silver and gold. David tells us in Psalm 119 "Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." (vs 129-130)

I want all of the blessings God wants to give me. I want to know this awesome, all-powerful, ever loving God who loved me so much that He gracefully did what needed to be done to be with me! His Word contains the words of life. I want to know them! So, I will read my Bible. (could be called "works"). I want my heart to yearn for the things His heart yearns for and see friends and family members come to know him, so I pray. I want to live in the abundance He promises - I want to "ask anything in His name" and get it!!

He is transforming me into His very image. I can't always believe this or understand this but I know it brings me joy and gives me freedom. I am willing to do all that I can to see with my spiritual eyes, all that God has for me.

Call it what you will, if its "works" then its works. It's worth it. Amen

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…" (Hebrews 12:1-2)