The Deity of Jesus

Posted by Branden Earp on May 22, 2014
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In the last blog post we saw the humanity of Jesus, but the Bible also teaches that Jesus as God is both fully man and also fully God or fully divine in one person. Even though no one has fully comprehended this doctrine, there are a substantial number of verses in the Bible that point to this.

In the first few centuries, and even today, there have been many errors as to what this exactly means.Was he really just God and looked like a man as Apollinaris taught? Or possibly he was really two distinct persons entirely but in one body as Nestorian said? The last major error in the church was called Monophysitism, which says that Jesus did have one nature, but it was just a mixture of divine and human, with the divine being much more powerful.

The church in 451 AD responded with what is called the Chalcedonian Creed:

“We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the unity, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.”

This creed basically states that Jesus is in fact truly God and truly man in one person and also one of the three members of the Trinity. The reason why Jesus being both completely man and also completely God is so crucial is because this is the only means of us gaining our salvation. Jesus, in being completely man, has conquered every temptation that we have or will ever go through and thus is now able to mediate for us in heaven because he knows exactly what it is like to be human. On the other side, Jesus being completely God is necessary, because each of us is guilty of sin that bears an eternal consequence. Only an eternal being, Jesus Christ, could suffer the punishment for sin and take our guilt upon himself when he was crucified on the cross.

This was an incredible act of humility for the Creator of all things to come to earth as a baby and go through the pain and sorrow that we all experience each day because of sin. This is also known as the Kenosis theory, which comes from Philippians 2.6-8, which states, “who, though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” This incredible verse states that Jesus gave up his privilege in heaven, but not any of his attributes, to become a man just like us. 

Thank God this week that even though he is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe he humbled himself by becoming a man so that we could have the opportunity to have eternal life through him. 

 

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The Humanity of Jesus

Posted by Branden Earp on May 18, 2014
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ImageWho exactly is Jesus and how can one person really atone for the sins of the world? A lot of people have died for a cause or for people that they love, what make Jesus so much different? Well, Christianity and the Bible teaches that there is a huge difference, and it is that Jesus Christ is fully man and also fully God and thus makes him the only way to enter back into a right relationship with God. I know this sounds crazy, I mean 100% plus 100% equals 200% not one entity, but this is the mystery of the incarnation. 

After Adam and Eve sinned and brought death into the world, God had promised to send a way of salvation to us and restore mankind’s relationship with him. This person would be known as the Messiah and would ultimately reconcile God and his people by atoning and bearing their sins. 2,000 years ago, this man was miraculously born of a virgin and grew up just as you or I did, yet without sin. He cried just like us, learned obedience, was a normal guy working a blue collar job, and went through all of the pain and difficulties that we do each and every day. 

The difference between Jesus and ourselves is that this person was God incarnate, or literally God in human flesh and was tempted in every way that we are yet he committed no sin or ever did anything wrong. It is extremely important that God became a man, so that he can be our substitute, an example for us to follow in life, and a sympathetic high priest that can mediate between us and God the Father. He can do this because as God he obeyed the law perfectly on our behalf, and when he died on the cross he bore our sins and gave us his perfect righteousness. Theologians call this “substitutionary atonement” and is best summed up in 2 Corinthians 5.21, which states, “For our sake he [God the Father] mad him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we [Christians] might become the righteousness of God.”

This is amazing! The reason why there is grace and forgiveness for Christians today is because Jesus, as a man, lived his life perfectly so that if we place our faith in him we can also have eternal life as we were once created to have so long ago. When you are having difficulties in life and struggling with things, pray and ask Jesus how he conquered the same problems that you have and ask him to give you the strength to do the same. And if you do screw up, (which we all will) there is grace because he lived his life perfectly and to the fullest.

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Covenants

Posted by Branden Earp on April 28, 2014
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ImageWhat exactly are the covenants found within the Bible and why are they there? The most familiar covenant found today is the one between a man and his wife in marriage. When the pastor asks those to be married to repeat, “forever or for worse… to love and to cherish ‘till death do us part,” this is covenant language. Contractual language would be, “you do this and I’ll do this for you.” But covenant language is much more permanent. You in effect are saying, “We are making this covenant, and even if things go south and you do not hold up your end of the bargain I will still fulfill my end.” This is the exact way that the new covenant is made within the Bible.

The word covenant is actually where we get the word “testament” from, such as the Old Testament and New Testament sections of the Bible. The five covenants found within the Bible are times when God is telling his people the terms of their relationship and how he will interact with them. The first covenant was made with Adam and Eve, and was a covenant of works. This was then followed by four covenants of grace made throughout the rest of the Bible: covenants made with Abraham, Moses, David and finally the new covenant made with Jesus Christ.

Covenant with Adam and Eve

This was a covenant of works. God had made Adam and Eve to live in perfect relationship with him, but they were not to eat of the fruit of one particular tree. There were several promises of blessing including having a multitude of descendants, and also unhindered fellowship with God. But Adam transgressed the covenant, and thus God promised to send his Son to rescue the us in the future. 

Abrahamic Covenant

This is the fist of the covenants of grace, and through faith. The promise of all of the covenants of grace is eternal life by obedience to God by faith. The sign of these covenants in the Old Testament is circumcision, while the sign of the covenant in the New Testament is baptism. The Abrahamic Covenant was made in about 2,000 BC and promises Abraham a great nation of descendants that would be God’s people as well as blessing upon those who bless him. The condition of this covenant was faith in God and for Abraham to walk before him blamelessly, and the sign was circumcision.

Mosaic Covenant

The covenant made with Moses was around 1,440 BC and promised Moses that he would be their God and that they would be his people. The conditions were the laws given to Moses as well as the sacrifices that looked forward to the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ. The sign of this covenant were the tablets that had the 10 Commandments written on them that were stored in the Arc of the Covenant. 

Davidic Covenant 

The covenant made with David was made around 1,000 BC. This covenant renewed God’s covenant with Abraham and promised to build him a kingship that Jesus would ultimately come through. The problem, however, with each of these covenants was us. There were laws to obey, but we as sinful humans could never perfectly obey these laws. So they looked forward to a coming Savior and a new covenant that God had promised them. 

Covenant with Jesus Christ

This promised covenant was looking forward to Jesus Christ. God has placed his laws in our minds and in our hearts, and the condition is to simply have faith in Jesus as our Lord and repent of our sins. The promise is that he will be our God and give us eternal life with him. And when we do sin (which we all do), there is grace because Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf. He is the mediator of the new covenant for us and we should not think to go back to the old laws, which would be slavery. Jesus did what Adam in the first covenant could not, and gives this grace to us. So this week, thank God that he provided a way for us to be in right relationship with him through Jesus’ perfect life, death and resurrection through the new covenant.

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Sin

Posted by Branden Earp on April 27, 2014
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ImageWhat exactly is sin, and what happens when I sin? Are people basically good to begin with, or are we flawed from the beginning? Hamartiology is a branch of theology that studies the totality of what sin is. A basic definition is that sin is any breaking of God’s law in thought, act or nature. Many like to see it as “missing the mark” between what God has shown us in the Bible
and what happens in our everyday lives.

Jesus actually taught that we are accountable for even the motives of our hearts and the very thoughts that we think against others. A sin of act would be anything against God’s moral laws, which are most famously known as being summed up in the 10 commandments. The Scriptures also teach that even by our very nature we are born into sin and are enemies of God. If you think about it, you don’t have to teach children to be bad, it just happens naturally. The hard part is teaching them the right thing to do. 

Sin originally came when satan chose to rebel against God and first appeared here on earth when the devil tempted Adam and Eve to want to be like God in the Garden of Eden. Ever since then, death has entered into the world and put a break in our relationship with God known as sin. The Bible also teaches that we have all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that there is none righteous who walks on this earth. The Bible then goes on to say that the punishment or the wages of sin is spiritual death away from God and his people.

But we also know that each of us has sinned many many times each day. So what do we do? Well, this was the very reason why Jesus Christ came into the world to die for our sins… it was the only way to be restored into right relationship with God. Apart from Jesus saving us from our sins we cannot please God, but once a person places their faith in Jesus and becomes a Christian, there is no longer condemnation for their sin. Jesus absorbed all of the wrath that was destined for us on the cross and gave us his perfect righteousness from his sinless life on earth.

Romans 5.18-19 says, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by one one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” This basically says that when the sinless God, Jesus Christ came to earth and died, he made a way to make us justified, or legally clean in God’s eyes from all of the sin that we have. No longer are Christians under the curse of Adam’s sin, but are a child of God and eternally free from their sin.This week, take a few minutes and thank God that he made a way for our sin to be wiped away and for us to have the perfect righteousness of Jesus because of what he did here on earth.

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Is There a Difference Between the Soul and Spirt?

Posted by Branden Earp on April 21, 2014
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ImageWhat is the difference between a person’s soul and spirit? Are they distinguishable or actually referring to the same thing? Those who would say that there are actually three parts to the person, body, soul and spirit are known as trichotomists. Those who would say that there are a body and the spirt/soul are known as dichotomists. And those who would say that there is only the body and that is all there is are known as monists. 

The truth found through out the Bible is that the spirit and soul are used interchangeably. One of many examples of this is where Jesus says that his soul is troubled in the book of John, and later in the same book says that his spirit is troubled. 

Also, there are times when a person who dying is described as their soul departing and other times as referring as their spirit departing. In the places in the Bible where it seems like the verse is referring to differing aspects of the peson, it is simply referring to the whole person and not meaning that we should think that the soul and spirit are two differing things. 

Ultimately, the human person is made up of a body that is temporarily here on the earth as well as a soul/spirt that is infinite and lives forever. Are you content knowing where your eternal soul will end up upon death? If not, pray that Jesus would make himself known to you and would save your soul to be with him in heaven forever.

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Made In The Image of God

Posted by Branden Earp on April 20, 2014
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ImageWhat exactly does it mean to be made in the image of God? Are we actual gods ourself or little versions of God? The first time this phrase appears in the Bible is when mankind is first created. Genesis 1.26 states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” This verse has a lot packed into it and has been debated for thousands of years. 

While there are many attributes that we do not share with God, simply because he is the infinite Creator and we are humans, we do reflect much of God’s characteristics by being made in his image. The main purpose for being made in the image of God is that we were created to glorify and praise our Maker, as well as to enjoy exactly who God is. 

As humans we also are made in the image of God to create because God created everything that exists. This is ultimately the reason why there are so many gifted and talented musicians, authors and performers. God created beauty, and we, being made in his image also create marvelous things as well.

We are also spiritual in nature because at his very essence God is a spiritual being. We are not just made of flesh and bone but with a soul and spirit to worship and glorify God. This is how we can pray to God and feel a deep sense of communion when we are worshiping him. 

As humans made in his image, we are also created to be relational beings, for God has been in perfect communion within the Trinity since eternity past. This is why we are wired to be in relationship with one another and seek to be in community. 

Even though in this life we are far from perfect, there will be a time when all things are made right and we shall be like Christ in holiness and without sin. Until then, Jesus has promised to be with us, and being made in his image we seek to be more and more like him every day. Sometime this week thank God that we share many characteristics with our Creator and were even created in his image and likeness. 

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Satan and Demons

Posted by Branden Earp on April 19, 2014
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ImageOne cultural distinction about the United States that sets us apart from the majority of the world is that many people will say that they believe in God and angels, but do not believe in satan or demons. If they do, than usually satan is just a weird short guy with a pitch fork and red horns that likes to party a lot. But the Bible paints a much different picture of the the evil that is in the world and at enmity with God, and they are definitely not to be taken lightly.

Satan and demons are evil angels who rebelled against God and continually seek havoc and destruction in the world. There was a time when satan and the angels chose in their pride that they wanted to be god themselves and chose to rebel curse God to his face. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 refer to the time when this happened, when satan as well as a third of the angels were thrown out of heaven and down  to the earth.

Ever since then, demons have been seeking to do only evil in the world while it is still in their power to do so before the great judgement day when they are all thrown into hell and hence there is no more pain nor sorrow in the world.

The word satan actually means “adversary” and translates into diabolias or where the word “devil” or “slanderer” comes from. He was the one who tempted Eve in the garden and originally brought sin into the earth. The Bible actually calls satan the “ruler of this world”, the “prince of the power of the air” and the “god of this world.” Even though satan does has authority to do evil on the earth, he is still under the authority of God and must even ask permission to touch God’s children, or Christians, and has limited authority and power here. When Christians are tempted by evil, James says to that we can resist the devil, and he will flee.

If you are not a Christian, the Bible says that you are already serving evil by choice and are already under his control. Without God saving you, you are at enmity with God and even  playing for the other team. But because Jesus triumphed over death by being the only person in history to resurrect from death after defeating satan on the cross, he rendered satan defenseless and weak against his sovereign plan, for Jesus who has saved us is greater than anything else. Christians have this power because of the holy Spirit residing within them to command satan and demons to leave when being tempted or tormented. Even though Jesus has not returned and made all things right, there is still victory in the battles that are faced every day.

This week, thank God that he has defeated demonic powers by dying on the cross for the sins of the world and that he will make all things right one day.

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Angels

Posted by Branden Earp on April 14, 2014
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ImageAre there really such things as angels that are among us? Consistently found within the Bible are passages that speak to powerful heavenly beings with very high intelligence that both protect us and are agents of judgement. In our english language they are refereed to as angels, and not the type that you see on television that are babies flapping around wearing dippers.

When God created the heaven and the earth, he also created heavenly beings and a whole realm that we cannot see, unless for the rare chance when God gives us the ability to see them. These angels have very high intelligence, and were created to worship and glorify God. Sometime after being created, one of the lead angels, later named satan, decided that he wanted to have the status of god and led a rebellion against the heavenly hosts to try to gain that status. Satan, along with a third of the angels that chose to rebel along with him, were cast out of heaven and onto the earth destined one day for destruction and are now known as demons. 

Among the angels, there is an order and ranking structure, and several different types that the Bible points out. Michael the archangel, as well as the warrior angel Gabriel, are the only two angels that are named in the Bible. The rest are characterized as either angels, cherubim, or seraphim that are innumerable in number. 

So what exactly do angels do? Found within the Bible, they are used to glorify God in several ways. First they are messengers of judgement that are sometimes sent to destroy large numbers of people that are enemies of God, and also are sent to patrol the earth to watch and guard his creation. They also war against demonic forces and will one day come to proclaim Jesus’ second coming and future judgement. 

The Bible also says that when God saves someone here on earth and they become a christian, the angels specifically rejoice upon seeing one more son or daughter brought into the kingdom of God. In fact, they spend a large majority of their time stooping to look at the truths of the Bible and why exactly God decided to have grace on some humans and save them when he only served justice to the angels that rebelled against God. But probably the most well known thing that angels are known for is protecting christians and delivering them from danger or harm. 

This week, show some mercy and sympathy to someone you cross paths with that you don’t know and will never benefit from helping them. Hebrews 13.2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” How cool is that!

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How do I Pray?

Posted by Branden Earp on April 13, 2014
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ImageWe have seen the importance of prayer, and that it is basically just talking with God, but how do you even start to pray? When Jesus was asked this very question by his disciples he replied: 

 He [Jesus] said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’” – Luke 11.2-4

The heart of prayer is just talking like you would talk to a friend in a personal conversation. My friend Pastor Alex has said that you can have a thriving prayer life by basically two phrases: thank you and sorry. We must not forget to be grateful for the abundance that God has blessed us with and we also must not forget how great our sin is that Jesus bore on the cross and ask for forgiveness from him as well. 

The Bible also speaks to a few things that we must keep in mind as well when we pray. 1 John says that when we pray according to his will he hears us. This practically means that we should be praying things that align with what is found in the Bible and not praying for such things that are contrary to scripture, like the downfall of a person. Along the same lines, prayer also involves praying in Jesus’ name or by his authorization and in a manner that is consistent with his character. 

The book of James also states that we should be asking and praying out of a sense of faith that God truly loves us and will grant us what we ask if it is in his will. There is also a sense that God hears the prayers of the righteous or Christians, but he is not obligated to listen to the prayers of those that are not believers or those that are harboring sin in their heart and not repenting of their sin to God. 

A practical way that some of the pastors at the church that I work at pray is called ACTS; Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. For those of us with scattered brains, this might help with some structure in prayer. It begins with Adoring who God is and what he has done for us. It then moves to Confession of our sins or wrongs that we have done and then to Thanksgiving, or thanking God for all the good that he has done in our life. This model of prayer then ends with Supplication or requesting things from our good Father. This is just one model or way of trying to structure your prayer life and definitely not for everyone.

In the end, we must come to terms and realize that not every prayer that we pray will be answered how we want it to, and we need to be okay with that. God is good and has a much better plan than we do for our lives and we must trust him and that he is good and sovereign. This week, take some time and pray to God and just say “thank you” for all that he has done in your life and will do in the future.

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What is Prayer and Why Should We Pray?

Posted by Branden Earp on April 12, 2014
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ImageWhat exactly is prayer and why should you do it anyways? Is it just for those people who don’t have any friends because they think they are too holy to interact with others, or is it for the rest of us as well? Prayer is simply talking with God. When God created us, he made us with the ability to do something amazing, for us to actually be able to talk personally with him.

Because God knows everything, or is omniscient, praying to him is not so much us getting him up to speed but for us to express our dependence and trust in him. It is an opportunity for us to have an actual relationship and talk to him just as you would talk to a friend. And because God ultimately orchestrates the events that happen in the world, it is even an opportunity to be involved in things that are eternally significant, such as when you pray that your neighbor or friend would come to know Jesus and become a Christian.

Since God knows exactly what is best for us, most times it is not trying to get God to change the way that things play out but for us to become in alignment with his will. Usually he already has something great in store for us that we don’t even have a clue about and we just need to spend the time praying and submitting to what exactly he is doing in our lives. But on the flip side, by praying, God actually responds and even changes the way that he was going to act before you prayed to him. This is crazy! I mean God, who is in control of everything, not only wants to be in communion with us but even changes the way things play out just because we ask for it. James 4.2 says that, “we do not have, because we do not ask.”

Now this is really crazy, but stay with me. The Bible portrays that God is in control of everything and already knows what is going to happen through out all of history. Then if this is the case, ad everything is set in stone, why every pray? Well we have to look at passages where God does act in history and change things because of prayer. What do we do with passages such as Amos, chapter 7, where God was going to do something and simply because Amos prayed something completely different happened? 

Well, because God is omniscient, meaning he knows everything, he even planned that Amos would pray that God would change the way he acted long before Amos even thought about praying. This is one of the tensions found within the Bible, on one hand God knows exactly what will happen in the future, but on the other hand he also uses our prayers to change things. 

That is so awesome!… the fact that we not only can talk to God but that he actually enjoys communicating with us. This is all because of the work that Jesus did while he was here on this earth. The only way that we can pray to God and he hears us is because right now, if you are a Christian, the Bible says that Jesus is intermediating for us and advocating for the prayers that we pray to him. So if you are a Christian, take some time to pray and thank God for the opportunity to talk to our Creator and Friend whenever we wish. 

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