All of us have found ourselves in this world. We did not ask to come here, we didn't ask to
be born. We had no choice in whether we would be a man or a woman. We had no choice
of what race we are, or what geographical location we were born in. We had no choice of
who our fathers and mothers are, whether we could be born into a rich or poor family,
whether into a prestigious and well educated family, or into the most abjectly poor
uneducated and downtrodden family. We did not choose our mental capacities, whether we
would be exceptionally brilliant, or exceptionally stupid, or somewhere in between.
We who have found ourselves here in the western "Christian world" have all heard of Jesus
Christ, but others who find themselves in other parts of the world, have not been taught
about Jesus Christ. Instead they have been taught about Buddha or Mohammed or some
other religious concept.
In this "Christian world" there are many differing opinions of who Jesus Christ is. Many
groups, called churches, have been formed by those who more or less have the same
opinion. What one has been taught depends on what group or church, if any, that his father
and mother belonged to. Most have just accepted what they were taught and have not
really questioned or researched it to see if it were true.
We found here in this society a book called the Bible, and in it one reads about a man
named Jesus Christ who was born about 2000 years ago in the mid-east in the land now
known as Israel to a Jewess named Mary, whose husband was called Joseph. This book
tells us that when He was about thirty years old He began traveling all over that land
preaching and performing miracles such as turning water into wine, taking five barley loaves
and two small fish, and feeding over five thousand people, healing all manner of diseases,
and even restoring life to some who had died. This man claimed that it is only through Him
that one could escape a permanent death and have eternal life.
WHO WAS THIS MAN?
John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without
Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5
¶ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
This Word existed in the beginning, and was with one called God, but it was also God. It was
the means by which all things were created. It also states that life was in it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 17 For the law was given through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 tells us that this Word became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Many take the sentence in this scripture, "even to them that believe on His name", as
meaning to just say, "I believe on Jesus Christ", because it says in Romans 10:9 that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved.
They do not read or comprehend the complete passage which says: 10 For with the heart
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Another translation puts it this way: 10 For with their hearts men believe and so attain to
righteousness, .
In other words if one believes with his heart, really believes, he will start doing what Jesus
taught, he will start keeping the commandments, and all the ramifications that Jesus taught.
He will practice righteousness, he will attain unto righteousness.
To believe on His name isn't just to believe on the sound of His name. A name is more that
a sound. We have all read; "He who steals my purse steals nothing, it was mine, but now it's
his, but he who takes from me my good name, takes something that enriches him not, but
leaves me poor indeed.
Your name can mean who you are, your character. If one believes with his heart in Jesus
Christ, he believes in who He is. Jesus said: "I am the Truth". If one believes in the Truth,
he will practice the Truth. Jesus also said when praying to the Father, "Your word is Truth".
The Bible says; 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The scriptures are the word of God. So if we live in Jesus Christ, who is The Truth, we live
according to the word of God, namely the scriptures. We keep the commandments. Ps
119:172 ¶ My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.
Many say that it is impossible to keep the commandments of God. Jesus came in the flesh,
a human being like we are. He was tempted like we are. Heb 4:15 For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
1Co 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I
speak this to your shame.
1Jo 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous.
One must strive to live by every word of God, and if one does stumble he can ask and
receive forgiveness. But those who say that they sin every day do not have the spirit of
Christ within them. Jesus never sinned (transgressed the law of God). He was filled with the
spirit of God.
We have seen that if we believe on the name of Jesus we will be walking in His footsteps,
keeping the commandments as He did. He did not die so that we could break God's
commandments, commit sin, with impunity. He died so we could have forgiveness for sins
we have committed in the past, and so we could start over again and live without practicing
sin.
John 8:31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is
the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abides not in the house for ever: but the Son abides
forever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
He is saying that He, the Son of God, has eternal life, and that we don't, but if He sets us
free from committing sin, then we will be free from sin and can have eternal life through Him.
Who is Jesus Christ? We read that by Him were all things created in heaven and on earth.
He created the angels as well as us human beings. He was with God (The Father) at the
beginning and He was also God. He became flesh and dwelt among us.
Mt 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called
Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). Isaiah 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give
you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He had emptied Himself of all His power and came to this
world as a human being. Joh 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My
judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent
Me.
Joh 14:10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that
I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the
works.
Jesus Christ was the One who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. 1 Cor 10:2 And
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same
spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
(Christ is a Greek word that means "The Anointed" or "The Anointed One". In Hebrew the
word is "The Messiah" which also means The Anointed.)
Jesus Christ was the One who wrote the ten commandments on the tablets of stone at Mt.
Sinai. The one who told Abraham to go into the land of Canaan. Who gave Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob the promises. Thomas finally realized who He was;
John 20:26 ¶ And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them:
then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto
you. 27 Then says he to Thomas, Reach here your finger, and behold my hands; and
reach here your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And
Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Ps 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has
anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. In this psalm is a
prophecy of Him and it calls Him God. In Hebrews 1 this prophecy shows clearly that it is
speaking of The Messiah.
6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God
worship Him." 7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers
a flame of fire." 8 But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A
scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness
and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of
gladness more than Your companions." 10 And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the
foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish,
but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them
up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail." 13 But to
which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your
footstool"?
Jesus Christ is the God that created Adam and Eve, the God that led the children of Israel
out of Egypt, the God that wrote the ten commandments on the tablets of stone. The God
that talked to Moses. The God who let Moses see His backside, but wouldn't let him see His
face.
Ex 33:11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend.
And he turned again into the camp: Ex. 33:18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name
of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for
no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you
shall stand on the rock.
22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will
cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall
see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
Jesus said this about the Father: Joh 5:37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has
testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. The Father
was not the God that spoke to Moses and who showed him His form.
We read in John that the Word was with God and was God, and became Jesus Christ.
Jesus was the one who revealed to mankind that there is a Being greater than He whom He
called the Father. Joh 14:28 ¶ You heard me say to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.'
If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is
greater than I.
It is difficult to grasp that there is only one God. The Bible shows that there are two Beings
who are God, The Father and The Son. Jesus said "The Father and I are One". Joh 10:30
"I and My Father are one."
Joh 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also
may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
We can see that being one does not necessarily mean being one individual. Jesus was
praying that His disciples could be one. There were eleven of them, since Judas was not
really a follower. So He was praying that eleven individual beings would be one. When God
states in the Torah (old testament) that He is One God, that there is no other, He is not
saying that there is only one Individual who is God.
Jesus Christ was the firstborn of many brethren: Ro 8:29 ¶ For whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren.
Jesus was God, and He became a human being and lived and died, just like we do. He was
resurrected with a body composed of spirit. He was the first to go through the process of
being born again into the spiritual world. He is the firstborn of many brethren, because
those who are called now and have answered that call are going through the same process.
Jesus never sinned so as a human He had and maintained perfect character. We who have
sinned and were sinners can have our past sins forgiven and therefore escape the penalty
of eternal death. We can start anew and begin building the perfect Godly character that
Jesus had and maintained. Then when we have reached the point of perfection that Jesus
had, we then have reached the maturity to be born into the spiritual world just as a human
fetus grows and reaches the maturity to be born into this world.
Eph. 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
The maturation period for a son of man is 9 months. The maturation period for a Son of
God is his lifetime after he has repented, been baptized and given the holy spirit. Jesus was
the firstborn, then we whom The Father has drawn to the truth, to Jesus Christ, and have
answered that call, will be born again at His return into the spirit world where Jesus and The
Father and all the Holy Angels are. We will be brothers of Jesus the firstborn. We will look
like He does, just as one who is born into this world has human form and attributes. 1Jo 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but
we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
We will have the powers of God for we will be like Him. As our older brother He will always
be the leader and we will follow His lead and submit to Him, just as He follows The Father's
lead and submits to Him.
Then will come those in the resurrection to judgment. God will have billions of sons.
