WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SALVATION? (Part 3)

Here is an excerpt from the August 2011 newsletter. Hope you find it refreshing.

JESUS

I. WHO WAS JESUS?
II. WHO IS JESUS?
III. WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

All references will be taken from the Holy Bible, King James version (KJV).

I. Who Was JESUS?

Jesus was the Word
Let us go first to the book of St. John, chapter 1 verse 1. The scripture says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

‘Word’ (Logos, pronounced lo'-gos) refers to speech uttered by a living voice. Generally, ‘Word’ is also reason or the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning and calculating. However, in the book of St. John it denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God. Look at what verse 3 says:

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Something very interesting happens in verse 3. A personal pronoun ‘him’ is given to the Word establishing that the Word was a person. It also says that He made everything. Let us now go to the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 to find Him.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Remember, we are looking for the ‘Word’ in Genesis. Since we know that He made all things, if He is to be found here, He must be one of the ‘US’ and ‘OUR’ mentioned here as Elohiym (pronounced el•ō•hēm'). The name Elohiym is a plural Hebrew word used throughout the Holy Bible and is translated as God.

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Jesus was man
All mankind became separated from God because of Adam’s disobedience. This is the reason why 'the Word' gave up Heaven temporarily to become a man. He was to become the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind to reunite us with Yehovah the father.

“And the Word was made 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.” John 1:14

Prior to Jesus becoming flesh or human He was in the form of God. In Philippians 2 verse 6, the English word ‘form’ is translated from the Greek—MORPHE, pronounced mor-fā'. It refers to the external appearance or the form by which a thing strikes the vision.

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

The Word, JESUS, became a man and experienced the things that mankind experienced. He then gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind so that through Him all would have the opportunity to be reconnected to God.

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:7-8

“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

When He died on the cross, the man Jesus was separated from God just like us. This is because He took the sin of the world upon Himself.

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Mark 15:34

The Holy Bible tells us that sin separates man from God.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2


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