KEY SCRIPTURE John 8:19 KJV” Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

The Lord discussed with His disciples in John chapter 14 about going to the Father. Thomas asked we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way? He said He is the way, the truth and the life…” After this answer, He added the following:” If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. John 14:7. The Lord Jesus clearly stated that anyone who sees him has seen the Father. The Lord was not just a representative of the Father. He was one with the Father John 10:30. The Lord Jesus was referring to His deity.

We can show from the scriptures, how Jesus is one with the Father.

We would consider a few verses of scripture.

1. Isaiah 9:6

Isa 9:6 KJV” For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. This verse refers to Jesus, yet one of His names is the everlasting Father as well as the mighty God.

2. 1 Timothy 3:16

1 Tim 3:16 KJV” And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”. In this verse we also see Jesus as God, making Him one with the Father.

1John 5:20

1Jn 5:20 KJV” And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.” This is the true God and eternal life.”

The Son is also God because the bible reveals God as three persons in one. Mat 28:19 KJV “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: The scripture says to baptize in the name, not names. This is one God but three distinct persons.

In the light of all the above verses, we see the Son is one with the Father. Jesus had the same glory as the Father from the beginning, although He laid it down according to Philippians 2:6,7. John 17:5 KJV “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” The Son and the Father had the same glory from the beginning of time.

CONFESSION

Jesus is God, I give Him the glory and honour. He has the same glory as the Father. He now knows all things, sees all things and is all mighty. He will come again to judge all men.

THOUGHT:  TO SEE THE SON, IS TO SEE THE FATHER.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinth 13:14 KJV The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Rev 1:8 KJV “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:5 KJV” And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

I read a debate between a Christian and one of another faith. The man asked the Christian to give one verse in the scriptures where the Lord Jesus testified of Himself as God. I think our key scripture vividly says so.

 He prayed and asked the Father to glorify Him with the glory He had with Him, from the beginning, before everything was created. This verse shows that He is one with the Father. Everyone’s status is qualified by the glory He has. The glory could be described as a rank in the military. To have the same rank as another means you are at the same level. There is no superiority of one over the other.

The Lord Jesus, when He came into this life expressed on several occasions His dependence on the Father as well as the Father holding the final knowledge and authority over certain things. For example, in Acts 1:7 KJV” And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” He said it was in the Father’s power to decide on that matter. This He said so because He had earlier laid down His reputation, or glory as God, so He could become a man, and suffer death for the sins of all men. Phi 2:6,27 KJV “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

The above scripture also explains why He spoke as if He was inferior to the Father on many occasions.

Dear readers our Lord Jesus is God. He existed in eternity past as the word of God. This truth is very important to one’s salvation. If you do not believe that Jesus is God, then you are lost in your sins, because you have not believed in Him for who He is. He saved us with His divine blood. Refusing to accept Him as God makes you reject that divine blood that saves us.

Dear readers, I have taken time to explain vividly from Jesus’ own words why He is God. This topic has been a thorny issue for many Christians and non-Christians for a long time. Please receive the truth and yield to all the demands our Lord Jesus places on us.

The truth He wishes to teach us is that God loves us so much, or we are very special to God, for Him to assume the status of a man, to die for us.

The second lesson He wants us to know is that everyone must consider this great love and make a positive response by making Jesus Lord of his or her life. Amen

THOUGHT: JESUS BLOOD CAN SAVE US BECAUSE HE IS GOD.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 1:14 KJV” 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.”

1Jn 5:20 KJV” And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:3 KJV “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

The Lord said in our opening scripture that eternal life is knowing the true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Many religious groups claim to serve the true God. To some their God cannot be known in a very personal way, He is mighty and so pure that he has no relationship with His followers. To others, their God is objects that can be seen, like the sun, stars, or even certain creatures. Others say their minds are the true God.

What qualities should the true God have?

1.            The true God should be the creator of heaven and the earth. Gen 1:1, Psalms 148:5 KJV” Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.”

2.            The true God must be all-powerful, ever-present, and all-knowing. Gen 35:11, Ps 139:1-7. Psalms 139:16 KJV “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book, all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

3.            The true God must be merciful. Deut 4:31 ” (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

4.            The true God should be a God of love. 1 John 4:8

5.            The true God should not be worshipped with cultural limitations. The God of the Christians does not have any cultural demands for worship. His people do not have to speak a particular language to talk to Him or wear a particular garment like people must do in Arabic. He can be contacted anywhere. John 4:21,23 KJV” Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.”

6.            The true God is for all men. The God of the Christian is not for the Jews alone, or Europeans, Africans, or Americans. He is for all men. Some claim He is of the Jews. A few months ago, the Jewish Parliament passed a law making it criminal for anyone to share Christ with a non-Christian. Europeans and Americans are taking the bible from public schools. Despite all these Christianity remains the most populous religion.

The Africans claim God is a European and an American God. The Europeans say He is an imposition on them, yet He dominates every continent.

7.            The true God must reveal Himself to men. And the word which is God, became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1 14.

8.            The true God should hear the prayers of His people and do great miracles among them. Jeremiah 33:3.

9.            The true God must work alongside His people and confirm their words with signs and wonders. Mark 16:21, “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

THOUGHT: GOD IS NOT HIDDEN BUT HAS REVEALED HIMSELF

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 1:3 KJV “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Jer 29:11 KJV “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:3 KJV” And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

In this opening scripture, the Lord explains how one receives eternal life in a very simple way, yet very profound. He said eternal life is about knowing the true God and Jesus Christ. One may know a lot about God, and He may hear and might have read a lot about Him, yet he may not know Him. God is not known by a man’s intellect .1Co 1:21 KJV For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” God can be known by accepting the revelation he has given about Himself.

From our discussion above, knowing God is to believe His revelation about Himself. He is the creator of the universe. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present God. He gave His Son Jesus to give His life as a ransom for the sins of all men. To know Jesus is to believe all that He came to do for humanity. Jesus is the only name under heaven given among men, whereby, we may be saved. Acts 4:12. He is the way the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Him. John 14:6. This is a revelation Jesus has made about Himself. To know Jesus means you must believe this truth about Him. Anyone who believes this revelation from Jesus, about Himself would receive eternal life into his life.

True knowledge of God instills in a man a sense of hatred for sin and also a confidence to face life with the air of a Victor. The insecurities that abound around the man who has come to know the Lord do not dictate His affairs, because the Lord is His shepherd. If your life is dominated by fear and an anxious expectation of the future, then you might not know the Lord at all. You may know Him by head, and not by heart. Head knowledge is not the kind of knowledge that brings a person into eternal life. This is the state of several people who claim to know God, yet still love to sin, filled with fear and all kinds of ungodly behaviours.

Now ask a sincere question, do I truly know this true God and His Son Jesus?  Please spend some moments alone and humbly accept the truths He has made about Himself.

THOUGHT: SALVATION COMES WHEN WE HUMBLY ACCEPT WHO THE FATHER AND JESUS ARE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 4:12 KJV” Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

John 14:6 KJV” Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 16:27 KJV” For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”

We are still considering the identity of Jesus. We may be repeating some of the thoughts expressed in earlier studies. We do so to emphasise on the truth for more clarity.

The last line of the key scripture throws some light on the true identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. It said He came out from the Father. What on earth could come out of a person? Your words of course. This perfectly agrees with the scripture in John 1:1, that says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He came out of the Father as the word of God. From these verses, we see Jesus is not created as some attempt to teach. He is the word of God, who has always lived in the blossom of the Father. We all know that no man created His words. You exist with your words and are always one with your words.

According to the word of God, this Word which is a person became flesh. In actual fact, He was sent by the Father to come into this life as a man and lead a righteous life, or fulfill all the demands of the law and ultimately took up the full punishment that every man should have borne. Isaiah 52:14 KJV” As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:” This was Jesus who took our place and became our substitute. God our Father laid the punishment of our peace upon Him and by His stripes, we were healed. Jesus was originally the word of God, yet for our deliverance, peace, and forgiveness He became the lamb of God and died in our place.

Today, Jesus has received the glory that He originally had with the Father John 17:5. He is glorified. He is now the God of heaven and earth. He will one day appear as the Lord of glory to judge all men.2Co 5:10 KJV” For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Jesus is God, yet came as the word of God.

THOUGHT: JESUS IS THE WORD, PUT THE WORD IN YOUR HEART AND YOU WOULD HAVE GOD IN YOUR HEART

FURTHER STUDIES

John 6:63 KJV” It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Heb 4:12 KJV “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 14:10 KJV” Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

We continue with Jesus’ answers to His disciples, concerning His relationship with the Father. We have learned in our previous discussions that, our Lord Jesus is God, yet he came to give His life for the salvation of all men, He had to lay down His glory as God., and took on the nature of men. This was the only legal grounds for His sacrifice for all men, to be acceptable. If men sinned, then a man must die for them. Phil 2:6, 7 KJV” Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

At the end of His ministry, He asked the Father to give Him back the glory He had with Him, from the beginning of the world. John 17:5 KJV” And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (Note: He asked the Father to glorify Him with Himself. This fully shows He is God) Phil 2:5 and 6, explain why the Lord in some cases talked as if He was inferior to the Father. He did so because He had laid down His glory as God, which He asked the Father to honour Him with after He had come to the close of His work on earth.

Now, Jesus said, the Father in Him was the one leading Him, and speaking through Him. We know that God the Father is always on His throne in Heaven. Do you remember that, on the day of his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Him, in the form of a dove? All that the Lord did, was through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The secret of the Lord’s success was through the Holy Spirit. The Christian also has the same Holy Spirit at work in us. The Lord never acted or did anything on earth in His capacity as God. Everything He did was through the ability of the Holy Spirit. He said the words that I speak, I do not speak them from my mind, but the Father who lives in me. He considered the Holy Spirit as the Father in Him. He treated Him with the Highest reverence. Children of God can walk as Jesus walked. It begins by knowing and accepting that the Holy Spirit in you is the Father, and must reverence Him greatly and above everything.

THOUGHT 1: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE FATHER IN YOU, YIELD TOTALLY TO HIM IN AWE OF HIS PRESENCE.

THOUGHT 2:  IF GOD IS IN YOU WHAT CAN OVERCOME YOU?

FURTHER STUDIES

John 14:16,17 KJV” And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

John 16:13 KJV” Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 14:7 KJV” If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

In this series of studies, we are considering who Jesus is, and what He said about Himself. The whole of scripture is about God’s plan of redemption for mankind. His name Jesus, means Jehovah is Saviour. The scripture as one unit seeks to bring men to know Him, and to understand God’s plan of redemption. John 5:39 KJV” Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. In today’s study, the Lord said if you see Him, then you have seen the Father.

What did the Lord mean by the statement, if you see Him then you have seen the Father? Did He mean that He is the same as the Father? The scriptures show that God is three persons in one God. This is what the early fathers called the Trinity God is one, yet He has revealed Himself as three distinct persons, that is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matt 28:19 KJV “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”: The scripture did not say in the names but in the singular name. We see the trinity in the following verses: 1 Corinth 12:5,6,7. Eph 4: 4,5,6., 1 Pet 1:2.

In Isaiah 9:6 KJV reads, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Consider the names of the Lord in the above verse. He is called a wonderful, Counsellor, who is predominantly known as the Holy Spirit. He is also called the mighty God and the everlasting Father. These scriptures show that Jesus is God and one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, if you have seen the Lord Jesus then you have seen the Father.

THOUGHT: JESUS IS NOT LESS IN RANK THAN THE FATHER, HE IS ONE WITH HIM.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Peter 1:2 KJV “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

1 Tim 3:16 WEB” Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great:  God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 14:6 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

Someone said, “You Christians claim Jesus is the only way”. The truth is we did not say that, it was Jesus Himself who made that statement. We only repeat what He said. No one besides Jesus ever said so and proved it. None of the religious leaders with a sizable following said so. Only Jesus made that claim. Just consider another strong unambiguous statement He made about Himself. John 10:9 KJV” I am the door: by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” He did not mince any word in this statement. He says He is the door to salvation.

How audacious could one be in making such uncompromising statements? Please note this, these are not claims, that we are making about Him. He said He is the way. He is the truth and finally, He is the life. Among all that He said is the fact that He is the truth. Now to you who has not surrendered your life to follow Him, what do you make of the fact that He said, He is the truth, meaning He does not lie?

Who is a liar? Every liar has three characteristics that portray them.

1.            A liar says he has something yet he does not have it.

2.            He says he can do a thing which in reality he cannot do it

3.            He has done a thing yet he has not done it.

All these cannot be said about our Lord Jesus. He said He has life and indeed all who believe in Him have experienced this life. He said He can save anyone who believes in Him, and true to His word, any man who believed in Him has been saved from sin, and satanic harassment. Lastly whatever He claimed He’s done, indeed he did it. He claimed He bore our sins on the cross, and indeed, He carried away our sins and sicknesses, He did take away the sin of the world. The certainty of His claims is the fact that everything He said has been proved in His life.

Now, what are you going to do with Jesus? Would continue arguing against Him, and remain in your sins, or you would humble yourself to Him and joyfully taste His goodness and power to save, heal, lift and bless? All He has promised can only be received through humbling yourself to Him.

THOUGHT: IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO FIGHT TRUTH, JUST BOW TO IT AND BE SET FREE

FURTHER STUDIES

John 8:32 KJV” And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

2Thess 2:10, 11KJV” And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 8:58 KJV “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

After the Lord said Abraham saw His day and was glad, they responded that He was not yet fifty years old, how could He have seen Abraham? The Lord had to make a statement emphasising the authenticity of what He was about to say. He said Truly, truly, or verily, verily, before Abraham was I am.

The expression I am, though in the present tense, is designed to refer to a past time. Thus, in Psalms 90:2, “From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” Applied to God, it denotes continued existence without respect to time, so far as he is concerned.

We divide time into the past, the present, and the future. The expression, applied to God, denotes that he does not measure his existence in this manner, but that the word by which we express the present denotes his continued and unchanging existence. Hence, he assumes it as his name, “I AM,” and “I AM that I AM,” Exo 3:14. Compare Isa 44:6; and Isaiah 47:8.

 There is a remarkable similarity between the expression employed by Jesus in this place and that used in Exodus to denote the name of God. How Jesus used it would strikingly suggest the application of the same language to God. The question here was about his pre-existence. The Jews objected that he was not 50 years old, and could not, therefore, have seen Abraham. Jesus replied to that that he existed before Abraham. As in His human nature, He was not yet 50 years old, and could not, as a man, have existed before Abraham, this declaration must be referred to another nature; and the passage proves that, while He was a man, He was also endowed with another nature existing before Abraham, and to which He applied the term (familiar to the Jews as expressive of the existence of God) I AM; and this declaration corresponds to the affirmation of John as he wrote in John 1:1.” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus is not just a man; He is also God.

CONFESSION

Jesus my Lord is fully man, yet He is fully God. As the Father said He is I AM, Jesus likewise said He is I AM. He is indeed one with the Father and the God of all things.

THOUGHT:  JESUS IS GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

Rev. 1:8 KJV I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Rev. 22:13 KJV” I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 14:9 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

We continue with the deity of Jesus. The Lord Jesus kept explaining this very thing to His disciples that, anyone who sees Him, has seen the Father. It is very important to know and believe that Jesus and the Father are one. You can only be saved if you believe that Jesus is God, for it is only this highest divine blood that can wash away your sins.

Apostle John introduces His epistle by saying,” In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. It said in verse 14 that, this same word took on flesh and came through a virgin, and was born into this life. Jesus existed in eternity as the word of God. He was not created, or born as men give birth to their children.

Only God the Father could say He is the alpha and omega, that is the beginning and the end. Listen to the Lord Jesus speak in Rev. 1:8; He said, ” I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Please consider some of the words He used in this verse; He said He is, He was and He is the one to come again. Consider the last word, the almighty.  Please who is the almighty? God the Father of cause. If Jesus says, He is almighty, then He is God.

When apostle Paul was bringing his letter to the Corinthians to a close, He said in 2Co 13:14    as follows ” The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” In this scripture, we see, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit playing various roles in the stability of the children of God. The scripture clearly says the grace of our Lord Jesus, yet some people would never accept that it is the grace of Jesus, rather they claim it is the grace of Jehovah. Well, Jesus is still Jehovah. Jesus’ name means Jehovah is Saviour.

We also consider one verse that reveals our Lord Jesus as the great God. Titus 2:13 KJV” Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” We know our Lord Jesus is going to appear in the clouds and the scripture identifies Him as the great God and our Saviour. Glory be to God.

THOUGHT: ACCEPTING JESUS AS GOD, IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOUR SALVATION.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 10:30 KJV “I and my Father are one.”

John 10:33 KJV “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”