The Man Upstairs – Unveiling the KING of Kings & LORD of Lords (Series Part 2)
The Deity Of Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is also fully Divine. The incarnation was an act of God whereby Jesus took for Himself a human nature. The Scripture supported this divine claim of Jesus Christ in several passages:
The Direct Scriptural Claim
- The word God (Theos), as used for Christ, means the creator of heaven and earth, the ruler over all – John 1:1; 1:18; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; Isaiah 9:6.
- The word Lord (Kyrios) as used for Christ was translated from the Hebrews’ YHWH’ “YAHWEH” or ‘JEHOVAH.’ Lord means the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth – Luke 2:11; 18; 1:43; Matthew 3:3
- John 8:58 – “I AM” claims deity for Christ. Jesus used the very words God used when he identified himself to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3: 14) – Revelation 1:8; 22:13; Psalm 33:6; John 1: 14
- the Son of Man (Matthew 16:13 and Luke 9: 18) is a unique term with a background in the vision of Daniel 7:1. “The son of the man who came to the Ancient of Days.”
Daniel 7: 13 – 14 speaks of someone who had a heavenly origin and was given eternal rule over the whole world.
Pieces Of Evidence And Attributes Of Jesus’ Deity
- He demonstrated His Omnipotence – Matthew 8: 26-27; 14:19; John 2: 1 – 11
- He asserted His eternity – John 8:58; Rev 22:13
- He demonstrated His Omniscience in knowing people’s thoughts – Mark 2:8; John 6: 64; 2:25; 16:30
- He possessed divine Sovereignty – Mark 2: 5 – 7; Matthew 5: 22, 28
- He possessed the attribute of immortality – John 2:19; 10: 17-18; 1 Tim 6:16
The proper Christological position is that Jesus is fully man and fully God. There are so many controversies on the Deity and Humanity in the person of Christ. The Chalcedonian definition of AD 451 was the solution to the ‘Christological Controversy,’ and the statement is as follows!
We, then following the holy father, 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 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 Manhood, one and the same Christ, Son, LORD, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, in confusedly, unchangeably, Indivisibly, Inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, 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 himself has taught us and the creed of the holy fathers has been handed down to us.
This definition affirms that the two natures are united in the person of Jesus Christ.
The True Meaning Of Jesus’ Baptism:
Jesus, of His own volition, surrendered Himself to John the Baptist for Baptism. Baptism means “being immersed,” which signifies “taking away sin and death .” So being immersed implies death. All the world’s sins were transferred to Jesus Christ when John the Baptist baptized Him, and He had to die on the cross to pay the wages of our sins. Baptism also means ‘being washed.’ All human sins were washed away and passed onto Jesus Christ through His Baptism.
Baptism has the same meaning as laying on hands, which means ‘pass to.’ People in the Old Testament brought goats or lambs without blemishes and laid their hands on the head of the offering to pass their sins onto it.
Leviticus 16: 20 – 22 says,
When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry all their sins to a solitary place, and the man shall release it in the desert.
This action is similar to the act of baptism in the New Testament. The goat or Lamb took away sins by “the laying on of hands” and was slain. John the Baptist baptized Jesus to remove all the world’s sins and was crucified. John the Baptist, born in Aaron’s family, was the representative of humankind, just as Aaron the High Priest was the representative of all Israelites. It then becomes imperative for converts to Christianity to be baptized.
Apostle Paul states the essence of baptism in the book of Romans 6: 2 – 11 “By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the father’s glory, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now, if we die with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death He died to sin once and for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus’s Temptations:
Jesus can understand our temptations because He was tempted and yet was without sin. Satan tempted Him, and He triumphed. His temptation was recorded in Mt. 4: 1-11, Mark 1: 12-13 & Luke 4; 1-13. Mark 1: 12-13 says, “At once the Spirit sent Him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days being tempted by Satan, He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” Temptation has been part of human existence since the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan, in the form of a snake, deceived and tempted Eve, and Eve fell and brought Adam down by giving him to eat the forbidden fruit.
Temptation and disobedience walk hand in hand. Jesus deferred; He defeated Satan and did not fall into temptation. He obeyed God the Father. His action taught us that Satan could be resisted. He taught us how to pray against temptation in Luke 11: 2-4 “…. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”. Jesus Christ is our only strength against temptation. 1 Corinthians 10: 13 explains this: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it.” What wondrous love He has for us.
Jesus understands temptation and is the only one who can help us deal effectively with temptation. The reality now is that we have all sinned. Roman 3: 23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” the bible tells us in Romans 6: 23 that “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Only through Him can our sins be forgiven. He sacrificed himself, shedding His precious Blood on the cross so that you and I might be saved. The assurance we have is that He will forgive us once we confess and repent of our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
What are you waiting for? This is a golden handshake; accept the Lord Jesus Christ, and your life will never be the same. It is an excellent opportunity to be free of satanic bondage. Make a move now and commit yourself; take that essential first step, and you will be blessed in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Jesus’s Love:
Love is God’s high esteem for His creation (Children) and the high regard His Children have for Him. Love is not the only attribute of Jesus’ divine nature, but His main character and his love are Agape Love. His love, like rain, pours down from heaven. He is so good. He is ready to forgive sins once you make that commitment today. Your first issue is your sin. The reality at hand is your decision of where you want to spend your eternity. Is it Heaven or Hell? God is Love. He does not want any to perish, and that is why He has sent His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish.
The ‘Man upstairs’ beckons to you today. He is there with open arms and smiling to receive you. Are you prepared to take the first step to reach Him?
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the skies
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
Find refuge in the shadow of your wing.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
You give them a drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
In your light, we see the light.”
Psalm 36: 5 – 9
