____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ November 20, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Who And What Was Jesus? by Wayne S. Walker In first century Palestine a small band of people following one Man performed miraculous feats that even their enemies could not deny. One such instance was the healing of a man who had been lame from his mother's womb. When asked by what power or what name they had done this, one of their number, a man named Peter, replied, ``Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.'' He went on to say that it is only in the name of Jesus that anyone can be saved (Acts 4:7-12). From that humble beginning, this tiny group went on to survive intense persecution from both Jewish and Roman authorities, grow into an immense force, spiritually conquer the known world at that time, bring to its knees the very Roman empire which had tried to eradicate it, and set in motion something which exists today and is a living power in the twentieth-century world. And it all began with the man who had been their leader, the One called Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Who and what was Jesus, that He was able to start and, through His devoted followers, accomplish this humanly unattainable goal? I. First of all, JESUS WAS GOD. ``In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'' (Jn. 1:1). This Word, who became the Man Jesus, was with the Father in the beginning and was God just as the Father was God. Phil. 2:6 says that He was ``in the form of God.'' This simply means that He possessed the very essence, nature, person, or being of deity. Therefore, as one cannot quit being what he is, even so while on earth Jesus continued to be one or equal with the Father (Jn. 5:17-18; 10:30-33). He was ``God manifested in the flesh'' (1 Tim. 3:16). And even now, sitting on the right hand of the majesty on high, He is, in His relationship to God the Father, still ``the express image of His person'' (Heb. 1:1-3). Thus, Jesus Christ always has been and always will be, before, during, and after His life on earth, God, deity, a divine being. The accomplishments of this Being were not just those of a mere man but those of God. II. Second, JESUS WAS MAN. ``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'' (Jn. 1:14). Phil. 2:7-8 goes on to say that He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Himself the form of a servant that he might become obedient unto the death of the cross. Since Psa. 105:6 says that man was created to serve God, this is saying that Jesus became a man, a human being like us. He is called ``the Man Christ Jesus'' (1 Tim. 2:5). And this was not just an illusion, but ``in all things He had to be made like His brethren'' (Heb. 2:14-17). Back in 1971, in a lecture on ``The Life of Christ'' in Akron, OH, bro. George Lemasters said, ``Hence, in `The days of his flesh' he divests himself of that mode of existence which was proper to him as one with God, and equates with man. He partook fully of that nature which makes Man, Man.'' One reason why the religion of Jesus Christ gained such popularity is because it was founded by someone who could truly be identified with the spiritual needs of man. III. In the third place, JESUS WAS OUR SACRIFICE. Under the covenant that God made with Moses for the people of Israel, animal sacrifices were offered (Lev. 1:1-9). However, Heb. 10:4 says, ``For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.'' This was never intended by God to be a permanent solution for the sins of mankind, but was only a temporary provision, pointing forward until the time when God's plan for the redemption of mankind would be complete. Therefore, ``When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law'' (Gal. 4:4). What was the part that the Son, Jesus Christ, played in this grand scheme? He Himself said that His blood would be shed for many for the remission of sins (Mt. 26:28). He came, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with His own blood to provide eternal redemption for all mankind (Heb. 9:11-14). He is the spotless Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins (I Pet. 1:18-20). Christianity is not just another moral or ethical system. It is a system of full salvation based on the ultimate sacrifice made by its originator to provide forgiveness of sins. IV. Finally, JESUS WAS OUR SAVIOR. Because He paid the price that was necessary to redeem us from our sins, Jesus Christ became our Savior. His very given name, Jesus, means salvation, ``For He will save His people from their sins'' (Mt. 1:21). Immediately after His birth, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds of Bethlehem, ``For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'' (Lk. 2:11). Jesus Himself recognized this as His mission. He said to Zaccheus, ``For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost'' (Lk. 9:10). And this was the basic message proclaimed by Christians in the first century. ``This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief'' (I Tim. 1:15). The number of Christ's followers grew, not because they regarded Jesus as some kind of martyr or dead hero who rallied them to a cause, but because He was their living Savior to whom they owed their very souls' salvation and hope. More could be said, but that is who and what Jesus was in the first century. Furthermore, this is still who and what He is today. He is God, who became a Man, that He might die as our sacrifice and thus become our Savior. Because of the irrefutable evidence available to them, Christians in the first century believed on Him and committed their lives to Him. That same evidence is recorded for us in the New Testament scriptures. And based on this evidence, untold numbers of people in every generation since than have accepted Jesus and given themselves to Him also. Have you? -- Via Gospel Truth, October 16, 1994 ___________________________________________ IS IT LEGALISM? by Irvin Himmel As Lot and his family were brought forth out of Sodom they were told ``Escape for thy life; look not behind thee...'' (Genesis 19:17). Lot's wife did not follow this command in the strict sense, for she looked back. God turned her into a pillar of salt. Had she strictly conformed to God's command, that might have made her a ``Legalist,'' but who wants to be a nasty ``Legalist'' when he can be a pillar of salt? Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, offered fire before the Lord which he had not commanded (Leviticus 10). The liberal view is that details do not matter. They may have reasoned that fire is fire, so what difference does it make? Well, God sent fire which devoured them both and they died. If they had been ``legalist'' enough to do only what God commanded they would have lived, but they chose fiery death to that terrible thing called ``Legalism.'' At Kadesh, Moses was told to speak to the rock and it would give water (Numbers 20:8). As if in opposition to the idea of strict conformity to divine law, Moses took the liberty to smite the rock twice and say, ``Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?'' He got the water without being a ``Legalist,'' but he missed the land of Canaan (Numbers 27:12-14). But who wants the Promised Land if he must be a ``Legalist''? If strict conformity to law makes one a ``Legalist,'' and ``Legalism'' is as terrible as many preachers describe it, why not hail Lot's wife for her practice of individual liberty and think of the pillar of salt as a memorial of freedom? Why not praise Nadab and Abihu for their broad-mindedness and view them as martyrs for the cause of freedom to worship as we please? Why not exalt Moses as one who denied himself the blessings of Canaan rather than be guilty of strict conformity? Is strict conformity to God's word ``Legalism'' or is it just plain obedience? Is this opposition to strict conformity to divine law anything other than opposition to doing exactly what God teaches? What is ``Liberalism'' but ``Infidelity'' in disguise? -- Via Apostolic Doctrine, March 1962 ___________________________________________ The Preciousness Of A Wife She was a Christian; he was not; but, they loved each other. He went to church services before they were married, but he had already made up his mind that, once they were married, he would quit going to church and he would see to it that she quit also. The first Sunday they were married, as she was getting ready to go to services, he tried to get her to stay home with him. But she went to services alone. This went on for several years. Then came their first child. She missed two Sundays when the child was born but the next Sunday, she and her baby went to church services and he stayed home alone. One Sunday while she was dressing, he went outside and disconnected the coil wire on the car. She and her baby got into the car but it would not start. She wrapped her baby up and started walking to the building which was about two miles away. Feeling like a heel, the husband called her back, told her what he had done, asked her to forgive him, and took her to services. That night, he went with her. Two weeks later he was baptized into Christ. Sometime later, this man started preaching the gospel and since has baptized over 3,000 people into Christ. QUESTION: What would have happened if the wife had given in the first Sunday and stayed at home? "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear" (1 Peter 3:1,2). -- Tom L. Childers (Via The Dewey Avenue Bulletin, October 30, 1994) ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________