May I Introduce.... Part 1

#1 · January 18, 2009, 3:47 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 18, 2009, 3:47 pm
Posted by: <@...>
I'd like to start this year by introducing Someone very important in the life of a Christian. There have been many rumors spread about Him and, because of them, some people fear Him. To some, He is an object of derision, fodder for jokes. Others are unaware that He even exists. Yet Jesus honored Him, so perhaps it would be wise for us to understand what the bible says about Him. Let's start at the beginning.

Jehovah God is a triune (or three-part) Being. Think of it in terms of a Board of Directors. While the members are separate individuals, they function collectively as one Board. When God said, "Let Us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26), He wasn't speaking to angels, but to Himself. (Making us in His image does not mean that we are God, or even gods, or that we have His physical characteristics. Rather, it means that He made us three-part beings also. We are spirit, soul and body.)

When we speak of God, we primarily refer to God the Father – the "I Am" (Genesis 3:14), the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:6, 15). He would be the Chairman of the Board in the above analogy. God the Son is Jesus Christ (Mark 9:7, John 10:30). He is the "express image" (the exact character) of God the Father (Hebrews 1:1-4) in human flesh (John 1:14). Jesus was raised in a devout Jewish home and developed in wisdom and favor (Luke 2:40, 52). Yet, when it was time to begin His public ministry, God the Father equipped Him with something more. Matthew picks up the story:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17 NKJV)

The voice from heaven is God the Father. The One coming up out of the water is Jesus – God the Son. The One descending is the Holy Spirit – the Third Person of the Trinity. Notice that the scripture says He descended "like a dove." The Holy Spirit is not a dove; rather, the writer uses a simile, a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another, generally using like or as. Describing Divine encounters in human terms is incredibly difficult; the use of a simile challenges the reader to discern the intended comparison – such as the gentleness, grace and beauty of a dove.

So why would Jesus need the Holy Spirit? We'll explore that in Part 2.

Father God, please open the eyes of our understanding that we may know the glorious inheritance you have given us, the Spirit of promise You desire for us to know and embrace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Posted by: <@...>

I'd like to start this year by introducing Someone very important in the life of a Christian. There have been many rumors spread about Him and, because of them, some people fear Him. To some, He is an object of derision, fodder for jokes. Others are unaware that He even exists. Yet Jesus honored Him, so perhaps it would be wise for us to understand what the bible says about Him. Let's start at the beginning.

Jehovah God is a triune (or three-part) Being. Think of it in terms of a Board of Directors. While the members are separate individuals, they function collectively as one Board. When God said, "Let Us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26), He wasn't speaking to angels, but to Himself. (Making us in His image does not mean that we are God, or even gods, or that we have His physical characteristics. Rather, it means that He made us three-part beings also. We are spirit, soul and body.)

When we speak of God, we primarily refer to God the Father – the "I Am" (Genesis 3:14), the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:6, 15). He would be the Chairman of the Board in the above analogy. God the Son is Jesus Christ (Mark 9:7, John 10:30). He is the "express image" (the exact character) of God the Father (Hebrews 1:1-4) in human flesh (John 1:14). Jesus was raised in a devout Jewish home and developed in wisdom and favor (Luke 2:40, 52). Yet, when it was time to begin His public ministry, God the Father equipped Him with something more. Matthew picks up the story:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17 NKJV)

The voice from heaven is God the Father. The One coming up out of the water is Jesus – God the Son. The One descending is the Holy Spirit – the Third Person of the Trinity. Notice that the scripture says He descended "like a dove." The Holy Spirit is not a dove; rather, the writer uses a simile, a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another, generally using like or as. Describing Divine encounters in human terms is incredibly difficult; the use of a simile challenges the reader to discern the intended comparison – such as the gentleness, grace and beauty of a dove.

So why would Jesus need the Holy Spirit? We'll explore that in Part 2.

Father God, please open the eyes of our understanding that we may know the glorious inheritance you have given us, the Spirit of promise You desire for us to know and embrace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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