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©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt
Costella,
Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor
Jesus Christ
Is . . .
by M.H. Reynolds
©Foundation Magazine, Jan-Feb 2001
The Word of Life (John 1:1-14)
Jesus Christ's unique, absolute deity is a fundamental doctrine of
the Christian faith. Those who deny His deity have the spirit of
antichrist (1 Jn. 4:1-4) and are living without a Savior. Regardless of
whether a person belongs to a bizarre cult or is a member of a
mainstream denomination, if he denies that Jesus is "God ...
manifest in the flesh," then he is not a child of God (1 Tim.
3:16). The Bible is absolutely clear in Its declaration of Christ's
deity: "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God" (v. 1). That same "Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (v. 14). Jesus Christ, the
Word, was one with the Father in all creation (vv. 1-3). In Him is
perfect, eternal life (v. 4)! Salvation cannot be found in any religion
or in any person other than in our Lord Jesus Christ.
To His disciples, Jesus said, "He that hath seen Me hath seen
the Father" (Jn. 14:9b). To the doubters of His day, Jesus said,
"I and My Father are one" (Jn. 10: 30). Jesus was not just
claiming to agree with the Father in purpose or ministry, as some
heretics propose today. No, He was claiming to be God-and the Jews who
realized what He was saying intended to stone Him to death for blasphemy
(Jn. 10: 31-33).
Jesus said, "For if ye believe not that I am He (God), ye shall
die in your sins" (Jn. 8:24b). No one can have eternal life unless
he believes that Jesus is the Word of Life, that He is God. First John
5: 7 declares that "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ...
these three are one." The absolute, eternal deity of the Son of God
is a fundamental doctrine that man must believe and believers must
proclaim.
The Water of Life (John 4:1-15)
The woman at the well in Samaria would not have known of the Water of
Life unless Jesus Christ had spoken to her about her need and how she
could fulfill it (vv. 13, 14). We must likewise be ready to witness to
those we meet. We cannot always discern from outward appearances when
there might be a thirsty soul who seemingly is content with life but
inwardly is longing for that Water of Life who alone can bring eternal
sanctification. Notice in the remaining verses of John chapter four that
Christ's witness to just one woman resulted in many others believing on
Him (vv. 28-29, 39). Those who experience the satisfaction of the Water
of Life should desire to share it with other thirsty souls. How selfish
we are if we fail to witness to others when God provides an open door.
The Lord promises to bless the seed when we sow it in faith.
Jesus was physically exhausted from His travels (v. 6), and He easily
could have used His weariness as an excuse for not speaking to this
woman. But notice that when His disciples returned from their journey to
the city to buy food, they discovered that Jesus was already refreshed,
and they thought that perhaps someone had given Him something to eat.
Christ explained to them a valuable truth that is so important for every
believer today to understand: True satisfaction (physical and spiritual)
results from doing the work of God. In fact, this satisfaction defies
natural explanation (vv. 31-34).
Christ our Savior is the Water of Life. Many thirsty
souls surround us every day, though most of them try to appear
self-satisfied and unconcerned. We must fervently entreat others to come
also and "take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).
The Bread of Life (John 6:27-51)
Our Lord warned about the danger of laboring only for temporary,
physical sustenance and neglecting that which is spiritual and
everlasting (v. 27). The Jews to whom Jesus was speaking knew about the
bread from heaven (manna) that God miraculously had provided to meet the
physical needs of their forefathers in the wilderness. But here in their
midst stood Jesus Christ, the true Bread of Heaven, teaching them
eternal truths, yet most of them could only ask insulting questions.
They refused to believe in Christ and thus enjoy the spiritual Bread
which satisfies completely and eternally. This Bread of Life was, and
still is, a free gift. While men must labor for that which is temporary,
eternal life is absolutely free. What a contrast!
Christ's message was not complex: "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of
life" (vv. 47, 48). The Gospel of Christ is simple yet powerful; It
will save any one and every one who believes (Rom. 1:16). The Bible
explicitly states that satanically-inspired opposition to this Gospel
will always exist. Yet, there is no need to soften God's Message, sugar
coat It, disguise It or embellish It in an attempt to lessen Its
offence. Paul did not try to alter the Gospel in order to appease the
Jews or the Greeks (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Jesus Christ, the Bread from
Heaven, can be, wants to be and will be the Savior and satisfaction of
all who come to Him (v. 37). We have good news to proclaim! If Jesus
Christ, the Bread of Life, has satisfied your soul, then share Him with
others. Along with the psalmist David, "Let the redeemed of the
LORD say so" (Psa. 107: 2).
The Light of Life (John 8:12-20)
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world" (v. 12). Such a
statement infuriated the Pharisees because they did not believe Jesus
possessed the authority to make such a claim. But Jesus made it clear
that God the Father "beareth witness" that He was and is,
indeed, the "Light of the world" (v. 18). Those who follow
Jesus Christ will have the Light of Life. This evil world, steeped in
darkness, desperately needs that Light. Jesus spoke to the heart of
man's problem when He said that men reject Him as the Light because
their deeds are evil (Jn. 3: 19). If they were to come to Him, then His
light would fully expose their evil deeds. Those who refuse the Light
actually hate that Light (Jn. 3:18-20), so we should not be surprised
when we experience the scorn of those who deny Jesus Christ as the only
true Light of the world.
The apostate ecumenical leaders of our day love to talk about their
openness to the possibility of finding additional light in other
religions, yet they refuse to follow and obey Jesus Christ, who is the
only true Light of Life. Instead, they dialogue with Catholics,
Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and others and have the mistaken and
dangerous belief that each of these groups has at least some light to
contribute to the search for more light. But all who refuse to follow
the Christ of the Bible have "no light" in them (Isa.
8:20). Jesus Christ is the Living Word and the Light of Life. The
Bible is God's written Word, the Word of Life. It was the Living Word
who gave to us the written Word, and the two are in perfect agreement.
How wonderful it is to know that we have a lamp for our feet and a Light
for our path (Psa. 119:105).
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