Jesus
Is God
Jesus is God! He is eternally equal in every way
to the Father! He simply became a man so He could die
for our sins, but He never stopped being
God!
And Thomas answered and said
unto Him: "My Lord and my God." Jesus said to him:
"Because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed
are they who have not seen Me and yet have
believed." John 20:28-29
(Also see John 1:1; 8:58;
10:30; I Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; Colossians 2:2
Hebrews
1:8) Those
who deny the divinity of Jesus will receive eternal
condemnation. Jesus said:
You are from beneath; I am from
above. You are of this world, I am not of this
world. I said therefore unto you that you shall die in
your sins, for if you believe not that I am He, you shall
die in your sins. John 8:23-24
(Also see John 11:25-27;
20:31; Acts 9:30; 16:30-31; 1 John
5:13) Why Did
God Become A Man?
We have learned in previous pages that because God is
infinitely Holy, even the smallest sin is infinitely offensive
to Him. As a result, an infinite payment must be made
for the sins of each and every person. Now there are two
ways by which an infinite payment can be offered: a finite
person could suffer God's wrath for an infinite period of
time, or an infinite person could suffer God's wrath for a
finite period of time. Both yield an infinite payment
for sin.
- Man, who is finite, would therefore have to suffer
God's wrath for infinity if he were to pay for his own
sins. That is why hell is
eternal.
- Jesus Christ, the infinite God in human form, would
only have to suffer God's wrath a finite amount of time to
provide an infinite payment for sin. Since He is God,
the suffering He endured on the cross was a sacrifice of
infinite value. Therefore, His death made available
the infinite payment necessary to pay for the sins of all
men throughout all ages.
An
infinite payment must be made for every man's sins. God
allows each person to decide which payment plan he prefers . .
. Jesus Christ, or eternity in hell.
Faith:
MAN'S RESPONSE TO CHRIST
Jesus did all the work necessary to save man from his
sins. However, before we can experience the benefits
which God had provided through Christ's death on the cross,
God requires that we believe (trust) in Jesus and what He as
accomplished.
Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ, even we have believed on Christ Jesus that we might
be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the
law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified. Galatians 2:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him will not
perish, but have everlasting life. John
3:16 (In
fact, there are over 160 verses in the New Testament which
declare that the only condition for receiving eternal life is
faith in Jesus Christ. Among them are John 1:7; 1:12;
3:18; 5:24; 6:29, etc.)
Faith (Trust) Is The Hand By Which We Reach Out And
Accept The Eternal Life Offered Freely In Jesus
Christ.
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world
through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those who
believe. I Corinthians
1:21
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