| TOTAL LIFE JOURNAL Summer 2006 |
IS JESUS GOD |
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Dr Alan Day is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. His pulpit ministry combines a scholar’s mind and discipline with the passion and authority of an anointed preacher. His years of study and his deep spiritual insight qualify him to speak to one of today’s most urgent questions, “Is Jesus God?” |
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Forty years ago, when I was 17 years old, I surrendered my life to God to preach His Word. My pastor loaned me three books from his personal library, including Is Jesus God by John R. Rice. That book made an indelible impression upon my mind and influenced my preaching on this and other subjects.
Dr. Rice’s answer to the question, the answer of the New Testament, and the answer that I unequivocally give, is “Yes, Jesus is God!”
We know that He is God because He has the attributes of deity and performs actions that only God can do. He is sinless. He has power over nature. He forgives sins. He has supernatural knowledge and can see into the hearts and evaluate the characters of people. He predicts the future. He has authority to judge people and will do so finally at the end of time. Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He created the universe. He saves those who come to him and keeps them eternally.
We know that He is God because He has the names or titles that belong to God. He is called “Lord,” which is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” He is called “Son of God.” He is called “Immanuel,” or “God is with us.” He is even called “God.”
“For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” [Titus 2:11-12, Holman Christian Standard Bible]
Jesus also claimed to be God. He claimed preexistence (John 8:56-58). He claimed to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7). He claimed equality with God the Father (John 5:16-18). He claimed identity with God the Father (John 14:7-9). He claimed to be the only way to heaven (John 14:3-6).
There were complex psychological and spiritual reasons why the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to be killed; but one thing is clear from the gospels, they believed Jesus was guilty of blasphemy since He claimed to be equal with God. Because they did not believe in Him, they chose to kill Him as an imposter.
Because Jesus is God, He knows us completely; He loves us perfectly; and He saves us eternally. What a Savior!
To discover how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus and experience a fullness of life through Him, go to http://www.totallifenow.org/experience.php.
You can visit Dr. Alan Day’s church online at http://www.fbcedmond.org.
Copyright © 2006 Alan Day
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