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Brief Life Summaries

In this lesson we see that many have asked the question, %u201CWho is Jesus Christ?%u201D Jesus Christ is the most significant individual in the history of mankind. As our lesson teaches, the historical time line of the entire world is divided by His death. However, Jesus Christ is more than a great person or significant individual. He is the Christ, the King, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He is God in the flesh. And it is for these reasons that He was crucified. And it is in His crucifixion that we who believe find atonement for our disobedience to God, the forgiveness of our sins. Romans 3:25 says Jesus %u201CWhom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins%u201D and 1 John 2:2, %u201CAnd He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.%u201D It was through the Jews rejection of their God that salvation was passed on to the entire world. The scholars and teachers of that time in all their knowledge and bible insight did not recognize the Christ, the King, the Messiah, the Word of God come in the flesh that was written in their law and prophesied by their prophets. John 1:1 says, %u201CIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.%u201D And John 1:14 says, %u201CAnd 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.%u201D Because of their rejection of God, His Word, the law and the prophets, they brought Jesus before Pilot, falsely accused Him and had Him crucified. Thus,fulfilling the law and the prophets, setting Him forth as the propitiation for our sins. And what does propitiation mean? In the Hebrew language it means, mercy seat. What was the mercy seat? In Leviticus 16:13-17 we see that it is a place of atonement. Thus, we can see that forgiveness of sins came through Jesus %u2013 the mercy seat or propitiation. In the Old Testament we can see what happens at the mercy seat. In Leviticus 16:15-17 the high priest sprinkles the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat to make atonement for himself, his house hold and the congregation of Israel. Jesus was that sacrifice. By faith in the sprinkling of His blood He becomes for us the mercy seat %u2013 a place of atonement. However, we see in the Old Testament that the mercy seat isn't just a place of atonement. It is also place God chose to meet Moses. In Exodus 25:22 a. God says about the mercy seat, %u201CAnd there I will meet with you and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat%u201D. So we see that the mercy seat or propitiation is a place of atonement and a place where God will meet with His people. Verse 22 also says the mercy seat is a place where we will receive His commandments. He says in Exodus 25:22 b., %u201CI will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.%u201D So who is Jesus? He is the mercy seat. The place of forgiveness to those who believe. The place where God meets us. And the place where we receive the commandments of God. So in rejecting Jesus they rejected God's forgiveness. In rejecting Jesus God could no longer meet with them. In rejecting Jesus they rejected God's commandments. It is in Jesus that we have forgiveness of sins. It is in Jesus that we see the Father. It is in Jesus' words, life, actions, and miracles that we are commanded. For the Word was God and became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). But not all Jews rejected Jesus. Like the lesson points out, 3000 Jews were converted on the day of Pentecost. A A few hundred years after that day Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire. The lesson states that during this time of expansion of Christianity that some of the teachings and messages of Jesus were diluted. Why? What happened? Could it be that many Christians then just like today fail to see the depth and the weight of who Jesus is? Or all that Jesus is? Isn't this the same mistake that the Jews of His day made? Many saw Him as a teacher, but couldn't wrap their minds around Him being the Son of God. Even today many of us Christians see Him as the Son of God. We see Him as the sacrifice for our sins. We even see Him as God Himself. Yet we view His teachings and His messages as just that. Teachings and messages, that give us a standard of life to aim for. So we to reduce Jesus to the good teacher of the Jews. We say that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, but do we really believe it or understand it? What is God's Word? Isn't it His commandments? And if God's Word is His commandments, and Jesus that very Word, then wasn't every thing Jesus did and every message Jesus taught a commandment of God? If we reduce Jesus' life to just an example, which it is, or His teachings as a way of life to aim for, which they are, then don't we reduce Jesus Himself to just a good teacher like the scholars and teachers of His day? Don't we rob Jesus of being the Christ? Don't we steal from Him being the truth? Don't we take Him away from being the Word? If He is not the Word of God, then He is not God at all, but just a good life coach. Now think about this %u2013 Isn't that what Christianity has reduced Him to today? Jesus' teaching on how to handle your finances. Jesus' teaching on how to be happy, etc. Has Christianity in fear of becoming to judicious rejected Christ like the those Jews who brought false accusations against Him? They rejected the law and the prophets and so rejected Christ not seeing Him in the law and the prophets. Are we rejecting the law and not seeing it in Jesus and thus not seeing the Christ of the law and the prophets? Matthew 5:17, %u201CDo not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came not to destroy but to fulfill.%u201D

By: Jermaine Howell
Category: Brief Life Summary: Who Was Jesus Christ?

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