By Pastor Greg
A
large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the
company of all slackers. On a tour of
the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to
let them know that he meant business. He
walked up to the guy and asked, "How much money do you make a
week?" A little surprised, the
young man replied, "I make $400 a week, why?” The new CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in
cash and screamed, "Here's four weeks’ pay, now GET OUT and don't come
back!” Feeling pretty good about
himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to
tell me what that goof-ball did here?" From across the room came a voice, "Pizza
delivery guy”.
Yeah,
I know people like that. They act as if
they know it all, but in reality seem like fools. I’ve also met a couple religious people like
this. They want me to believe some
bizarre things about Jesus. Claiming
enlightened knowledge, they teach that Jesus was merely a good prophet or a
godly man, and He taught us how to find our way to God. Some religious groups say that any individual
who seriously believes they are a Christian and who follows the teachings of
Jesus as they interpret them, is a Child of God.[1] Yes, you heard me right. There are those who will tell you that you
are a Christian as long as you “believe” you are. You control your destiny. You decide if you are saved or not. The power to have eternal life is found
within ourselves. Do they really know
how foolish they sound?
John
the Apostle had to deal with this. As
the last living Apostle who actually walked with Jesus, John had to listen to a
whole lot of crazy ideas about Jesus and eternal life. This is why he took the time near the end of
his life to set things straight. (Read
John 1:1-18)
The only begotten God. This is how John described Jesus: the only
One who is the same kind as God. To know
Jesus is to know God. According to John,
it was no mere man who walked this earth 2,000 years ago. The earth felt the footsteps of its creator,
and it trembled beneath His feet. “Who is this man?”
they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”[2]
(Mark 4:41). He may have been similar to
us physically, but His mind and His soul were nothing like ours. When He spoke, the people were amazed (Matthew
7:28) – showing the mind of God. When He
healed, the people exclaimed, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” (Mark
2:12) – showing the Spirit’s power. John
insists that Jesus is literally God (verse 18).
When Jesus walked the earth, He was present in the Father’s bosom and on
earth at the same time. What John wrote
about is something known as the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Spirit.
I know the idea of the Trinity can be
quite confusing, but think of it this way: God the Father demonstrates personality,
wisdom and knowledge, the Spirit displays power and ability, and the Son
displays the physical attributes of Love, Mercy, and Sacrifice. The Three are One, it’s just that they
function in different ways. And don’t
forget that you and I are a trinity as well.
We have Body, Mind, and Soul. The
Greg you see is only part of who I am as an individual. You see the physical (body), you experience
the personality (mind), and you sense the spiritual (soul). These three are all who I am as an
individual. The difference between God
and me is that I am not powerful enough to reveal them to the world
individually. So the idea of God being a
Trinity is not as far-fetched as we might believe. We have been made in His image and in His
likeness (Genesis 1:26).
The question is, why did John insist
we know this? Why is it important we
understand the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit? Why do you and I need to believe that Jesus
was with God even before the beginning?
Does it really matter if we believe Jesus and the Father are One? Isn’t God simply looking for people who love
Him, love others, and follow the teachings of Jesus? According to John, becoming a Child of God
hinges on our acceptance of Jesus as God.
John says that in THIS Jesus a
person will find light and life (verse 4).
If a person wants to move out of the darkness and find eternal life,
then they must accept the help of THIS Jesus, not some watered down spiritual
man who taught us how to find God. John
puts Jesus back where He belongs – as the only way to the Father. Of course, that’s not a popular thought. It isn’t now and it wasn’t back then. Even then, “The world did not recognize Him, and even His
own people rejected Him” (verses
10-11). Because of this, they did not
become Children of God. In other words,
those who saw Jesus as simply a religious man or a wonderful prophet did not
inherit eternal life. Those who denied
that Jesus is fully God (did not
recognize Him) were still living in darkness.
This false teaching about Jesus
was just beginning to take root during John’s lifetime. People who did not
recognize Jesus as God started teaching all sorts of crazy ideas. They claimed there were actually two gods,
one evil that created all physical things, and one good who created all
spiritual things. In this universe,
there was a battle between the physical and the spiritual, between good and
evil; a battle between light and dark.
The dark side lured people to give in to physical passions and pleasure
while the light side would help a person become “one” with the “good god”. Is any of this starting to sound
familiar? In New Testament times, this
was known as Gnosticism. Today it is
known as Secular Humanism – where we determine our own destiny. We’ve been fed a lie that says we possess the
ability to overcome evil. This false
teaching is the topic of many books and movies.
There is always a dark villain, a force of evil, and the hero always
looks deep within themselves to be an opposite force of good. Society says they would not be much of a hero
if God had to fight this battle for them.
But John says we cannot move from darkness to light through our own
effort and desire; only through God (verse 13).
Today, people teach that as long
as we love God and follow His commands, it doesn’t matter how we live or what
sin we commit. Jesus was simply a
messenger of peace and love.[3] We love Him and He loves us, and we try our
best to follow the teachings of Jesus, and that’s good enough. Sadly, it’s not enough. A person cannot be reborn by creating their
own ideas and following their own wisdom.
A person cannot become a Child of God by following his or her own
religion. By doing this, they indicate
that they don’t need Jesus to overcome evil, they don’t need Jesus in order to
become a Child of God, and they don’t need Jesus to have a relationship with
God. However, John insists that in order
for humanity to find a relationship with God, they must recognize Jesus. They must
accept Him as God in the flesh (see verse 13). God the Father sent God the Son so that all
who believe might become Children of God.
Do you want to know why it’s
dangerous to not recognize Jesus as God?
Its dangerous because if Jesus is not God, just a good man, then a
person’s only hope is in their religion.
They must look within themselves to find the power to overcome the
darkness and strive to earn eternal life.
However, we will not move from darkness into light on our own. We will not become a Child of God through
personal effort nor by following religious practices and beliefs. The only way you and I might be saved is by
establishing a relationship with God the Father through God the Son. There is no other way.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living
Translation (3rd ed.) (Mk 4:41). Carol Stream, IL.
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