If Any Man Will Come After Me

Tags

Beatitudes, Oneness of God

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt 16:24 KJV).

Jan Paron|November 27, 2014

What does it mean to come after Jesus? Jesus’ identity needs uncovering before answering this question. In Matt 16, Jesus asked His disciples “Whom do men say that the Son of man am?” (16:13). His disciples gave various responses that others said, but none correct. So, Jesus asked the question again, “But whom say ye that I am?” (v. 15). Only Peter recognized Jesus’ true character and nature as “the Christ, Son of the living God” (v. 16b). The Christ reveals a title for God’s end-time purpose that Jesus will fulfill as the One who leads His people to final victory and judgment of the wicked (Apostolic Study Bible Commentary, 2014). Son of the living God describes Jesus’ nature or character. While a virgin birthed Jesus during the time of the law, God’s Spirit begat Him (Matt 1:18, 20; Luke 13:5; Gal 4:4; cf. Ps 2:7; Heb 1:5). Jesus was fully human and fully divine–Equal to God in His nature, character, and likeness as the image of the invisible God (Phil 2:6; Col 1:15; 2:9). Thus, Jesus is God Himself manifested in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16). Because God embodied Himself in Jesus, the believer has access to grace of salvation.

A Christ follower has to do one’s part in fellowship with Jesus, the Christ, Son of the living God. To come after Him (Matt 16:34), means to follow in the most committed sense as His disciple (Thayer, 2009). A person has to “deny himself” (v. 34b) and leave any worldly interests behind. Taking up the cross requires self-sacrifice, selflessness, and suffering for His sake. It calls for raising Jesus above all else. The beauty of self-denial in taking up the cross comes with eternal life and future reward of the Son of Man’s return in His glory (Matt 16:25, 27).

Jan Paron, All Rights Reserved 2014

References

• Bernard, D. (1994). The oneness view of Jesus Christ. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.
• Thayer, J. (1999). Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publisher.

Examining the Reality of Jesus

Tags

Jehovah-Savior, Jesus, Oneness of God, power jesus, revelatory nature

What do the last events from Jesus’ earthly ministry to the Great Commission for disciple making tell us about His reality? Through each God revealed His greater character in the name of Jesus–Whose power originates from His divine nature as God manifested in flesh to be the Savior.  

Jan Paron/April 28, 2013

Theologian Richard Bauckham contends that a wide spectrum of people, ranging from believers to would-be believers, pursue the historical reality of Jesus.[1] These inquirers can broaden their knowledge of Jesus’ existence by studying His nature, life and missional agenda in the context of various events from His ministry. The Gospel evangelists authenticated the risen Savior with rich testimonies coming from eyewitness accounts of His redemptive works for humanity. To uncover Jesus’ being I explore His divine power, discipleship mandate and commission instructions (Matt 28:19-20) with select messianic turning points from His final days.

Jesus’ Power

Jesus told His disciples, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (28:18 KJV). Thayer’s lexicon defines power (Greek: exousia, ἐξουσία) in this verse to mean, “power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed [generally translated as authority].”[2] Jesus’ power originates from His divine nature as God manifested in flesh to be the Savior. God revealed His greater character in the New Testament through the name of Jesus, “Jehovah-Savior” (Matt 1:21, 23; Acts 4:12; Phil 2:9).[3] We learn more about God’s revelatory nature from the last days during the life of Christ. One such occurred during the Last Supper when Jesus foretold His disciples of the glorious and resurrected “Son of man” (Matt 26:24; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22; cf., Dan 7:13; Mark 14:62). In another, Jesus affirmed His identity to the high priest’s trial query as “Christ, the Son of the Blessed” (Mark 14:61). Thus, in both instances, God fully discloses His nature and authority in Jesus with the names Son of Man and Christ, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9 NKJV).

Jesus’ Mandate

“Go then and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19a AMP). The resurrected Jesus (i.e., Christ and Son of Man) commanded His apostles to continue His ongoing mission to spread salvation, and take on the role of disciples making disciples. In doing so, He imparted sweeping foundational principles for discipleship that extended into the future for all those who would believe on Him through their apostolic witness (John 17:20). They carried out His mandate with power. The word then (Greek: oun, οὖν; Matt 28:19a) shows Jesus empowering His apostles through Himself (28:18). With New Birth, all believers have Jesus’ authority through His incarnation as the living God in all fullness. He authorizes this power for the commission through the nature of His name.

Jesus’ Instructions

Jesus’ commissioned disciples to reproduce themselves. He instructed them to “go” (28:19a), “baptizing” (v.19b) and “teaching them to observe” everything He commanded them (v.20a). After spending three years with Jesus as He walked among the people, the original Twelve saw Him disciple others from Galilee to Jerusalem. Even during times of persecution, Jesus did not cease. For example, He proclaimed the good news (John 18:36-37); performed miracles (Luke 17:11-19; John 11:1-16); healed individuals and crowds (Matt 19:1-2); laid hands and prayed for children (Matt 19:15) and taught about kingdom of God ethics (i.e., Matt 19; Luke 18:18-27). Jesus even prayed for those who crucified Him (23:34) and pardoned the repentant thief (v.43) as He hung on the cross. Jesus modeled discipleship to the end.

Closing: Jesus at Emmaus

Therefore, what can we glean from Jesus’ nature, life and missional agenda from the latter periods leading to the Great Commission? Kevin J. Vanhoozer notes that, “Meaning is actualized not by the author at the point of the text’s conception but by the reader at the point of the text’s reception.”[4] Despite historical and spiritual proofs of Jesus’ existence, people receive Gospel testimonies at the point of its reception as Vanhoozer suggests. A sometimes unbelieving, postmodern world might reject eyewitness proofs; however, I recognize Jesus at Emmaus with eyes wide-open living within me today. “It is true! The Lord has risen” (Luke 24:34a NIV). As for me, I run to share this news and make disciples of all nations without end.

From the All Nations Leadership Institute class “Walking through the Word, Part Two,” reprinted with permission. All Rights Reserved, All Nations Leadership Institute, 2013.

ENDNOTES

[1] Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2006), 2.

[2] Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009), 225.

[3] David, Bernard, The Oneness of God (Hazelwood: Word Aflame Press, 2000).

[4] Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Hearing the New Testament (ed. Joel Green; Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1995), 301.

Photo credits: Go!– Sharefaith.com; Godhead–Pope of Pentecost

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006.

Beal, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.

Bernard, David. In the Name of Jesus. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press, 1992.

______________. The Oneness of God. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press, 2000.

______________. Oneness View of Jesus Christ. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press, 1994.

Evans, Craig A. Matthew: New Cambridge Bible Commentary. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Han, Nathan E. A Parsing Guide to the Greek New Testament. Scottsdale: Herald Press, 1971.

Levine, Amy-Jill, Dale C. Allison and John Crossan, eds. The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006.

Root, Orrin. A Survey of the Bible: Training for Service Student Book. Cincinnati: Standard, 1998.

Thayer, Joseph H. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2009.

Turner, David L. Matthew: Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Hearing the New Testament. Edited by Joel Green. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1995.

Wright, N.T. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1999.

Come and Follow Me: Dwelling and Abiding in Grace

Tags

dwelt among us, Grace, Oneness of God

Grace (Greek: charis, χάρις) only comes through Jesus Christ. Through the Word tabernacling within you and out of His fulness, Jesus gives grace—an unearned and undeserved spiritual blessing (John 1:16). God offers grace as a free gift and work in humankind. 

Jan Paron/January 22, 2013

The author of John’s Gospel records that after John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God, two disciples follow Jesus (1:36). According to the narrator, Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them what they seek (v. 38). After learning they seek where He dwells, Jesus invites the disciples to “Come and see.” The disciples respond to His beckoning (v. 39b). “They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day, for it was the tenth hour” (v. 39 KJV). Jesus extends this same invitation to all believers today. He wants them to follow Him, and then dwell and abide in the fulness of His grace: “one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift” (v. 16b AMP).

“And the Word was made 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” (v. 14 KJV).

The word dwells refers to the Incarnation, where “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:19 NKJV). The author of John uses the term dwell as a culturally-relevant means for early Jewish Christians to understand that God’s covenant relationship with His people now manifests itself in Christ, as opposed to confirmation through the Tabernacle/Temple.[1] As author David Norris notes, “Jesus is the unique revelation of God, where both the name and presence of God dwells.”[2]  Jesus is Grace, by manifestation and name.

While God provides grace through Jesus, a person must experience it through the obedience of faith. When the disciples ask Jesus, “Where dwellest thou?” (John 1:38b KJV), He answers them with an invitation to “Come and see” (1:39b), foreshadowing grace with an offer to abide in His tent. Jesus extends this same invitation for grace today to enter His dwelling place. A person’s acceptance hinges on faith in the belief that Jesus is the Messiah, He pitches His tent and indwells within at New Birth.[3]  One abides in Him from that time on, regenerated and renewed.

Faith does not excuse one from obedience to the Word.  While the inward evidence to the believer of His salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Rom 8:16), outward evidence is a life of righteousness and true holiness.[4] Inward evidence comes through changes resulting from the fruit produced through the inner workings of God’s Spirit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23 NIV).

Upon abiding in Jesus’ tent, He bestows honor as a son in God’s Kingdom under the New Covenant, and separates His beloved from sin unto the Gospel for a regenerated life. A member of the Kingdom now  belongs to the household God, and walks according to a different code. Desiring a closer relationship with Him and submitting to His will, a servant of Christ freely gives oneself to God. The believer joyfully lives in chains for Christ; and diligently seeks Him through daily dying to self, prayer, speaking in tongues, fasting, solitude, meditation, thanksgiving, worship and studying the Word. Additionally, one follows the ordinance of breaking bread in remembrance of His suffering and takes part in fellowship for the perfecting of the saints. These actions support covenant with God in a two-fold manner. The first provides opportunity to hear His voice with the mind of Christ, while the second gives Spirit-driven power to walk in healing and deliverance from sin.

Since all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), Jesus’ constant presence makes grace work in a person’s  life. He does not limit grace, rather freely makes it available incarnated from within. The Holy Spirit’s inner working produces a righteous and holy walk. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor 3:17 NKJV). Since God is Grace, His Spirit fully dispenses it to all those who abide in His tent.

To ponder:

How do you access grace in your life?

ENDNOTES

[1] David S. Norris, A Oneness Pentecostal Theology (Hazelwood, WAP Academic, 2009), 73.

[2] Norris, A Oneness Pentecostal Theology, 73.

[3] New Birth occurs through proclamation, confession, water baptism and Spirit baptism, with the initial evidence of covenant of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4,38 ).

[4] Jan Paron, “PAW Faith Statement,” PerSpectives12 Blog, Cited 21 January 2013. Online: https://specs12.wordpress.com/faith-statement/

The One God, Part 2: The Incarnation

Tags

Incarnation, Oneness of God

Pastor Daryl Coxexplains the incarnation in relation to the oneness of God, from his earlier post, The One God, Part I.

Daryl Cox / October 30, 2012

Revelations 11:15 enlightens the thought of God’s oneness begun in the previous article, the One God:

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (KJV).

The Jewish confession of faith called the Shema, found in Deut 6:4, declares God as the one God to the exclusion of all others that are called God. This verse declares that God is one. The Hebrew echad [1] shows a numerical oneness, indicating unity of all components that complete the total picture. God is God alone; and He has revealed Himself in diverse ways throughout Scripture by different names, titles, covenants and visions. This diversity defines His identity, character, purpose, will and power, but one must understand that this diversity finds its ultimate unity in one person, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

(Image: Jan Paron, All Rights Reserved 2007)

Revelations 11:15c, announces that “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” It is our Lord and His Christ who will rule the nations here on earth for a thousand years. Now, this verse calls our Lord and His Christ a he and not they. It is not a unity of plural persons in the Godhead that is being addressed here but the unity of the incarnation. The word he from 11:15, is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the union of the Lord God Almighty and His Anointed in one human person. The Apostle John shows in John 1:1, 14 that, “the Word was God” and that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He also clarifies that the Word made flesh is called the Son of God. Scholars describe this uniting of God and man in one person as the incarnation. The word incarnation by definition refers to the act by which God became man. John 1:14 and Rom 1:3 confirm this meaning. The distinction is clear. The Word was God. The flesh is the Son of God begotten from the human ancestry of King David. John further enlightens the reader that he and the other disciples beheld Christ’s glory in His humanity, and His glory was full of grace and truth. The Old Testament prophets and Israelites saw the glory of God in diverse forms, but God did not fully reveal His glory to them until the birth of His Son (1:14). The glory of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ is God’s truth for us today. Believers must seek to know and understand God in the context of the incarnation and not in the context of three persons. The knowledge of the Son of God is essential to bringing the church to the unity of the faith

Revelations 11:15 demonstrates two truths. One truth shows the union of the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, declaring Jesus as the Lord our God and God’s anointed King. The incarnation gives truth that Jesus is the one God. Do not allow this truth to obscure the second truth–the relationship that exists between God and Christ. From the perspective of His deity one sees Jesus as the Sovereign God, the Creator and Lord manifested in flesh. From the standpoint of Jesus’ humanity one sees Him as called and anointed by God to fulfill all that is written of Christ in both the Old and New Testaments. When the Son of God was revealed in the fulness of time, He was revealed as a man made of human lineage who learned obedience to fulfill the scriptures. This explains Christ’s prayer life, His compassion for the oppressed, His statements of submission to God, His sufferings and His death and resurrection. He grew in His relationships with God and man. These statements and accounts are answered in the context of the scriptures that address them, but never to the denial of Jesus as the one God. Jesus always spoke as a human servant under the anointing of the Spirit of God, but His anointing revealed Him to be God by the things He both said and did.

Jan Paron, in her writing about the oneness of God, makes an important observation about the Word dwelling among us (1:14). She says that

Some scholars suggest that the Gospel of John specifically shows an ancient form of biography of Whom the subject is Jesus. Indeed this Gospel chronicles the earthly ministry of the “Word,” according to the recurrent theme of following (Greek: ἀκολουθέω) Jesus to where He dwelled among the people in fulfillment of the law. Through the “Word,” Jesus, comes grace and truth” (1:17). John states in the opening verse that “the Word was God” and the “Word was with God. Jesus parallels this statement in John 14:10 with “I am in my Father, and my Father is in me…I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth within me…”[2]

Though called of God, Jesus was not speaking of Himself as a servant when He made the great I AM declarations of John’s Gospel. He was speaking of the Father in Him. Servants do not declare their greatness only their masters. For Jesus to speak of the Father by declaring who He is demonstrated His identity as the Father though He were a servant here on earth. The I AM statements of Christ in the Book of John identify God in the person of Jesus Christ. The fulfillment of the Law and prophets required a human called of God and obedient to the will of God (2 Cor 15:21). The incarnation and trials of life made this possible in Jesus Christ. His obedience brought about the redemption of man and restoration of God’s creation.

God is called in Eph 1:3, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This statement speaks to the covenant God made with both Abraham and His descendant Son after the flesh, Christ. It also speaks to the literal begetting of the Son of God by the Spirit of God in both birth and resurrection (Luke 1:34-35; Acts 13:33).  Each of the covenants of scripture ordains blessing and fulfillment to diverse peoples. Sin hindered humankind’s complete partaking of these covenants until the death of Jesus Christ dealt with sin and made the fulfillment of God’s covenants possible and accessible to mankind by faith. The covenant blessings God ordained in Christ would be given to men and women of all races who are in Christ or united to Him by baptism into His name and the infilling of His Spirit (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor 15:22). Christ in His humanity is the heir of all the covenants of Scripture for the human race. In Him, believers partake of all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself in the person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ…Revealed Himself to make covenant with the elect through the blood of Christ’s death and resurrection…Revealed Himself in the unity of God’s fulness.

Finally, understanding the incarnation and recognizing the relationship between God and His Son in this context brings about a more cohesive understanding to the Word of God. It allows believers to understand the relationship of Christianity’s teaching to Judaism, as well as establishes believers in the present truth of God’s Word. Many incorrect statements have been made and some truthful statements taken to the extreme have led to incorrect thinking. If the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Father, does one say that Jesus prayed to Himself, or that the second person of the Godhead prayed to the first person? In the language of the Scripture, Jesus “prayed to God” and “prayed to the Father” (Luke 6:12; John 14:15). It is best to say it as the Scripture states it, while also recognizing that yes, Jesus is our Father. According to Heb 5:7, Jesus prayed in the “days of his flesh to him (God) who was able to save him from death.” In the same book, the author goes on to say that the Son of God is addressed as both God and God’s Anointed (1:8-9). The expressions of Father, Son and Holy Ghost pertain to the person of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). These designations also give a biblical knowledge of God in relationship with His Son and all New Testament believers in Christ. The union of deity and humanity in the person of Christ allows a human and divine interaction between the Father and the Son. This same thought exists with Christ and the Holy Ghost. In light of this understanding, the scriptures return one to the original premise that there is no separate knowledge of God apart from Jesus Christ.

(Image: Pentecostal Pope)

I will end this writing with the words of the great apostle, Paul. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:8-9).

Pastor Daryl Cox

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[1] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, (Peabody: Hendrickson Publisher, 2010), 25

[2] Jan Paron, Word Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us, Part I, Cited: 30 October 2012, Online: https://specs12.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/the-word-was-made-flesh-and-dwelt-among-us/

“Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us,” Part 2

Tags

dwelt among us, Gospel across culture, hermeneutics, Oneness of God, Word made flesh

Understanding Dwelt

Examines the meaning of “dwelt” (John 1:14a) to the audience and author of the Gospel of John through literary and historical-cultural contexts, focusing on religious factors behind the text.

Jan Paron / October 7, 2012

Upon my quest for understanding the original meaning of the word dwelt in John 1:14, I didn’t expect the complex dynamics that influenced the ancient’s perception of Jesus and their later understanding of Him dwelling among them (1:14). In addition to viewing within text structures, you have to go behind the text and examine mitigating cultural factors to see Jesus through Mediterranean eyes around the turn of the first century. These factors represent a range of possibilities, ranging from social to historical contexts. Since this is a broad topic, I only highlight the religious context as precursory points on the subject of dwelt.

Jan Paron, All Rights Reserved 2012

Mitigating Cultural Factors: Influence of Audience’s Religious Backgrounds

The author  heavily used a Jewish trajectory throughout the Book of John in typology, referring to the Old Testament. This book is rich in Judean references such as comparisons to “our father Jacob” (4:12) and “our father Abraham” (8:53), connections to the Law (1:17), interchange with Nicodemus (3:1-21), I AM statements and the true God (John 17). Could the Jewish audience of outsiders grasp Jesus dwelling among them any more than Nicodemus?  The echoing of the Tabernacle of Moses during the Jesus/Nicodemus discourse certainly painted an understandable image of Jesus dwelling among them as the great I AM and High Priest, where dwelling connotes the pitching of the tent with the arrived Messiah among them.

Further, the author published this gospel after the Jewish temple’s destruction in AD 70. So Jewish Christians, who still identified themselves as Jews but believed the Messiah arrived, may look at “dwelt” as a replacement to the temple. The tabernacle connoted worship, and with that, sacrifices. Carson argued that John’s emphasis on Jesus’ replacement of the temple and Jewish feasts represents an effort to exploit the temple’s destruction evangelistically in an effort to reach Diaspora Jews and Gentiles attractive to Judaism.”[1] Christ dwelling among the Diaspora Jews and Gentiles may signify the comforts of the living “Word.” The “Word,” though invisible to human eye, but attested from past generations, universally endures amid the living. With the trauma from historical events, geographical relocation, cultural morays such as household codes and other nuances, John may have used different rhetorical angles to illustrate Jesus dwelling among them as the only begotten Son (1:14), full of grace and truth to show all-encompassing salvation, comfort, worship, priesthood, atonement, deliverance, freedom , etc.

In conclusion, “dwell” might reflect different meanings dependent on the reader at that time. The author viewed the “Word” as God (1:1) who is the life and Light of men (1:4) and the only begotten Son of the Father (1:14) who was made flesh to dwell among His creation that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (3:16) and through Him “might be saved” (3:17). To the Jews, dwelling perhaps connoted the pitching of the tent with the Messiah among them. To the proselyte Jews, feeling the loss of the temple, the “Word” possibly offered a new temple within which to dwell. To the Gentile, “dwelt” maybe denoted the place to find the “Word” for worship, salvation and healing not found in polytheist Roman gods.

Reflections on Behind the Text Exegesis

  My thoughts about the original meaning of dwelt for the authors and audiences from the Gospel of John represented hypotheses from a lay practitioner’s viewpoint. To do justice to New Testament culture and its relationship with behind the text scriptural meaning requires deep study. A careful reading of Scripture reveals cultural background. Also, researchers like Ben Witherington, Craig Keener, Jerome Neyrey, Bruce Malina and David de Silva extensively wrote to this end from primary source documents and offer great insight on the subject of biblical cultural anthropology.

For anyone interested in learning more about the New Testament social world, dig deep into Scripture, as well as read works of different authors such as those listed above. Research opens new doors for understanding. Based on this post, new areas emerged to investigate–actually more unanswered questions, than answered. For example, how do cultural determiners like honor, patronage, kinship and purity influence the meaning of “the Word dwelt among us” (1:14).

What’s more, examining Scripture behind the text provides a glimpse into the culture of yesterday and original textual meaning, which helps a person know how to apply Scripture to contemporary situations. One of my other areas to read about is variances in meaning of dwelt today across diversity of people. Does everyone understand dwell according to Scriptural truth?

To Ponder

• How can we gather information about current cultural contexts to adapt the method of delivery for the Gospel, but retain fidelity of its meaning?
• What are cultural differences in viewpoint of Scripture?

References

• Bauckham, Richard. The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: The Narrative, History and Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.
• De Silva, David. Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press, 2000.
• Köstenberger, Andreas J. Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary and Theological Perspective. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999.
• Malina, B. The New Testament: Insights from Cultural Anthropology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
• Metzger, Paul Louis. The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010.
• Neyrey, Jerome. The Gospel of John in Cultural and Rhetorical Perspective: Cambridge: University Press, 2007.
• Neyrey, Jerome and Steward, Eric. The Social World of the New Testament: Insights and Models. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2008.
• Witherington, Ben. John’s Wisdom: A Commentary on the Fourth Gospel. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1995

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[1] Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999), loc. 411.

Jan Paron, All Rights Reserved 2012

The One God, Part I

Tags

Apostolic Pentecostal, Oneness of God

In general, Christianity confesses its belief in one God and some in Jesus Christ’s deity; however, since the days of the apostles to our current day many modified that belief, resulting in debate and divisions within. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (KJV). This passage of Scripture declares that there is no other God but one. It also testifies to unity of a diverse, progressive revelation that finds its completion in Him Who is called the LORD. In this post, I examine this passage and others for the biblical message of the oneness of God and Jesus Christ’s deity.

Daryl Cox / October 5, 2012

There Is One God, and He Is One

What does the Scripture mean when it states there is one God? Why does it say He is one? God is a Spirit. He is invisible and revealed Himself in His creation of all things and by His Word, the Bible. Deuteronomy 6:4 declares that the God of Israel is the true God to the exclusion of all others. Mark 12:28-34 endorses this interpretation.  A scribe asks Jesus, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus responds, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord” (12:29b). Then, the scribe follows with, “Well Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he” (v. 32). Finally, the discourse concludes with “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” (v. 34b). Jesus endorses this man’s understanding of Deut 6:4, also known by the Jews as the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith. It is interesting that Jesus told the scribe that with his understanding he was not far from the kingdom of God. Now what understanding would have gotten him in the kingdom? Jesus said in another passage, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Had the scribe recognized Jesus as the God of Deut 6:4 he could have come to the kingdom in that point of history. The Shema recognizes no other God but Jehovah.

Old and New Testament Unity of Meaning

Other Old Testament authors declare the same message. In Isaiah 45:5, it says “I am LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” Further, two passages in Jer 10 speak to this message, “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great is great in might” (10:6); and “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king” (v. 10c). The Old Testament gives us the belief in one God, Who is sovereign to all that exists. We are to love Him with loyalty to the utmost.

When we go to the New Testament, it reiterates the same thought. There is one God and He is one. Jesus and the authors of the New Testament establish profound thoughts with regards to God’s oneness. These authors acknowledge mankind’s belief in more than one God, but they state that the gods of humanity are not gods by nature. Their theologies cannot match the theology of what the Bible says about God. Galatians 4:8 says, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are not gods.” When the New Testament authors say there is one God, they addressed Him as Father because He is the Creator. Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee (The Father) the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” It is the Father who called the only True God. Paul in 1 Cor 8:6a says, “But to us there is but one God, the Father.” The Scriptures see the one God as Father and this one God seeks true worshipers of Himself. The church of the Book of Acts retains the monotheistic belief of the Old Testament. There is no hint of radically changing this truth in the New Testament writings. Retaining the Old Testament view of God’s oneness was the early church’s (of the Book of Acts) way of safe guarding itself from idolatry and error. It is the same safe guard for us today.

Closing

Finally, the oneness of God is the biblical truth that the God of the Bible is the only True God. This excludes the ideologies declared by men to be the True God. He has no distinction of persons in His nature. Scripture addresses Him as the Father because He is Creator of all; however, He has revealed Himself diversely and progressively throughout Scripture to conclude His revelation in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the truth that keeps us from error. God desires to make Himself known to all, but only those who respond to His call and seek Him will find.

Pastor Daryl Cox

This writing explains the oneness of God, the center point of the Apostolic hermeneutical framework, as a companion piece to the Word Was Made Flesh, and Dwelt Among Us.  Part two follows with greater detail on the oneness of God and incarnation.

Pastor Daryl Cox

Pastor Cox is one of the faculty members at All Nations Leadership Institute (ANLI), as well as an assistant pastor at Lighthouse Church of All Nations. As one of the ANLI staff members, he teaches From Calling to Covenant: The Story of David and Jesus Across the Gospels.

All Nations Leadership Institute prepares and equips men and women for ministry in an urban, multicultural environment. It offers a wide array of classes in theology and leadership. Affiliated with Lighthouse Church of All Nations, the Institute hallmarks bridging the gap leadership.

By: C. P. Kilgork