Who is He?

"When they heard these words, some of the people said, 'This really is the Prophet.' Others said, 'This is the Christ.' But some said, 'Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?' So there was a division among the people over Him. Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him."
John 7:40-44

We dug into John 7:40-44 this past Tuesday (10/28/08). We arrived at one key question: Who do we say Jesus Christ is?

Right away we see that people are debating amongst themselves as to who Jesus is, but why is He so controversial? What makes Jesus so different from the other Rabbis? John 7:40 tells us it was "When they heard these words," they began to discuss. The teachings of Jesus were so different, they immediately grabbed the attention of the public. Even the officers sent to arrest him confessed that "No one ever spoke like," Jesus (v. 46). The other teachers at this time spoke with authority because they used Scripture as their basis. Their teachings were explanations of Scripture; they'd tell people about God according to Scripture, they'd tell people about various aspects of life according to Scripture. But Jesus was different. Instead of saying "Scripture says this about God," or "Scripture says this about life," He said things like "I say this about God" or "I say this about life." This was foreign to the people at this time. For instance, if we back up to 7:37 we see Jesus at the feast saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (emphasis mine). Jesus spoke with authority unlike any other teacher.

Because of this, people began to question who Jesus is. They couldn't decide if He was the Prophet, Christ, or neither. People still wonder such things. Was Jesus just a man? Just a prophet? Or is He the Christ?

How did people present their arguments? We see in verse 41-42 that some tried to use Scripture as their basis for their denying that Jesus is Messiah. However, their argument shows they didn't understand all the facts. They claim Scripture says Jesus must be a son of David and come from Bethlehem, but try to point out that Jesus doesn't fit these requirements...

This sort of thing certainly happens even today. Though instead of using Scripture, the common thing now is to use scientific reasoning to deny Jesus as Christ. Today, it's common to hear one say it is intellectual suicide to believe such things, or that it is a logical fallacy to buy into it. In other words, belief in Jesus Christ is seen as merely a crutch for the weak minded. We are told if only we would further our understanding of science or philosophy we would see the folly behind Christianity...

So who do you say Jesus is?

Do you really believe that, or is it just an empty, automatic answer? We are so accustomed to answering certain questions in a certain manner, yet often times the answer carries very little weight; religion tends to be one of those types of responses. Catholic. Lutheran. Baptist. Mormon. Muslim. Hindu. But are these responses actually what we truly believe, or are they responses that we give as a knee-jerk response? Perhaps they are given to merely satiate the curiosity of someone in order to get them to stop their pestering?

We see in verse 44 that peoples' belief about who Jesus is caused some to want to arrest Him. They were moved to want to act (but since it was not His time to be arrested, He was not touched) in a hostile manner. If we believe Jesus is Christ, are we moved to such strong actions? Does this belief in Jesus have any affect on who we are or what we do? It should. It must.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."
1 Corinthians 15:10

Frapping in the Storm

This past week we discussed the sovereign, sustaining grace of God. We defined grace as an undeserved gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 showed us that grace saves.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

However, if grace's purpose is to save (through faith), do we, as born again believers, need grace today? Why or why not?

We clarified the issue with Romans 6:14 which informs us that we are indeed under grace today.

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but [are] under grace."

Paul assures believers that sin has no mastery over us. Why? Because we are not under the burden of being perfect under the law, but are under the free gift of grace. Instead of having to be perfect according to the law, we are justified as a result of God's free, sovereign grace toward us through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross. Note Paul did not say "you were not under law," but used the present "you are not under law, but under grace." This statement was true when it was first penned, and it is true today. Believers are under grace this very moment.

So if we are always under grace, what's its purpose?

One of the verses we looked at to answer this question was 1 Corinthians 15:10.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain [or empty]. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them [the other Apostles], though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10

Grace does not connotate passivity! Paul is making that clear with this passage. He states that God's grace did not come to him in vain, it was not empty, it did not come without effect. Rather, it caused and empowered him to work hard in his ministry. God's grace actively changes us and empowers us. The Gospel never grows old; we never out-grow our need for it.

Finally, we looked at Hebrews 4:16.

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Why are we told to confidently draw near? The answer: Jesus Christ, our high priest and sufficient sacrifice. The book of Hebrews was written primarily to a Jewish audience. With this context in mind, this passage will perhaps become clearer. In the Jewish culture, the people worshipped and sacrificed at the tabernacle. The following is a basic layout of the tabernacle:

Upon entering through the gates, a worshipper would bring his offering to the bronze alter and slaughter it. The priests would wash themselves and the animal sacrifices clean with water from the laver. Blood from the animal sacrifice would be taken into the Holy Place to be sprinkled. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would offer a sin offering for himself and on behalf of Israel. This was a significant day because it called for the high priest to enter beyond the Holy Place, through the veil, and into the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place). It was in the Holy of Holies that the Ark of the Covenant was placed. Above the Mercy Seat and between the Cherubim, the Shekinah glory of God was present. Yahweh made His presence manifest in the this place for His people.

But how does this tie into Hebrews 4:16? We are told to confidently draw near to the throne of grace. The throne of grace is symbolized by the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant. Drawing near to the throne of grace would sound absurd to someone from a Jewish background; no man aside from the high priest could do that! The veil was a symbol of separation between man and God. However, when Christ yielded His spirit on the cross, this veil was torn in two (Matthew 27:50-51). The sacrifice of bulls and goats was never sufficient to atone for sins forever, but the sacrifice of the Son of God is sufficient. The barrier separating man and God was removed by the fully sufficient atoning death of Jesus Christ. Not only does Christ serve as the sin sacrifice for those who believe in Him, but He also acts as the High Priest, making way to the Holy of Holies. It is because of this, Christians can confidently draw near to the throne of grace.

One last interesting point to make is the word help. We are told to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. At first, this seemed rather straight-forward. Mercy and grace sustain us and allow us to endure trials, temptations, and hardships. However, looking deeper at this word help brought something else to light. The original greek word for help is boētheia. This word means to "help; succour," but additional insight can be gained from looking at other passages including this word. Boētheia is also used in Acts 27:17. Paul was sailing while a great storm arose. The sailors were trying to boētheia to undergird the ship. That is, they were trying to secure the ship. Literally, it means "to frap [secure by lashing]."

So imagine yourself in a boat by the coast. Suddenly, the winds pick up, and waves begin to crash over your boat. As the storm becomes increasingly harsh, the waves crash harder and harder against you. Your boat nearly capsizes, the waves have turned your boat around several times so you've become disoriented, and you've been pushed so far into the deep waters you can no longer see land. Isn't that how life sometimes feels? We feel like we've been victimized by life's cruel circumstances. We feel helpless. Hardships have rocked us and nearly sunk us in despair. We've become so unsure of things we don't know what to do or where to go; it seems as if we're all alone. Yet God is there. For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, mercy and grace are available in these tempests. Instead of being beaten by the waves and taken away to isolation in the deep, the grace of God secures us in place. A rope has been tied to our boat to secure us so we do not drift away in the storm. We are helpless on our own, but the grace of God keeps us from sinking or wandering away. His grace does not promise that the storms will not come, only that He sovereignly keeps us through them.