Jesus is the visible manifestation of the invisible triune Godhead. In faith we can show others His love for His creation. Faith in Him moves mountains of hatred.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Ephesians 1:19-23 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Jesus in the power of Holy Spirit was raised from the dead overcoming sin and death. In our faith in Jesus we are adopted into the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 3:1-7 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
The mystery of the Gospel of Grace, before hidden, was now revealed to mankind, that in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ salvation was given. This dispensation of grace was given to Paul by divine revelation.
Acts 26:9-11 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Paul thought he was doing the right thing in persecuting the believers in Jesus. He was wrong. Until being struck by the power of Jesus in the road to Damascus he remained ignorant of the plan of God. We can be dead wrong in our beliefs until the truth is revealed to us by the power of Holy Spirit in our lives. It takes a divine moment of truth to believe and it becomes our testimony of God’s mercy and grace to sinful man and the blessings of our faith in Jesus to restore us to Himself.
Acts 11:19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
The Apostles thought that salvation was only for the Jews and Jesus was their Redeemer King. It was to Paul that the dispensation of grace without works would be revealed for ALL of mankind by faith in Jesus the Christ alone.
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Jesus, all man-all God, the Savior of the world! To God be all honor and glory. Carla
“In the beginning”. John begins by quoting the opening words of Genesis in Greek (Genesis 1:1). He uses Genesis 1:1–5 to establish the “Word” as a preexistent agent of creation present with Yahweh from the beginning.
John begins with a quotation that invokes the context of Genesis 1:1–5 with its imagery of creation by divine word and opposition between light and darkness. His interpretation centers on the Word as Creator and bearer of divine light. Genesis 1:1 and Proverbs 8:22 both use the Hebrew word reshith (usually translated “beginning”), and the larger context of both passages is God’s creation of the universe.
In making this connection, John states that Jesus existed prior to the first acts of creation. God’s Son isn’t an act of creation, but the means of it (Colossians 1:15–23; Hebrews 1:1–4). It is all the more dramatic, therefore, that the one through whom all of creation came to be has become part of the creation. Faithlife Study Bible
Genesis 1:1 starts with the moment of creation and moves forward to the creation of humanity. John 1:1 starts with creation and contemplates eternity past. The fact that the Word was with God suggests a face-to-face relationship. In the ancient world, it was important that persons of equal station be on the same level, or face-to-face, when sitting across from one another. Thus the word with indicates a personal relationship, but also implies equal status. The Word, Jesus Christ Himself, is an active Person in communication with the Father (1 John 1:2).
Moreover, the Word was God. The word order in Greek shows that the Word was “God,” not “a god.” This is a straightforward declaration of Christ’s deity, since John uses Word to refer to Jesus. The Word was of the very quality of God, while still retaining His personal distinction from the Father. Neither the Person of Christ, nor His Sonship, came into being at a point in time. Rather, the Father and the Son have always been in loving fellowship with one another.
All things were made through Him. God the Father created the world (Genesis1:1) through God the Son (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). All creation was made through Him. Thus He is the Creator God.
Note that life is not said to have been created; life existed in Christ. Humans are dependent on God for life. Our existence, spiritually and physically, depends on God’s sustaining power. In contrast, the Son has life in Himself from all eternity.
The life, Jesus Christ, is also the light of men. This image conveys the concept of revelation. As the light, Jesus Christ reveals both sin and God to humans (Psalms 36:9). Later in this Gospel, Christ declares Himself to be both the life (11:25) and the light (8:12). Death and darkness flee when the life and light enter. The dead are raised and the blind receive their sight, both physically and spiritually.
The light shines in the darkness. Christ entered this dark world to give it spiritual light (Isiah 9:2). The word translated comprehend can mean (1) to take hold of; (2) to overpower; or (3) to understand. Therefore, this verse may mean that darkness did not positively take hold of or understand the light, or that darkness did not negatively overcome the light. Both statements are true. Humans did not appropriate or understand the light, nor did they overtake or overpower it.
Although Satan and his forces resist the light, they cannot thwart its power.
In short, Jesus is life and light; those who accept Him are “sons of light” (12:35, 36). As the creation of light was the beginning of the original creation (Genesis 1:3), so when believers receive the light, they become part of the new creation (2 Corinthians 4:3–6). The NKJV Study Bible
1 John 1:1–2 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
As Hebrews 13:2 advises, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Certainly, we never know how the Lord will bless our intentional service to others. First5
No one of us can make it alone.
When life is on tilt, where do our marching orders come from?
Start here: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Fear says, "I'll make you safe."
But love says, "You are safe."
“This part of your life is not about being a reporter,” the abbot once told Thomas Merton. “It’s about listening to your heart.”
“Vocation,” Merton wrote, “does not come from a voice ‘out there’ calling me to be something I am not. It comes from a voice ‘in here’ calling me to be the person I was born to be.” Sabbath Moments
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