Who Is Jesus?

In Matthew 24, we have Jesus Himself, in His Mount Olivet Discourse, regarding the end times, telling His disciples: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray...Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:4 & 23-26)

And, it seems that we have a whole bunch of false Christs running around today, namely in the cults & in other world religions. The "Jesus" of Islam, "Isa", is only a prophet. To the Mormons, "Jesus" is the son of God by a sexual relationship between God the Father (an exalted man) and the Virgin Mary, He was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and during his time on earth, Jesus was married to three women: Mary, Martha and Mary Magdeline. The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the divinity of Christ, the physical ressurection, teach that Christ was the Archangel Michael and that Christ returned spiritually in 1914. To the Christian Scientists, Jesus is only "divine principle." Many, like a lot of the New Agers, will say that Christ was only a good teacher, and deny that He's the only way to Salvation.

Yet, in our study of the Christian doctrines of Christ, I hope to lay down at least some of the doctrines regarding our Lord and Savior. Technically, this study is known as "Christology," and admittedly, I'm not going to nail down every doctrine regarding Christ.

First off we read of His Diety

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-4 & 14)

“’My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’" (John 10:29-34)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:15-18)

We Read of His Humanity

Now, in the Gospels, we read that He wept (John 11:35), He was tempted (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:13 & Luke 4:2), He grew tired (John 4:6) & He slept (Matthew 8:42).

As mentioned before, John stated: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

In response to the Gnostic heresy, John wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2nd John 1:7)

He Took Upon our Sin to Propitiate God’s Wrath & Was a Sacrifice for Sins

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:4-6 & 10-12)

“…It [faith] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:24-25)

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (Hebrews 7:27)

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

The Importance of His Raising from the Dead

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles…. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1st Corinthians 5:3-9 & 12-19)

He’s the ONLY Way to Salvation and the ONLY Way to God the Father

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’" (John 14:6-7)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-13)

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1st John 2:22-23)

He’s our High Priest and Intercessor

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1st Timothy 2:5)

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14)

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1st John 2:1)


He Will Return Bodily and in Glory

“Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:3-5)

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

john 3:16

Martin Luther on Roman Catholicism

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenburg in 1517, admittedly, corruption was running rampant. However, that being said, the Roman Catholic Church today still preaches doctrines contrary to orthodox Christianity.

The Reformation View of Roman Catholicism
From the works of Martin Luther (1483-1546)

"What is the whole papacy but a beautiful false front and a deceptively glittering holiness under which the wretched devil lies in hiding? The devil always desires to imitate God in this way. He cannot bear to observe God speaking. If he cannot prevent it or hinder God’s Word by force, he opposes it with a semblance of piety, takes the very words God had spoken and so twist them as to peddle his lies and poison under their name." (What Luther Says, II: 10007)

"Since the papal church not only neglects the command of Christ but even compels the people to ignore it and to act against it, it is certain that it is not Christ’s church but the synagogue of Satan which prescribes sin and prohibits righteousness. It clearly and indisputably follows that it must be the abomination of Antichrist and the furious harlot of the devil." (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

"The negotiation about doctrinal agreement displeases me altogether, for this is utterly impossible unless the pope has his papacy abolished. Therefore avoid and flee those who seek the middle of the road. Think of me after I am dead and such middle-of-the-road men arise, for nothing good will come of it. There can be no compromise." (What Luther Says, II: 1019)

Read the rest here

John MacArthur on Bad Heremeneutics

Increasingly this is become a big problem these days. It seems like we have people ripping passages out of context, twisting God's Word, or just outright making stuff up about God, via Scripture. I forget who said it, but I remember hearing a quote, which goes along the lines of: "A verse without context is a pretext."

Kim Riddlebarger on Sanctification

I think that Dr. Riddlebarger makes some really good points in this article on sanctification

The Cause and the Effect
by Kim Riddlebarger

"Q. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
(Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 35)

Several times I have heard Christians recite the following formula: “Christians are saved by grace, justified by faith, and sanctified by works.” On first hearing, this sounds right as the slogan attempts to capture three important biblical emphases. Yes, we are saved by grace and not by our works (Rom. 6:14; Eph. 2:8). Yes, the ground of our justification is the merit of Christ, which becomes ours through faith alone (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). And yes, good works will be found in the lives of those who are saved by grace and justified by faith (Eph. 2:10). But — and here is where the slogan takes us in the wrong direction — we are not sanctified by our good works.

This is a very important point and is often misunderstood by many. The reason why the last part of the above formula is incorrect (“sanctified by works”) is because when discussing sanctification, the formula confuses the cause (God’s grace) with the effect (good works). To put it another way, while the process of sanctification inevitably leads to the production of good works, good works do not produce our sanctification."

Read the rest here

The Roman Catholic View on Mary

If anything, perhaps the Roman Catholic Church is best known for their devotion to Mary. The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD established Mary as Θεοτόκος,translated as Theotókos, or basically, the "Mother of God."

In this series of lectures, Pastor John MacArthur exposes the idolatry of the worship of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic views on Mary. Now, you can either listen to the lectures, or read the transcripts of the lecture. But, anyway, part one provides an overview. Part two and part three deal with Roman Catholic dogma on Mary. Lastly, part four deals with a Biblical repsonse to cult of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, I think that Charles Spurgeon accurately sums up whom we are to serve, trust and worship: "It is most glorifying to our Lord Jesus Christ that we should hope for every good thing from Him alone. This is to treat Him as He deserves to be treated; for as He is and beside him there is none else we are bound to look unto Him and be saved....The reason why we may hope for forgiveness of sin, and life eternal, by faith in the Lord Jesus, is that God has so appointed. He has pledged himself in the gospel to save all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus, and he will never run back from his promise. He is so well pleased with his only-begotten Son, that he takes pleasure in all who lay hold upon him as their one and only hope."

Furthermore, the late Dr. Walter Martin debated Father Mitchell Pacwa on the John Ankerberg Show back in the 1980's on the Roman Catholic teachings of Mary.

Quotes (#8)

"The reason why we may hope for forgiveness of sin, and life eternal, by faith in the Lord Jesus, is that God has so appointed. He has pledged himself in the gospel to save all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus, and he will never run back from his promise. He is so well pleased with his only-begotten Son, that he takes pleasure in all who lay hold upon him as their one and only hope. The great God himself has taken hold on him who has taken hold on his Son. He works salvation for all who look for that salvation to the once-slain Redeemer. For the honor of his Son, he will not suffer the man who trusts in him to be ashamed. 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life;' for the ever-living God has taken him unto himself, and has given to him to be a partaker of his life. If Jesus only be your trust, you need not fear but what you shall effectually be saved, both now and in the day of his appearing."-Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)