The centrality of the cross: Applied to believer, the substituted sinner made ambassador

A.    The Death at the Cross applied to the believer (Romans 6:1-4)

"We who died. . . ." (Romans 6: 2, R.V.) "Discharged ... having died." (Romans 7: 6, R.V.) "Ye died with Christ. (Colossians 2: 2o, R.V.) "For ye died. (Colossians 3: 3, R.V.m.) "For if we died with Him, we shall also live. .(2 Timothy 2: 1 1, R.V.)

Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus ended chapter two with the saying that In Christ we are members of God’s house hold. I said the kingdom of faith is now our home country. We leave in the world but we are not of the world. Our old self was crucified and we live in newness of life in Christ. To the Roman’s he calls out with a question. Should we keep on sinning so that God can keep on forgiving?
If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Did you not realize that we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace- a new life in a new land!
Ro 7:6,7 “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”” So the saying is true that “if we have died with Christ, then we will also live with Him.”
People thought that grace will cover their willful violation of the law. Others that they could be slack in their Christian duties, believing that God’s grace would save them in their laziness. No. Grace is not a license for sin.
Christians have been set free from sin and law by God’s grace, but they have not been set free to sin against law. The law is established by our thankful response to grace (Rom 3:31)
Those living with Christ are those who have died with Christ. Therefore if we are not living with Christ, then we have not died with Christ.

B.     The cross: The substituted sinner made ambassador (2 Corinthians 5: 14,15)

One man died for all, therefore all died. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. Living for him who died for the sake you and I and was raised. Because of what Christ did by his love, we do not evaluate people by what they have or how they look. No, we do not regard according to the flesh but we evaluate from inside and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah is a new creation; he gets a new fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!
The man who was rebellious has become representative, ambassador because of what the master, Jesus Christ did in taking His wretched position to die for his sin. Christ’s disciples are known by their love of one another (John 13:34,35). The Christian does good works because of what the good works will do to the people for whom he works. The good works are sacrificial and focused on the recipient of the works. So the Christian has a new life haven been washed of sin (Act 22:16) and he walks in life for the benefit of others. So, in living for others the ambassador, the substituted sinner manifests his love of the Lord (Ro 6:11).

C.     Continuity of the 'Cross' for every believer. (2 Corinthians 4: 10- 12)

What they did to Jesus, they do to us- trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us-He lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
In bearing the cross, one recognizes his humanity and dependence on God for survival in Christ (2 Cor 1:8, 9). Trials and persecutions drives us to depend on God. The life of our Lord can only be manifested in our body if we willingly suffer for the name of Jesus when preaching the gospel (Rom 8:17, Gal 2:20). The trails of an evangelist is an opportunity to live for Jesus (Rom 8:36).

The Centrality of the cross: The Place of Unity between believers (Place of peace) (Ephesians 2: 16).

Remember that the Gentiles or the uncircumcised in the flesh by the circumcision made by human hands were separated from Christ in the past. The Bible says in this verse 11 of this Ephesians “what is called circumcision”. It is not the true circumcision which God wants us to undergo. God wants us to have a circumcision made by His own hands, which transforms us. But by then we were separated from Christ, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now, by the blood of Christ; as He died that death and shed that blood, we who were once out of it altogether are in on everything. Hallelujah!

Vs 14 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”.  Jesus Christ is our peace. He has united us to the Jews, we who were outsiders and the Jews who were insiders have all become one in Christ Jesus, because in His death he has broken down the wall of hostility. He has abolished the law of commandments and established the law of love through his blood. Was it just to have us reconcile within ourselves? No, so that we may also be reconciled to God the Father through the cross.

How have you been thinking about your fellow brother in Christ? How have you been thinking about your fellow human being; the neighboring tribe, the neighboring village, the other church fellowship, the other group of people in your country, the whites, the blacks, the Jews? Do you know that Christ’s death on the cross also reconciled you to them in His blood? Cultural peace is established between Jews and Gentiles through Jesus Christ. The church is therefore called to bring all men together in Christ; because the Old Testament law was nailed to the cross. It’s no longer an obstacle to the Gentiles. All men are brought together under the law of Christ. Those reconciled to God are in one body “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks….” (1 Cor 12:13) .Christ repealed the law code that hindered us rather than helped us. He started things all over; not continuing with two groups of people who were separated by animosity and suspicion. He created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody by the cross. The cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of hostility. Why is there hostility in the world today? They do not know Christ and what He did on the cross. If we claim that we know what Christ did on the cross and that we have received Him and we still live hostile lives here on earth, then we are liars. We do not love God.

Christ treated us as equals and made us equals. Through Him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father. The kingdom of faith is now your home country.

The centrality of the cross (The place of the overthrow of Satan)

Col 2:15 "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

The word disarm is a military word which means stripping off of the enemies’ armor after defeating him in battle. When a soldier is disarmed, it means his gun is taken away, the knife is taken, his protected jackets removed and so he no longer has powers. Through the cross, Jesus stripped Satan of his powers. What the world saw as the public humiliation of Jesus on the cross outside Jerusalem was actually the humiliation of Satan in the spiritual realm. Satan now has no power over those who determine to walk in the light (1 John 1:6-9, Rev 20:1-6).

Are you afraid of Death? Jesus disarmed Satan and his agents of the power of sin and death. Jesus freed those in slavery to the fear of death. Heb 2:14-15"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Heb 10:9,20 :

“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.

vs 20: "by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,"

Jesus says He has come to do God’s will. To set away the old and bring a new way to go to God. The old ways was through sacrifices but the new way is through the body of Christ that was crucified. You can see why Jesus said break this temple and I will build it in 3 days. His body which is the temple, the new way to God. Verse 20 says the new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body.

·         The cross is the gateway to the heavenliest

·         Jesus is lifted up and he will draw sinners to the cross just as the bronze snake was lifted up for the sick.

Heb 9:27-28 “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Are you ready for His coming?

Shalom!

The centrality of the cross ( The place where the sinner is crucified)

Numbers 21:4-9. When the Israelite sinned against God and God sent venomous snakes amongst them, they asked Moses to pray that “The Lord would take away the snakes from among them”.

Why was there the venomous snakes amongst them? what was the cause of these snakes?

First thing we notice here is that they rebelled against God. They were impatient, they murmured against God and Moses.  Have you been murmuring against God and your pastor? Have you been impatient even in your troubles? Have you rebelled against God?

The snake came because of these sinful attitude. Walk in the will of God to find light!

Read Psalms 91 and you will know that God protects those who love Him.

·         Walk with God for your security. Assurance in the life of Job was based on his walk with God. The assurance of the Jews as they left Egypt was to walk with God.

·       

          What is wrong in the prayer request of the Jews to Moses? God wanted a permanent solution for their problem but they wanted a temporal solution. Will removing the snake from among them change their attitude? The snake came because they rebelled against God and murmured. They did not want to deal with this and repent but they wanted the snake away from them. The psalmist says a thousand will fall on your side, ten thousand will fall on your right hand but nothing will touch you. You will walk on snakes and scorpions but not hurt because God will send His angels to take care over you IF YOU LOVE HIM.

·         God wanted them to walk among snakes or troubles but be victorious, but they never understood. Are you in trouble? God may want you to walk through your troubles but be victorious. Yes, you are living in fornication, but you are praying that God should not bring beautiful ladies or handsome men around you. You missed the point. More beautiful ladies and handsome men will be born, many will be around you, what you need is for God to help you deal with that your sinful nature. That desire for women to whom you are not married. That desire for men to whom you are not married. You will continue to see more beautiful ladies and handsome men here in church and around town. Deal with your sin and crucify it at the cross.

Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is God’s power and wisdom (1 Cor 1:17). Do you want power? Go to the cross. You want wisdom from God? Go to the cross. Just as Moses raised the bronze snake for the people to look and be healed. Jesus Christ was crucified for us to look up to Him and be healed and live. This is the permanent solution which God has given us.

Col 2:13 says all our sins were forgiven even when we were sinners. Why are you praying for the same sin over and over? The Devil wants you to think you were not forgiven your sins. Are you sure? Are you realy sure? He wants you to doubt God’s word and what Jesus did at the cross.

Let’s read verse 14 of Colossians 2 "having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross". He cancelled the charges of our legal indebtedness. This debt that condemned us because the wages of sin is dead. And Jesus took it away and nailed it to the cross.

The Message Bible reads “the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.” Our debts including charges where whipped away on the cross. He did not pay the debt without interest. He paid everything including interest whipping away what was written on the slate against us. The arrest warrant canceled. We are no longer going to die because of our sins because Jesus nailed it to the cross. Yes the debt was legal and the payment was complete and free for us.

Do you still think you can work and merit your salvation? Jesus paid it all and nailed it at the cross.  

·         Have you crucified the old man with him at the cross? (Romans 6:6, Gal 5:24)

·         Have you been crucified with Christ so that you no longer live but Christ living in you? Gal 2:20

·         Can you boast of the cross of Jesus Christ? Gal 6:14

The centrality of the Cross (the terminal point for sin and taking point of a new life)

       Colossian 2:11

Col 2:11 “In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,..”  How did I find myself in Him? When was I circumcised in Him? How did this take place?

Circumcision is the cutting off of the male human foreskin. Medical science has shown that a child who is not circumcised is more susceptible to infections than the one circumcised. I remember in the village our mothers would talk of mbororo disease. In fact they meant venereal diseases which were rampant to mbororo people because their males are never circumcised. Medical science has proven that to be true. So physically, circumcision protects the child. The parallel in the spiritual realm is that we were circumcised in Christ and our protection is in Christ.

Isaiah 53:6 makes us know that our iniquity (singular) was laid on Christ. We became in union with Christ at the cross. That is where we find our union with Christ. We were all sinners and the wages of sin is death and nothing else. But God laid on Christ the iniquity of us all. Here the Bible is talking of iniquity not iniquities. Iniquities would mean sins, but iniquity (singular) here would mean the sinful nature. That producer of sin. God wanted to handle the problem from the root, destroying the base that it may be permanent. When Jesus Christ drank the cup at Gethsemane to take our sin to the cross, we were united in Him, he took everything to the cross. Col 2:11 makes us know that the sinful nature was put off when we were circumcised by Christ. It is not circumcision made by human hands.

How did He circumcise us? By immersion into Baptism. Verse 12 makes us know that it is in the burial through Baptism in Christ and the resurrection with Him through our faith in the working of God, who raised Jesus from the dead. Baptism in itself is an obedient response to the grace of God but salvation takes place in the spiritual realm where God washes away our sins in the cleansing blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16). There is no magic in the waters of baptism. No one merits salvation, but by God’s grace He pronounces one cleansed of sins bringing us into a covenant relationship with God.

Galatians 5:24 “ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” So in Christ we have crucified the sinful nature. So the flesh (that sinful nature) was taken away with its desires on the cross.

Do you understand what I mean?

·       That Hereditary curses were crucified at the cross?

·         Hereditary diseases were crucified at the cross (diabetes, cancer etc)

·         Inherited sin (idol worship, fornication etc) are crucified at the cross. Have you ever heard that people worship idols because they inherited from their parents? Have you ever heard that someone has the blood of fornication? That their family is a line of fornicators? Is it strange to hear me say they are inherited? No!

Only if you would come to the cross. The cross is the terminal point for the flesh (sinful nature). The cross is therefore a taking point of a new life in Christ Jesus. Why do you keep on casting and binding, losing ancestral chains when God tells you that he dealt with them long ago at the cross?  The Devil’s strategy is to keep you in doubt so that you do not apprehend the centrality of the cross and be freed.

1 Corinthians 15:45,49 makes us know that the first Adam became a living being and the last Adam , a life-giving spirit. We inherit life from Christ just as we inherited from Adam the sinful nature. Inherited sickness is gone and life inherited from Christ. Are you still afraid? Some Christians still say my sickness, my trouble , my my my... Christ dealt with it long ago. You have to believe and receive it. Remember, you must be in Christ.

Read: The centrality of the cross (the place where the sinner is crucified)

Shalom!

The cross: What is the cross?

When looking at this topic one needs to answer some questions that come to mind. What is the cross? What comes into your mind when you see the cross? Where is the cross used today? In cemetery, on coffins, in pharmacies, and in churches. What does it signify to you? When we talk on the centrality of the cross we mean the focal point. The cross is the focal point to Christian life.

Historically, as an instrument of death the cross was detested by the Jews. "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree" (Gal 3:13; compare Dt 21:23), hence, it became a stumbling-block to them, for how could one accursed of God be their Messiah? This was regarded as the most horrible form of death. This punishment began by subjecting the sufferer to scourging. In the case of our Lord, however, his scourging was rather before the sentence was passed upon him, and was inflicted by Pilate for the purpose, probably, of exciting pity and procuring his escape from further punishment (Luke 23:22; John 19:1). The condemned one carried his own cross to the place of execution, which was outside the city, in some conspicuous place set apart for the purpose. Before the nailing to the cross took place, a medicated cup of vinegar mixed with gall and myrrh (the sopor) was given, for the purpose of deadening the pangs of the sufferer. Our Lord refused this cup, that his senses might be clear (Matt. 27:34). The spongeful of vinegar, sour wine, posca, the common drink of the Roman soldiers, which was put on a hyssop stalk and offered to our Lord in contemptuous pity (Matt. 27:48; Luke 23:36), he tasted to allay the agonies of his thirst (John 19:29). The accounts given of the crucifixion of our Lord are in entire agreement with the customs and practices of the Roman in such cases. He literally died of a broken heart, a ruptured heart, and hence the flowing of blood and water from the wound made by the soldier's spear (John 19:34).

If we want to grow in our love for God, which is the first and greatest commandment, then we must be growing to understand and appreciate the cross, which shows us His great love. If we want to grow in godliness, we must grow in understanding the significance of the cross, which confronts the most prevalent and insidious of all sins, namely, pride.

The cross is the place where all the wounds of sin are healed. If you suffer from emotional problems--guilt, anxiety, depression, anger, or whatever--there is healing in the cross of Christ. Keeping the cross of Christ central will protect you from the many winds of false doctrine blowing in our day. Satan hates the cross because it sealed his doom and he is relentless in his attacks to undermine and thwart the cross. Every cult or false teaching in some way diminishes the work of Christ on the cross and magnifies human ability.

1 Peter 2:24-25 makes us know that Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.

Testimony of the true light

 John 1:6-9

 Introduction:   

The apostle John introduces another man, sent from God to bear witness. This is John the Baptist. This John was sent by God for a special purpose (Malachi 3:1). To bear witness of the light. He was not the light but just a witness so that all through him might believe. He had the same goal like the apostle John, so that all may believe the true light.

   1)      A faithful witness or messenger

A true messenger’s work is to pass on the message. As all prophets, John the Baptist did not call attention to himself. He came to announce the coming of one after him (John 3:25-36, 5:33-35). His aim was for people to believe in Jesus Christ not him.

   2)      What was he bearing witness to?

That Jesus is the light that proceeded from God. Jesus is the only true light because that’s the only one who was sent directly from God. So Jesus cannot be compared with Moses or Elijah and John himself. Jesus was not one in a succession of prophets or sons of God whom God has sent into the world. He is the only Son of God who came from God to reveal to man the one true God.

   3)      John the Baptist confessed that Jesus is the Christ

In John 1:20 he says “I am not the Christ”. When the Jews asked him “Who are you?”. The name Jew at the time when John wrote this gospel referred to the disobedient Jews of the Israelite nation.

Surely, the Sanhedrin had sent these guys to inquire of John in the wilderness as multitudes were following him to hear what he was preaching in the wilderness. The man who wore camel’s hair clothing and ate locusts (Matthew 3:1-12, Luke 3:1-20)

Many preachers today with pride would love to be called Bishop, apostle, papa, etc and some go as far as giving their pictures for the people to hang around. They call the attention to them rather than pointing to the cross of Jesus that saves.

John the Baptist said I am not the Christ! I am not Elijah and I am not the prophet.

a.       From Malachi 4:5 Israel was looking for the one who will come in the spirit and power of Elijah. Some thought Elijah would be resurrected literally to be the forefunner of the Messiah. So John the Baptist gave them a literal answer to the literal question. But the truth is that John the Baptist was the fulfilment of Malachi 4:5; which meant that John came with the zeal of Elijah and the power of a prophet among the people (Mtt 11:14, 17:10-13, Lk 1:17). John the Baptist refused to call the attention to him but Christ, and so he was not deviated from his goal. He did not go ahead to explain the details to them so that they see him and the forerunner or a prophet. He pointed to Christ! Many people were looking for a messiah who would restore the physical kingdom and so the misunderstanding of the prophecy will also hinder them from seeing the true light, the messiah.

b.      John said he was not the prophet. This is in reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Israel was looking for the prophet whom Moses said would come after him. After Moses, there were many prophets but the one that was like unto him was Jesus. That is why in John 6:14, the people said this is the prophet who is to came when they saw Jesus’ miracles (John 7:40, Act 3:19-23, 7:37)

So Moses was prophesying of a specific prophet, not a succession of prophets who would come after him. Jesus is the fulfilment of that prophecy. You now understand why John the Baptist said I am not the prophet; but he was a prophet.

Application:

We are called to proclaim how Jesus called us into his marvelous light. How we obtained His mercy.

·         The prophets faithfully bore witness of the light

·         The followers of Christ (apostles and early disciples)

What about us today?

Do we bear witness of the light by our unity with one another?

Do we bear witness of the light through transformed lives?

Do we bear witness of the light through proclaiming the word?

The purpose of bearing witness is for others to believe in Jesus Christ. Do we help or hinder those around us from believing?

Do not quench God’s effort to bring many into the marvelous light.

2Cor 4:6 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.

Eph 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

Shalom!

Jesus, The life and light of men

 John 1:4-5

 Introduction:  Lioyd Jones asked these questions “Why did the son of God, the word ever come to this world? Why was it that he must die to save us? Why did God not use the prophets to save us by the law given through Moses?

Because there’s something wrong in us.

·         We are not only wrong in understanding Jesus, we’re wrong in our way of trying to know him.

·         We’ve failed to understand that it’s Jesus who gives life to all even the created things in heaven

·         He is the light of men. So he’s the one to give spiritual understanding of God to man.

A Jesus is life

 He is the creator and sustainer of life

   a)      All things Were made by him  Col 1:16

   b)      All things hold together by him col 1:17

Without him, nothing was made

In him was life itself. Therefore he gives us hope for our own resurrection John 5:21, 11:25

John wants us to understand that all physical life originated from the word and so we must understand from his teachings in the whole book that all spiritual life also originate from the word.

It is the spiritual life which originate from the word that brings light to that which was created (John 3:19-21; 8:12, 12:35)

B Jesus is Light

·         We live in a world of darkness

·         People spend their lives in ignorance

·         Separated from God because of ignorance Eph 4:17-19

·         Jesus offers the light of life to us (John 8:12) So he calls us to be sons of light. John 12:35-36

The world made in the beginning was good and God saw that is was good. It was light, but the present world is full of darkness. Sin has come into the world. That’s why the light brought by the son of God could not be understood.

When you are in Christ, you have come out of darkness into light. We have come out of ignorance into light. Ignorance of God, even though God has revealed himself in creation, man has still entered into rebellion. We want to explain it by change, by evolution while keeping God away from the scene. We do not have any excuse.

Until man understands that the world is God’s world and that God made it to respect certain rules, we’ll continue in the darkness, with wars, natural disasters, climate change etc.

Man is too proud that he even things he is an animal that has evolved for years.

Man must understand that he was created by God with a soul which will return to the creator someday.

The world thinks our intelligence can make us God. Man is living in darkness and darkness is inside man (Gen 6:5, Ro 1:18-21).

Application:

1-      Many people resist the life and light Jesus offers

a.       Darkness has not understood the light. Even when some of us get into darkness, instead of shining the light, we become dark. Jesus calls us to be light to the world

b.      Some try to avoid Jesus. They don’t want to change their lifestyle (John 3:19-20)

What is the darkness in your life that does not understand the light? If you think that what we need is just a teacher, then you do not need Jesus. If you think what you need is a doctrine then you have failed. You do not understand what the light has come to do in the mist of sin.

2-      For those who want to come to Jesus

a.       He offers hope and guidance in this life Micah 5:4-5a

b.      He is capable of keeping his promises Matthew 11:28-30

There is no other source of light that will direct man to the source of life than that which originates from the word, Jesus. He says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me”(Jn 14:6).  “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). 

Come to the light!

Shalom!

Jesus is God

 John 1:1-3

 Introduction: John the apostle is the writer of this book as we can see from these texts. John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:20 where he writes that the apostle whom Jesus loved. Further in John 21:24 he says that the disciple whom Jesus loved was also an eye witness and he is the one who wrote these things down. The   purpose of this book is seen in John 20:30-31. Therefore he wrote this so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God and by believing we may have life in his name. He therefore wrote these characteristics of Jesus to make the reader know whom Jesus is.

Jesus is the Word: Verse1

In the beginning was the word and in verse 14 of this chapter, John says the word became flesh. John is writing about someone he heard teaching, he moved with Jesus and touched him. He is not writing an imaginary story. Jesus’ mother lived with John in the last part of her life (John 19:26-27)

He wants us to know all about Jesus from his very first verse. The eternal majesty and deity is the creator of the universe. This is what John wants us to capture in order to feel the way they felt at that time.

John wants us to recognize the infinite majesty of Jesus Christ so that we may read this with worship, humility, submissiveness and awe that the man at the wedding party or the man at the well or the man on the mountain is the creator of the universe. John is not making a mistake but wants us to know that this man was with God in the beginning, He was God, he is the one who laid his life for us (John 15:13), and is the creator.

Why call Jesus the Word?

Because he is the truth of God and

His word is truth of God

He came to witness to the truth (John 18:37) and He was the truth (John 14:6)

Rev 19:13 says the one who judges is the word and from Rev 19:15 we get that from his mouth is a sharp sword. Ephesians 6:17 makes us know that the sword of the spirit is the word of God. So we can now understand why John called Jesus the word.

Jesus existed before creation

In the beginning was the word (ie before creation). Jude also confirms the everlasting nature of Jesus in Jude 1:25. Paul in his second letter to Timothy reiterate that we received grace through Jesus before time began. Therefore, before anytime or matter ever existed there was the word, Jesus Christ, the son of God.

The word was God (Identity of Jesus)

The Jewish Pharisees understood in John 10:33 when they accused him of blasphemy making himself God. He is our savior, our Lord and our God. Jesus is everlasting, he created everything and existed before matter and time were created.

The word was with God

The word, Jesus Christ was with God and he was God. He is God and he is the image of God, a perfect representation of all that God is (The fullness of God). There is just one essence of God but three persons. Two are mentioned here; the father and the son. If you throw away the deity of Jesus Christ, then you throw away your soul. Then what you mean is that Jesus could not accomplish your salvation (Heb 2:14-15).

All things were made through him verses 2-3

He was the father’s agent or word in the creation of all things. But in doing it, he was God. God, the word, created the world. Our savior, Lord, friend and maker

Jesus was not created (made) vs3

“Without him was not anything made that was made”. So Christ was not made since he made everything that was made. Before you exist you can’t bring yourself into being. That is what it means to be God (He was not made). And the word was God.

Unfortunately, some people have not realized the deity of Christ and so cannot submit or worship him. They think Jesus is just like any good teacher and so it suffices for them to find a good moral teacher and all will be well. No! they are living in darkness. They cannot understand the light that has come. They can only realize whom Jesus is if they know the situation of mankind as concerns sin and why man has to be redeemed.

It is not yet late, you can still accept Jesus as you savior, Lord and God. He will restore you. You need to submit to his teachings, the truth about God and who he is.

Shalom!