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Posts Tagged ‘John 01’

Christ — An Analogy

Posted in Christ, God, Jesus, tagged , , on September 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son … the brightness of his glory” — Hebrews 1:1a,2a,3a

How does one express infinity in finite terms? By analogies — and here is a good one.

The term translated, “Brightness”, combines two words — one meaning “off or from” and the other meaning “to beam or shine”. The analogy is that of the Sun.

We don’t actually see the Sun, we see the rays emanating from it. Though the rays and the Sun are not exactly the same they are of the same essence and power. The rays are the Sun’s agents of warmth and life — block them out and nothing is left but cold and dark.

That’s who Jesus is — the brightness of God’s glory.

The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out … This was the real light, the light that comes into the world and shines on all people. — John 1:4-6,9 (Good News Translation)

Before we object, saying this is a historically unintended view of Christ, we need to recognize these writers were not gentiles imposing their own unique interpretation but were Jews well versed in Hebrew history and culture. Having experienced Christ firsthand they saw what God really meant in the ancient Hebrew texts

[T]he Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (translation:”God with Us”) — Isaiah 7:14

— fritz@langgang.com

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Christ — Creator

Posted in Christ, Creation, Explanations, Jesus, tagged , on September 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son … by whom also he made the worlds” — Hebrews 1:1a,2

God is universally known as the creator but the Bible tells us the agent of that creation was the Son. The point here is that Jesus was not part of God’s creation but the actual creator.

Hebrews is not the only place this is said. Though the book of Genesis indicates God spoke things into existence, the Gospel of John tells us that the Word actually did it, whom we came to know as Jesus. (Maybe that is why John calls him the Word)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made … 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,) – John 1:1,3,14

Jesus wasn’t (and isn’t) just a godly man who did godly things. When Thomas, the doubting disciple, bowed before the risen Jesus and exclaimed, “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28), he was right to do so.

— fritz@langgang.com

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I’m Not The Messiah

Posted in Frank G. Honeycutt, John The Baptist, tagged on July 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. – John 1:20

I’m not the messiah. That should be obvious but sometimes I start acting as if I were — don’t you?.

Frank G. Honeycutt

Frank G. Honeycutt, Lutheran pastor and author, tells of attempts at rescuing a loved one from suffering, trying to work for justice and peace, striving to actually make a difference in complex problems only to discover “dark and evil powers that perpetuate selfishness, greed, and violence”.

There is a point any Christian reaches in their reflection and witness and disappointment where the most helpful thing to say is exactly what John said to his interrogators: “I am not the Messiah”

For those of us who’ve tried to be, there are few words as sweet.”1 – Frank G. Honneycutt

I know who IS the messiah — Jesus, and he can do all things.

–fritz@langgang.com
1. Marry a Pregnant Virgin Unusual Bible Stories for new and Curious Christians by Frank G. Honeycutt, Augsburg Books 2008, page 27

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