The Ministry of the Christ
.... Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the wages of sin has been death, and death has reigned over all men because all have sinned (Romans 5:12; 6:23). But when Jesus came into the world He was sinless, which means that He never had to die -- yet He gave His life anyway. So let’s take a moment and think about what that means. Basically, it would allow Him to offer His life as a sacrifice, to pay the penalty of death on behalf of others:.... "but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
(Hebrews 9:26)
.... The basic idea behind a ‘sacrifice’ is to switch places, so Jesus died in our place as our substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21). By paying the penalty of sin in our place, it is said that He ‘redeemed’ us (Titus 2:14). Because this redemption involved actual persons, it is also called a ‘ransom’ (Matthew 20:28). In this way Jesus redeemed us both from sin and from death, which is the penalty of sin (John 17:2-3).
.... But on the third day, as the prophets foretold of Him, Jesus rose from the dead. Since He was the Prince of Life, it was impossible for death to hold Him (Acts 2:24). And just as He was given a new life, a new life will be given to those who believe in Him. This bond of fellowship is based on our faith and trust in God – the very place where Adam had failed. The complete situation, including our redemption, our new life, and our ongoing relationship with the Lord, is called our ‘salvation’. .... After we become ‘saved’ in this manner, God keeps working in our lives to make us more like Jesus. Sometimes this is called our ‘sanctification’. Sanctification takes place on an individual basis, but it is greatly enhanced when Christians join together in a community and the pieces start fitting together:
.... "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."(Romans 8:29)
........ The life of Jesus and His sacrifice is the major theme of the New Testament and of the entire Bible. His actual life is recounted in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Everything that took place in the Bible before this, in the Old Testament, ultimately pointed toward Him to introduce Him; and every book that followed afterward points back to Him, to fully explain His meaning.
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.... Congratulations! With this framework in place, our discussion in discipleship is ready to begin.
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You have now completed this module. To begin the next module, click here
You have now completed this module. To begin the next module, click here
posted by loren at 2:11 AM
4 Comments:
Jesus continued in His trials with 12 special followers, whom He called apostles. They were witnesses of His life, death, and resurrection:
“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– that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (I Jn 1:1-3)
The apostles not only witnessed His life, but their testimony allowed us a way to compare it with the Old Testament prophecy He fulfillment, that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”.
To receive Jesus and begin a relationship with Him, we must confess Him as Lord and believe in our heart that God has raised Him form the dead. Below is a sample prayer you may find useful as a model:
God, I believe that Jesus came from You, and that You sent Him into the world. I believe You gave Him Your words, and that He spoke to us all that You commanded Him. I believe You have given all things into His hand; and I humble myself, confess Jesus as my Lord, and surrender my life to You, according to Your purpose – just as it may seem good to You.
I believe that Jesus gave Himself for my sins, and I believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead. I confess my sins to You, and my need for You; I repent of my sins, and I ask for Your forgiveness through Jesus, that I may receive the new life that You have given through Him.
And I thank You for Your love, which You have shown us in giving us Your only Son. I believe that You reward those who diligently seek You, so I ask that You continue to teach me and help me understand Your words; that You be glorified through my new life, and that You always make me more like Jesus as I learn.
I am eager to hear from You and to know You better. In Jesus’ name I pray ... (Amen).
By
loren, at 4/13/2005 2:20 AM
God desires all men to be saved, and to build a relationship with Him through Jesus (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). He also reveals Himself to all men (Rom 1:19). But there will be those who refuse to acknowledge Him (Rom 1:18-32). For them, at the end of days, it will be seen that no relationship was established (Matt 7:23).
When the judgment comes, their lives will not look like His, and the contrast will be staggering. Instead of being thankful and trusting Him in all that He sacrificed for them, they sought their own ways, which is the same as setting Him at nought – so they will be without excuse. These persons will be punished from His presence with everlasting destruction in a place called Hell. It is important to understand that Hell was not originally created for man, but for the devil and his angels, who had rebelled. But since these men have also rebelled, they will join him there (Matt 25:41).
By
loren, at 4/13/2005 2:21 AM
Loren,
I have a question regarding the following:
Because this redemption involved actual persons, it is also called a ‘ransom’ (Matt 20:28). In this way Jesus redeemed us both from sin and from death, which is the penalty of sin (John 17:2-3).
This is a little confusing for me. When you say, "actual persons", are you tying it to physical death? I'm not quite following why you specifically pointed out, "actual persons".
Also, in the prayer for the new believer, you mentioned, "I believe you reward those who diligently seek you." Honestly, I don't think they are cognisant of that scripture reference and perhaps it would be better to have them ask the Lord to reveal Himself to them. I do love the last line though...I'M EAGER TOO!!!
By
Anonymous, at 7/21/2006 11:39 AM
May I suggest you look at my 'blog' (web site) that has the requirements Jesus gave for discipleship?
Acts 3:22,23 is just as important as John 3:16. In the great commission Jesus charged that those who believe be made to be disciples who do all that He commanded - and that isn't limited to the two commandments that uphold the law and prophets. Jesus gave the whole truth of God.
By
Richard, at 10/28/2009 10:38 PM
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