Knowing Jesus
What is Truth?
~Understanding God’s Ministry
John 14:6 — Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The above scripture and many more, shows us that “Truth” is simply Jesus Christ and His atoning work at the Cross. The story of the Bible is the story of Christ, who was the Word before coming down in flesh wrapped in Glory. Christ is fully God and fully Man. He came not to express Himself as God but as a Man, never losing possession of His Deity. Why? Because the first representative man, Adam, lost this right in the Garden of Eden when he handed the dominion of this world system to Satan. A man lost it and a Man had to regain it, Christ, the Last Adam. This is where we are redeemed and brought back to God. When Adam and Eve sinned, it cause everyone born of the woman to possess a nature or bent towards wrong doing, called the sinful nature. Upon acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior, this nature is rendered inactive or helpless. It remains within the believer but not working, in essence, to produce the fruit of unrighteousness. As long as the believer continues to put their trust in the Cross of Christ on a daily basis, the Holy Spirit within the believer promises to produce the fruit of righteousness.
The job of the third Person of the God-Head, the Holy Spirit, works in our lives based upon this simple Truth, the way to God the Father is through faith and reliance and confidence in God’s Redemption plan for humanity, the Cross of Christ. His job, the Holy Spirit, is to lead us into Truth, why? Because there is no other way for the Power of the Spirit to be expressed in the life of the Believer. Romans 8:1-4, John 16:13
“Truth” can be found in a ministry which preaches the message of the Cross for justification and sanctification but is not a ministry nor is it a denomination. It is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Today many of us are after the furtherance of a ministry or church organization and not after Christ who is “Truth.” Outside of faith in Christ and Him Crucified or “Truth”, there can be no true victory only a form or semblance of God.
~Shonette
John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh (refers to the Incarnation, “God becoming man”), and dwelt among us (refers to Jesus, although Perfect, not holding Himself aloft from all others, but rather lived as all men, even a peasant), (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) (speaks of His Deity, although hidden from the eyes of the merely curious; while Christ laid aside the expression of His Deity, He never lost the possession of His Deity) full of Grace and Truth (as “flesh,” proclaimed His Humanity, “Grace and Truth” His Deity).
The Blood and Body of Christ
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24
for I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My Body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My Blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of Me (I Cor. 11:23–25).
In brief, this which Paul here gives us is a description of the New Covenant. It is what we refer to as “The Lord’s Supper.”
Within itself, it has no Salvation, as should be obvious; however, that which it represents, the Atoning Work of Christ carried out on the Cross, when coupled with Faith properly registered in Christ, definitely does bring Salvation (Rom. 10:8–9, 13).
There are many who claim that Salvation is in the Resurrection, etc. That is decidedly incorrect. Of course, the Resurrection is of immense significance, but the emphasis must always be placed on the Cross. Every part of the Lord’s Supper directs one to the Cross, and the Cross alone!
The “Body” of Christ, which was prepared especially for Him, was done so for one purpose. The Scripture says, “Wherefore when He (the Lord Jesus Christ) comes into the world (presents Christ coming as the Saviour, Who undertakes in Grace to meet every claim the Throne of God has against penitent sinners), He said (Ps. 40:6), Sacrifice and Offering You would not (refers to the fact that He would pay for sin, but not with animal sacrifices), but a Body have You prepared Me” (God became Man with the full intention that His Perfect Physical Body was to be offered up in Sacrifice on the Cross, which it was; the Cross was ever His destination) (Heb. 10:5).
The “cup” represented His shed Blood, testifying to the fact that the “New Testament” (New Covenant) is in the giving of His Life, which spoke of His shed Blood. His Blood was pure, untainted, unsullied, unspoiled by sin in any way, for He never sinned. Satan had no claim on Him whatsoever; therefore, when He went to the Cross, He did so with a Perfect Body, and He gave that Perfect Body in Sacrifice, and did so by the pouring out of His Blood, which poured out His Life.
Both cases, the broken bread, which symbolized His broken Body, and the shed Blood, which symbolized His poured out Life, are ever to be held in remembrance. That’s the reason that Paul said, “We preach Christ Crucified” (I Cor. 1:23). The Lord’s Supper is a symbolism of the New Covenant, meant to represent that Finished Work, which means that every time we partake of the “Supper,” it is once again to make afresh the great price paid by the Lord Jesus for our Salvation.
The Lord’s Supper, in other words, proclaims the fact that the Cross is the centerpiece, the very foundation, of Salvation.
Swaggart, J. (2005).
for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to Preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect (I Cor. 1:17).
Several things are said in this very informative Passage. They are as follows:
1. “For Christ sent me not to baptize”: We learn here that Water Baptism is not to have the emphasis regarding the Gospel, and neither should any other Church Ordinance. The Cross of Christ is to have the emphasis.
Paul is not demeaning Water Baptism, but only requiring that it be placed in its proper perspective. It should be obvious to all that Water Baptism, as important as it is in its own way, is not essential to Salvation. If it is essential, then the Apostle thanked God that he saw so few saved. Nor is it essential to obedience, even as others claim, for, in that case, the Apostle thanked God that he had made so few obedient (I Cor. 1:14–16).
2. “But to Preach the Gospel”: In this particular Verse, we are emphatically told what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. In brief, the Gospel is “the Cross of Christ.” In other words, the Cross must be the foundation of all we believe, teach, and practice. If it is not, then whatever it is we are proclaiming, is, pure and simple, not the Gospel. This is extremely important, as should be overly obvious.
If our Message is right, we will get the results that a correct Message brings forth. If the Message is incorrect, there will be no favorable results, because there can be no favorable results. The entirety of the Christian Faith rests on the correct Message. If that Message is corrupted, diluted, or perverted in any way, this means that it is no longer the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but something else entirely.
The Message must be “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.” This is where the emphasis must be, and in every capacity.
3. “Not with wisdom of words”: Paul here plainly says that intellectualism is not the Gospel. This means that humanistic psychology is not the Gospel. Once again, the Gospel is, and must be, the Cross of Christ. Preachers of the Gospel must “preach the Cross.”
4. “Lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect”: This tells us, in no uncertain terms, that the Cross of Christ must always be the emphasis of the Message. If it isn’t, all that Christ did will be to no avail.
This coming Sunday morning, how many Preachers are making the Cross of Christ of none effect, because they are preaching a false message?
Of course, only the Lord knows the answer to that; sadly, however, most fall into that category. This means that few people are truly being saved. Few are baptized with the Holy Spirit. Few are delivered, if any. As should be obvious, we should be very, very careful that we do nothing that makes “the Cross of Christ of none effect.”
I Corinthians 6:12 – “All things are lawful unto me (refers to the fact that Christianity is not a religion which consists of rules, etc.), but all things are not expedient (not profitable): all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (Grace does not give a license to sin, but rather liberty to live a Holy Life).”
The Church At Corinth
The spiritual condition of the church at Corinth was appalling. Sin seemed to be an active and dominant theme within the Body of Christ there. Paul’s teachings had been misrepresented by false teachers and the problems abounded. There were schisms and divisions. There was carnality and license that abounded. Paul did his best to bring this wavering, struggling church back to the basics of the Gospel. Those basics surrounded the simple truths of Christ and Him Crucified. By this statement I mean that the Person of Christ and His Redemptive Work for all of mankind was to be studied, appropriated, experienced, and exhibited. If this teaching of the Cross was ignored or lost, the end result was what you see on record regarding the Church at Corinth. Yes, there were many Spiritual Gifts in Operation, but the Character of Christ was not being formed in the people as it ought to be, because the wrong message was being preached. Paul writes his Epistle with the sure knowledge that if this First Century church fails to correct its course, many in the church will lose their souls and the effectiveness of the church upon the region will be destroyed.
A False Message Of Grace
Everything God does for humanity surrounds the concepts of Faith and Grace. Faith must be placed in Christ and His Finished Work and, in response, God extends Grace to the believing sinner or Saint. What is true at Salvation regarding the reception of Grace remains true for the Saint who must have God’s Help to live a Holy and Righteous Christian life. Romans 5:2 says, “. . . we have access by Faith into this Grace wherein we stand. . . .” We must experience every aspect of God’s Grace in order to experience every aspect of our Christian life. The problem at Corinth was that some were abusing the Grace of God and misconstruing its purpose. Grace is not the freedom to sin all we want! Grace represents the power by which we are freed from the penalty and power of the sin that confronts all of us while living in this present world. Thank God for His Word that proclaims in Romans 5:20 that “. . . where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound.” Therefore, Grace, not law, is the means to overcoming the problem of sin. This is a dynamic truth. No measure of man’s labor, work, righteous routine, or sciences falsely so-called can free men from the penalty for sin or the power of the sinful nature. No “Law” can provide men with forgiveness from acts of sin and freedom from the power of the sin nature. Only Grace can provide this freedom. Therefore, I am not under the spiritual principles of law (speaks of trusting in one’s own efforts to extricate oneself from sin) but am under the Spiritual Principles of Grace. Grace is received when my Faith rests upon Christ, His Person, and His Work. The true message of Grace is not a message that brings freedom to sin, but it is a message that supplies the Believer with power not to sin.
The Believer Is Not Under Law
Some in Corinth were following every dictates of the flesh, every natural appetite, from food to sex, and were stating that since they were not under law. God’s Grace covered every licentious act they felt compelled to carry out. Let’s be honest. There are times as a Christian that we can desire things in our flesh that the Spiritual man knows is not pleasing to God! To use Justification by Faith as an excuse to justify ungodly action is wrong. So while the Believer in Grace is not bound by the Spiritual Principles of being under law, he or she is responsible for following the moral code installed into the human heart at regeneration! The Promise regarding the new Covenant plainly tells us that this is God’s Plan. Jeremiah 31:33 – “But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My People).” Since we are no longer bound to holiness through the Law, we are not under Law. Where there is no Law there can be no charges filed against us. Romans 4:15 says, “. . . for where no Law is, there is no transgression.” Now that I am freed from righteousness through Law or works and all sin past, present, and future is paid for, what creates the standards of right and wrong for me? The indwelling presence of the Spirit in every Believer defines right and wrong for me. I John 2:27 – “But the Anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same Anointing teaches you of all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him.” Therefore, my first task is to decide whether or not something is expedient.
“Not All Things Are Expedient”
The term “expedient” literally indicates something that is helpful, profitable, or edifying. As a Believer I must evaluate every action and attitude, every thought and deed, every relationship and all fellowship, and put them through a simple test. Is what I am doing or participating in building me Spiritually or not? If I see that it is not then I choose to voluntarily remove it from my life. When a Believer truly loves God with all of his or her heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit then we should want to please Him more than we want to please ourselves. I want nothing to adversely affect a healthy and profitable relationship with God. Therefore, I willingly choose to lay down any aspect of my life that I sense is not pleasing to Him. I do so through the processes of Faith and Grace. Faith in the Cross brings the Grace that I need to lay down certain areas of my life, so that I may experience the Abundant Life that Christ Promised.
~JSM
AUGUST
21
therefore being justified by Faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).
What did Paul mean when he said, “We are justified by Faith”?
First of all, we must look at Faith. The definition of Faith is to simply believe something. In this case, it refers to having Faith in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross. The Faith of which Paul speaks always must be in this capacity. We must ever understand that Christ is the Source, and the Cross is the means. In no way is Christ to be separated from the Cross, or the Cross separated from Christ.
That’s the reason the Apostle said, “We preach Christ Crucified” (I Cor. 1:23).
Paul wasn’t meaning that Christ is still on a Cross; in fact, Christ is seated by the Right Hand of the Father, meaning that His task of Redemption is complete (Heb. 1:3). Instead, Paul is speaking of the benefits of the Cross, benefits, incidentally, which will never, never end. For this reason, the Holy Spirit through Paul referred to these benefits as “The Everlasting Covenant” (Heb. 13:20).
The Believer must understand that every single thing we receive from the Lord, and in every capacity, is made possible solely by the Cross. That is the Gospel. The story of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, and the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is the story of the Bible.
Once Faith is properly understood and established, now we turn to Justification. The Greek word used by Paul is “dikaioo,” which means “to show or regard as innocent.” In layman’s terms, it means the following:
1. It means that every sin—past, present, and future—is forgiven.
2. It means that God looks at the one so forgiven as never having committed the sin or sins in question.
3. It means that one is declared innocent, not guilty, and free of all charges, all made possible by Faith in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross.
Justification cannot be earned or purchased, at least not by the individual. It is given freely upon Faith in Christ and His Finished Work.
AUGUST
22
what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that Grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Rom. 6:1–2).
Some seventeen times the word “sin” is mentioned in the Sixth Chapter of Romans. Fifteen of those times the original Text, in other words, as it was originally written by the Apostle Paul, contains what is referred to as the “definite article.” That is, in these fifteen times, the Text reads “the sin.” It refers to the sin nature.
Some claim that Believers no longer have a sin nature; however, considering that Paul is writing to Believers here, if that is the case, i.e., if Believers no longer have a sin nature, then the Holy Spirit went to a lot of trouble to explain something that doesn’t exist.
No! Every Believer has a sin nature; however, we are supposed to be dead to the sin nature, even though the sin nature is not dead (Rom. 6:11).
In truth, the sin nature is supposed to be dormant in the heart and life of the Believer; at the time of Salvation, the sin nature is, in fact, rendered dormant. But if the Believer does not know how to maintain a victorious life, sin will be the result, which then brings the sin nature to life, and then such a Believer can find the sin nature ruling and reigning in his life, even as it did before he was saved.
That’s why Paul said, “Let not the sin therefore reign (rule) in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof” (Rom. 6:12). The sin nature will reside in us until the Resurrection, but it’s not supposed to reign. The manner and way that we can have victory over the sin nature, the only way, in fact, and on a perpetual basis, is that the Cross of Christ ever be the Object of our Faith. That being the case, the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, can effectually work within our hearts and lives, bringing about the Fruit of the Spirit, which develops Christlikeness in our life and living (Rom. 8:1–2,11).
That is the way, and the only way, that the sin nature in the heart and life of the Believer can be subdued and remain subdued.
We find here, graphically so, that “sin” is the problem with the Christian. No matter how many claims are made to the contrary, sin is the problem. And there is only one way that victory over sin can be obtained, and that is through Faith in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross.
Man may devise many ways and claim that victory will be the result, but God has only one way, and that is the Way of the Cross!
Swaggart, J. (2005).
Atonement
David said: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom. 4:7).
The force of the Hebrew term “to cover” is dual. It implies Atonement and Justification. Atonement does not mean merely “at-one-ment” or “at-one-with,” but rather expiation of guilt by a blood-sacrifice which covers it.
The argument of Verses 9 through 12 in Romans, Chapter 4, is that Abraham was declared by God to be a righteous man while he was yet uncircumcised, i.e., outside of the Covenant within which the Jews afterward stood in their unique relation to God.
Had the promise of heirship of the world been based on the principal of law, i.e., of merit, that would have set Abraham aside, for the inheritance was given him by Promise and, therefore, on the principal of Faith. Faith does not fulfill a promise made to it, but believes it; and that Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness. This principal consequently opened wide the door of Grace to all men.
The Effect of Law
Paul said: “Because the Law works wrath: for where no Law is, there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15).
The effect of law is always “condemnation,” and, in fact, it can be no other.
So, this means that all Believers who seek to function by “law,” whether the Law of Moses, or a law devised by themselves or someone else, can only come to one conclusion, and that is “condemnation.” And let the Reader understand the following:
If the Believer doesn’t understand the Cross, then the Believer doesn’t understand Grace, and neither does he properly understand Faith; consequently, such a Believer will then resort to law, because there is no other place for the Believer to be. It’s either “Law” or “Grace.”
This means that virtually the entirety of the modern Church is functioning under law, which means they are under constant condemnation, because most of the modern Church has little or no knowledge of the Cross whatsoever.
And yet, the Church thinks that it does know and understand the Cross. But several questions should be asked:
Are you, the Reader, living a victorious, overcoming Christian life? The question could probably be better asked, “Is there repeated sin of some nature in your life?”
Is the Fruit of the Spirit being developed in your life? Perhaps the question could be asked in this fashion, “Are you becoming more and more Christlike, in your life, personality, and demeanor?”
Please allow me to delicately say that far too many Christians lie to themselves. And it’s just as much a sin to lie to ourselves as it is to someone else, perhaps even worse. In other words, we need to look at the questions just asked and answer them honestly.
The Action of Grace
Whereas the effect of law is condemnation, the action of grace is “justification.”
The doctrine of justification by works generates religious pride—that of Justification by Faith produces contrition and humility. In the matter of Justification, Faith and works are opposite and irreconcilable—as opposed as Grace and Debt. Since God declares ungodly men righteous, works cannot in any sense furnish a ground for Justification, and hence the first step toward Salvation on the part of a sinner is to humble himself and accept the Divine pronouncement that he is “ungodly.”
Then the second and concluding step is to repose Faith in Him Who justifies the ungodly. Nothing gives more Glory to God than simply believing Him. Justification is not a change in character but a declaration by God as to the Believer’s standing before Him. It is objective. Sanctification affects character and is subjective.
As we have stated, the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ is the one and only and eternal ground on which God can act in declaring ungodly men righteous. Galatians 3:21, and many similar Divine declarations, reveal the hopelessness of standing before God in a righteousness which He will accept upon any other principal than that of Faith in a crucified Sin-Bearer.
A Perfect Sacrifice
Christ’s Perfect Obedience to the Law of God formed His Own Righteousness and gave virtue to His Sacrifice—for a Sacrifice for sin must have neither spot nor blemish. But it was not the spotlessness of the Lamb which made the Atonement, but its out-poured Blood, i.e., its surrendered Life, for the blood is the life. The judgment pronounced upon sin being death, that claim could only be vindicated and discharged by the suffering of death. Christ suffered that penalty and, in consequence, saves the Believer from it.
If Christ’s obedience during His Life was man’s obedience, then man stands as He stood and, consequently, there was no reason why He should die. In that case there was no penalty, for if man fulfilled in Him all Righteousness, there was no occasion for judgment.
But the Scripture declares that Christ died for sinners, so that it is His Death that provides a spotless Righteousness for sinners who believe in Him; and it was His Obedience in life which gave efficacy to His suffering in death.
Regrettably, the vast majority of mankind accepts the human doctrine of salvation by merit; a very small minority believes the Divine Doctrine of Salvation by Grace. As the Lord Jesus Himself said, few tread that narrow way. It is abhorrent to human pride.
J. Swaggart Ministry
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS
Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians spelled it out as to exactly what Jesus did for us at the Cross. He said:
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the Law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross;
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:14–15).
Two things were here done:
1. The demands of a thrice Holy God were satisfied.
2. Satan was completely defeated.
Now let’s see how all of this was done.
The Law of God as given to Moses, sometimes referred to as “the Law of Moses,” proclaimed the Standard of Righteousness which God demanded of all men. Unfortunately, man in his depraved, fallen condition, could not live up to this Law, and no matter how hard he tried. In fact, in the entirety of these some 1,600 years of the Law, not one person succeeded in satisfying its demands, except Christ.
In fact, as it regards the moral Law (the Ten Commandments), it is still incumbent upon humanity, at least all who do not know the Lord. As stated, this is God’s Standard of Righteousness.
Unable to keep the Law, it condemned us, even as all Law must. In other words, it declared us guilty, and demanded the penalty, which was death (Rom. 6:23).
However, Jesus came as the “Last Adam,” referred to by Paul in that manner, because He would do what the first Adam did not do, and would as well do it so perfectly, that another would never be needed, hence Him being referred to as the “Last.”
He kept the Law perfectly in every respect, doing it all on our behalf, even as our Substitute. One might say that he did all of this as the “Representative Man” (I Cor. 15:45–50).
He not only kept the Law, and as stated, did so perfectly, but as well, He suffered its terrible penalty of death—all on our behalf.
When He did this, the price was paid, with the record that was against all of us, being completely and totally “blotted out.” The Scripture plainly says that He “nailed it to His Cross.”
Now we are seeing why the Cross is so very, very important.
This which He did satisfied the demands of a thrice Holy God. The Reader must understand, that the Cross was not carried out in order to satisfy the Devil, etc., but rather to satisfy the demands of God. It was either us die, which meant that we would never be raised from the dead, and because we were an imperfect sacrifice, or for God to become man, which He did, thereby taking our place.
However, having done this, what Jesus did at the Cross, also spelled defeat for Satan and all his henchmen.
Satan has a legal right to place man into captivity because of sin. But with all sin atoned, even as Jesus did at the Cross, Satan lost that right, at least as it regards those who will believe (Jn. 3:16).
In other words, Satan has no more legal right over me and because I am now “in Christ,” which means I have trusted Christ and what He did at the Cross on my behalf, which cleanses me from all sin. Sin being the means by which Satan holds men in captivity, with sin being gone and washed away, and by the precious Blood of Jesus, as stated, Satan has no more right.
As a result, this spoiled all principalities and powers, which refers to all demon spirits and fallen angels, which includes Satan as their federal head, with the Scripture plainly saying that Jesus “triumphed over them in it,” meaning, that what He did at the Cross totally defeated them.
So this means, that every single demon spirit is defeated, every fallen angel is defeated, even the mightiest of them and in totality are defeated, and above all, Satan as their federal head is defeated.
As we’ve said previously, the work which Jesus did at the Cross by the giving of Himself in Sacrifice, was actually a legal work. It satisfied the legal demands of a thrice Holy God. Man had committed a terrible crime, and that crime had to be addressed, with its penalty satisfied. It was satisfied in Christ.
All these things we’ve just said, are the reason that the Cross is the Source of all Victory, and of course, we are speaking of what Jesus there did. That’s the reason our Faith must ever be in the Cross. And this I might quickly ask:
Many Preachers claim that we must go beyond the Cross, especially many of those of the Charismatic variety. What do they mean by going beyond the Cross? Actually, where is one to go?
The Work of Christ at the Cross, is called a “Finished Work,” which is portrayed by Paul in Hebrews 1:3, by Jesus being “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” As well, Paul referred to this great work as “the Everlasting Covenant” (Heb. 13:20).
Some may claim that we leave the Cross after conversion, thereby going on to the Holy Spirit. However, when we understand, that the Holy Spirit will not work within our hearts and lives, at least to the full degree which He can, without our Faith being properly placed in the Cross, then we realize that it’s impossible to separate the Holy Spirit from the Cross. That’s what we explained in Romans 8:2. Everything the Holy Spirit does, He does within the framework and the parameters of what Jesus did at the Cross. In fact, before the Cross, He could not even come into the hearts and lives of Believers to abide. This could only be done after the Cross, which satisfied the sin debt (Jn. 14:16–17).
The great Ministry of the Holy Spirit is to “glorify Christ” (Jn. 16:14). And how does He glorify Christ?
He does so, by constantly pointing to the Cross (I Cor. 2:2).
Actually, in the last two Chapters of Revelation, which speak of the perfect age to come, when Satan is locked away in the Lake of Fire, along with all his demon spirits and fallen angels, and in fact, there is no more sin, we find the Holy Spirit referring to Christ some seven times as “the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9, 14, 22–23, 27; 22:1, 3).
Seven of course speaks of God’s perfection, and “Lamb” refers to the Crucified Christ (Jn. 1:29).
The Holy Spirit does this, so that we will never forget, that it was the price paid by Christ on the Cross, which has afforded, and does afford all of these great and glorious things. In fact, the entirety of the story of the Bible is the story of man’s Redemption, which in effect, is the story of the Cross.
J. Swaggart
SELF-HELP OR CROSS-HELP?
The great battlefield for the Christian is whether he attempts to find victory by his own machinations, or trust completely in what Christ did at the Cross? In fact, this is the same battlefield for the unredeemed. Do they trust in their own efforts to save themselves, or do they trust in what Jesus did at the Cross? The Cross ever stands at the intersection of life, and for all people, and for all situations.
Of course we know and understand that the unredeemed cannot be saved, unless they trust in what Christ has done at the Cross on their behalf (Jn. 3:16). Admittedly, they don’t have to understand much about it, but they must evidence Faith, at least in some degree. Of course, the Holy Spirit supplies them the Faith as they hear the Word of God. But when it comes to the Christian, the following can happen, to which Paul addressed the entirety of the Epistle to the Galatians. Theologians refer to this problem as “Galatianism.”
It simply means that people come to Christ by trusting in what He did at the Cross, but after being saved, then transfer their Faith from the Cross to something else entirely. Even though they of course remain a Child of God, simply because they continue to trust Christ as it regards their initial Salvation, by no means, however, can they walk victorious. So we have “Salvation by Faith,” and “Sanctification by works,” which as stated, is the greatest problem for the Child of God.
In fact, the Galatians had been brought to Christ through the Ministry of Paul. Of course, they were taught correctly as would be obvious. But then, false teachers came into these respective Churches, telling the people, that they must add Law to their experience. In other words, now that they had accepted Christ, they must also engage in circumcision (for the boys and the men), and Sabbath keeping, etc. This was the way to deeper life, etc., they claimed!
If it is to be noticed, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians drips with scorn, and in fact, is His most strident Epistle. In fact, the Apostle is downright angry, and rightly so!
He knew that if the Galatians followed that error, they were going to lose their victory, and possibly even their souls. So, the Holy Spirit had him to write the Epistle to the Galatians to address this terrible error.
Unfortunately, the problem didn’t die with the Galatians. It remains with us today, and in fact, it is the greatest problem faced by the Child of God.
After coming to Christ, which means that we now have a new nature within us, which of course is provided by the Holy Spirit by and according to what Jesus did for us at the Cross (Jn. 7:37–39), we instinctively know that we must live right, and in fact, we want to live right. But the great question is, how is this done?
If we don’t know the Message of the Cross, which is God’s prescribed order of victory, and I might quickly add, His only prescribed order of victory, then we will cast about attempting to find a method of victory on our own. That’s what I meant by Salvation by Faith, and Sanctification by works.
And let it please be understood, that if we do not know the Truth of the Cross, this Truth is just not going to simply fall on us. The Word of God concerning this great foundational Truth in some manner, in some way, must be ministered to us. This is the only way we can come by Truth. As stated, it cannot be given by laying on of hands or any other manner, except the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. So what do we presently have?
Due to the fact that almost none of the modern Church knows or understands the great Message of the Cross, the far greater majority of the Church walks in defeat.
But there’s another problem attached to all of this:
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
“Works” always produce self-righteousness. In fact, that’s why the Religious Leaders of Israel crucified Christ. The whole Jewish system by the time of Christ had degenerated into “works”; consequently, self-righteousness was paramount at that time, and self-righteousness always must kill the Righteousness of the Lord. In fact, we have a perfect example of this in Genesis Chapter 4 with Cain killing Abel.
The Cross produces humility, even as the Cross alone can produce humility, while works always produce self-righteousness.
However, “works” are very subtle. Most of the time they are cloaked with all manner of religiosity, which makes us think that what we’re doing is of the Lord. In fact, the greatest weapon that Satan uses is to actually take that which is of God, such as prayer, fasting, or manifestations of the Spirit, even as we’ve already addressed, and make us think that the doing or the engaging in these things will bring about the victory which we must have.
While to be sure, these things we’ve mentioned, plus many we haven’t mentioned, are very necessary in the life of the Child of God; still, if we try to use them in the realm of the source of victory, we will find that we have turned them into works, which God can never bless or recognize.
I am victorious totally and completely, not because of the things I do, but totally and completely because of what Christ has done at the Cross. That and that alone, which demands my Faith, brings victory to the Child of God, and in every capacity I might quickly add. Proper Faith in the Cross, which guarantees the help of the Holy Spirit, is the only manner, the only means, the only way, that the Child of God can walk in victory. And to be certain, there is no power of darkness that wasn’t defeated at the Cross of Christ.
~J. Swaggart Ministry
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus Christ is the Eternal Logos, the Living Word, the Son of the Living God; Jesus Christ is God!
He was and is Very God, was and is Very Man. This means that He wasn’t part God and part Man, but totally God and totally Man.
THE EXPRESSION OF HIS DEITY
When God became Man, He, not for a moment, lost the possession of His Deity, rather retaining it completely; however, He did lose the expression of that Deity, which evidence is, that such expression will be lost forever. But on another side of the Incarnation, God becoming man, He is greater today than ever before.
Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things (Jn. 1:1–3); however, He is also now the Saviour. So, coupled with Creator, He is now the Saviour, which is greater than ever. One cannot improve upon Perfection, but one can add to Perfection, which has been done in the case of Christ.
THE SELF-EMPTYING OF CHRIST
Paul wrote, and I quote from THE EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE: “Let this mind be in you (refers to the self-emptying of Christ), which was also in Christ Jesus (portrays Christ as the supreme example):
“Who, being in the form of God (refers to Deity, which Christ always was), thought it not robbery to be equal with God (equality with God refers here to our Lord’s co-participation with the other members of the Trinity in the expression of the Divine Essence):
“But made Himself of no reputation (instead of asserting His rights to the expression of the Essence of Deity, our Lord waived His rights to that expression), and took upon Him the form of a servant (a bondslave), and was made in the likeness of men (presents the Lord entering into a new state of Being when He became Man; but His becoming Man did not exclude His position of Deity; while in becoming Man, He laid aside the ‘expression’ of Deity, He never lost ‘possession of Deity’):
“And being found in fashion as a man (denotes Christ in men’s eyes), He humbled Himself (He was brought low, but willingly), and became obedient unto death (does not mean He became obedient to death; He was always the Master of Death; rather, He subjected Himself to death), even the death of the Cross. (This presents the character of His Death as one of disgrace and degradation, which was necessary for men to be redeemed. This type of death alone would pay the terrible sin debt, and do so in totality.) “Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him (to a place of supreme Majesty; Jesus has always been Creator, but now He is Saviour as well), and given Him a Name which is above every name (actually says, ‘The Name,’ referring to a specific Name and Title; that Name, as Verse 11 proclaims, is ‘Lord’):
“That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow (in the sphere of the Name, which refers to all it entails; all of this is a result of the Cross, the price paid there, and the Redemption consequently afforded), of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth (all Creation will render homage, whether animate or inanimate);
“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (proclaims ‘Lord’ as the ‘Name’ of Verse 9; it means ‘Master’ of all, which again has been made possible by the Cross), to the Glory of God the Father. (The acknowledgment of the Glory of Christ is the acknowledgment of the Glory of the Father.)” (Phil. 2:5–11).
~JSM
John 1:14
(14) “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,) FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH.”
The phrase, “And the Word was made flesh,” refers to the Incarnation.
That God, the “Eternal Word,” in all of His wondrous Glory as the Creator of all things, which is beyond the comprehension of man, would become “flesh,” portrays a type of love which cannot be imagined by mere mortals. As well, He will retain this “flesh” forever, albeit in Glorified Form.
This made Jesus, God’s Son, for Sonship in connection with Jesus Christ always refers to humanity, never to Deity. He was always the “Word,” but not always “flesh!” However, He did not cease to be the “Word,” even when He became “flesh.”
When Jesus “Became flesh,” His moral glory brought back to the human family the very Image of God. Man departed from God and lost His Image. So, the True Image of God came to dwell with man, in order that the Holy Spirit could dwell in man, that man might dwell in God.
Man has never observed man as God originally made him, other than when men observed Jesus Christ. Man, who has fallen from his lofty state, has no idea as to what he was before the Fall. There was, and is, no way he could know except in Jesus. Jesus was, even in His consummate flesh, the Perfect Man, “The Man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5). But sadly, man does not desire to accept God’s Standard of Perfection, and continues to try to produce his own, which always fails. The very idea of Redemption as portrayed in verse 12, is to make men “Sons of God,” in effect, in the Image of Christ, Who is the Image of God.
The phrase, “And dwelt among us,” refers to Jesus, although perfect, not holding Himself aloft from all others, as many or most of the self-appointed greats of the world do, but rather lived as all men, even a peasant. His Mother and foster Father, at least as far as the economic sense was concerned, were of the poor. Joseph was a carpenter, and it seems raised Jesus in this same occupation, for tradition says that Jesus mostly made plows and yokes. Consequently, as “flesh,” He knew exactly how most of the world lives, laboring to earn a bare existence. As a result, He is “Touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15).
The phrase, “And we beheld His Glory,” speaks of His Deity, although hidden from eyes which were merely curious. Someone has said that in the Incarnation, Christ, while always retaining possession of His Deity, did lose its expression.
His “Glory” was represented not only in Who He was, but, as well, in what He did. His Miracle-working Power, which He used to heal literally thousands, was in a sense a transferring of a tiny part of His Glory from Himself to the needy soul. The same could be said for Miracles and Deliverances.
The Greek word for “beheld” is “theaomai,” and means “a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object.” It is more than merely seeing, but has the idea in mind of an object, in this case, a Person displaying a certain aura or attribute which causes one to see something far above the ordinary. Such was Christ! Consequently, the Pharisees and Religious Leaders of Israel had no excuse for their actions, inasmuch as this “Glory” was obvious to all. There is none so blind as those who refuse to see, even though plainly obvious to them.
The phrase, “The Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,” presents Jesus Who is, and was, and always will be “The Only Begotten Son of God.”
Men never will be “begotten,” or “born” in the same sense as Jesus was (Mat. 1:18–25; Lk. 1:34–35), for their sonship is on a different basis—that of adoption, not an actual begetting and coming into existence (Rom. 8:15; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5).
The phrase, “Full of Grace and Truth,” proclaims with the word “Full” His Deity, for only God is “Full of Grace and Truth,” as “flesh” proclaimed His Humanity.
So, the Glory in which He was seen was that of an Only Son with the Father, the One Sole Object of the Father’s delight. Such are the two Glories displayed in these verses—His Glory as the Word Who was with God in Eternity, and His Glory on earth as the Only Son of the Father.
If one is to notice, there is no pedigree in this Gospel, for how could Deity have a pedigree? In Mark as well, there is also no pedigree, for a servant needs none; he only needs a character (Williams).
~J. Swaggart Ministry