Colossians 2 : 10 « 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power » KJV
The message we carry as Christians may seem absolute especially today when all convictions are relative. People who speak absolute truths are generally suspected of imposing their views and thus of undermining the freedom of others.
Indeed, absolute is our message for the statements of Jesus Christ are. He declared Himself the only way to God (John 14:6), and after Him the apostles proclaimed “that there is no other name by which we should be saved” (Acts 4:12) or that there is only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 2:5).
John 14: 6 « 6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. » KJV
Acts 4 : 12 « 12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. » KJV
1 Timothy 2 : 5 « 5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus » KJV
Each of the works of the Lord Jesus has titles:
His preexistence: the Word, the Son of God, God;
His earthly work: Prophet, Servant of God, Son of man;
His work now: Lord, Savior;
His future work: Messiah, High Priest;
There are also secondary titles such as Son of David, Lamb of God, etc.
Some prominent figures in the Bible, such as Isaac, Moses and Joseph are types of Christ; they announced Christ.
During His earthly ministry, Christ left His divine power and glory in heaven (John 17:5; Philippians 2:7) while remaining fully divine in His nature. He had to become fully human in order to defeat Satan as the representative of man (Hebrews 2:14-17).
John 17: 5 « 5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. » KJV
Philippians 2 : 7 « 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men » KJV
Hebrews 2 : 14-17 « 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. » KJV
Jesus Christ is the propitiation for all mankind because He has satisfied, for His redemption, the just requirements of a holy God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2).
This propitiation made by the Lord Jesus allows God to forgive sinners while remaining holy and righteous, for He has sanctioned sin and did not ignore it when Jesus came to die on the Cross.
Romans 3: 25 « 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God »KJV
1 John 2 : 2 « 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. » KJV
How is Jesus Christ received?
He is received first as Savior, then as Lord. We believe in Him first as our personal Savior before proclaiming Him from our mouth and establishing Him as the Lord of our life.
Jesus Christ died as the Savior (of all men) and rose again as the Lord (of those who believe in Him and let Him direct their lives).
The Gospel of John
Written around 90 AD after the three Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John is the only book in the Bible that reveals its purpose to its readers: that “you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you have life in his name” (John 20: 31).
John 20 : 31 «31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. » KJV
This Gospel emphasizes the divinity of Jesus Christ and gives a revelation, not found in the other Gospels, of the Person of the Lord and the Heavenly Father.
It is only the Gospel of John that speaks of the pre-existence of Jesus, that gives a supernatural knowledge of His Person, of His messianicity, of the seven “I am” and, finally of the union between the heavenly Son and Father.
No other book affirms better than the Gospel of John that Jesus is the Messiah; no one puts so much emphasis on His divinity.
John wrote to say Who Jesus is and not what He did. His purpose is to expose us who Jesus says He is (the Son of God) and what He came to do on earth (redeem the world).
The Gospel of John offers us a spiritual supplement to the three synoptics; the latter have much in common with each other, but share only 8% of writings in common with the Gospel of John.
This Gospel is structured around seven miracles which John chose among many others. These are: water turned into wine (2:1-11), the healing of the son of the Royal officer (4:46-54), the healing of the infirm (5:1-9), the multiplication of the loaves (6:1-14), walking on the water (6:16-21), the healing of the blind-born (9:1-41) and the resurrection of Lazarus (11:1-46). These events, for John, are more than miracles; they are proof that «Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God».
Another great theme of the Gospel of John is life. Eternal life is accessible only to those who believe; and they receive it as soon as they believe. Everyone is thus assured of owning this life from the moment he believes.
