Some of you might remember this, but around this time last year when I first started writing these “mini-devos” I challenged people to use the fun mythology surrounding Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day (coming up this Saturday!) as a reminder to look inside our hearts and see what the weather forecast of our hearts were. I reminded people that while it was silly to put trust into a groundhog’s shadow, it wasn’t silly to trust in Jesus. The Bible verse I used to advocate that position was “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
A while back, I had a conversation with my brother about God and Jesus. He felt that nowadays people were overemphasizing Jesus over God. “What would Jesus do?” “Jesus is my friend.” “What would Jesus drive?” “Jesus is my homeboy.” You know, all that stuff. The conversation also covered the idea that many people have: It doesn’t matter what kind of religion you are involved in because all accepted (note, I am making a huge distinction between religion and cult, like Scientology) religions lead to God and ultimately salvation.
My brother felt that today’s Christians are putting too much of a focus on Jesus because they should be worshipping God, the Creator of everything, the Reason for everything, and ultimately, the One we should worship. I told him I agreed with him to a certain extent. The Bible, and Jesus himself, explicitly teaches that the only way to reach God and gain salvation is through Jesus only and His sacrifice on the cross. All religions and many ideas can lead to God, and they do, but it is all ultimately worthless if you haven’t reached God through the way of the cross. God will not be approachable until that way has been traversed.
Jesus was simply more than just a good teacher who was seen as a hippie of his time, focusing on radical countercultural ideas and embracing a philosophy of “everybody just needs to be loved no matter who they are.” Jesus was more than a leader and a founder of a new religion. Jesus wasn’t a “homeboy.” Jesus was God in the flesh who came to spearhead a major offensive in a brutal war against sin and death. By dying on the cross and sacrificing himself, He dealt a fatal blow against sin and Satan and ensured that everyone who came to God through the way of the cross would be listened to, reached, and ultimately saved.
That deserves worship and enormous respect. That deserves honor and eternal thankfulness because without Jesus, we are lost without a way to God. Without Jesus, we would not be able to discern truth from lies. Without Jesus, it wouldn’t matter if Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow or not because we would have no life, forever lost in an eternal winter of sin.
Thank God for Jesus.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Matt
eternityfleshGodJesusJohnlifesalvationtruthWWJD
What Jesus Did
January 31, 2008
Calvary
Comments Off on What Jesus Did
Matt
Some of you might remember this, but around this time last year when I first started writing these “mini-devos” I challenged people to use the fun mythology surrounding Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day (coming up this Saturday!) as a reminder to look inside our hearts and see what the weather forecast of our hearts were. I reminded people that while it was silly to put trust into a groundhog’s shadow, it wasn’t silly to trust in Jesus. The Bible verse I used to advocate that position was “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
A while back, I had a conversation with my brother about God and Jesus. He felt that nowadays people were overemphasizing Jesus over God. “What would Jesus do?” “Jesus is my friend.” “What would Jesus drive?” “Jesus is my homeboy.” You know, all that stuff. The conversation also covered the idea that many people have: It doesn’t matter what kind of religion you are involved in because all accepted (note, I am making a huge distinction between religion and cult, like Scientology) religions lead to God and ultimately salvation.
My brother felt that today’s Christians are putting too much of a focus on Jesus because they should be worshipping God, the Creator of everything, the Reason for everything, and ultimately, the One we should worship. I told him I agreed with him to a certain extent. The Bible, and Jesus himself, explicitly teaches that the only way to reach God and gain salvation is through Jesus only and His sacrifice on the cross. All religions and many ideas can lead to God, and they do, but it is all ultimately worthless if you haven’t reached God through the way of the cross. God will not be approachable until that way has been traversed.
Jesus was simply more than just a good teacher who was seen as a hippie of his time, focusing on radical countercultural ideas and embracing a philosophy of “everybody just needs to be loved no matter who they are.” Jesus was more than a leader and a founder of a new religion. Jesus wasn’t a “homeboy.” Jesus was God in the flesh who came to spearhead a major offensive in a brutal war against sin and death. By dying on the cross and sacrificing himself, He dealt a fatal blow against sin and Satan and ensured that everyone who came to God through the way of the cross would be listened to, reached, and ultimately saved.
That deserves worship and enormous respect. That deserves honor and eternal thankfulness because without Jesus, we are lost without a way to God. Without Jesus, we would not be able to discern truth from lies. Without Jesus, it wouldn’t matter if Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow or not because we would have no life, forever lost in an eternal winter of sin.
Thank God for Jesus.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Matt
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