Jesus is God’s full and final revelation

What goes on in my life and in the world is often a puzzle that raises the question, “What is God doing?” However, most of the time the answer is found by taking another look at Jesus. For instance, the mess that is happening in Israel and Gaza is awful. God, what are You doing? Then I think about Jesus. He is God the Son, innocent of all sin, light and truth, yet He was brutally crucified. That seems the worst thing that could ever happen, yet God made it the best thing that ever happened. The death of Jesus meant wrath on sin was satisfied and that forgiveness is available to all of humanity. Since God can do that, and since He is sovereign, the mess in any part of the world cannot limit the power of God.

This Jesus answers my questions. He is God’s full and final revelation, waited for by generations. Even a sinful woman from Samaria who met Him at a well knew that God would send Him. She didn’t know yet that the man who talked to her was the Messiah when she said to Him: “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” (John 4:25)

The expectation of that time, even among the Samaritans, was that the Messiah would bring to them the full and final revelation of God. This is affirmed in the NT:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

The OT revealed God in bits and pieces, each part true but not clear because the revelation was incomplete. Jesus came and the puzzle came together, yet His people didn’t expect what they saw. Their messianic hope had been cherished for centuries, but had a political foundation. However, He came to save them from their sin, not from those oppressors who ruled over them.

Nevertheless, Jesus fulfilled the OT promises and is God’s final revelation of Himself. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Two of my favorite Bible verses are about the identity of Jesus and the reason He came:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:18)

Jesus is God in human flesh, like us yet not like us, amazing in power and humility, sinless yet greatly concerned for sinners. Paul also wrote: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)

It seems late in my Christian life to finally realize the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. He is the fullness of divine revelation, meaning I need nothing more, not only for being able to trust Him in a world gone haywire, but for what He has done in my life. These personalized verses tell it all:

I am complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:10)

His divine power has granted to me all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called me to His own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

Someday, when He appears and I see Him as He is, I will be like Him. (2 John 3:2)

PRAY: Jesus, starting the day with You and in worship is making such a difference in my life, not only in the practical ways that chores and so on go smoothly, but in my innermost being. You give me a peace that passes understanding and a calmness of heart during challenges that once kept me upset and anxious. The more You reveal God to me, the more I experience that incredible grace and truth that is setting me free. Thank You.

PONDER: How can I rely more fully on all that Jesus is and does, and in faith bring Him the glory that is due?

 

 

Spiritual blindness and Divine Revelation

 

How many movies have a scene where someone is in darkness and another person can see something but not what or who — and they cry out, “Reveal yourself”? The plots of many mysteries are like that too. The detective cannot discern the person responsible for the crime and keeps searching for clues to their identity.

God is like that, not a criminal trying to stay hidden, but a person that must reveal Himself; otherwise, we cannot see Him, no matter our ability to be detectives. I remember how I read the Bible for more than fifteen years and could not understand it, much less see God because of it. However, that wonder-filled Word of God is one way that He reveals Himself. The other and clearest revelation is the One whose birth we celebrate on the 25^th of this month.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

Not that everyone agrees about the identity of Jesus Christ. Google says there are nearly 4000 recognized versions of religions. About two-thirds or more of those do not recognize that God spoke to us through His Son. Why is that? Simply put, faith in Christ means God calling us to stop putting faith in ourselves and trust Him totally. All other religions stress human achievement and self-effort. Most of them look at Christianity being the same, but it differs in several major ways.

One of them is the discovery of God. As today’s devotional says, Christianity teaches that we cannot find God because we “live in a box enclosed within the walls of time and space and God is outside the box.” We might sense He is there yet cannot catch a glimpse of Him. Our sin makes us spiritually blind and our ‘goodness’ fails, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

As the devotional says, our only hope is for God to enter the box, which Hebrews 1:1–2 declares He did —first to the OT prophets as David said: “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:2) Jeremiah added, “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’” (Jeremiah 1:9)

Then He came in the person of Jesus Christ whom the NT calls: “Emmanuel, meaning God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) And the Apostle John said,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:14; 18)

There is another mystery regarding the discovery of God. Those who think they can do it without God revealing Himself to them really don’t want to find Him, as least not like He is. They want a genie in a bottle, or a cosmic good luck charm, or to quench their guilty conscience. At first, I wanted Him to make my life more comfortable and successful. Yet, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:10–11)

PRAY: Jesus, You could have left me in my sin and ignorance, but You walked into my life and revealed everything I needed to know to have redemption and fellowship with You. What a day that was. I’m so thankful to have the privilege of studying Your Word and living by Your leading, yet the greatest joy is in knowing You and every day increasing in that knowledge because You continue to reveal Yourself.

PONDER: Read 1 Corinthians 2:6–16 and think how to pray for those who do not know God.