Teach me the Truth: The divinity of Christ

A sermon I heard in February at Lifehouse Church, Johannesburg really stuck with me for a number of reasons. It wasn't that the topic was new - it was on Mark 12:30: 

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  

We've probably all read this verse and heard it preached a couple of times. So what stood out for me? It was the way the preacher emphasized the 'mind' bit of the sermon. You know a lot of the time unbelievers or people on the outside looking in try to ask questions about why we believe what we believe and many times, Christians do not have the answers - sadly. I’m not talking about getting into heated philosophical debates which we may not always be inclined to do but basic answers on how and why we believe what we believe. Paul urges us to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks (2 Timothy 4:2) and I believe this is part of what it means to love God with your mind – that it is not just an emotions (heart) based thing, not just your soul, which rejoices in being made new and one with God but with your rational part of your system – to be consciously aware of the how and why you do what you do – THAT, is loving God with your mind.

That said, when I read the following post by my dear cousin, Elly, I was excited to share it because such teaching is very necessary both to the believers, who may not fully understand – but more so to the non-believers, who have asked these questions and not necessarily gotten the answers they desired and furthermore, those that need such teaching for conviction about the truth of the gospel.  

So, although it is quite a long post, I’d urge you to take some time and read through it all – you will blessed.

THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST

Elly Obwaka, April 2012

A few incidences have led me to write about this topic:

As a teenager at the Nairobi Pentecostal Church, I often wondered why more of the songs of praise and worship were ascribed to Jesus Christ rather than God. I didn’t get to ask anyone this question but think that I can answer it now.

Sometime in 2004, while I was driving back to campus with my students from Veolia Water, one of them said that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. This was something coming from someone who was not a Christian. I added that Jesus Christ is also God but did not want to debate this matter.

Recently, a friend of mine questioned the divinity of Christ on his wall on Facebook and received a number of useful comments. I thought I should bring together some points that were raised then together with thoughts that I have had over the years.

1.       Is the Bible the Word of God?

If we are going to depend heavily on the Bible to answer questions on the divinity of Christ, then it would be important to establish if the Bible is God’s Word – if it were possible to do this by reason.

(a)    Fulfilled prophecy

Fulfilled prophecy is an indicator that the Bible is the Word of God. Some of the future events that the Bible predicted and which have come to pass are provided below:

The large statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:24 – 45) represents four kingdoms that would dominate as world powers. The four kingdoms that have come and gone are showed in Table 1.

A number of prophecies about the coming of the Messiah and the fulfilment are provided in Table 2. The fulfilment of these prophecies not only vouches for the integrity of the Word of God but also provide a basis for believing in Jesus Christ.

(Christian Answers, 1995)provide that more than 300 prophecies were fulfilled following the coming of Jesus Christ. They observe that the prophecies in the Bible are so numerous and so detailed that the only explanation for this can be divine revelation.

Table 1: The Fulfilment of Daniel’s Interpretation (adapted from (Life Application Study Bible, 1996) and (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, 2002))

Part	Material	Representation in Daniel 7	Representation in Daniel 8	Empire	Period of Domination
Head	Gold	Lion		Babylon	606 BC – 539 BC
Chest and arms	Silver	Bear	Ram	Medo-Persia	539 BC – 331 BC
Belly and thighs	Bronze	Leopard	Goat	Greece	331 BC – 63 BC
Legs	Iron	Terrifying and frightening beast		Rome	63 BC – AD 476
Feet and toes	Iron and clay			A later confederation of states

Table 2: Messianic Prophecies and Fulfilments(Life Application Study Bible, 1996)

	Prophecy	Old Testament reference	New Testament fulfilment
1.	The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2	Matthew 2:1 – 6, Luke 2:1 – 20
2.	The Messiah was to be born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew 1: 18 – 25, Luke 1:26 – 38
3.	The Messiah was to be a prophet like Moses	Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 – 19	John 7:40
4.	The Messiah was to enter Jerusalem in triumph	Zechariah 9:9	Matthew 21:1 – 9, John 12:12 – 16
5.	The Messiah was to be rejected by his own people	Isaiah 53:1, 3, Psalm 118:22	Matthew 26:3 – 4, John 12:37 – 43, Acts 4:1 – 12
6.	The Messiah was to be betrayed by one of his followers	Psalm 41:9	Matthew 26:14 – 16, 47 – 50, Luke 22:19 – 23
7.	The Messiah was to be tried and condemned	Isaiah 53:8	Matthew 27:1 – 2, Luke 23: 1 – 25
8.	The Messiah was to be silent before his accusers	Isaiah 53:7	Matthew 27:12 – 14, Mark 15:3 – 4, Luke 23:8 - 10
9.	The Messiah was to be struck and spat on by his enemies	Isaiah 50:6	Matthew 26:67, 27:30, Mark 14:65
10.	The Messiah was to be mocked and insulted	Psalm 22:7 – 8	Matthew 27:39 – 44, Luke 23:11, 35
11.	The Messiah was to die by crucifixion	Psalm 22:14, 16 – 17	Matthew 27:31, Mark 15:20, 25
12.	The Messiah was to suffer with criminals and pray for his enemies	Isaiah 53:12	Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27, 28, Luke 23:32 – 34
13.	The Messiah was to be given vinegar	Psalm 69:21	Matthew 27:34, John 19:28 – 30
14.	Others were to cast lots for the Messiah’s garments	Psalm 22:18	Matthew 27:35, John 19:23 – 24
15.	The Messiah’s bones were not to be broken	Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12, Psalm 34:20	John 19:31 – 36
16.	The Messiah was to die as a sacrifice for sin	Isaiah 53:5, 6, 8, 10 – 12	John 1:29, 11:49 – 52, Acts 10:43, 13:38 – 39
17.	The Messiah was to be raised from the dead	Psalm 16:10	Matthew 28:1 – 10, Acts 2:22 – 32
18.	The Messiah is seated at the right hand of God	Psalm 110:1	Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50 – 51

  (b)   Unity of the Bible

(Towns, 2003)says the following about the unity of the Bible:

“The Bible has a message that centres on Jesus Christ, a unified theme that God loves the world, Christ died for all, and that mankind can be saved. Even though there were numerous authors (at least thirty-six) writing over approximately sixteen hundred years and representing fifty-five generations, and even though these authors represent a great diversity of occupations and ethnic/sociological backgrounds, the unified structure and theme of the Bible suggest there is one Mind who put it all together – God Himself, the Author of Scripture.

(Turaki, 2006)says the following about the Bible, which agrees with what was said previously:

“It is a unique book in that it was written over a period of sixteen hundred years (from 1500 BC to AD 100), written by both God and humans (2 Peter 1:21), written on three different continents (Asia, Africa and Europe), and by people with very different professions – Paul and Moses were philosophers, Peter was a fisherman, Amos a farmer, and David a shepherd. Amazingly, despite all this diversity in its origins, the Bible contains no contradictions.”

(Bull)is also in agreement:

“Another reason to believe that the Bible is truth and not myth is because its books agree and harmonise. Even though parts of the Bible were written in many different places and at different times, its message is in agreement with the truth about God, rather than endless contradictions.”

 (c)    Accuracy of Historical Accounts

The Bible is an accurate book of history. Its description of events and personalities has been verified by other works of history and by archaeology. That the accounts provided in the Bible can be verified by other sources and other means at the very least speaks of its integrity. A list of major archaeological finds relating to the New Testament is listed in Table 3.

Table 3: Major Archaeological Finds Relating to the New Testament (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, 2002)

SITE OR ARTIFACT	LOCATION	RELATING SCRIPTURE
	ISRAEL
Caiaphas ossuary	Jerusalem	Matthew 26:3
Herod’s temple	Jerusalem	Luke 1:9
Herod’s winter palace	Jericho	Matthew 2:4
The Herodium (possible site of Herod’s tomb)	Near Bethlehem	Matthew 2:19
Masada	Near western shore of Dead Sea	Cf. Luke 21:20
Early synagogue	Capernaum	Mark 1:21
Pool of Siloam	Jerusalem	John 9:7
Pool of Bethesda	Jerusalem	John 5:2
Pilate inscription	Caesarea	Luke 3:1
Inscription: Gentile entrance of temple sanctuary	Jerusalem	Acts 21:27 – 29
Skeletal remains of crucified man	Jerusalem	Luke 23:33
Peter’s house	Capernaum	Matthew 8:14
Jacob’s well	Nablus	John 4:5 – 6
	ASIA MINOR
Derbe inscription	KertiHüyük	Acts 14:20
Sergius Paulus inscription	Kythraia, Cyprus	Acts 13:6 – 7
Zeus altar (Satan’s throne?)	Pergamum	Revelation 2:13
Fourth-century BC walls	Assos	Acts 20:13 – 14
Artemis temple and altar	Ephesus	Acts 19:27 - 28
Ephesian theatre	Ephesus	Acts 19:29
Silversmith shops	Ephesus	Acts 19:24
Artemis statues	Ephesus	Acts 19:35
	GREECE
Erastus inscription	Corinth	Romans 16:23
Synagogue inscription	Corinth	Acts 18:4
Meat market inscription	Corinth	1 Corinthians 10:25
Cult dining rooms (in Asklepiusand Demeter temples	Corinth	1 Corinthians 8:10
Court (bema)	Corinth	Acts 18:12
Marketplace (bema)	Philippi	Acts 16:19
Starting gate for races	Isthmia	1 Corinthians 9:24
Gallio inscription	Delphi	Acts 18:12
Egnatian way	Neapolis (Kavalla), Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica	Cf. Acts 16:11 – 12, 17:1
Politarch inscription	Thessalonica	Acts 17:6
	ITALY
Tomb of Augustus	Rome	Luke 2:1
Mamertine prison	Rome	2 Timothy 1:16 – 17, 2:9, 4:6 – 8
Appian way	Puteoli to Rome	Acts 28:13 – 16
Golden House of Nero	Rome	Cf. Acts 25:10, 1 Peter 2:13
Arch of Titus	Rome	Cf. Luke 19:43- 44, 21:6, 20

( d)   Scientific accuracy

Science has confirmed what is written in the Bible on a number of views that were not commonly held at different times in the past. The following views were drawn from (Christian Answers, 1995):

·         The roundness of the Earth (Isaiah 40:22)

·         The almost infinite extent of the universe (Isaiah 55:9)

·         The law of conservation of mass and energy (2 Peter 3:7)

·         Hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)

·         Vast number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)

·         Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25 – 27)

·         Paramount importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)

·         Atmospheric circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)

·         Gravitational field (Job 26:7)

 2.       The Divinity of Christ

The Bible records a number of statements about the deity of Christ. Here are a few (in no particular order):

(i)                  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginningwith God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.(John 1:1 - 5)

The Word of God was the means by which creation came to being, the Word was the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets and through God’s Law. That the Word was with God speaks about the distinction of the Word from the Father. That the Word was God speaks about the divinity of Christ. 

(ii)                For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

KJV says “shoulder” while NIV says “shoulders” but this distinction is not what this paper is about. The five names used by Isaiah here to describe Jesus Christ should have special meaning for us: (Life Application Study Bible, 1996)

Wonderful – He is exceptional, distinguished, and without peer.

Counsellor – He gives the right advice.

The mighty God – He is God himself.

The everlasting Father – He is timeless; he is God our Father.

The Prince of Peace – His government is one of justice and peace.

  

(iii)               Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Immanuel means “God with us”. This Scripture finds fulfilment when a virgin (Mary) conceived and bore a son, Emmanuel, the Christ.

(iv)              And without great controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

There is a lot of debate on whether the phrase should be “God was manifest in the flesh”. The context refers to Jesus Christ. The previous verse talks about God. So whether we replace God with “He” or “He who” or “Who” as has been done by some versions, the reference from the previous verse is to God.

(v)                “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24)(I inserted the quotation marks.)

“People will die in their sins if they reject Christ, because they are rejecting the only way to be rescued from sin.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1996)

(vi)              Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) (I inserted the quotation marks.)

Jesus Christ existed before Abraham was born. “I am” is also God’s holy name. See Exodus 3:14:

And God said unto Moses, “I AM THAT I AM,” and he said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you.”

(I have inserted the quotation marks in two instances above and replaced the colon with a comma just before the first closing quotation mark.)

With this phrase, Jesus equated himself with deity. The phrase talks about the eternity of his being and his oneness with the Father. The Jews understood what Jesus claimed, considered this blasphemy and thus took up stones to cast at him.

(vii)             And Thomas answered and said unto him, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) (I inserted the quotation marks.)

The doubting Thomas finally believed.

(viii)           For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even for the forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.(Colossians1:9 - 17)

A (Life Application Study Bible, 1996) text note corresponding to this passage says that verses 15 – 16 provide one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Christ anywhere in the Bible. The paragraph heading for verses 15 – 23 in NIV 1984 is “The Supremacy of Christ”.

Invisible God – John 1:18 says the following:

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 14:9 submits that Jesus Christ is the visible, tangible image of the invisible God:

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

John 12:45 is similar:

And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

The description of Jesus Christ as the firstborn of every creature has to do with his being the model and head of humanity. Verse 16 emphasises that Jesus Christ is not part of the creation but is the Creator.

(ix)              “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) (Quotation marks mine.)

This speaks of a unity in essence or nature between Jesus Christ and the Father. They are however separate persons. The (Life Application Study Bible, 1996) observes that this is the clearest statement of Jesus’ divinity he ever made.  In John 14:28, Jesus says the following:

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Are these two Scriptures in conflict? No. The Word of God cannot be in conflict. Jesus’ statement in John 14:28 refers to his human messianic role as mediator and servant. While on Earth, he also submitted to many of the physical limitations of his humanity. (Would it be correct to say Jesus = divine and Christ = human?)

(x)                Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5 – 11)

Jesus Christ was and is in the form of God. He did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. In becoming a human being, he lay aside his glory for a purpose. John 10:17 – 18 says:

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Hebrews 12:1 - 2 speaks of the reason why Jesus Christ lay down his life:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(xi)              And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy (a paralytic), which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

And immediatelywhen Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sickof the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. (Mark 2:1 – 12)

Who can forgive sins but God? Without demonstration of any proof, it is easier to tell someone that his sins are forgiven than to tell him that he is healed. In reality though, it is only God who can forgive sins. If someone can heal a paralytic, which is the more difficult thing to demonstrate, then he can surely forgive sins.

(xii)             And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? (Luke 7:48 – 49)

Who can forgive sins but God? The people around Jesus Christ understood that only God could forgive sins and this claim by Jesus Christ was something they could not handle.

(xiii)           I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17 – 18)

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive. (Revelation 2:8)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13)

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. A number of Bibles print the writings of Jesus Christ in red. These statements about being the Alpha and the Omega were made by Jesus Christ.

(xiv)           For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (1 John 5:7)

This is a clear reference to the Holy Trinity.

(xv)            But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

Bethlehem was the birthplace of King David and, later on, Jesus Christ. Micah was the only prophet who identified Christ’s birthplace. (Adeyemo, 2006) I thus would rather have that the distinction is between true and false prophets rather than major and minor prophets.

3.       Conclusion

In the introduction to this text, I said that I think that I can now answer why many of the songs of praise and worship are ascribed to Jesus Christ.  I believe that the answer to that can be found in the following five Scriptures:

Philippians 2:9 – 11: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Luke 12:8 speaks on why it is important to acknowledge Jesus Christ specifically: "Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.”  (The KJV I have does not use quotation marks. I have chosen to introduce them.)

Psalm 2:12 states that beyond acknowledging the Lord Jesus, we ought to surrender fully and submit to him: Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Like the text in Philippians we have just read, Acts 2:36 speaks of an authority in Christ Jesus from the Father: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

This last Scripture also speaks about the deity of Christ.

I would like to end with Deuteronomy 6:4 – 5:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

There is only one true God. This was true then, it is true now and will always be true.

References

Adeyemo, T. (2006). Africa Bible Commentary. Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive Publishers.

Bull, M. (n.d.). The Bible - the Word of God. Hyderabad, India: Printland Publishers.

Christian Answers. (1995). How do we know the Bible is true? Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t003.html

Life Application Study Bible. (1996). King James Version. Carol Stream, Illinois, United States of America: Tyndale House Publishers.

Towns, E. (2003). Bible Answers for Almost All your Questions. Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Turaki, Y. (2006). The Bible. In T. Adeyemo, & (. Editor), Africa Bible Commentary (pp. 744 - 745). Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive Publishers.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. (2002). New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America: Zondervan.

Forgive? But they don’t deserve it!!

Ephesians 4:31 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Sometimes you read a portion of scripture and God speaks out so clearly you really can’t pretend not to have noticed what He was saying (yes, we all do it!) This chapter, Ephesians 4, is one of those. Paul speaks candidly about what is expected from a believer – the kind of behavior consistent with ‘living a life worthy of the calling we have received’ (verse 1). Go through it some time, you might need to write out some of those things and remind yourself daily… Ok, back to the focus of this post: verse 31 with particular emphasis on forgiveness.  

Paul writes that we should “…forgive each other…” which is where we would all like to stop but indulge me some and let’s complete the verse “…just as in Christ God forgave you.” That second part is quite something isn’t it? I read it this morning and was quite struck by it.

Me to self: We are supposed to forgive in the same way as you forgave us? Oh gosh Lord, that’s quite a tough one! I mean have you seen some of the people I am dealing with? God:  *pauses and raises His eyebrow* (yes – I like to dramaticize our conversations) *immediately my mind is taken back to who I used to be, and not just me, I’m quickly reminded about the weight of the sins of the world that was what was put on Christ!* Me: Uh well… I suppose… I should forgive, just as you forgave me. *tough one to swallow*

We are supposed to be ambassadors of God on earth – we are citizens of heaven, in earthly bodies… (We’re in this world, not of it) If we behave and handle people in the same way heathen do, how will anyone be able to tell the difference? (Matthew 5:47).  Our attitude in forgiving based on this verse therefore should be:

*We should forgive people in representation of God and His Kingdom;

*We should forgive people when they are least deserving (while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us – Romans 5:8). Hence the excuse: ‘She/he didn’t even say sorry!’ should not even feature. Choose to forgive regardless of their attitude;

*We should forgive people even when we are ‘sure’ they will slip up a couple more times – think about how often YOU have slipped up. God knew (and knows) that we will (and do) mess up sometimes and yet still chose to forgive us;

*We should forgive people even when they have the worst track record – it’s not about them, rather about you extending compassion and graciousness to them like God does to (and for) us;

*We should forgive because God has asked us to. We ought to walk in obedience.

I’m not completely clueless – some situations are harder to let go of and offer forgiveness because of the extent of betrayal and hurt the person(s) may have caused. Even then however, He has instructed us to forgive. His word says His grace is sufficient for us and in our weakness (for example, finding it hard to forgive), His strength is made perfect (2^nd Corinthians 12:9). He gives His (all-sufficient) grace to forgive too. Ask Him to enable you to forgive and leave the consequences to Him:

Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

If God be God..

So plenty of times last year, I kept saying to my mum how I was not sure about doing my post-grad because of my perception of how hard it would be. I would constantly be whining and complaining about it  - how hard the work is likely to be and how I probably wouldn't be able to manage the pressure along with whether I would be able to keep up or even have a decent grade at the end of it all... yea, you probably get my drift. Most of the time my mother would give me an encouraging response on how smart I was (thanks mummy!), how other people had gone through it and succeeded therefore it was obviously not an insurmountable task.

This silenced me for  a number of weeks but I was always coming back to her with the same nagging questions of worry... What if I couldn't do it? Finally, taking her eyes of the road, she turned and looked at me straight in the eye and said: "Angela, If God be God then how can it be that you question His ability to guide and carry you through what is just another phase in your life?  Has His word not been clear, true and sure in the past?" (paraphrased).

This line 'If God be God...' has stuck with me for sometime now. I'm on the threshold of my post-grad studies and I do not have an inkling of worry or doubt about whether I will make it because I have digested this truth.

 However, I am reminded of this saying in different scenarios, when something 'different' or challenging comes up or when I'm talking to someone who's battling with walking in faith in one area or the other. It has been my experience that the mind comes up with endless reasons why lots of things should and will not work out - but it takes a faith-in-God-filled mind to declare that 'if God be true and all He says be truth, then I will confidently walk in this direction.'

Bottom line is this: If you are walking in the will of God i.e. in obedience to Him (both for the specific situation as well as your life in general) there are countless promises He has made to you that you need to walk in (or remind yourself of): 

*"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

*"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."- Philippians 4:13

*"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."- Deuteronomy 31:6

*"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." - 2nd Timothy 1:7

*For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." - Isaiah 41:13

So let me reiterate that wise counsel: If God be God,  If He is true then quit doubting, quit compaining and living in fear. He said He'd do it, made promises to carry you through and bes believe - HE's gonna fulfil every last one of them.

Tell somebody (pronounce ‘sum-badi’!)

I don’t know about you but so many times I have gotten encouragement just from people telling their stories or sharing what they learnt at Church, or in their personal devotion. Similarly, I’ve gotten challenged, encouraged to grow, taught and even rebuked on occasion simply from talking to them about something I’d been thinking about or had learnt in my quiet time or meditation.

It is vital for your growth that you share what you learn with those around you. It could be in a big bold way such as writing a book, blogging, sharing it in your Bible study or prayer group OR something as simple as sharing it with one other person: a friend, colleague, family member, chat buddy – bottom line is: YOU HAVE TO SHARE IT!

Sometimes there are one or two things we misunderstand, miss or find vague until we are engaged in conversation where the other person points out a truth or enlightens us on an angle that clarifies what was previously hanging in the balance.

Often, the word you share might be just what the person ‘needed to hear’ – God could be using you to deliver His word to them and by choosing to keep quiet about it for fear of ‘embarrassment’ ‘ judgement’ or whatever other excuse you come up with for not sharing, you miss out on being a part of God’s work in that person’s life. God’s blessings (His word included) are not meant to stay reservoired (not a real word) but to be channelled through to many others that need it. 

We are blessed to be a blessing, so if that word blessed you…you have a responsibility to pass it on and bless somebody else. 

I choose to love.

1^st Corinthians 13: We all know what that’s on. Love. These verses speak about a love so pure and to be honest, most of the time – a lot of people who claim they have love, or love someone else... fall significantly short of this depiction of love.  So I’m not here to hang this over your head or get you feeling like you can’t do it… On the contrary, I want to share with you how I believe you can begin to practice that love depicted in 1^st Corinthians 13:4-7.

In my previous post, I told you I had lots of stuff to share on choices. Well this too, is a post on choices. Love is a choice. You can really like someone at first glance, maybe even like them a whole lot on spending time with them… and then be obsessed with them (usually mistaken for love) and think you want to spend the rest of your life with them after a while BUT the actual being in love and acting in a loving way consistently  - to your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, friend, family, neighbor etc is a CHOICE. 

What choices do you need to make?

Choice number 1 – Embrace God. He is love. (1^st John 4:7-8). Outside of God, the love you purport to have is not real love and not as intended. Only in God can we be transformed and given the capacity to love in this way and once again I say, consistently. Once you understand the love that God has for you and shows you constantly, you are able to extend that love to others.

Choice number 2 – Make choices aligned to characteristics that embody love. How do we know someone possesses love or is loving?  1^st Corinthians 13:4-7 shows us:

** Patience, Kindness, Free of envy, does not boast, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (vs4-7).

I don’t know about you, but in reading those traits, a lot of the time I say to myself..  ‘I’m mostly kind, I’m not easily angered except with *insert name* because they always…, I’m not self-seeking especially with *insert situation*…’  We pretty much rationalize about the extent we love and then deem it impossible to act in this manner and finally end with ‘Only God can be all of this’ and thus we rarely get round to working on those we identify as ‘weak’ in us.

I put it to you that once you have made choice number1, then the ability to embody these traits has been given to you and the strength to practice them is within your reach if you will only make choices that enhance these being manifest in your life. Ok, what am I saying?

God is love. God embodies all these traits. If you are in God, you have Him (LOVE) in you and therefore, you displaying these traits should come naturally. However, since our nature is to act selfishly, we need to consciously decide to act in love. 

Make the choice every day, in every situation:  to be patient, to be kind… choose not to be envious or rude, seek the benefit of others…

Remember:
 "Your life is a product of your choices" - Steven Covey


"Do everything in love." - 1st Corinthians 16:14

Make the choice today. Choose to live out love.