JESUS CHRIST

Alpha and Omega - Greg Olsen

The divinity of Jesus Christ is indicated by the specific names and titles authoritatively applied to Him. According to man’s judgment there may be but little importance attached to names; but in the nomenclature of the Gods every name is a title of power or station. God is righteously zealous of the sanctity of His own name (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 5:11) and of names given by His appointment. In the case of children of promise names have been prescribed before birth; this is true of our Lord Jesus and of the Baptist, John, who was sent to prepare the way for the Christ. Names of persons have been changed by divine direction, when not sufficiently definite as titles denoting the particular service to which the bearers were called, or the special blessings conferred upon them.*

Jesus is the individual name of the Savior, and as thus spelled is of Greek derivation; its Hebrew equivalent was Yehoshua or Yeshua, or, as we render it in English, Joshua. In the original the name was well understood as meaning “Help of Jehovah”, or “Savior”. Though as common an appellation as John or Henry or Charles today, the name was nevertheless divinely prescribed, as already stated. Thus, unto Joseph, the espoused husband of the Virgin, the angel said, “And thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21; see also verses 23, 25; Luke 1:31) (more…)

Peace on Earth - Greg Olsen

As heretofore shown in another connection, the Father operated in the work of creation through the Son, who thus became the executive through whom the will, commandment, or word of the Father was put into effect. It is with incisive appropriateness therefore, that the Son, Jesus Christ, is designated by the apostle John as the Word; or as declared by the Father “the word of my power”. (John 1:1, Moses 1:32) The part taken by Jesus Christ in the creation, a part so prominent as to justify our calling Him the Creator, is set forth in many scriptures. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers in this wise distinctively to the Father and the Son as separate though associated Beings: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1:1-2; see also 1 Corinthians 8:6) Paul is even more explicit in his letter to the Colossians, wherein, speaking of Jesus the Son, he says: “For 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: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17) And here let be repeated the testimony of John, that by the Word, “who was with God, and who was God even in the beginning, all things were made; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

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The scriptures specify three personages in the Godhead; (1) God the Eternal Father, (2) His Son Jesus Christ, and (3) the Holy Ghost. These constitute the Holy Trinity, comprising three physically separate and distinct individuals, who together constitute the presiding council of the heavens. At least two of these appear as directing participants in the work of creation; this fact is instanced by the plurality expressed in Genesis: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26) ; and later, in the course of consultation concerning Adam’s act of transgression, “the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us.” (Genesis 3:22) From the words of Moses, as revealed anew in the present dispensation, we learn more fully of the Gods who were actively engaged in the creation of this earth: “And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Moses 2:26) Then, further, with regard to the condition of Adam after the fall: “I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten: Behold, the man is become as one of us.” (Moses 4:28) In the account of the creation recorded by Abraham, “the Gods” are repeatedly mentioned. (See Abraham 4-5)

James Talmage, Jesus the Christ

Through the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ—a redeeming service, vicariously rendered in behalf of mankind, all of whom have become estranged from God by the effects of sin both inherited and individually incurred—the way is opened for a reconciliation whereby man may come again into communion with God, and be made fit to dwell anew and forever in the presence of his Eternal Father. This basal thought is admirably implied in our English word, “atonement,” which, as its syllables attest, is at-one-ment, “denoting reconciliation, or the bringing into agreement of those who have been estranged.” (New Standard Dictionary under “propitiation.”) The effect of the atonement may be conveniently considered as twofold:

1—The universal redemption of the human race from death invoked by the fall of our first parents; and,

2—Salvation, whereby means of relief from the results of individual sin are provided.

The victory over death was made manifest in the resurrection of the crucified Christ; He was the first to pass from death to immortality and so is justly known as “the first fruits of them that slept.” (1 Corinthians 15:20; see also Acts 26:23; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5) That the resurrection of the dead so inaugurated is to be extended to every one who has or shall have lived is proved by an abundance of scriptural evidence. (more…)

Death has come to be the universal heritage; it may claim its victim in infancy or youth, in the period of life’s prime, or its summons may be deferred until the snows of age have gathered upon the hoary head; it may befall as the result of accident or disease, by violence, or as we say, through natural causes; but come it must, as Satan well knows; and in this knowledge is his present though but temporary triumph. But the purposes of God, as they ever have been and ever shall be, are infinitely superior to the deepest designs of men or devils; and the Satanic machinations to make death inevitable, perpetual and supreme were provided against even before the first man had been created in the flesh. The atonement to be wrought by Jesus the Christ was ordained to overcome death and to provide a means of ransom from the power of Satan.

As the penalty incident to the fall came upon the race through an individual act, it would be manifestly unjust, and therefore impossible as part of the divine purpose, to make all men suffer the results thereof without provision for deliverance. (more…)

Luke is the longest Gospel of the four and as much as half of the material in Luke is unique to his Gospel providing additional information about Jesus.

The Gospel of Luke is the first half of a two-part work (Luke-Acts). The Gospel informs the reader what Jesus said and did and the Book of Acts reveal what Jesus did through the Holy Spirit following his ascension—a continuous story that was composed to be read together. (more…)

Now, . . . what do men and women find when they discover the true Messiah? Finding the Messiah is the greatest of all discoveries. If we were to discuss the most important thing about Jesus the Messiah, what would it be? If we were to go home today to our families and say, “We have found the Messiah!” what would we say about Him? What is the most important thing about Him that we could tell another person? Would it be His height or weight, the color of His hair, the style of His clothes, the tone of His voice? Everything about Jesus is important any any true detail or concept would be worth knowing, but what would be the single most important thing to find out about Him? I could answer that with my own opinion, but let us take a cue from what the scriptures say about Him. (more…)

It Is Finished - Liz Lemon Swindle

No. Jesus was crucified. Crucifixion was a Roman punishment, not a Jewish punishment. Additionally, it should not be forgotten that Jesus was a Jew. His mother and disciples were all Jews. They, of course, were not responsible for Jesus’ death. Large numbers of Jews living beyond Galilee and Judea never met or heard of Jesus. They obviously were not responsible for Jesus’ execution, which they did not have any say or knowledge about during their lifetime. Most first century Jews were totally unaware of his life and ministry and, therefore, had nothing to do with his death and were, therefore, not responsible for the actions of a few individuals (Judas—who handed him over to the arresting officers; the officers who handed him over to the Jewish High priest; Caiaphas—who handed him over to the Roman governor; and Pilate, who handed him over to the Roman execution squad). Of course, Jews living before the first century and those living after the first century had nothing to do with the tragic events on that fateful Friday so long ago in Jerusalem.

In Galilee and Judea, many Jews were sympathetic to his message to “the least, last and the lost.” His enemies were afraid of the Jewish crowds who heard him and followed him (Mark 14:1-2). Many Jews who met him thought he was a righteous teacher, a healer, even a prophet (Matthew 16:13-14). Others believed he was the long-expected anointed servant—the Messiah. Even among the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem, there were those who believed Jesus was sent from God (see John 19:39; cf. John 3:1).

Following his death, many Jews continued to accept Jesus’ message and became ardent disciples (see Acts 2:41; 4:4). Eventually, the completely Jewish-Christian Church opened its doors to Gentiles (see Acts 10) who joined in such large numbers that they became the majority by the end of the first century.

Only much later, did Gentile-Christians begin to assign blame to the Jews as a nation, forgetting that all of the heroes and heroines of the Gospels they so admired (Simeon, Anna, Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, Martha, and Lazarus) were observant Jews who believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. Additionally, these people also forgot that Jesus himself prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

The New Testament does not assign corporate responsibility to Romans, Gentiles, or Jews. It provides the story of a cruel Roman governor and a rather small collaborating Jewish leadership who conspired to get rid of Jesus because he was so popular among the Jews living in Galilee and Judea in the first century.

The Gospels often describe people’s reactions to Jesus as being “astonished” or “amazed” (Mark 1:22, 27). Generally, people would not have been able to distinguish Jesus from other first century Jewish men based simply on his physical appearance as he began his ministry. The initial reaction to Jesus was not, therefore, based on what he looked like. Only later did people begin to recognize him and distinguish him from others as his fame spread throughout the land. (more…)