|
Jesus Is Unique
From Life Lines, a monthly publication of Victory Christian Center.
November 1992
He who comes from above ( heaven) is (far) above all (others).
John 3:31 (Amplified Bible)
The dictionary defines unique as "being without a like or an equal'" As we review what the New Testament writers say about faith in Jesus Christ, this one thing is certainly clear - - Jesus has no like or equal. He is unique. There is just no one in all of human history like the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course we know He was a real man, born o real flesh and blood -- but even His birth was different from any other man in all of history. The uniqueness of Jesus is what makes true Christianity what it is. All religious have a founder who propagated his particular ideas and Jesus is no exception. But His ideas, His teachings alone do not account for Christianity. Christianity is what it is because of the uniqueness of the Person of its founder. There simply is no one like him. And by that I do not mean Jesus' distinct traits, that He doesn't think or act like others, as may be found in merely eccentric men. Certainly neither am I referring to the tired and bloated claim of Christian self esteemers that each and every individual is unique. In truth, if all of us are unique, then none of us are. It is true that none of us are exactly alike--there are many variations from one individual to another. Yet in so many ways all men hold countless things very much in common. By Jesus' being unique, I mean the ways in which He stands far above any man who ever lived. And it is this uniqueness that is at the heart and soul of faith in Him.
Let me share with you in this article seven things about Jesus Christ that make Him unique.
!) His origin. Jesus had a different origin than any man who ever lived. John the Baptist said of Him,
"The one who comes from heaven is above all; the one who is from earth belongs to the earth, and the speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. (John 3:31, NIV).
Jesus said that of all men born of women, none up to that time was greater than John. Yet John was not unique; he shared with all men a common origin, "from the earth." But there is One, blessed be His name, who is unique in this respect -- He came from heavens:
But he (Jesus) continued, "you are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." (John 8:23, NIV)
Every man from the very first to the present time has had an origin in common with all other men -- they are all from the earth. Their origin is this world. In the case of Adam, who was created directly from the dust of the earth, God breathing spirit into him so that he became a living soul, as well as the billions of his descendants down through the ages, all men have had but one common origin--the earth. But Jesus, blessed be His glorious name, is unique. He came not from earth but heaven! He had an absolutely unique origin. Over and over again Jesus affirmed in John's gospel that His origin was heaven:
"No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of man." (3:13, NIV).
"For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (6:62, NIV)
"Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:51, NIV).
"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have someone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came form God." "You believe at last!" Jesus answered. (John 16:27-31, NIV)
Do you love Jesus and believe that He came down from the Father God in heaven? Believing this, as we see in the verses above, lies at the heart of faith in Him. Every man who was ever born throughout human history is from the earth, has had his origin in the world through natural conception, except One unique mean according to John 3:31? It means that He is above all: "The one who comes from above is above all." The differences between men of all nations, gender, races, and cultures--the greatness or smallness of their accomplishments, intelligence, or station--are nothing at all compared with their likenesses. They are all of the earth. Only one is unique because of His unique origin, heaven -- the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is unique because of --
2) His birth.
Every man who has ever been born into this world has been born the same way. Each had a conception through the uniting of a sperm cell from a father with an egg cell from a mother. And each has inherited certain characteristics from both his father and his mother. His race, size, color of millions of other features and characteristics were set and determined at the moment of conception when the genes of the chromosomes of the sperm and egg united. This "blueprint" was carefully followed and carried out as the now fertilized egg grew and divided, splitting apart into two cells. This process of cellular multiplication ad division continued rapidly until within days a primitive heart began to beat and short appendages that would soon became arms, feet, hands, fingers, and toes appeared. Within weeks the brain began to send out its first electrical waves. The single most striking thing about the development of a baby in the womb is how soon after conception he takes on human form as well as human functions. Then, usually within seven to nine months or so from conception, if the new individual is allowed to escape a hellish decapitation, and dismemberment at the "choice" of his mother and the instruments of an abortionist, the baby is born. Jesus , too, shared the common experience of all mankind of gestation in His mother Mary's womb and entrance from there into this world. He partook of truly and fully human flesh through His mother. But there was also something different about His birth, His conception. All other men ever born were conceived from human egg and human sperm, but Jesus' body was conceived of human egg alone. His mother was a virgin:
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy 'spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people form their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophets : "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel"--which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:18-23, NIV)
In the sixth month, God sent the angle Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angle said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How can this be," Mary asked the angle, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:26-35, NIV)
Jesus was a real man because He partook of truly human flesh through His mother Mary, but unlike all other human conceptions, Jesus had no human father. Mary supplied the human egg but the father's sperm was replace by the power of the Holy Spirit of God who overshadowed here. His birth was unique.
I know there are those who foolishly lay aside the virgin birth of Jesus Christ as an unnecessary legend or myth. But they are grievously mistaken, and much more than the survival of a myth is at stake. The seven things I am sharing with you about Jesus that make Him unique are not isolated oddities of a legendary or mythical nature designed only to dazzle the imagination. Neither is His birth of a virgin evidence that ordinary marital sexual union is somehow dirty; it is blessed of God (Hebrews 13:4). No, the things I am sharing with you are like necessary links in a chain, each interconnected to the other. Jesus' origin being heaven and His birth of a virgin are of necessity linked--you cannot have one without the other. He had to come from heaven , and if He had been conceived in the ordinary way a new individual altogether, not Him, would have been formed in Mary's womb. For Him to come from heaven it was necessary that He be conceived in the extraordinary manner He was. He could not have transferred from heaven to earth by ordinary conception, because in that case a new individual would have been formed and He would have been shut out. Again. if Mary had conceived in the natural way. the individual formed could not have come from heaven but would have had his origin in earth, in her womb, like every other man. This presence of one necessitates the other; the absence of one excludes the other.
To doubt or deny that Jesus was born of a virgin is to doubt or deny that He came form heaven, that He is the Son of God, and that He is holy (Luke 1:35 ). Jesus' birth was unique.
3) His life. This is the third "link" in the chain. You would expect that 1) One whose origin was heaven instead of earth and 2) who had a unique birth like Jesus did would, consequently, 30 live a unique life. If Jesus had not come from heaven and not been born of a virgin through the power of God the Holy Spirit, He might have lived an extraordinary life as did Noah, Moses, Samuel, David, or Elijah, but this would not be unique. So-called great men may lead lives that are in some respects extraordinary but in many more are common with every other man who has ever lived. In what ways was Jesus' life unique?
(a.) His words were unique. Ah, the words of Jesus! Many men have spoken many things that are relatively great in beauty, composition, force, and effects. But Jesus' words transcend them all in every way -- in beauty. depth, meaning, power and effects. Shakespeare or some other poet, author, or speaker may move you in some way, but Jesus' words change one's very being. As they sat under His teaching, the vilest of men and women were broken in humble repentance, cleansed and transformed. No man ever spoke like this Man!--
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."... From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:63, 66-68, NIV)
What other Man in all of history has spoken to us the worked of eternal life? This is what kept Peter and the others following Him when the others forsook Him. Jesus had personally called His disciples to Himself. At one simple command, "Follow Me," Peter and his brother Andrew, then James and his brother John immediately dropped their nets, walked away from their boats, their fathers, and the only living they had ever known, and followed Him (Matthew 4:18:22). Have you heard His voice calling you to follow Him? What about his words to the paralytic, prostitute, "Your sins are forgiven...Your faith has saved you: go in peace" (Luke 7:48,50). Have you ever heard Him say these things to you? If so then you know the power of His words to transform your life. You can never be the same. All His sheep hear His voice calling them by name and they follow Him (John 10:3,4)
But Jesus' words not only transformed lives, they made demons depart, storms stop, the cripple to walk, the leper to be cleansed, the blind to see, and the dead to rise as at Nain where Jesus interrupted the funeral procession and calmly said to the widow's only son, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" (Luke 7:14) and in Galilee where He said to Jarius' dead daughter, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" (Mark 5:41). I know many today frequently boast, "Our words will do the same thing," but what a joke! We've heard the boasting but we don't see the results do we? If anyone's life has been truly changed or anyone really healed by God through hearing a man you can be sure it was due not to the voice of a man or the power of his words but the voice of this Jesus speaking through him.
Jesus' words in His sermon on the mount and in His parables of the kingdom of God are so stuffed with meaning that in just a few lines all wisdom seems packed.
Jesus' words will outlast heaven and earth (Matthew 24:35) His words will determine who is saved and who condemned in the last day (John 12: 47,48). This cannot be said of anyone else's words who ever lived. His words are unique. Jesus even says that the hour is coming when at His voice, at His mere command, all who are in their graves will come up out of them and stand before God's throne to be judged and sentenced to everlasting life or everlasting damnation! (John 5:28,29)
Considering the meaning, the power, and the effects of Jesus' words, the greatest words of the most eloquent men who ever lived seem empty, deceptive, and useless in comparison. Jesus' words were (and are) unique. We can well shout "amen" with the officers sent out by the Jewish authorities to arrest Jesus who when asked why they did not return with the accused in their custody replied simply, "No one ever spoke the way this man does"! (John 7:47)
(B)> Jesus' life was unique in that no one in all of human history ever did so many and so great miracles. It isn't just that Jesus did miracles, because Elijah, Elisha, the apostles, the early evangelists, and others since have, through the power of God's Spirit, done them also. But Jesus stands unequaled in their number and nature.
Besides the specific instances of individual miraculous healings it is recorded that Jesus performed, we read that
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and he healed them. (Matthew 4:24, NIV).
Aware of (the Pharisees' plot to kill Him), Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick. (Matthew 12: 15, NIV).
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. (Matthew 15:30, NIV)
Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. (Matthew 19:2, NIV)
Great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. (Luke 5:15 NIV)
And the whole multitude sought to touch him; for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. (Luke 6:19)
It is easy to see in the light of statements like these how John could conclude:
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that be believing you may have life in his mane. (John 20:30,31. NIV)
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25, NIV)
John's last statement above is no doubt hyperbolic speech meant for effect; nevertheless it is safe to say Jesus performed innumerable miracles.
Then, not only the number but the scope and variety of His miracles were absolutely unparalleled. He not only healed the paralysis, leprosy, ect., He also cast out many demons of all kinds including those possessing the hopelessly insane. Then He also raised several people from the dead, multiplied a small lunch of loaves and fishes and fed thousands of people on two occasions, claimed a storm on Galilee lake, walked on water, and turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
I know that the awesomeness of these miracles of Jesus has been somewhat depreciated in recent decades by the claims of charismatic healing evangelists, but you must realize especially in this election year that claims can be one thing and reality often another, You've heard of inflation; well, it exists in the religious healed are often either fiction or greatly magnified. Many are outright fraudulent, and in others it is exceedingly difficult to find even a few if any at all truly verifiable, lasting healings. Even then one might be able to question the modus operandi, who or what is responsible for the healing. Not so with Jesus. And even if one did take all of today's claims at face value, which would be most foolhardy, it would still not come up to what we read of the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, blessed be His mighty name! His life was unique in that no one before or since did so many and so great miracles.
(c). Jesus' life was unique particularly and by far most importantly and impressively in this: He never once sinned. This sets Him apart from any man who ever lived on this planet. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), "Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin" (Romans 3:9), "there is none righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10), "there is that sinneth not" ( I Kings 8:36, II Chronicles 6:36), "there is no man righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20, NIV). No, not one...that is, except the Lord Jesus Christ, glory to His holy name!
"He that hath sent me is with me; the Father hath not left no alone; for I do always those things that please him." (John 8:29)
"He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the one ho sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." (John 7:18, NASV)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that tin him we might become the righteousness of God. (I Corinthians 5:21, NIV)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)
He was tempted in every way that we are but He never once sinned! Search His childhood and you cannot find one lie, one theft, or one act of disobedience to His parents. Search His youth and you cannot find one hurtful or unkind work, one instance of rebellion. search his young manhood and you will not find one impure lust, one covetous desire, or pride. Jesus never sinned! He stands unique in this among all men who ever lived. And this again is no mere isolated legend or myth meant to strike awe in and of itself, but necessary to what we have shown before and what will come after concerning His uniqueness. It is a necessary link in the chain of these things. His life was different, including the fact that he never sinned, because His origin and His birth were different. And the fact that He never sinned is crucial to what will follow--His atoning death for sin. If He had ever sinned, His death could not have paid for, atoned for, the sins of others.
4.) Jesus was unique because He was equal with God. His Deity makes Him unique.
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23, NIV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us...(John 1:1, 14), NIV)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 3:5-7, NIV)
I know there are groups who deny Him His Deity, but they are all liars, blasphemers, and thieves who have the audacity to try to strip Him of His glory. People who deny Jesus' Deity don't have as much sense as the devil. And I know it is popular today both inside and outside the professing church to cheapen his Deity by claiming that all men are divine or that Jesus is just one of us. Well, He is one of us in the sense that He is a real name--we must not forget that or we lose everything. But on the other hand, He is not all like us--He is God. Many men sane and insane have and do claim to be God including Caesar, kings, serial killers, and new age nitwits. But there is only One Man in all of history who has not only make the claim but also backed it up and make it stick with His life, His miracles, His teachings, His sinlessness, and His resurrection from the dead--Jesus Christ of Nazareth, hallelujah to His name forevermore!
5.) His death was unique. Every man ever born has died or must yet die (the only apparent exceptions, Enoch and Elijah). Indeed, death "is appointed unto man" and "after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27)
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12, NIV)
Jesus, too, died, but even His death was unique. Every other man who has ever died, died because he inherited death through Adam's sin and because he himself has sinned. Physical death, the separation of the soul from the body and the subsequent corruption and decay of the lifeless uninhabited corpse, is part of the result of and penalty for man's sin. What made Jesus' death unique is that since He was born of a virgin and never once sinned, He did not inherit death from Adam, neither was He under the penalty of death for sin. All other men "had death coming to them" so to speak, but Jesus died voluntarily, sacrificially, and vicariously--not for His own sins, for the sins of others. His death was a sacrifice for sin, a payment of the penalty for the sins of others.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (i John 2:2, NIV)
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importances: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:3, NIV)
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25 NIV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all., like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has tuned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5,6 NIV)
It is not always sound to confidently assert what would have happened if something else had not. but it is safe to conjecture at least hat if Jesus had not borne our sins He could not have died, because death is the penalty for sin. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Here again we see how this fifth link of our "chain" is connected to those before. If Jesus had ever sinned, His death could not have been a vicarious death, taking the place of others and dying their death. If He had ever sinned, His death would have been a death He deserved, a death He would have "had coming to Him" as all other men do. It was only His having never sinned that left Him "open" to bear the sins and pay the penalty of death due them for others.
Few people, even among those who say they believe Christ died for them, really understand this. For them, "Christ died for us" or "Christ died for our sins" are only trite phrases that convey a vague sense of His love for us. And again, the common repetition of praise for those who died for their country in battle or in some rescue operation--"they died for us"--has had the effect of "cheapening" or depreciating Christ's death for us. We may reap some limited temporal benefit from someone dying for us out of love or duty, but what is this in comparison to Christ's dying for our sins so that we might not be damned eternally for them?
6) Jesus is unique in that He was resurrected from the dead to immortality. All men die and some have even been resurrected--God raised the widow's son through Elijah (I Kings 17:7-24) and the Shunamite's son through Elisha (II Kings 4:8-37); Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). But all of these as well as others were raised only to die again at another time. They obtained revived mortal bodies, but not immortal ones. Jesus is the only One who has been truly raised from the dead, never to die again, utterly conquering and vanquishing death. Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost, said,
"Men of Israel, listen to this; Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, Put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him form the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. There fore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to (Hades), nor will you let you Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact." (Acts 2:22-32, NIV)
Similarly, Paul preached of the resurrection of Jesus to immortality at Pisidian Antioch:
"The fact that God raised him form the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.' o it is stared elsewhere: 'You will not let your Holy One see decay.' For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. There fore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:34-39, NIV)
And...
For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but he life he lives, he lives to God. (Romans 6:9, 10, NIV)
Though Jesus was raised again in immortality, never to die or be capable of dying again, He was not given another body altogether. It was His same body that died that was resurrected and infused with immortality. And His resurrected body, though dramatically altered from its former stare and condition, was nonetheless a real physical body, as He demonstrated to His disciples:
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. (Luke 24:39,40)
This appearance of Jesus to the disciples after His resurrection is no doubt what prompted John to write in his first epistle:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (I John 1:1, NIV)
Again, His resurrection is linked not only to His death (He obviously couldn't have risen without first dying) but also to His sinless life. If Jesus had ever sinned, He could not have been raised from the dead but would have had to be kept in hades, the abode of the dead and await judgment for His sin. But having personally never sinned (He only bore our sin which is what made Him subject to death, there were no need to hold Him in the place of the dead--there were no charges for Him to wait to stand trial on, so He was justly released. Indeed, He had to be released. This is one reason why "it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him" (Acts 2:24). "You will not let your holy one see decay" (Acts 2:27: 13:35, NIV). "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face Judgment". (Hebrews 9:27, NIV). But Jesus had never sinned, so He had no judgment to face. He could be and had to be released. The sins of the people who lived before Christ were passed over by God in anticipation of Christ bearing them (Romans 3:25, Amplified).
Jesus, unlike any other man who ever lived, is indeed risen from the dead never to die again, praise His wonderful name! And having triumphed over death and conquering it, He gives life and immortality to all who believe on Him (and those who believe on Him will obey and follow him)> His death paid the penalty of our sins and His resurrection conquered death so that all who believe on Him are forgiven of their sins, saved from the wrath and judgment due them, and will live as He lives forevermore.
Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:21, NIV).
And because He lives forevermore and is equal with God, He is able now to penetrate all time and space with His own presence and save all who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). Which brings us to our seventh and final point:
7) Jesus is unique in that He is the only means of man's salvation.
Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:7-9,NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12, NIV)
The world is generally fond of their tolerance and openmindedness when it comes to religion. They love to say that there are many ways of salvation, even that there are many names whereby we may be saved if we are sincere. But they are sadly mistaken. Anyone else, according to Jesus, who claims to be or have the way of salvation is a liar and a thief. Jesus is the only means, the only way of the world's salvation--there is no other. Again, this is inseparably linked to what we have noted before. He is the only way of man's salvation because His death is the only death that paid for man's sins. Without Him we will die in our sins and be judged for them with no possibibity of salvation or forgiveness, pardon, reprieve or parole. And His death could not have paid for our sins unless He had no sins of His own. And His having no sins of His own is linked, as we said, to His being born of a virgin. He is the only means of man's salvation because He is the only One who has conquered death so that He can free man from death--spiritual death, physical death, and the second death which is hell fire (Revelation 21: 6, 14). He is the only means of man's salvation because He alone is God--salvation could only come from God (Isaiah 43:11; Hosea 13:4). He is the only means of man's salvation because not only is He God, but, having been one of human flesh, He is also man and therefore the only fit Mediator between God and man.
Oh, I love Jesus! There is nobody like Him! And I don't mean that in some sloppily sentimental way. I mean Jesus is absolutely unique. He saved me from my sins and I'm sure He will do the same for you. I love Him! I love Him more than I do life itself! What would I do without Jesus? What hope would I have if it weren't for Him? He died for my sins, He rose from the dead and lives forevermore and is the only means of my salvation. Because of Him, I am saved my sins are forgiven, and I will live forever with Him!
Jesus is unique: 1) His origin was unique--heaven, not earth; 2) His birth was unique-- of a virgin;3) His life was unique--no one else ever spoke like He did, performed so great miracles in kind and number, and never once sinned. 4) He is equal with God. 5) His death was unique--voluntary, sacrificial, and vicarious. 6) His resurrection to immortality certainly makes Him unique, and 7) He is the only means of man's salvation. Truly he is "without a like or an equal."
Yes, the 12 apostles were secondarily unique in some respects (though this is often overlooked today as well). They were eyewitnesses of His miracles, His teachings, His death, and His resurrection (I John 1:1-3; II Peter 1:16-18; Acts 1:21-22). They were the first to be entrust with the message of the gospel, the first builders of the church (Ephesians 2:19,20; John 20:20,21). They will have a special place in the resurrection, sitting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel (Luke 22:28-30). And their names are inscribed in the 12 foundations of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10,14). But in so many ways the 12 apostles of Jesus were very much like other men (Acts 10:25,26; 14:11-15; I Corinthians 1:11-13; 3:3-5; Matthew 20:20-28; 23:8-12). Whatever comparative greatness any man down through church history has supposedly achieved in life, service, dedication, or devotion, including the original 12 apostles, it was due not to anything in himself but to this great unique Person, Jesus Christ, living in him. The chruch's only claim to intelligence or ability, to be sure, but simply her union and association with this one unique Person in all of human history, Jesus Christ!
When I think of Jesus among his disciples or His true holy church today, I compare it with a pee wee basketball team that has a seven-foot professional for its center. No human being is capable of adequately describing Him, just as a trumpet is limited in the sounds it can make no matter how much air is blown through it. As long as I live and even into eternity, I will never tire of hearing or telling the story of Jesus!
Down from His glory, everlivging story,
My God and Savior came, and Jesus was His name;
Born in a manger, to His own a stranger,
A man of sorrows, tears, and agony.
What condescension, bringing us redemption,
That in the dead of night, not one faint hope in sight;
God, gracious, tender, laid aside His splendor,
Stopping to woo, to win, to save my soul.
Without reluctance, flesh and blood His substance,
He took the form of man, revealed the hidden plan'
O glorious mystery, sacrifice of Calvary;
And now I know Thou art the Great I Am.
Chorus:
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My Breath, my Sonshine, my All in all!
The Great Creator became my Savior,
And all God's fullness dwelleth in Him!
William E. Booth-Clibborn
Oh, friend, do you know this Jesus? Do you love Him more than life itself? Do you believe on Him? Does your life show it? If not, you'd better get acquainted, the sooner the better. Time is running out and you will be eternally lost without Him.
God bless you,
Leon Stump, Pastor of Victory Christian Center
Back
Home
 The Christmas
Story
The real reason we celebrate
Christmas isn't a story, but the truth. This is the part of Christmas
that we should celebrate all year long.
How should a Christian
Celebrate Christmas?
How can you keep Christ in
Christmas? What is wrong with Santa?
Why Jesus is Better than
Santa Claus?
Christmas Day in the Morning
by Pearl S. Buck
This is one of my favorite
Christmas stories. If shows the true spirit of giving.
T'was The Night Before Jesus
Came
A good poem
Recipes
Some old favorites of mine and
some new recipes from my favorite recipe books and recipe web
sites.
The 12 Days of Christmas,
Deconstructed
A polictially correct
song
The Twelve Thank-you Notes of
Christmas
This is a great deal of
fun.
Poltically Correct Christmas
Song Titles
The following Christmas carols
were re-titled by government officials. Can you guess the original
titles?
The ABC's of
Christmas
Yet another fun poem.
Christmas Poetry
Here are some of my favorite
Christmas poems.
Name
That Christmas Carol
How well do you know your
Christmas Carols? Match the lyrics to the titles and see.
Bible
Chirstmas Word Search Puzzle and
Christmas Wrod Search Puzzel
I like to make word search
puzzles. Click on either of the above titles to find that puzzle,
Jesus is Unique
Why was it necessary for Jesus
to be born of a virgin? Why did he have to die for us? This article
will bless your heart.
Who
WiII Be Saved?
A Survey of the New Testament on
the Subject of Salvation
Sign
View
View my old guestbook
|
