Jesus not only saves you, but He's the key to you fulfilling your eternal purpose!
Hebrews 1:1–4 (ESV)
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 10: The Deity of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ,
according to his divine nature,
is the only Son of God—
eternally begotten,
not made nor created,
for then he would be a creature.
He is one in essence with the Father;
coeternal;
the exact image of the person of the Father
and the “reflection of his glory,”
being in all things like him.
He is the Son of God
not only from the time he assumed our nature
but from all eternity,
as the following testimonies teach us
when they are taken together.
Moses says that God “created the world”;
and John says that “all things were created by the Word,”
which he calls God.
The apostle says that “God made the world by his Son.”
He also says that “God created all things by Jesus Christ.”
And so it must follow
that he who is called God, the Word, the Son, and Jesus Christ
already existed when all things were created by him.
Therefore the prophet Micah says
that his origin is “from ancient times,
from eternity.”
And the apostle says
that he has “neither beginning of days
nor end of life.”
So then,
he is the true eternal God,
the Almighty,
whom we invoke,
worship,
and serve
Summary
Earlier this year, we reviewed how it is that we know God since He's revealed Himself, and one of the primary ways He did so was by speaking to us through the prophets. It's through these words that we come to know so much about God's attributes and character.
But as valuable as what God's written word is, and as much as it explains about Him, the fullest expression of who and what God is comes through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. There's no shortage of amazing phenomenons throughout the universe that certainly display the glory of God in amazing ways, but Christ's glory exceeds them all: Jesus radiates the glory of God (v3)!
And as we've been reminded in these past weeks, Jesus isn't just like God, or an aspect of Him, rather Jesus is God! The ESV says that Jesus is "the exact imprint of [God's] nature," while the NIV renders it that Jesus is "the exact representation of [God's] being." Those are both good translations, but you don't need a translation here. The actual Greek word used to describe Jesus is that He is the very charaktēr of God!
Jesus has been active from the very beginning; He is the One through whom God created the world (meaning all that is). And He will always continue at the right hand of God our Father, "sustaining all things by His powerful word (v3)."
Dig Deeper
Do you ever wonder what we'll be doing for all of eternity? I'm sure we'll keep really busy checking everything out the first few years, maybe even decades, but then what? Won't it get boring after a couple of millenia?
Yesterday we read the beginning of Jesus' prayer in John 17. Although we didn't have the time to focus in on it yesterday, Jesus told us exactly what we'll be doing for all of eternity. He said, "This is eternal life: that [we] know God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] has sent."
In other words, we'll be immersed in the grand intricacies of God's new creation, coming to know Him more and more as we work in it, worshipping Him as we learn about and take care of what He's made. As good as that will be, to come to know God through a creation undistorted by sin, the best way to know Him will always be through the exact charaktēr of His being: through Jesus.
The good news today is that you don't need to wait for the new creation in order to begin truly knowing God. Through His written Word, and especially through His Son, you can begin to live eternal life right now as you come to know God more and more as your life is increasingly "hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)."
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the supreme Majesty who has appointed His Son heir over all things;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for His Word: both what was written by the prophets, and especially for the Word made visible through Jesus, and pray that you will come to know both more and more;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Hebrews 8
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