Jesus Is Strong: Part 2

Introduction

(This post is meant for believers. If you don't believe that Jesus is Lord, you may read this post to learn more about Him. Thanks!)

We saw in the previous part of this series (read it here) that Jesus is much more than He is commonly given credit for: He is powerful. He is strong. But why is this so important?

As believers, I think we must constantly refresh our understanding of the fact that Jesus really deserves our consistent respect, not as a good man, but as the Lord God, the Almighty. And after re-realizing that truth, we should continually apply it in a life of obedience.

Personally, I think that my own commitment to the Lord Jesus has wavered lately, and I think I may have forgotten that He is really the Lord. He is my Owner and Master. He knows all, He is all-powerful, and He has all authority in my life and everyone else's. He directs, I follow.

When you or I doubt the authority of the Lord Jesus, there's a possibility for our flesh to try to assume authority. And then, we can fall into sin. But I don't want to do that, and I know you don't either. So, let's continue, and hear what the Spirit of the Lord Jesus wants to tell us.

In Revelation 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus gives messages to the seven churches that are in Asia. By reading each of them, we see clearly that Jesus is Lord of each and every church.

There are seven different messages in those chapters. Here is one of them for us to look at:

Revelation 2:18-29

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire,
and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

I know your deeds,
and your love and faith and service and perseverance,
and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

But I have against you,
that you tolerate the woman Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophetess,
and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray
so that they commit immorality
and eat things sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent,
and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Behold, I will throw her on a bed [of sickness],
and those who commit adultery with her
into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her deeds.

And I will kill her children with pestilence,
and all the churches will know that
I am He who searches the minds and hearts;
and I will give to each one of you
according to your deeds.

But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira,
who do not hold this teaching,
who have not known the deep things of Satan,
as they call them—
I place no other burden on you.

Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

He who overcomes,
and he who keeps My deeds until the end,
to him I will give authority over the nations;
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron,
as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces,
as I also have received from My Father;
and I will give him the morning star.

He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus describes Himself differently when addressing each church. I think He does so to emphasize aspects of Himself that are relevant to that particular church. They are instructive for us as well.

In the case of the church in Thyatira, we see that Jesus describes Himself in these terms:

The Son of God,
who has eyes like a flame of fire,
and His feet are like burnished bronze.

I'd like to examine each of these elements in turn (with a point of clarification between points 2 and 3):

1. Jesus is the Son of God
2. Jesus' eyes are like a flame of fire
3. Jesus' feet are like burnished bronze

Jesus is the Son of God

In Revelation 2:26-28, the Lord Jesus states,

He who overcomes,
and he who keeps My deeds until the end,
to him I will give authority over the nations;
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron,
as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces,
as I also have received from My Father;
and I will give him the morning star.

By describing Himself as the Son of God, Jesus shows us where His authority came from: God, His Father. Therefore, Jesus' authority over the nations -- including all mankind -- is complete and total. After all, authority could not have come from any higher source than God Himself.

Moreover, Jesus can give authority to whomever He chooses. "He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end" will be given "authority over the nations"! This is an incredible incentive for us to live obedient lives of perseverance in the midst of our trials.

Jesus' eyes are like a flame of fire

Jesus also describes His eyes as being like a flame of fire. This, I think, emphasizes the fact that Jesus can see into our minds and hearts. His eyes, like a flame of fire, illuminating and revealing, look deep into our souls. They burn away all the pretenses and defenses and masks that we construct, seeing clearly what our motivations and intentions are.

He states in the latter part of Revelation 2:23:

...and all the churches will know that
I am He who searches the minds and hearts;
and I will give to each one of you
according to your deeds.

Jesus knows what we have done and who we are. Although we have opaque bodies, He sees through them as though they were transparent. He knows our flaws, and He expects us to be honest and admit our shortcomings. Then, He can heal us, strengthen us, and equip us for ministry. However, if we pretend that we are more than we are, we will not be able to do what He wants us to do with our lives, because we will always be hiding the truth.

Other passages of Scripture echo this command. For instance:

Let no man deceive himself.
If any man among you thinks
that he is wise in this age,
he must become foolish,
so that he may become wise.

(I Corinthians 3:18)

By no means is this easy; it requires courage and humility to be honest before our Lord and before fellow believers. Personally, I'm still working on it! But we have to do it if we want to be obedient to the Lord Jesus and have true, lasting joy.

Just to clarify...

Before moving on to the last part of Jesus' description of Himself for the church in Thyatira, it may be necessary to clarify one point. When the Lord Jesus speaks of deeds and rewards for believers, we must be careful to make a distinction. We don't earn salvation or eternal life. Jesus Himself already purchased and secured salvation and eternal life for us!

However, the degree of abundance that we will enjoy in eternity is another matter. Our deeds do play a part in that. Depending on our labor, we will receive an appropriate reward.

In the following passage, the Apostle Paul describes the difference clearly:

I Corinthians 3:5-17

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?
Servants through whom you believed,
even as the Lord gave to each one.

I planted, Apollos watered,
but God was causing the growth.

So then neither the one who plants
nor the one who waters is anything,
but God who causes the growth.

Now he who plants and he who waters are one;
but each will receive his own reward
according to his own labor.
For we are God’s fellow workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building.

According to the grace of God which was given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building on it.
But each man must be careful how he builds on it.

For no man can lay a foundation
other than the one which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.

Now if any man builds on the foundation
with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw,
each man’s work will become evident;

for the day will show it
because it is revealed with fire,
and the fire itself
will test the quality
of each man’s work.

If any man’s work
which he has built on it remains,
he will receive a reward.

If any man’s work is burned up,
he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God
and the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys the temple of God,
God will destroy him,
for the temple of God is holy,
and that is what you are.

In this letter, the Apostle Paul describes believers as "God's field, God's building." He states that he laid a foundation for each believer in the church at Corinth. That foundation is Jesus Christ. In other words, the Apostle Paul preached the Gospel to these believers, and they were saved.

In our cases, whoever preached the Gospel to us also laid that same foundation, and now it is our job to build on it. We can build on the foundation of Jesus Christ with many materials, but only some of them are resistant to being burned up. To build with straw, when fire is certain to come, is a sad waste of time and effort.

How much joy will we have when we see Jesus? Will we be ashamed because we did not do what He told us to do in this life? Or will we be confident, knowing that we used the energy, time, and resources He provided for us as best as we could?

Jesus, the Judge, has eyes like a flame of fire. When He evaluates the work we have done after being saved, He will clearly see our intentions, our abilities, and our accomplishments. He will reward us accordingly, but if our works are not up to par, we will suffer loss instead for those works.

So, it is important to stress that our salvation is secure in Christ:

By grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves.
The gift of God,
not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

But it is also important for us to do the works that God has appointed for us!

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
so that we would walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:8-10)

Jesus' feet are like burnished bronze

Finally, Jesus describes His feet as being like burnished bronze. To get a better understanding, we can look at Revelation 1:15, where John first sees the Lord Jesus.

His feet like burnished bronze,
when it has been made to glow in a furnace,
and His voice like the sound of many waters.
(Rev. 1:15 NASB)

The English Standard Version puts it this way:

His feet were like burnished bronze,
refined in a furnace,
and His voice was like the roar of many waters.
(Rev. 1:15 ESV)

But, we ask, when did our Lord Jesus' feet enter a "furnace", and why? Weren't His feet always perfect? When did they need to be "refined"?

I firmly believe that the meaning of that passage is this: When Jesus became sin for us on the cross, entered the deepest and most agonizing depths of hell: separation and torment apart from God His Father.

The Apostle Paul, and Timothy, write:

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were making an appeal through us;
we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.

He made Him who knew no sin
sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.

(II Corinthians 5:20-21 NASB)

According to God's perfect will, Jesus' sinless feet were marred by nails, marred by sin, and marred by the flames of hell, all for us. But He emerged from that hell victorious, and now He has "the keys of death and of Hades" (Revelation 1:18)!

Jesus' feet were tested in the fire and proven to be pure bronze. They were purified and refined, not because He had sinned, but because He took our sins upon Himself. Having paid the entire debt, His feet now glow gloriously. He who suffered the agony of those flames in our place today commands us to repent and obey Him as our sovereign, glorious Lord.

If He wills, we will continue this series in the near future.

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Browse this series: PART 1

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Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
unless otherwise noted.
All boldface emphases are mine.
Added (italicized) words in the original NASB text have been omitted, or [bracketed].
Some punctuation and capitalization has been altered from the original NASB/ESV text.

The Son of Man

I recently received an excellent question from a friend, which went something like this:

How do you feel about the Transcendentalist interpretation of Jesus? That he was just a man. An exceptional, one-of-a-kind man who illustrated the "internal infinitude" of us all, and the potential thereby to actualize great deeds on behalf of the community and humanity.

My short answer is that this interpretation falls short of grasping the true uniqueness and glory of Jesus. It gives Him far less credit than He deserves and is a very dangerous position to hold, because it fails to grasp Jesus' authority over every single person (including you and me!), which God gave only to Him.

A few Scriptures giving a more accurate view of Jesus, and my notes on those passages, follow.

Mark 14:60-65

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus,
"Have You no answer to make?
What is it that these men testify against You?"

But He remained silent and made no answer.

Again the high priest asked Him,
"Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

And Jesus said,
"I am, and you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of Power,
and coming with the clouds of heaven."

And the high priest tore his garments and said,
"What further witnesses do we need?
You have heard His blasphemy.
What is your decision?"

And they all condemned Him as deserving death.

And some began to spit on Him
and to cover His face and to strike Him,
saying to Him, "Prophesy!"
And the guards received Him with blows.

Here is Jesus, being questioned by the high priest of the Jews.

When questioned about His identity, Jesus acknowledges in no uncertain terms that He "is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed." To acknowledge that He is God's Son is enough for those standing by to condemn Him "as deserving death."

However, Jesus goes further than that. Jesus proclaims that the high priest "will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Jesus does not just confirm His identity as the Son of God, He also states that the high priest will see Him again. At that time, "the Son of Man" will be "seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

How can Jesus say this, knowing that He is about to die? Is He confused or thinking wishfully? Is He talking in parables or spiritual terms that are not to be understood naturally? Is He referring to someone else when He talks about "the Son of Man?"

No, Jesus knows exactly what He is saying. Not only is He the Son of God, He is also the Son of Man. That puts Him in a unique category, which can be understood more clearly through the following passage.

John 5:19-29

So Jesus said to them,

"Truly, truly, I say to you,
the Son can do nothing of His own accord,
but only what He sees the Father doing.

For whatever the Father does,
that the Son does likewise.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.
And greater works than these will He show Him,
so that you may marvel.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
so also the Son gives life to whom He will.

The Father judges no one,
but has given all judgment to the Son,
that all may honor the Son,
just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you,
whoever hears My word
and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.
He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming,
and is now here,
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in Himself,
so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.

And He has given him authority to execute judgment,
because He is the Son of Man.

Do not marvel at this,
for an hour is coming
when all who are in the tombs
will hear His voice and come out,
those who have done good
to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil
to the resurrection of judgment."

Here is Jesus speaking to a group of Jews who in fact want to kill Him for healing a man on the Sabbath, and also for calling God His Father. Jesus reveals more about His unique position as the Son of God and as the Son of Man.

As the Son of God, Jesus has life in Himself and gives life to the dead. That alone is unique. Nobody else can claim to give life to the dead, nor can they. Jesus says that "an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out." This would be quite an intense claim for Jesus to make if he were merely human, but quite natural if He is in fact the Son of God, as Jesus continually claims in this passage.

But Jesus' authority extends far beyond that. Not only can He, the Son of God, give life to whom He will, but God "has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." In other words, God gave Jesus the authority to judge all human beings because Jesus is Himself a man. God the Father is not a man. Although it is God's right to judge us, He delegated that right to His Son because He is the Son of Man.

Why? Jesus answers: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."

This is a question of honor, respect, and recognition! Most people recognize that God ought to receive honor, but what of His Son? Out of His great love, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us from the wrath we deserved and create a way for us to be called children of God! Are we just going to ignore God and His Son after all that?

Jesus says: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father."

Jesus is the only One with the authority to execute judgment upon me, you, and everyone we know. Not even God Himself will execute judgment - He's delegated that right to Jesus!

Perhaps, after considering these things, we may think we still have nothing to be concerned about. After all, Jesus said this: "Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." If we're among those "who have done good," we have nothing to fear.

But how are we counted as having done good? Is it based on moral self-improvement, treating people decently, religious rites, or anything we can muster up of our own strength?

No, it is not. The only ones who have done good in God's eyes are those who believe God's testimony about His Son. Remember, Jesus is the judge. It is not a comparison game; it comes down to one sovereign decision.

Actually, the Lord Jesus sent a man named Paul to testify to these facts:

Romans 3:23-26

For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified by His grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood,
to be received by faith.

This was to show God's righteousness,
because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.

It was to show His righteousness at the present time,
so that he might be just
and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God purposefully created one way for sinners like us to be justified. He put Jesus "forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith."

What does this mean? By becoming a propitiation for our sins, Jesus turned away God's wrath from those who deserve it - us - by absorbing it into Himself. Although, in our pride, we may tend to think pretty highly of ourselves, this passage is clear: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

We are justified before God not based on our goodness - since we have none to speak of before God - but by God's "grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." We must receive Christ Jesus by faith. It is the only way.

To return to Jesus' own words:

"Truly, truly, I say to you,
whoever hears My word
and believes Him who sent Me
has eternal life.
He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life."

If we don't place our faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus will judge us, and we will be found guilty. But if we hear Jesus' words and believe God, who sent Him, Jesus will rescue us from judgment, and God will justify us.

Only in that way can we be saved from the coming wrath of the Lord Jesus! Remember, once resurrected, we, like that high priest, "will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

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Scripture references from English Standard Version
Pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ capitalized

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Conclusion

JESUS Is Our Peace with God

Conclusion

We have finally come to the place from which we started. We have examined our natural state before God, who His Son is and what He did for us, and the importance of believing in the name of Jesus. If we believe in Him, we know that we will be raised with Him (2 Corinthians 4:14).

However, before concluding this series, I'd like to discuss one last point. One thing that continually amazes me is the relationship of Gentile (non-Jewish) believers to God through Jesus Christ. As a Gentile believer myself, I find this topic to be quite staggering.

In the letter to the Ephesians, after explaining that we who believe in Jesus are saved by the grace of God and that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, the Apostle Paul addresses Gentile believers specifically:

Ephesians 2:11-12

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh,
called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision,
which is made in the flesh by hands —

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ,
alienated from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.

Jews, God’s chosen people, were given the Jewish Law by God. Circumcision showed that they belonged to Him and were entitled to the benefits under His covenant with them.

However, Gentiles like myself had no such connections to God. We had no Law and no hope. We were “separated from Christ ... strangers to the covenants of promise [found in the Jewish Law], having no hope and without God in the world”.

But something happened to allow us Gentiles, who didn't know God, to have access to Him.

Ephesians 2:13-18

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For He himself is our peace,
Who has made us both one
and has broken down in His flesh
the dividing wall of hostility
by abolishing the Law
of commandments and ordinances,
that He might create in Himself one new man
in place of the two,
so making peace,
and might reconcile us both to God
in one body through the cross,
thereby killing the hostility.

And He came and preached
peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near.

For through Him we both have access
in one Spirit to the Father.

Now that Christ Jesus has accomplished the work of "abolishing the Law of commandments and ordinances," only those who trust Jesus will have peace with God. Jesus is the only one who perfectly obeyed and fulfilled the Law to God's satisfaction. Again, a Jew's obedience to the Law cannot save him or her; otherwise, God would not have sent Christ to save us all.

Even before He obeyed His Father by going to the cross to die, Jesus spoke to the Jews who wanted to kill Him after He had healed a man on the Sabbath:

The Jews therefore marveled, saying,
"How is it that this man has learning,
when He has never studied?"

So Jesus answered them,
"My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will,
he will know whether the teaching is from God
or whether I am speaking on My own authority.

The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory;
but the One who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true,
and in Him there is no falsehood.

Has not Moses given you the Law?
Yet none of you keeps the Law.
Why do you seek to kill Me?"

The crowd answered,
"You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill You?"

Jesus answered them,
"I did one work, and you all marvel at it.
Moses gave you circumcision
(not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers),
and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.

If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision,
so that the Law of Moses may not be broken,
are you angry with me because on the Sabbath
I made a man’s whole body well?

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

(John 7:15-24)

While these Jews were angry that Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, ostensibly breaking God's Law, Jesus argued that He was perfectly in line with God's will and that the Jews themselves did not keep the Law. I think these Jews had lost sight of the fact that obedience to God has more to do with the heart than it does with outward appearances.

We cannot be saved by observing the Sabbath, or by offering animal sacrifices, but only by trusting the One who became our ultimate sacrifice and who is also Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).

The writer to the Hebrews argues powerfully for the superiority of Jesus over obedience to the Law as a means of earning or receiving peace with God.

Hebrews 10:1-14

For since the Law has but a shadow of the good things to come
instead of the true form of these realities,
it can never, by the same sacrifices
that are continually offered every year,
make perfect those who draw near.

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered,
since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,
would no longer have any consciousness of sin?

But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year.

For it is impossible
for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said,
"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have You prepared for Me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
You have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.' "

When he said above,
"You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in
sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings"
(these are offered according to the Law),
then He added, "Behold, I have come to do Your will."

He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.

And by that will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily at his service,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.

But when Christ had offered for all time
a single sacrifice for sins,

He sat down at the right hand of God,
waiting from that time
until His enemies should be made
a footstool for His feet.

For by a single offering
He has perfected for all time
those who are being sanctified.

Jesus was not born to offer animal sacrifices. He was born to offer Himself, in a life of perfect obedience to God and a sacrificial death to atone for the transgressions of both Jewish sinners and Gentile sinners. And Jesus' offering for sins was completely sufficient. It was superior to all animal sacrifices, since, unlike those offerings, Jesus' offering actually took away our sins, and only needed to be done once. His offering truly pleased God.

After His offering of His own body and blood was complete, "Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet." Jesus Christ reigns today as Lord of all, Jew and Gentile alike.

The Apostle Peter, having been convinced by the Lord Jesus that God's grace had indeed extended to those outside of Israel, preached the following message to a group of Gentiles.

So Peter opened his mouth and said:

"Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
but in every nation anyone who fears Him
and does what is right is acceptable to Him.

As for the word that He sent to Israel,
preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ
(He is Lord of all),

you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea,
beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.

And we are witnesses of all that He did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
but God raised Him on the third day
and made Him to appear,

not to all the people
but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses,
who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

And He commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that He is the One appointed by God
to be Judge of the living and the dead.

To Him all the prophets bear witness
that everyone who believes in Him
receives forgiveness of sins through His name."

While Peter was still saying these things,
the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

And the believers from among the circumcised
who had come with Peter were amazed,
because the gift of the Holy Spirit
was poured out even on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing them
speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter declared,
"Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

And he commanded them to be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him to remain for some days.

(Acts 10:34-48)

The Lord Jesus Christ validated His sovereign decision that the Gentiles should be added to His body in a visible, audible manner. He poured out His Spirit on these new Gentile believers, and they began "speaking in tongues and extolling God."

This "amazed" the "believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter" - that is, the Jewish believers who had come with the Apostle Peter. They witnessed firsthand the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus in saving Gentiles through the simplicity of the Gospel.

The Apostle Peter did not preach about the Jewish Law to these Gentiles; he merely told them the good news about Jesus Christ. These believers, having been baptized with the Holy Spirit, were subsequently baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ.

Let's return to Ephesians to conclude this series.

Here, the Apostle Paul continues to address Gentile believers.

Ephesians 2:17-22

And He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near.

For through Him we both have access
in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the household of God,
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,
in Whom the whole structure,
being joined together,
grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In Him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

We who trust Jesus for our salvation, whether we are Jew or Gentile, are truly blessed!

• We have His Holy Spirit indwelling us.
• We have access to the Father in that one Spirit.
• We are continually being “built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
• We are a part of God’s glorious redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ.
• We have peace with God.

But none of this is because of something we did that impressed God.

Notice that Christ Jesus Himself is "the cornerstone" - that is, the most important stone in the entire building, the one without which the building could not and would not exist.

That building is the church, composed of God's adopted children. Not a physical brick-and-mortar building, nor a church organization or denomination, nor a political party, but "those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours" (1 Corinthians 1:2 b).

• Only in Jesus are we “joined together” and grow “into a holy temple in the Lord.”
• Only in Jesus are we “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
• Only in Jesus do we have peace with God.

Jesus is our peace.

Glory to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Peace with God.

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All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
This is the last part of this series!
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part V

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus

Before He died, Jesus spoke these words:

"Truly, truly, I say to you,
an hour is coming, and is now here,
when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself,
so He has granted the Son also
to have life in Himself.

And He has given Him authority
to execute judgment,
because He is the Son of Man.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming
when all who are in the tombs
will hear His voice and come out,
those who have done good
to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil
to the resurrection of judgment."

(John 5:25-29)

These would have been quite ironic words for someone to say if he was soon going to be dead himself. But, Jesus did not remain in the tomb. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead.

Not only that, but God gave Jesus the highest position of authority in heaven and on earth, to judge and to reign over all.

After He was raised, Jesus told the eleven men He was sending (the Apostles) to preach about Him:

“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to Me.”
(Matthew 28:18b)

And the Apostle Peter took this message to the people:

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain
that God has made Him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus Whom you crucified."
(Acts 2:36)

Later, the Apostle Paul expounded further on the authority of the Lord Jesus:

Have this mind among yourselves,
which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though He was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
but made Himself nothing,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form,
He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.

Jesus did what we could not and would not do, and His humility did not go unrewarded by God.

Therefore God has highly exalted Him
and bestowed on Him
the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:5-11)

Since Jesus humbled Himself beneath us all in His death, God exalted Him above all in His resurrection. Jesus, who Himself never deserved anything but perfect fellowship with God, suffered abandonment by God and absorbed God's wrath for our sins. So, God put Him in charge of us.

The Greek term translated "Lord" could equally be translated "Master," as in the master of servants. The last passage from Philippians states that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

In other words, everyone must submit to the truth that Jesus, the One who paid for our sins on the cross, is not only the Savior but the Master of every person.

This is unusual.

It makes sense for God to be our Master, since He is our Creator.

It also would make sense for Jesus to be the Master of those who believe in Him.

But for Jesus, Himself a man, to be the Master of everyone who has ever lived seems extreme. However, since God is the One who gave Jesus that authority, I, for one, am not going to disagree with God.

The Apostle Peter proclaimed the following message to a group of Gentiles:

“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
but in every nation anyone who fears Him
and does what is right is acceptable to Him.

As for the word that He sent to Israel,
preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ
(He is Lord of all),

you yourselves know what happened
throughout all Judea,
beginning from Galilee
after the baptism that John proclaimed:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.

And we are witnesses of all that He did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
but God raised Him on the third day
and made Him to appear,
not to all the people but
to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses,
who ate and drank with Him
after He rose from the dead.

And He commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that He is the One appointed by God
to be Judge of the living and the dead.

To Him all the prophets bear witness
that everyone who believes in Him
receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

(Acts 10:34b-43)

What is the significance of these things, and what do they have to do with Jesus being our peace with God?

I would say this: Not only is Jesus alive, but He holds absolute and final authority over every single person’s fate. Therefore, the issue of peace with God is not something only “religious” or “spiritual” people should be concerned with. Rather, we all must come to terms with who the Son of God is, or else we wait for judgment.

One of the passages above states that God "has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." Jesus knows what it is like to live a human life. He knows how hard it is to do what is right. He knows the pain and suffering. He knows hunger and weeping and weakness and betrayal. He understands it all. And this is comforting to Christians, for He sympathizes with us and can help us. But it is another reason for terror among unbelievers, for there is no excuse for rejecting Him if He went through the difficulty of a human life and did it perfectly—on our behalf.

Jesus stated:

"The Father judges no one,
but has given all judgment to the Son,
that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word
and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life."

(John 5:22-24)

And the Apostle John, sent by Jesus, wrote this:

If we receive the testimony of men,
the testimony of God is greater,
for this is the testimony of God
that He has borne concerning His Son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God
has the testimony in himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed in the testimony
that God has borne concerning His Son.

And this is the testimony,
that God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.

Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God
does not have life.

(1 John 5:10-12)

The only way to escape the judgment of God, which will be pronounced by Jesus, is to believe God. But believing God does not mean believing that God exists. Rather, we must believe that "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

By believing God's testimony about His Son, we can have eternal life. After all, "this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3b). To know Jesus and His Father now, and for all eternity, is eternal life, and peace with God.

Knowing this, what should we do? We must believe in Jesus. We must put our full confidence in Him, in His name, rather than in our imperfect attempts to earn peace with God.

The next few sections will go into more depth on these things. See you then, if the Lord Jesus wills.

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All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
For the next part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.