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 VII

Life in Christ Jesus, our Peace

So what are believers in Jesus supposed to do, anyway?

Well, trusting Jesus is more than a one-time decision. It is a change in lifestyle. Some believers call it a "walk," while others call it "living right" or "living holy" or "living saved."

Although I am no expert on this new lifestyle, I would like to offer some Scriptures and some of my thoughts here to help fellow believers, and perhaps clear up some misconceptions about our life in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

We're not saved just to gloat about being saved, nor so that we can be free to sin without guilt. We are to “become the righteousness of God.”

This is not to be confused with earning our own salvation through good works; instead, because we are legally declared righteous before God, we are called to act righteous in our daily lives. One preacher said that we are to "become what we are" in Christ; that is, we should live in a righteous way because God considers us righteous in Christ.

Writing to believers, the Apostle John reminds us of what God has already done and what we are waiting for:

1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now,
and what we will be has not yet appeared;
but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him as He is.

And everyone who thus hopes in Him
purifies himself as He is pure.

This is a wonderful Scripture about why we should live in a new way. We didn't earn our peace with God or eternal life; Jesus purchased them for us. And in what His Son did for us, God showed His love for us.

Notice that God has loved us in this wonderful way: He made us His children through what Jesus did for us. And we are waiting for Jesus to return. We are waiting to "see Him as He is."

On that day, we will be changed. Writing to believers, the Apostle Paul writes below about the resurrection of the dead:

1 Corinthians 15:42-49

So is it with the resurrection of the dead.
What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Thus it is written,
"The first man Adam became a living being;
the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural,
and then the spiritual.

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;
the second man is from heaven.
As was the man of dust,
so also are those who are of the dust,
and as is the man of heaven,
so also are those who are of heaven.
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Here, the Apostle Paul lets us know that, someday, we who believe will "bear the image" of Jesus! We'll have resurrection bodies that will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. Then, the Apostle Paul gets more specific about when this will happen:

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

I tell you this, brothers:
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold! I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we shall be changed.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable,
and this mortal body must put on immortality.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable,
and the mortal puts on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."

"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

When Jesus returns, believers will inherit our spiritual resurrection bodies. These bodies will be imperishable, like the body of Jesus. If we have died, we will be resurrected. If we are alive, we will be changed. God decided that those who believe in Jesus will be with Him, have immortal, imperishable bodies, and claim victory over death forever. Jesus purchased these gifts for us through His perfect life of obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.

All of this was done by God's grace; we did not earn it. But, since God did this for us, we also have a responsibility to uphold: that is, an obedient lifestyle to our Owner and Master, Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

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

Again, we've done nothing to earn salvation. We've already seen throughout this series that religion, self-effort, moral goodness, or any such things cannot earn us peace with God. Jesus is our only hope to have eternal life and the assurance of an eternity of peace with God and His Son.

While this is all true, the passage above from Ephesians makes clear that we are "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

As far as I understand, the term "good works" refers to things that believers do to benefit others, primarily others who are also saved. It refers to a lifestyle, not just a few scattered acts. Depending on who we are and what situations we find ourselves in, the specific good works will differ from believer to believer, but they share several things in common:

• We can't be saved by doing good works, but since we are saved, we are actually equipped by God to do them as we live this new life.
  
• The passage states that we are the workmanship of God. Therefore, God, working through Jesus, is really doing the work. The credit for our good works does not go to us; all glory goes to God through Jesus Christ.
• God is the One who prepared our good works for us, so we don't need to worry about whether we're capable of living up to God's standards for good works. If He moves us to do them, He also equips us to handle them.
  

Through our good-working, we should remember why we are able to do these good works, and Who we are doing them for. The Apostle Peter writes the following:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action,
and being sober-minded,

set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children,
do not be conformed to the passions
of your former ignorance,

but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct,
since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

And if you call on Him as Father
Who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds,
conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
knowing that you were ransomed
from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world
but was made manifest in the last times for your sake,
who through Him are believers in God,
Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.

(1 Peter 1:13-21)

We believe in Jesus; therefore, we believe in God. Let us not lose sight of our Savior as we live to please Him.

One last Scripture before we part for now:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves whoever has been born of Him.

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and obey His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world
except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

(1 John 5:1-5)

"The world" refers to the evil environment we live in, which constantly attempts to persuade us to sin. But this Scripture, written by the Apostle John, gives us hope. Through "our faith" in Jesus, you and I are guaranteed to overcome the evil temptations and sinful patterns of the world system. We will prevail, not because we are mighty, but because Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, and the Lord of all, has already overcome the world.

If He wills, we'll conclude this series soon. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

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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 final part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part VI

A Relationship with Jesus
and God, His Father

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ means that we enter into a new, positive relationship with Him and with His Father, who is God. We are saved from the wrath of God, and we have peace with God. And we finally acknowledge that Jesus, who is already Lord of all, is also our personal Lord, our Master, and that He should govern our lives from here on out.

If we believe in Jesus, God will no longer hold our sins against us, because His Son paid our debt in full by His death. But we must trust in the name of Jesus and depend fully on Him, not on what we have done. As we've seen, our actions, whatever they may be, can never earn us peace with God. Only Jesus could, and only He did.

What does the choice to believe look like? The Apostle Paul explained it in these words:

…you
turned to God
from idols
to serve the living and true God,
and to wait for His Son from heaven,
Whom He raised from the dead,
Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

Notice here: We must turn "to God." In order to do this, we must turn "from idols"— anything that we think can earn us salvation other than the One Whom God has appointed and sent. Our idols include our misdeeds, our sinful lifestyles, and also our misguided attempts to save ourselves. Only One can deliver us "from the wrath to come": Jesus.

Jesus alone is our peace with God, and God vindicated His Son by raising Him from the dead, which the Apostle Paul here points out. When we believe in Jesus, both as a one-time act and as a continuing lifestyle, we "serve the living and true God."

Moreover, we "wait for His Son from heaven, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." One day in real history, Jesus will return to judge the wicked and take the righteous to Himself. The wicked will be judged for their own sins, and the righteous will be saved in spite of their sins because Jesus paid for them in full on the cross. Therefore, the Apostle Paul states that Jesus "delivers us from the wrath to come."

For unbelievers, Jesus will come to execute the wrath of God, but for believers, Jesus has already taken the wrath of God upon Himself. Therefore, He is our peace with God and our deliverer. We wait for Jesus to return, so that "our joy may be made complete" (paraphrase of 1 John 1:4) as we enjoy the peaceful presence of God and our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. All these things go together as one package, but the key is Jesus.

The Apostle John addresses this as well:

And we know that the Son of God
has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know Him who is true;
and we are in Him who is true,
in His Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

(1 John 5:20-21)

If you confess Jesus, you confess that He is the Son of God and that God is His Father. And in so doing, you repent—you turn away from idols that cannot save you, as well as from your other sins, and you turn to Jesus, who can save you completely, assuredly, and eternally. And you are accounted to be “in” Jesus, like a part of His body. And only in that way can you have peace with God, because God loves His Son.

Do you still stand in expectation of God’s judgment? You may be saved if you turn from your sins and trust Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ is ready to forgive all who humbly come to Him.

Romans 10:9-13

...if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified,
and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the Scripture says,
"Everyone who believes in Him
will not be put to shame."

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved."

Notice: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." It does not depend on our background, our education, our money, our age, our ethnicity, or any other criteria. If we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, He will save us.

Notice, though, that calling on His name does not merely mean uttering the words, "Lord Jesus," without any inner conviction. The passage makes clear that we must believe and confess:

• We must believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. In doing so, we implicitly acknowledge that Jesus was a real man who died for our sins -- that is, the Christ -- and that God approved of His Son enough to raise Him from the dead.

• We must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Once God raised Jesus from the dead, He made Jesus the Master of everything and everyone. Therefore, if we confess Jesus to be Lord, we admit that we are not our own masters. We admit that we are not capable of saving ourselves. We're not good enough to earn peace with God, but Jesus is, and He did. Instead of trusting ourselves any longer, we trust Jesus alone. Moreover, we agree that we will turn from the sins that Jesus died for.

When we believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died for us, was raised for us, and presently reigns as Lord, and turn from our sins to ask for His forgiveness and help, we can call upon His name in prayer and tell Him so. There is no magic formulaic prayer that you must pray in this regard. Simply come, and confess that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is Lord.

Some may feel unworthy to call upon the name of Jesus for salvation. Well, none of us are worthy. But our salvation does not depend on us; it depends on God, who has mercy. And He gives mercy to all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus.

Some think that we must make ourselves more presentable to God before asking for salvation, that we must 'clean ourselves up' or be completely perfect before daring to pray for redemption. But this isn't true.

The whole point of this series is that we cannot clean ourselves up; we are hopelessly unclean in and of ourselves. Jesus alone can clean us, and He will. He simply asks that we turn to Him as children, acknowledging our imperfections, but agreeing to trust Him instead of our own efforts.

We are commanded to turn from our sins, but the power to do so does not come from our own strength or wisdom. Rather, once we ask Jesus to save us, He will give us His Spirit, who will equip us to live better lives. But that comes later. For now, let us take an initial step of faith and trust the One who died for us and lives for us.

If you have read this far and are convicted to act, I am convinced that God is for you, and He wants you to take this step. God says:

"Those who were not My people
I will call 'My people,'
and her who was not beloved
I will call 'beloved.'"

"And in the very place
where it was said to them,
'You are not My people,'
there they will be called
sons of the living God."

(Romans 9:25 b - 26)

So, call on the name of the Lord Jesus! If you trust in Jesus' name, God accepts you as His own adopted child. It’s all thanks to His only begotten Son, Jesus!

The Apostle Paul rejoices with us:

Romans 5:1-2

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I pray that you have taken the step of calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, beginning your new relationship of peace and life with Jesus and God. If you have done this, whether recently or in the past, you may be wondering what's next. Well, if the Lord wills, in the next section we will look at some of the things that believers are supposed to do.

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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.

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.