| THE LANGUAGE OF CHRISTIANITY VERSUS THE LANGUAGE OF THE CHRIST |
| LANGUAGE OF THE CHRIST |
Acts 10:36-38
36 "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through
Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--
37 "that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.
It was Jesus, the Son, born of Mary, a man (Acts 2:22, Heb 2:10-14, Heb 4:15) who
was anointed by God with Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be anointed? It basically
means to rub into and smear all over and this is what God did to Jesus His Son; He
rubbed into and smeared all over His essence, His nature, His heart. All of who God is
was placed in Jesus for all men to see. The Word became flesh or the heart, the
thoughts, the purpose, and the motive of God became flesh. When did the Word of
God become flesh, was it at the conception of Jesus when God overshadowed Mary,
or at the manger when Jesus was born from the womb of flesh, or perhaps at his
baptism when God told Jesus He was well pleased with him, or was it a progression, a
growing into His destiny?
THE JESUS PROGRESSION
Matt 15:21-24
21 ¶ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and
Sidon.
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him,
saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely
demon-possessed."
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him,
saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel."
What? As Jesus the Son of God, not God the Son, he had to learn how to be a son.
He also had to learn His Father's purpose. Here it was narrowed and very exclusive
position He took to include only the “lost sheep of Israel.” He, later in this chapter,
refers to her and her ethnicity as dogs which was a racial slur for that time period and
culture implying that she was not worthy to hear the truths reserved for the Jewish
people. But the woman does not give up. She persists and jolts Jesus out of his
cultural comfort zone and touches the heart of God in him—she awakens the Christ
spirit in him.
Now to a Samaritan woman at a well.
John 4:7-10
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask
a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with
Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is
who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would
have given you living water."
Here is her perception after their conversation.
29 "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the
Christ?"
Now, here is truth.
42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you
said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the
Christ, the Savior of the world."
As Jesus progresses in knowledge of who he is becoming and the purpose of His
Father, he comes to realize he is more than the savior of the lost sheep of Israel he is
the savior of the Word – the Christ of God. Notice how his language changes. He
astounds those in the synagogue when he was twelve to his limited purpose for those
of his “household” to become the savior of the world. The truth however was he was
always God's universal Messiah but it was not truth to Him—His mind and heart yet.
THE LOGOS OF GOD
John 1:1-18
1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him
might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did
not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said,
‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’"
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has declared Him.
What is the Word in John chapter one? Is it a person? Is it a personification of God's
speech? It is thought in Ancient Near Eastern Cultures that words were not only
sounds or groups of letters forming words but words actually had independent
existence and accomplished the tasks for which they were sent. Does that bring a
verse to mind? Isa 55:11 indicates God's word that goes from His mouth will
accomplish its purpose. It implies it goes forth and actually performs an outworking of
what was spoken.
We talk about the power of words in our modern culture as one motivational speaker
says “whether within our own thoughts, spoken or written, words have the power to
transform the world we live in. Love, laughter, heroism, friendship, and virtually every
emotion we feel as human beings can be inspired by words. Unfortunately, fear,
anger, and hatred, can also be invoked by words”. Proverbs 18:21 indicates that the
power of life and death are in the tongue. Our words can hurt and cut or can uplift and
give joy. As Judaism considered the words of God to have power and substance once
spoken thus the utterance of God carried out the action and the action of God's heart,
or the words He spoke from His heart was “Messiah”--the anointed which describes
an appointment or function. The appointment or destiny of Jesus was to be the
Christ—the anointed one—the one who received an appointment from God to be the
sacrifice for all creation—the Savior of the World.
Is there a relationship between the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-30 and
the Word in John 1:1-18? Proverbs indicates Wisdom was with God from the
beginning and long before creation. Proverbs states “Then I (Wisdom) was by Him
(God) as one brought up with Him and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before
Him...” It seems that what early Judaism says of Wisdom John and Paul say of the
Word. It is interesting to note the Jewish philosopher Philo who was a contemporary of
Jesus and the author of several historical works considers wisdom which he also
refers to as the logos the “eikon” or image of God. It is interesting to note there are
three instances where the phrase “image of God” is used in the Bible and in two of
those instances if refers to man (Gen 1:27, 9:6) and the third is found in 2 Corinthians
4:4 and refers to Christ. Philo goes on to describe Wisdom as bringing forth the
universe and describes Wisdom as God's son. Matthew 12:42 says "The queen of the
South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than
Solomon is here” (1 Kgs 10:1). Why did Jesus compare Himself to the wisdom of
Solomon? Is He saying that now Wisdom has come in person?
Compare the speaker in the passages of Matthew 23:34-36 with Luke 11:49.
Matthew 23:34-36
34 "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you
will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and
persecute from city to city,
35 "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar.
36 "Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Luke 11:49-51
49 "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,
and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
50 "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world
may be required of this generation,
51 "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar
and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking and in the account in Luke he identifies the
speaker as “the Wisdom of God”. Several books of the wisdom literature (the Wisdom
of Solomon, Book of Enoch, and Proverbs) parallel John's prologue in linking Wisdom
and the Word. For example, John 1:1 states that “in the beginning was the word and
the word was with God” while the Wisdom of Solomon (9:9) states “with you (God) is
wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world”. John 1:4
states “in him was life and this life was the light of men” while Proverbs 8:35 says “for
whoever finds wisdom finds life”. Paul carries on the correlation in 1 Cor 1:24 and 30
by stating that Christ is the power and wisdom of God.
John 1:1 details God had a plan that was birthed in the heart of God and was itself
God – that is the plan was from who God is and not in the sense separate from God.
This plan was the very expression of God's will reflecting God's being and imaging the
heart of God. The Word was God means the word was fully expressive in the mind of
God indicating ownership—an original idea or plan.
Bishop D. E. Paulk says the Logos of God took on flesh in the fulness of time and at
the appropriate time so that we could see in time what has taken place in past ages.
Jesus the son of God becomes the Logos of God equipping him to carry out his title
of “the Christ” the anointed one which integrally carries with it a purpose such as an
appointment or function. Christ (the One anointed for purpose, who is Jesus full of
Grace and Truth) became the sacrifice for all men for in times past the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world occurred before the man Jesus who now in his life
exemplifies the Christ of God was placed on the cross of Calvary in time (Col 1:15-22,
Rev 13:8). Was it Jesus who existed from the beginning or the Christ in the heart of
God—the redeeming power and love of God manifested to man? 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
says the Rock in the Old Testament wilderness was Christ (not Jesus) as this
occurred over 1400 years before the birth of Jesus. Another instance is the fourth man
in the furnace in Daniel 3:24-25. Newer translations say Nebuchadnezzar exclaims the
fourth man is like the son of God but older manuscripts translate it “like a son of the
gods”. Christ has always been present even before Jesus was born noting the Old
Testament appearances were not Jesus but Christ who demonstrates the image of the
heart to God.
The DaySpring Bible by Grady Brown expresses John's prologue this way. Verses 1-
4: “In the very beginning there existed the active reason pervading the universe and
animating it. God and this rational structure were together and what God was that is
what this animated principle was also. From the very beginning this principle which is
always present was together with God. All things came into being through this
principle of order and knowledge and apart from this principle nothing existed.
Everything that has come into being received its life from this principle and that life
became the light of humankind. (Verse 14) Now this animated principle appeared in
human form and took up residence among us and we saw his glory, the glory of the
one and only offspring of the Father—full of grace and truth.” Look closely at his
variations used to express the KJV phrase “the Word of God”.
The prologue essentially states that there was the divine plan of action in God and
because it was in Him it was Him and part of Him. This plan was birthed in the heart
and mind of God and was His own self expression of His purpose. Just as all things
came into being in this manner so will all things come into being in the future through
this divine plan that God gives life to. This prologue does not say that a man somehow
became God but it does say that God's eternal Word became a man or more correctly
the “Logos or power of God was manifested in a man and was exercised through him,
it resided in him” (A Translation of the Gospels by Andrew Norton, 1855). In other
words, the phrase “the word became flesh” does not necessarily convey that God stuff
mingled with human stuff but the essence of God was placed in the man similar to our
current understanding of Christ in us. Put plainly this word or purpose of God was put
into flesh or was realized in human form and became as one of us. The living
expression of God's heartfelt purpose and great desire for mankind was Jesus Christ,
the human person supernaturally conceived by God thereby being the Son of God.
Jesus is the expression of the wisdom and heart of God, the hidden wisdom that God
ordained before the world (1 Cor 2:7) becoming the Logos of God thereby fulfilling the
Christ calling of God.
Tertullian said God has not always been the Father because He could not have been
the Father previous to the Son. In other words, there was no Son of God until the
Messiah but the Word or Plan or Design that was in God's heart was before Jesus'
birth. This plan was the whole intention of God for creation and mankind. The was
God's wisdom in the early writings and was the forth man and possibly the early
manifestations of Christ before the birth of Jesus. Based on this understanding that
Jesus is truly a human being, a status which cannot be claimed for him if he existed
before Genesis. Jesus was the personalization of the character of God expressed as
grace and truth (John 1:17) who fully demonstrated the Christ of God.
REVEALING THE CHRIST
What is the Word of God? Is it another religiously used phrase referring to the Bible?
The prologue in John does not support the Bible as the
Word of God but gives us an awesome portrait of the
real Word of God—and it is not a book but a message
from God about God, a divine image of the heart of
God given to us and revealed in His son—the bearer of the full expression of God.
Even though Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, he was destined to be the
savior of the world by becoming the Christ (Messiah) as God ordained. The spirit that
resided and matured in Jesus resides in us. Eph 4:13 indicates the image of a perfect
man is one who stands mature in the fulness of the Christ spirit. It was this fullness of
God as His Christ that dwelt in Jesus (Col 1:19). The Expanded New Testament
words John's prologue like this: “In the beginning there was the Word and the Word
already existed as the Word” refers to Christ which is God's revelation of Himself. This
Word was with God or in the presence of God as an intimate relationship with the
Father and this Word was fully God. The Word, God's revelation of Himself became a
human and dwelt among us. The KJV and many others say in Colossians 2:9 that the
fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ—what is the Godhead? Older translations
indicate this verse means that everything that God is—is expressed in Jesus. Other
expressions say all the essence of the deity or all of God lives in Christ fully.
As Jesus grew in the knowledge of His Father, becoming the full expression of God
and demonstrating the plan of God for mankind; God tells us He is the firstborn of
many brethren meaning there are others like him. As Jesus became more aware of the
Christ spirit within, as the Logos of God became more and more developed he was
still a man who wept, got angry, expressed anxiety, and who loved. Only as a human
like his brethren—like us could he be the blueprint for the universal embodiment of
Christ. What is the point? Is it simply to do good, die, and then go to heaven or is there
more? What about each man demonstrating Christ, developing the full Logos, the full
plan of God for all men—then we realize we are all connected spiritually, with all life
and with the Life Giver.
CHRIST FORMED IN YOU
Colossians 1:27 speaks of Christ in us—the hope of glory. What does that mean?
Other translations indicate this is a living presence of the Christ, an active revealing of
God's plans and purpose, a revealing of the heart, expression, and character of God
for creation and that character and expression of God is Love. 1 John 4:17 says that
Love has been perfected among us in the Word becoming a man, an image of God for
man so creation can see God. It is Romans 8:19 that indicates the anticipation of
creation awaiting the full demonstration of Christ in you—the hope of glory and as this
verse indicates it is this demonstration of the glory of the children of God that is so
anticipated. Paul, in Galatians 4:19 refers to Christ being formed in his listeners. Rom
13:14 says put on Jesus Christ while Eph 4:24 says to put on the new man which was
created according to God. What is the potential of Christ being formed in us? Could it
be the new man is not a new us—but Christ being Christ in us?
When Jesus states in John 14:6 that no one comes to the Father except through Him
was he talking about the historical, physical person of Jesus or the eternal principle of
Christ that He became? Religion has made this verse to be an exclusive statement
indicating it is Jesus or no way. But this verse is not about a person but the message
of the person. St Frances of Assisi said 'Preach the Gospel at all times and when
necessary use words”. The Gospel or Good News is the message revealing the Christ
who shows us how to reconnect to our Father—and it shows us as our Elder Brother
in the sense of I did it now follow me to our Father's house.
What about Acts 4:12 which states there is no other name given among men whereby
men must be saved? Is it Jesus or Christ? Matt 16:13-18 Jesus asks Peter who he is.
Remember, Peter already knew Jesus because they had eaten together and walked
together but his response was not “Oh, your just Jesus.” Peter said you are the Christ.
Peter knew the flesh and blood Jesus but he just recognized the Christ who Jesus
became.
Acts 4:12 is not to show the exclusivity of Christianity but the work God did through
the one, His Son. God wrapped up the work of redemption for all men in Jesus the
Christ. This verse is not saying that every pair of lips must utter the name Jesus to be
saved, but conversely, because God put the surety of redemption in Jesus the Christ
then all men will be saved. It is religion that takes this name and belittles it to certain
rules and dogmas in an attempt to effect man's salvation for a few—those who utter
the name Jesus. The phrase “given among men” carries a heavier weight than
indicated in the NKJV. The NKJV implies the name is simply provided as an only
means of salvation but the meaning is stronger even than that as captured in the
translation by Kleist and Lilly which says the name has been appointed among men as
the necessary means for salvation. It was God who appointed Jesus Christ of
Nazareth (Acts 4:10) who being the Christ of God as the means of salvation for all
men. It is more than a need to utter it from the lips; it is an accomplished fact for all
men.
The Gospel is not simply saying the sinners prayer and escape hell. Jesus did not
teach us to pray may we go to heaven where you will is done unlike earth, but He told
us to pray to our Father for His kingdom to come so just as it is in heaven it can be on
earth. It seems this message is not believed as most churches are looking for an
escape from here to heaven. What is the message of the Gospel? We have made it
the message about Christ rather than the message of the Christ. If you consider what
is heard in 99% of pulpits on Sunday morning and try to find that message coming
from Jesus it is somewhat hard to do. Did Jesus preach His cross or His Father's
kingdom? The purpose of the cross was to allow all men access to the Kingdom of
God which is the message of the Gospel for all mankind.
In the message of the Kingdom of God is the love of a Father for all men. It is as if
God, aware that mankind would not correctly see the heart of God, had to send a
representative to man, made like man, so man could be reached. In this kingdom
message is a message of love from the Creator of heaven and earth. God linked the
destiny of creation in His Son and the destiny of His son in us. Said another way,
Jesus the Christ so intertwined His destiny with ours that His own hung in the balance.
He became so deeply connected with us on His cross that His success in making us
Righteous became equally necessary for His own future. Romans 4:25 says “who
was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification”. Our penalty of death (not our sins) resulted in His death and our
declaration of Righteousness and being free from death resulted in His resurrection.
This verse clearly ties us with our Redeemer in that He was as us and in becoming
the Christ, in fulfilling the plan of God, His death fulfilled our death requirement and
our liberation of being declared no longer guilty was the impetus or force that brought
His resurrection. The message of the Gospel is a message of Freedom.
Jesus was not nor has ever been the founder of any religion for all religions are man
made coming directly from the mind of man as a means to approach the divine in what
every way you may know Him. Jesus Christ came to announce a new way of life and
good news that promised hope and life to all people regardless of religion. The
kingdom message Jesus delivered was a message with room for many ways to God in
it as His name was the only name appointed by God that included every man from all
diversities and without limits. How is this possible? Scriptures declare more than once
that we were crucified with Him (2 Tim 2:11, Gal 2:20, Rom 6) fully proving He is the
One that all men were gather into as God worked redemption. The Ephesians
passage below clearly details what happened when God placed us in the One.
Ephesians 1:7-14
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good
pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in
Him.
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to
the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, to the praise of His glory.
Oswald Chambers says “a child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is
the will of God”. That is a perfect picture of Christ awareness and letting go of self.
Chambers goes on to say "Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He
will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute.
John G Lake said, in his message Christ Liveth in Me, “Do not imprison Christ in you.
Let Him live. Let Him manifest. Let Him vent through you.” As the Christ empowered
Jesus to fulfill his purpose so Christ in us is to fulfill ours. Mankind is being roused to
an awareness of the power of the Christ within them through various means but all of
God. Each person has a purpose and it is the desire of God that we accomplish that
purpose. I believe this awareness is being brought to light as mankind is searching
and seeking God and sometimes not finding Him to be the God of religion and tradition
but a Father and one who loves completely. In is in this perception of God that an
awareness of the anointing is brought to light in His creation. It is when this perception
becomes real in us and when we as Chambers suggests obtain our completeness in
the Christ and begin to have our Father's heart for creation that mankind will see the
goodness of God and desire Him.
36 "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through
Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--
37 "that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.
It was Jesus, the Son, born of Mary, a man (Acts 2:22, Heb 2:10-14, Heb 4:15) who
was anointed by God with Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be anointed? It basically
means to rub into and smear all over and this is what God did to Jesus His Son; He
rubbed into and smeared all over His essence, His nature, His heart. All of who God is
was placed in Jesus for all men to see. The Word became flesh or the heart, the
thoughts, the purpose, and the motive of God became flesh. When did the Word of
God become flesh, was it at the conception of Jesus when God overshadowed Mary,
or at the manger when Jesus was born from the womb of flesh, or perhaps at his
baptism when God told Jesus He was well pleased with him, or was it a progression, a
growing into His destiny?
THE JESUS PROGRESSION
Matt 15:21-24
21 ¶ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and
Sidon.
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him,
saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely
demon-possessed."
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him,
saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel."
What? As Jesus the Son of God, not God the Son, he had to learn how to be a son.
He also had to learn His Father's purpose. Here it was narrowed and very exclusive
position He took to include only the “lost sheep of Israel.” He, later in this chapter,
refers to her and her ethnicity as dogs which was a racial slur for that time period and
culture implying that she was not worthy to hear the truths reserved for the Jewish
people. But the woman does not give up. She persists and jolts Jesus out of his
cultural comfort zone and touches the heart of God in him—she awakens the Christ
spirit in him.
Now to a Samaritan woman at a well.
John 4:7-10
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask
a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with
Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is
who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would
have given you living water."
Here is her perception after their conversation.
29 "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the
Christ?"
Now, here is truth.
42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you
said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the
Christ, the Savior of the world."
As Jesus progresses in knowledge of who he is becoming and the purpose of His
Father, he comes to realize he is more than the savior of the lost sheep of Israel he is
the savior of the Word – the Christ of God. Notice how his language changes. He
astounds those in the synagogue when he was twelve to his limited purpose for those
of his “household” to become the savior of the world. The truth however was he was
always God's universal Messiah but it was not truth to Him—His mind and heart yet.
THE LOGOS OF GOD
John 1:1-18
1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him
might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did
not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said,
‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’"
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has declared Him.
What is the Word in John chapter one? Is it a person? Is it a personification of God's
speech? It is thought in Ancient Near Eastern Cultures that words were not only
sounds or groups of letters forming words but words actually had independent
existence and accomplished the tasks for which they were sent. Does that bring a
verse to mind? Isa 55:11 indicates God's word that goes from His mouth will
accomplish its purpose. It implies it goes forth and actually performs an outworking of
what was spoken.
We talk about the power of words in our modern culture as one motivational speaker
says “whether within our own thoughts, spoken or written, words have the power to
transform the world we live in. Love, laughter, heroism, friendship, and virtually every
emotion we feel as human beings can be inspired by words. Unfortunately, fear,
anger, and hatred, can also be invoked by words”. Proverbs 18:21 indicates that the
power of life and death are in the tongue. Our words can hurt and cut or can uplift and
give joy. As Judaism considered the words of God to have power and substance once
spoken thus the utterance of God carried out the action and the action of God's heart,
or the words He spoke from His heart was “Messiah”--the anointed which describes
an appointment or function. The appointment or destiny of Jesus was to be the
Christ—the anointed one—the one who received an appointment from God to be the
sacrifice for all creation—the Savior of the World.
Is there a relationship between the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-30 and
the Word in John 1:1-18? Proverbs indicates Wisdom was with God from the
beginning and long before creation. Proverbs states “Then I (Wisdom) was by Him
(God) as one brought up with Him and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before
Him...” It seems that what early Judaism says of Wisdom John and Paul say of the
Word. It is interesting to note the Jewish philosopher Philo who was a contemporary of
Jesus and the author of several historical works considers wisdom which he also
refers to as the logos the “eikon” or image of God. It is interesting to note there are
three instances where the phrase “image of God” is used in the Bible and in two of
those instances if refers to man (Gen 1:27, 9:6) and the third is found in 2 Corinthians
4:4 and refers to Christ. Philo goes on to describe Wisdom as bringing forth the
universe and describes Wisdom as God's son. Matthew 12:42 says "The queen of the
South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than
Solomon is here” (1 Kgs 10:1). Why did Jesus compare Himself to the wisdom of
Solomon? Is He saying that now Wisdom has come in person?
Compare the speaker in the passages of Matthew 23:34-36 with Luke 11:49.
Matthew 23:34-36
34 "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you
will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and
persecute from city to city,
35 "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar.
36 "Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Luke 11:49-51
49 "Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,
and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
50 "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world
may be required of this generation,
51 "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar
and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking and in the account in Luke he identifies the
speaker as “the Wisdom of God”. Several books of the wisdom literature (the Wisdom
of Solomon, Book of Enoch, and Proverbs) parallel John's prologue in linking Wisdom
and the Word. For example, John 1:1 states that “in the beginning was the word and
the word was with God” while the Wisdom of Solomon (9:9) states “with you (God) is
wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world”. John 1:4
states “in him was life and this life was the light of men” while Proverbs 8:35 says “for
whoever finds wisdom finds life”. Paul carries on the correlation in 1 Cor 1:24 and 30
by stating that Christ is the power and wisdom of God.
John 1:1 details God had a plan that was birthed in the heart of God and was itself
God – that is the plan was from who God is and not in the sense separate from God.
This plan was the very expression of God's will reflecting God's being and imaging the
heart of God. The Word was God means the word was fully expressive in the mind of
God indicating ownership—an original idea or plan.
Bishop D. E. Paulk says the Logos of God took on flesh in the fulness of time and at
the appropriate time so that we could see in time what has taken place in past ages.
Jesus the son of God becomes the Logos of God equipping him to carry out his title
of “the Christ” the anointed one which integrally carries with it a purpose such as an
appointment or function. Christ (the One anointed for purpose, who is Jesus full of
Grace and Truth) became the sacrifice for all men for in times past the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world occurred before the man Jesus who now in his life
exemplifies the Christ of God was placed on the cross of Calvary in time (Col 1:15-22,
Rev 13:8). Was it Jesus who existed from the beginning or the Christ in the heart of
God—the redeeming power and love of God manifested to man? 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
says the Rock in the Old Testament wilderness was Christ (not Jesus) as this
occurred over 1400 years before the birth of Jesus. Another instance is the fourth man
in the furnace in Daniel 3:24-25. Newer translations say Nebuchadnezzar exclaims the
fourth man is like the son of God but older manuscripts translate it “like a son of the
gods”. Christ has always been present even before Jesus was born noting the Old
Testament appearances were not Jesus but Christ who demonstrates the image of the
heart to God.
The DaySpring Bible by Grady Brown expresses John's prologue this way. Verses 1-
4: “In the very beginning there existed the active reason pervading the universe and
animating it. God and this rational structure were together and what God was that is
what this animated principle was also. From the very beginning this principle which is
always present was together with God. All things came into being through this
principle of order and knowledge and apart from this principle nothing existed.
Everything that has come into being received its life from this principle and that life
became the light of humankind. (Verse 14) Now this animated principle appeared in
human form and took up residence among us and we saw his glory, the glory of the
one and only offspring of the Father—full of grace and truth.” Look closely at his
variations used to express the KJV phrase “the Word of God”.
The prologue essentially states that there was the divine plan of action in God and
because it was in Him it was Him and part of Him. This plan was birthed in the heart
and mind of God and was His own self expression of His purpose. Just as all things
came into being in this manner so will all things come into being in the future through
this divine plan that God gives life to. This prologue does not say that a man somehow
became God but it does say that God's eternal Word became a man or more correctly
the “Logos or power of God was manifested in a man and was exercised through him,
it resided in him” (A Translation of the Gospels by Andrew Norton, 1855). In other
words, the phrase “the word became flesh” does not necessarily convey that God stuff
mingled with human stuff but the essence of God was placed in the man similar to our
current understanding of Christ in us. Put plainly this word or purpose of God was put
into flesh or was realized in human form and became as one of us. The living
expression of God's heartfelt purpose and great desire for mankind was Jesus Christ,
the human person supernaturally conceived by God thereby being the Son of God.
Jesus is the expression of the wisdom and heart of God, the hidden wisdom that God
ordained before the world (1 Cor 2:7) becoming the Logos of God thereby fulfilling the
Christ calling of God.
Tertullian said God has not always been the Father because He could not have been
the Father previous to the Son. In other words, there was no Son of God until the
Messiah but the Word or Plan or Design that was in God's heart was before Jesus'
birth. This plan was the whole intention of God for creation and mankind. The was
God's wisdom in the early writings and was the forth man and possibly the early
manifestations of Christ before the birth of Jesus. Based on this understanding that
Jesus is truly a human being, a status which cannot be claimed for him if he existed
before Genesis. Jesus was the personalization of the character of God expressed as
grace and truth (John 1:17) who fully demonstrated the Christ of God.
REVEALING THE CHRIST
What is the Word of God? Is it another religiously used phrase referring to the Bible?
The prologue in John does not support the Bible as the
Word of God but gives us an awesome portrait of the
real Word of God—and it is not a book but a message
from God about God, a divine image of the heart of
God given to us and revealed in His son—the bearer of the full expression of God.
Even though Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, he was destined to be the
savior of the world by becoming the Christ (Messiah) as God ordained. The spirit that
resided and matured in Jesus resides in us. Eph 4:13 indicates the image of a perfect
man is one who stands mature in the fulness of the Christ spirit. It was this fullness of
God as His Christ that dwelt in Jesus (Col 1:19). The Expanded New Testament
words John's prologue like this: “In the beginning there was the Word and the Word
already existed as the Word” refers to Christ which is God's revelation of Himself. This
Word was with God or in the presence of God as an intimate relationship with the
Father and this Word was fully God. The Word, God's revelation of Himself became a
human and dwelt among us. The KJV and many others say in Colossians 2:9 that the
fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ—what is the Godhead? Older translations
indicate this verse means that everything that God is—is expressed in Jesus. Other
expressions say all the essence of the deity or all of God lives in Christ fully.
As Jesus grew in the knowledge of His Father, becoming the full expression of God
and demonstrating the plan of God for mankind; God tells us He is the firstborn of
many brethren meaning there are others like him. As Jesus became more aware of the
Christ spirit within, as the Logos of God became more and more developed he was
still a man who wept, got angry, expressed anxiety, and who loved. Only as a human
like his brethren—like us could he be the blueprint for the universal embodiment of
Christ. What is the point? Is it simply to do good, die, and then go to heaven or is there
more? What about each man demonstrating Christ, developing the full Logos, the full
plan of God for all men—then we realize we are all connected spiritually, with all life
and with the Life Giver.
CHRIST FORMED IN YOU
Colossians 1:27 speaks of Christ in us—the hope of glory. What does that mean?
Other translations indicate this is a living presence of the Christ, an active revealing of
God's plans and purpose, a revealing of the heart, expression, and character of God
for creation and that character and expression of God is Love. 1 John 4:17 says that
Love has been perfected among us in the Word becoming a man, an image of God for
man so creation can see God. It is Romans 8:19 that indicates the anticipation of
creation awaiting the full demonstration of Christ in you—the hope of glory and as this
verse indicates it is this demonstration of the glory of the children of God that is so
anticipated. Paul, in Galatians 4:19 refers to Christ being formed in his listeners. Rom
13:14 says put on Jesus Christ while Eph 4:24 says to put on the new man which was
created according to God. What is the potential of Christ being formed in us? Could it
be the new man is not a new us—but Christ being Christ in us?
When Jesus states in John 14:6 that no one comes to the Father except through Him
was he talking about the historical, physical person of Jesus or the eternal principle of
Christ that He became? Religion has made this verse to be an exclusive statement
indicating it is Jesus or no way. But this verse is not about a person but the message
of the person. St Frances of Assisi said 'Preach the Gospel at all times and when
necessary use words”. The Gospel or Good News is the message revealing the Christ
who shows us how to reconnect to our Father—and it shows us as our Elder Brother
in the sense of I did it now follow me to our Father's house.
What about Acts 4:12 which states there is no other name given among men whereby
men must be saved? Is it Jesus or Christ? Matt 16:13-18 Jesus asks Peter who he is.
Remember, Peter already knew Jesus because they had eaten together and walked
together but his response was not “Oh, your just Jesus.” Peter said you are the Christ.
Peter knew the flesh and blood Jesus but he just recognized the Christ who Jesus
became.
Acts 4:12 is not to show the exclusivity of Christianity but the work God did through
the one, His Son. God wrapped up the work of redemption for all men in Jesus the
Christ. This verse is not saying that every pair of lips must utter the name Jesus to be
saved, but conversely, because God put the surety of redemption in Jesus the Christ
then all men will be saved. It is religion that takes this name and belittles it to certain
rules and dogmas in an attempt to effect man's salvation for a few—those who utter
the name Jesus. The phrase “given among men” carries a heavier weight than
indicated in the NKJV. The NKJV implies the name is simply provided as an only
means of salvation but the meaning is stronger even than that as captured in the
translation by Kleist and Lilly which says the name has been appointed among men as
the necessary means for salvation. It was God who appointed Jesus Christ of
Nazareth (Acts 4:10) who being the Christ of God as the means of salvation for all
men. It is more than a need to utter it from the lips; it is an accomplished fact for all
men.
The Gospel is not simply saying the sinners prayer and escape hell. Jesus did not
teach us to pray may we go to heaven where you will is done unlike earth, but He told
us to pray to our Father for His kingdom to come so just as it is in heaven it can be on
earth. It seems this message is not believed as most churches are looking for an
escape from here to heaven. What is the message of the Gospel? We have made it
the message about Christ rather than the message of the Christ. If you consider what
is heard in 99% of pulpits on Sunday morning and try to find that message coming
from Jesus it is somewhat hard to do. Did Jesus preach His cross or His Father's
kingdom? The purpose of the cross was to allow all men access to the Kingdom of
God which is the message of the Gospel for all mankind.
In the message of the Kingdom of God is the love of a Father for all men. It is as if
God, aware that mankind would not correctly see the heart of God, had to send a
representative to man, made like man, so man could be reached. In this kingdom
message is a message of love from the Creator of heaven and earth. God linked the
destiny of creation in His Son and the destiny of His son in us. Said another way,
Jesus the Christ so intertwined His destiny with ours that His own hung in the balance.
He became so deeply connected with us on His cross that His success in making us
Righteous became equally necessary for His own future. Romans 4:25 says “who
was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification”. Our penalty of death (not our sins) resulted in His death and our
declaration of Righteousness and being free from death resulted in His resurrection.
This verse clearly ties us with our Redeemer in that He was as us and in becoming
the Christ, in fulfilling the plan of God, His death fulfilled our death requirement and
our liberation of being declared no longer guilty was the impetus or force that brought
His resurrection. The message of the Gospel is a message of Freedom.
Jesus was not nor has ever been the founder of any religion for all religions are man
made coming directly from the mind of man as a means to approach the divine in what
every way you may know Him. Jesus Christ came to announce a new way of life and
good news that promised hope and life to all people regardless of religion. The
kingdom message Jesus delivered was a message with room for many ways to God in
it as His name was the only name appointed by God that included every man from all
diversities and without limits. How is this possible? Scriptures declare more than once
that we were crucified with Him (2 Tim 2:11, Gal 2:20, Rom 6) fully proving He is the
One that all men were gather into as God worked redemption. The Ephesians
passage below clearly details what happened when God placed us in the One.
Ephesians 1:7-14
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good
pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in
Him.
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to
the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, to the praise of His glory.
Oswald Chambers says “a child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is
the will of God”. That is a perfect picture of Christ awareness and letting go of self.
Chambers goes on to say "Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He
will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute.
John G Lake said, in his message Christ Liveth in Me, “Do not imprison Christ in you.
Let Him live. Let Him manifest. Let Him vent through you.” As the Christ empowered
Jesus to fulfill his purpose so Christ in us is to fulfill ours. Mankind is being roused to
an awareness of the power of the Christ within them through various means but all of
God. Each person has a purpose and it is the desire of God that we accomplish that
purpose. I believe this awareness is being brought to light as mankind is searching
and seeking God and sometimes not finding Him to be the God of religion and tradition
but a Father and one who loves completely. In is in this perception of God that an
awareness of the anointing is brought to light in His creation. It is when this perception
becomes real in us and when we as Chambers suggests obtain our completeness in
the Christ and begin to have our Father's heart for creation that mankind will see the
goodness of God and desire Him.
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