Anytime you want to figure out how to do anything you want to today you can usually find a walk through on the internet for it, from building furniture to fixing your car or tractor or getting through a tough part of a video game. How do we start to explain our doctrine, our knowledge of the Bible? How do we find out if God is calling someone? I think it’s pretty simple. The old adage “gotta start somewhere” is useful. I believe we have to start at the beginning. The most basic concept of the Bible is that you have to know who is who and what are they saying. With any story if you are confused on who the characters are the story falls apart. You can’t follow what is going on if you don’t understand who is doing 'what'. This is an example that in context it means speaker or as I read when putting this together, the Divine Expression. So first verse in the beginning where else do we see that? Genesis, of course.
Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Now if we skip down to verse 26 we get the kicker. This seals the concept beyond any doubt.
Ge 1:26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Us who is this us? Who said us and who is the other one? Simple, second verse in John says:
John 1:2-3 NKJV 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Who is He? Well we just read in the first verse of John the word was with God in the beginning. OK lets add to our point or reinforce it. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. OK bingo. All things were made through the word so in Genesis the “Word” is the one that said let there be light. He also said let us make man in our image. We have established who the 'Word' is. The word was spoken of by John and the Word was the one who said, Let us make man in our image. Why because the Word speaks for God, right?
WHO WAS THE GOD THAT SPOKE TO MEN DURING THE OLD TESTAMENT PERIOD ?
Wait, how do we know that God doesn’t speak for himself sometimes? He spoke to all those people in the Old Testament. Like: Adam, Abraham, Moses and Job just to name a few, right? That was the mean old God right? And what about Jacob he wrestled with God. The God we know of as the Father.
JOHN 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 5:37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
So wait, it wasn’t God? Christ himself said it wasn’t God. If anyone would know it would be him. Right? OK then it was this Word person the word is the spokesman of God the Father and He must be the one that spoke to all those people in the Old Testament. So who or what is the Word?
Rev 19:11 ¶ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God...15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
I know the God of the Old Testament gave us his name. He told Moses when he asked for what to tell the people what His Name was:
Ex 3:13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.
That’s pretty solid right? “This is my name forever”. No questioning that, OK lets follow that to what Christ told the scribes and Pharisees.
John 8:54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
And immediately they tried to kill him. Why? Because he was telling them he was the God of the Old Testament. Their God! Lets add to what we just established.
Ge 5:22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
So if no one has seen God who did Enoch walk with? Christ of course!
John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
GOD THE FATHER ONLY WORKED THRU JESUS
God said in John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. So in this Jesus was life and the light of men. Verse 5-8 say and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. OK now we are getting somewhere God sent the light AKA Christ, God’s spokesman and John the Baptist knew who he was and bear witness to him.
Mt 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire... "14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.17 ...a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John responds to the Pharisees and they asked him, saying,"Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. "It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
John 1:9-11 NKJV 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.
So we would ask them who said let there be light? Christ must have said it! Who spoke to Moses? Christ! Who sent the she bears to kill those evil children? Christ! OK we now get more conformation that the light or Word or spokesman Christ, took part in creating the world. OK who are the “OWN” obviously the remaining tribes of Israel. Primarily the leadership of Judah.
John 1:12 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. Rom 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
John 3:1 ¶ ...the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
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. The spokesman became flesh.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is our basic, easy to understand doctrine. Without this knowledge it is impossible to understand the Bible or God’s plan for us. I say easy but it’s only because of God’s calling that we are able to understand it. Without that calling it’s confusing. You mean everything I’ve heard or have been taught is wrong? How can that be? Who are you to tell me Christ is the God of the Old Testament? Well I have been called by God. Oh really who do you think you are? Someone special? You don’t look very special to me. Just another person. You’re not wearing white robes or have a funny hat or a Sunday morning TV show with a white suit or a crazy big smile. You see how we are seen by the rest of the world? You can imagine how we will be accepted, after this whole mess that we are watching in the news plays out. It is the truth on which the entire plan of God the Father is based. Christ is the key to everything and to us it’s as plain as the nose on our faces but to the world is a mystery. The Word is coming back to save the planet!
