I Believe In Jesus Christ

The Second Article.

Of Redemption.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

What does this mean?--Answer.

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won [delivered] me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be [wholly] His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php

 

As, together, we affirm the second article during worship, we affirm not just that we believe that Jesus was a living breathing man who lived on earth some 2000 years ago; but, that with his precious and innocent blood we have been redeemed. We, who were lost and condemned, have been purchased by His blood; that we might live life in His presence, in His kingdom, for all eternity. Not with silver or gold, not with the works of our hands; but, by His death, we have been saved from eternal death. That is what we believe.

 

That is how much our God loves and cares for us. He was willing to come to earth and live as we live. He was willing to suffer and die that we might also live as He lives: eternally in the Kingdom of God.

 

It would behoove us to not just affirm this every Sunday at worship; but, every morning when we rise lest we forget what our Lord has done for us and turn to other gods. To Him be all honor and glory.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 John 4:1-6 From God

1 John 4:1-6
God has sent His children into the world to proclaim Jesus the Christ who has come in the flesh. Those who would listen to the good news of Jesus Christ are also from God. But, those who do not listen and spread false rumors are not from God. Do not share in their lies.

Our reading today instantly made me think of that History Channel, that is more like the Science Fiction Channel. I've seen more junk on that channel; things like trying to disprove the virgin birth and that Jesus was an alien and that earth was populated because beings from other planets came and started a whole colony of people with their DNA. Some of the stuff seen on that channel has no basis in either faith or science. It is all conjecture aimed at proving that the Holy Scriptures are false. Have nothing to do with these lies.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (vs 1)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 1 - He Has Come!

     "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)." (Matt 1:22-23 NIV)
     Finally... out of the prophets and into the fulfillment of them. We begin the New Testament today with the fulfillment of the promise that a Savior would come. God, Himself, would come to us, of the lineage of Abraham and David; He would come to us as any man comes into the world, born of a woman, through a natural childbirth.
     "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isa 7:14)
      But, I repeat myself... Of course to make a point. In spite of all the warnings to those who break God's law in the preceding books, that are found in the Old Testament, there was grace. The promise was there that a Savior would come for God's people. As witnessed by those who walked the earth when Jesus walked the earth; He has come!
     My granddaughter is home schooled. A few years ago, I sat listening in on one of her online (public school) history classes, in spite of her objections to me being there. The instructor was giving the class definitions for C.E. (common era); B.C.E. (before common era); A.D. (Anno Domini - The year of our Lord) and B.C. (before Christ); She looked at me and said "you mean Jesus is real?" I replied, "Are you serious? All this time, did you think I was just telling you fairy tales? Yes, he really was real."
     This history class was a very good thing. Without purposing to do it; this class verified, for my granddaughter, the reality of Jesus' life and death. We hear Matthew doing the same thing today in our reading; he begins his writings using a bit of the history of Jesus' ancestors to verify that Jesus is not just the Son of God; but, the Son of Man, as well. He really is real! Matthew uses history to remind us that a Savior, from the lineage of Abraham and David, would come. He has come!

God's Peace - Pr. J