DRAWING NEAR
December 14
Christ's Superior Nature
"Of the angels He says, 'Who makes His angels winds, and His
ministers a flame of fire.' But of the Son He says, 'Thy throne,
O God, is forever and ever'" (Heb. 1:7-8).
Jesus Christ is God, and He created the angels.
People today who claim that Jesus was just a man, an angel, a
prophet, or some inferior god are in error and bring upon themselves
the curse of God. The Bible, and especially the writer of Hebrews,
are clear about who Christ is.
First, the writer deals with the nature of angels when he says, "Who
makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire." "Makes"
simply means "to create." The antecedent of "who" is Christ.
Therefore it is obvious that Christ created the angels.
They are also His possession: "His angels." They are His created
servants, who do not operate on their own initiative, but on the
direction of Christ.
But the greatest difference between the nature of angels and Christ
is that He is the eternal God. The Father says to the Son, "Thy
throne, O God, is forever and ever." That is one of the most
powerful, clear, emphatic, and irrefutable proofs of the deity of
Christ in Scripture.
Jesus throughout His ministry claimed equality with God. He said, "I
and the Father are one" (John 10:30). The apostle John closed his
first epistle by saying, "We know that the Son of God has come, and
has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is
true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20).
God the Son came to help us understand that God is truth and that
Christ Himself is the true God. Our faith is based on the deity of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Ask God to give you a greater understanding of the reality that Jesus
is in fact God.
For Further Study:
Read John 1:1-18 and mark the verses that define Christ's
relationship to God. If an unbeliever were to ask you what that
passage means, how would you answer him or her?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
John 1:1-18 (NKJV)
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.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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