I am taking a class at
IHOPU called "
Christology II" instructed by Stephen Venable. Last spring, I led worship for his class "
Mystical Life of Communion" and it was amazing. I think it should be required for everyone at IHOP. The first week of this class focused exclusively on establishing the Divinity of Jesus through the Scripture, the second week focuses on His Humanity. My next few blog posts, which are currently in the works, will focus on some of the meditations that this class is stirring up including the Divinity of Jesus, the Incarnation, and the Humanity of Jesus.
Jesus is God
Many Christians don't worry too much about the Theology of Christ, they say things like, "I just want to love Jesus" implying that they don't want to worry about all that "other stuff" While I am definitely a proponent for the simplicity of devotion to the Lord, we have an obligation to know as much as we can about this One that we say we love, and ensure that our "love" is directed to Jesus, and not a false conception of who He is. We must come to Him on His terms as revealed by the Scriptures.
In light of the coming crisis, be it the actual end-times, or simply the growing anti-Christ atmosphere in the nations, confusion on the Person of Jesus will lead to a "great falling away" in the church. In our culture of "tolerance," the conviction that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father is highly offensive. We would be much more politically correct if we would embrace Jesus as a way to the Father among many ways, a man among many other men. But the fundamental statement that Jesus is God in the flesh is the only thing that distinguishes our beliefs from those of Islam, the New Age, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, Judaism and various other groups. In our post-modern era, we have forgotten that the only thing that makes us "Christian" is Christ. Not our morals or principles, not our small groups or churches. Agreement with that statement should be, and will again one day be the definitive identifier of who is a "Christian."
In our post-modern area, we have drifted so far from this confession, although to the early church, this is what defined someone as a follower of Jesus. Romans 10:9 makes it clear that salvation comes by confessing that Jesus is the Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. It is not enough to believe in him as a person, to follow his teachings, to think of him as a moral leader, a prophet, or a great man. None of these ideas equate to Scriptural salvation.
Scriptures for Meditation:
"And now, O Father, glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." John 17:5
Jesus, show me Your glory, the glory that You shared with the Father before the world began.
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible...All things were created through Him and for Him...and in Him all things consist." Colossians 1:16-17
Jesus, the world was created by You and all things are upheld by the word of Your power. (Hebrews 1)
