JESUS: THE CRUCIFIED GOD IS ALIVE
By
Pastor Dele. A Ilesanmi (Ph.D)
“12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” (Col. 1:12-21, KJV; Emphasis mine)
“5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God.
7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.
8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.”(Phil.2:5-8, NLT, cf. John 1:1, 14; Emphasis mine).
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1Tim.3:16)
Introduction
A cursory look at the resurrection accounts of our Lord Jesus Christ in the four Gospels reveals a wide variety of material. Admittedly, any attempt at harmonizing the accounts will be speculative, and dogmatism must be absolutely avoided. Certainly, each account shows a possible arrangement of events in a credible sequence.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus is one of the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. His bodily resurrection validates the claim that he is both Christ the Lord and God – God incarnate (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Col.1:13-16; Phil. 2:6; cf.1John 5:7) and that by His death we have forgiveness of sin, salvation and redemption (1 Tim. 1:15; Lk. 19:10; Jn. 3:17; Matt. 9:13; Rom. 5:6-11; 1 Jn. 3:5; 1 Jn. 4:14; Rev. 5:9). This also substantiates the proposition that His life and death were not just the life and death of a good man but that He is indeed God incarnate and that by His blood which He shed on the cross we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins (Col.1:14). Admittedly, Thomas, one of His disciples, confessed this to the whole world when he confirmed that Jesus is God in human flesh in John 20:28 “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” This is a mystery!
The Great Mystery: A Religious Truth, Not an Academic Discourse
This is a great mystery – a great mystery that can only be understood by a spiritual man. This great mystery is not within the purview of academic discourse. It can only be discerned spiritually by a man who has the mind of Christ in him (1Cor.2:10-16). Thus, there is need to demystify and demythologize this considering Jesus’ deity as God the Son and God-incarnate (John 1:1, 14). This will be done by employing what this writer calls “Biblical Functional and Ontological Models” in this paper.
It should be noted here that “mystery” is a religious truth that cannot be understood by the application of human reason alone without divine help. So, when we talk about “mystery” here, we mean a religious truth that goes beyond human reasoning until there is divine aid. Thus, when we say Jesus is “Son of God” and yet He is “God” – this is a great mystery – a religious truth that can only be understood by a spiritual man. It takes the spiritual man to understand the spiritual things: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”(1Cor.2:14).
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1Tim.3:16).
The Question: Who Is Jesus?
The question, ‘who is Jesus?’ is again asked. Right from the New Testament days to the present day, the question of who Jesus is generates conflicting views. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were confused about the personality and deity of Jesus Christ. The church and the people outside the church, the heathens, are differed in their views. Having given the benefit of hindsight about His identity, Jesus asked His disciple a theological question, “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27; cf, Matt.16:13; Lk.9:18). The answers given by His disciples show that there is a great variety of opinions among the people: for example, “some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.” Then, Jesus went on in His theological enquiry whether His own disciples who have been with Him for some time know Him or not. He asked them this question: “But whom say ye that I am?” (Lk.9:20; Mark 8:29; Mat.16:15). Indeed, this is the heart of the matter. At least every one has to give his own personal answer and make his own personal confession.
In recent years, this question forms the epicentre of theological discussion, which has culminated in Christological debate. Although the substance of this paper is not to join in this Christological debate, it is to demystify and demythologise the deity of Jesus Christ through functional and ontological models. To save time and space, “The central statement of the Christology of the Ancient Church is that God becomes one with man: Jesus Christ “Very God and very man”.’ For those who care to know, the Council of Nicaea (AD325) states:
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance(homoousion) with the Father, by whom all things were made.
The debate about who Jesus is lies mainly on the suggestion of Oscar Cullman in his classic book, “The Christology of the New Testament”, that ‘while the Greeks were more interested in nature or an ontological Christology, the Jewish people were more interested in a functional Christology. Similarly, today some people place a greater emphasis on the “deeds” or “action” of Jesus Christ than His nature or being and vice versa.
Functional and Ontological Models
Jesus is functionally equivalent to God; He has the same power and authority as the God of Israel. For example, power to heal the sick (Mark 1:32-34; Acts3:6; 10:38); power to teach authoritatively (Mark1:21-22; 13:31); to forgive sins(Mark 2:1-12; Lk 24:47; Acts.5:31; Col.1:14; 3:13; Heb.8:12); He has the power to save, to give eternal life (Acts 4:12; Rom.10:12-14; 6:23b; phil.3:20; Jude 1:25; 1John 5:11-12); to raise the dead (Lk.7:11-17; John 5:21; 6:40); power to exercise judgment(Mat.25:31-46; John 5:19-29; Acts 10:42; 1Cor.4:4-5; 2Tim.4:1), just to mention a few.
On the ontological dimension, Jesus is God. The incarnational theology of John is a clear revelation that Jesus is God (John 1:1-18). Time does not permit me to dwell extensively on this here. To know that only God (Jesus) is mighty to save, the name JESUS means SAVIOUR (Mat.1:21). Jesus is also called God (Mat.1:23). Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, called Him (Jesus) “My Lord and my God” when he confirmed that the same Jesus (God) that was killed, crucified and buried resurrected (John 20:28). Resurrection of the Christ stands in a class of its own that Jesus is mighty to save. Apart from “countless” miracles He performed, He, Jesus, the very God that was crucified, still performed one other miracle after His resurrection to demonstrate His divine nature and /or deity. This is the miracle of the GREAT CATCH OF FISH (John 21:4-14). When He resurrected, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat.28:18). He is talking about power to save, to deliver, to judge, and power to do all things as God who will never die – the Great “I AM”.
Jesus may be called a Prophet and a good Teacher; His utterances lend more credence to His divinity or deity as the very God of all. For example, His role as a Prophet, He did not use the trademark formula: “Thus saith the Lord”. Instead, He spoke authoritatively. Jesus went beyond the function and moves to ontological plane when He used the seven ego eimi (“I am”) utterances:
“I AM the Bread of life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51);
“I AM the Light of the world” (John 8:12);
“I AM the Door of the sheep” (John 10:7, 9);
“I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 11:25);
“I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25);
“I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6); and
“I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1, 5).
For the avoidance of doubt, Jesus declared Himself emphatically in John 8:58 as the “I AM” of the Old Testament, who had been before Abraham – a more direct claim to His deity. Hear Him: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” In other words, He has been before the formation of the world and through Him all things were created, or rather He is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-4; Col.1:12-21). All this lends credence to ontological Christology.
The Crucified God Is Alive: Power of Resurrection is another Mystery
Admittedly, Jesus, the very God of all, was crucified for the sin He never committed. Truly, Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the awesome, incontrovertible and indomitable power of God. That is the power that conquered sin, Satan, death and grave, an indubitable, exceeding great power (Eph. 1:19). Jesus declares:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Rev. 1:18); All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18).
That same power – power of His resurrection – will be at work only in those who know Him (Phil. 3:10). And the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead will dwell in only those who believe Him (Rom. 8:11); they will have power over death, Satan, sickness, disease, poverty, barrenness, serpents, poison and over all elemental forces of darkness if they obey His commandments like the disciples of old by preaching the Gospel to every creature (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark. 16:15-18; Lk. 10:19).
What is more, for those who have accepted the gift of faith, Jesus is much more than a mere historical figure, a prophet, and a good teacher. He is the Christ, the Savour, the Son of God, and the very God of all that was crucified. He is God-incarnate. He came to the people He created on earth to save them from their sins, to establish the (His) spiritual Kingdom of God on earth, and to offer the promise of eternal life to all those who believe Him. But the greatest surprise is that He came to His own but His own recognizes Him not as God (John1:10-11).The books of Colossians, Philippians and John early cited chronologically above in the beginning of this piece give a graphic picture of a God the Father who is a God-incarnate the Son, with an “ontological equality but economic subordination”.
Easter Message
The main thrust of Easter message is that Jesus died and rose again; He conquered sin, Satan, Sickness, oppression, death; that all powers in heaven and on earth belong to Him; that anyone who believes in Him is free and will not perish but have everlasting life; that we should show love to one another; that the spirit of humility should be permitted in our lives; that a believer will not die again but live forever in the presence of God; that the Gospel of Christ is the only message that can save the World; that your attitude to this will determine where to spend your eternity; and that the proclamation of this message will change your life and clothe you with the power of God.
In Conclusion
In the air of finality, Christ Jesus is the Ultimate Reality, the Ultimate Revelation of God, the Ontological and Absolute Reality. His deity is the bedrock of Christianity and the fulcrum on which the entire cosmos revolves (John 1:1-14; Col. 1:12-21; Phil.2:5-8,). This makes Christianity the only religion that portrays the very nature of God Himself. Thus, Christianity as a religion is teleological. This essentially distinguishes it from all other faiths or monotheistic faiths. Jesus is the True God and the true God is eternal life and that eternal life is Christ Jesus (1John 1:2; 5:11, 12, 20). Therefore, the real God, our Saviour, the very Voice of Hope, the very Hope of the entire world (1 Tim.1:1). He is the reason for the dawning of new day of salvation, victory over Satan, freedom, new life, new hope, new glory, new access to God, and the beginning of everything new. And again, of course, Jesus is the reason for the season. He came to save us; He fought for us; and conquered the world for us. He has gone now, yet He is alive. He has gone to the Father now; He will return sooner or later. Jesus, the crucified God, is alive today.
PRAISE THE LORD ! HALLELUYAH!
Prayer Points :
Give thanks to God for His resurrection power that is at work in you.
Give thanks to God for raising Christ form the dead and giving Him glory
Father, release a fresh anointing of the Holy spirit to spread abroad the news of Christ’s death and resurrection, with signs and wonders following.
Father let your spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in me for great exploits
Pray that God should put an end to your problems
Pray that God should give you total victory this year
Pray that God will move you from glory to glory
Pray that the death and resurrection of Jesus will not be in vain in life
Pray that God should make you fruitful and useful
Thank God for answering your prayers
HAPPY EASTER CELEBRATION
Writes in from the RCCG, Sanctuary of Life Zone, Ekiti Province 9, Ado-Ekiti.
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