Unto Us a Son is Given
But, who is this unchangeable Jesus, really?
With Christmas and the advent season rapidly approaching, I know many of you have family traditions centered around the celebration of the already here and coming soon Christ. My hope with this issue is to provide you with a straight from Scripture description of who this Jesus is.
For those of you on the mailing list, you’ll be receiving this letter in printed form very shortly. I am folding, sealing, and stamping them today.
However, due to the amount of Scripture references in this issue, and the limited space on the printed format, I opted to remove the references from the printed version and publish them online instead. You’ll find that below.
You can read it without the references, or perhaps you’ll find it beneficial to go through it more slowly, stopping to look up the referenced Scripture straight from the source. (I primarily used the KJV, NKJV, and NET translations when putting this together)
If you’d like to share this issue with someone else, you can always print out a PDF version of the mailings online. Make sure to select 2-sided printing, flip on short edge.
If you’re not already on the mailing list, please consider this an invitation. Sign up here and I’d be happy to send this month’s issue to you in printed form.
Either way, may Christ be exalted and seen more clearly as we end the year. For as a man thinks within himself, so he is. Therefore, may our thoughts fix on Him, as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Yours, In Christ,
Derek
Unto Us a Son is Given
We call Him Emmanuel, “God with us,” and we know He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but who is this unchangeable given Son, really?
What follows is an account taken straight from Scripture, written that you may know more about this Christ you are accepting or rejecting, clinging to or running from, trusting in or denying. And to ensure that the thoughts you think about this Jesus are in fact true, honest, and pure. What a tragedy it will be for those who believed they were following the real Son, but were in fact only serving a god of their own making.
He is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of Man, Son of David, only begotten Son of God, Lamb of God, our Lord, Master, great God and Savior. (Titus 2:13)
He is the faithful witness, firstborn among the dead, ruler over the kings of the earth. (Rev. 1:5) The One who loves us with a love that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19), who has set us free from our sins at the cost of His own blood. (Rev. 1:5) He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and to His peace there will be no end. (Is. 9:6-7) He is the first and last, the One who was dead but is now alive forever, who holds the keys of death and Hades. (Rev. 1:17-18)
He is the radiance of God’s glory and the representation of God’s essence. (Heb. 1:3) In Him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form. (Col. 2:9) He sustains all things by His powerful word. (Heb. 1:3) All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and all things are held together in Him. (Col. 1:16-17)
He is the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8), a life giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) sent from heaven (1 Cor. 15:47), the yes and amen of all the promises of God (2 Cor. 1:20), and the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4), in whose face shines the light of the glorious knowledge of God. (2 Cor. 4:6)
His appearance? Head and hair as white as wool, eyes like flames of fire, feet like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and a voice like the roar of many waters. (Rev. 1:14-15) He is the fairest among ten thousand, dazzling and ruddy, as the splendor of the Lord shines on Him. Therefore nations come to His light and kings to His bright light. (Song 5:10, Is. 60:1)
His attitude? Though He existed in the form of God, He emptied Himself, taking on the form of a slave. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient even to death on a cross. (Phil. 2:5-8) Who for the joy set before Him endure the cross, despising the shame. (Heb. 12:2) He was despised, rejected, considered to be insignificant, wounded, and crushed because of our sins. He endured punishment that made us well. He was cut off from the land of the living, treated harshly, afflicted, and led away after an unjust trial. He is the One whom the Lord desired to crush. He willingly submitted to death, and was numbered with the rebels, when He lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels. (Is. 53)
He came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) as the One intermediary between God and humanity. (1 Tim. 2:5) He is the author and perfecter of our faith. (Heb. 12:2) Whose blood purifies our conscience from dead works to worship the living God. (Heb. 9:14) He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, purging them (Heb. 1:3), that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. (1 Pet. 2:24) He is a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God, given for us. (Eph. 5:2)
To sanctify the people by His own blood, He went outside the camp to suffer. Now, He goes to prepare a place for us, that where He is, we may be also. (John 14:3) Therefore, we must go out to Him, outside the camp, bearing the abuse He experienced. For here we have no lasting city but we seek the city that is to come. (Heb. 13:12-13)
He gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age. (Gal. 1:4) He gave Himself as a ransom for all. (1 Tim. 2:6) He gave Himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people eager to do good works. (Titus 2:14) He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, (Gal. 3:13) destroying the certificate of indebtedness that was against us, taking it away by nailing it to the cross. (Col. 2:14) He disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them. (Col. 2:15)
He shared in our humanity, made like us in every respect, so that through death He could destroy the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. (Heb. 2:14-15, 17) And having been perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Heb. 5:9)
He appears now in God’s presence for us, (Heb. 9:24) presenting us holy, without blemish, and blameless, (Col. 1:22) as the mediator and guarantee of a better covenant. (Heb. 12:24, 7:22)
He is the removal of the veil (2 Cor. 3:16) granting bold access into the presence of God (Eph. 3:12) He is the way into the Holy Place. (Heb. 9:8) He is freedom, (2 Cor. 3:17) able to save completely those who come to God through Him because He always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:25) He is seated at God’s right hand, far above every rule, authority, power, and dominion, and every name. (Eph. 1:21) He is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23), of every man (1 Cor. 11:3), and of all things in heaven and earth. (Eph. 1:10)
He is the pioneer of our salvation (Heb. 2:10), the precious cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), the stumbling stone (1 Pet. 2:8), the spiritual rock (1 Cor. 10:4), the only foundation. (1 Cor. 3:11) He is the One who loves us, is concerned for us, and who helps those who are tempted, for He was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. (Rev. 1:5, Heb. 2:19, 4:15) He is the mystery of God, hidden but now revealed, Christ in us, the hope of our glory. (Col. 1:27) The One who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of His glorious body by means of that power by which He is able to subject all things to Himself. (Phil. 3:21)
On Him rests the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of might and counsel, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord. (Is. 11:2-3) Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, was heard because of His godly fear. Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience through the things He suffered. (Heb. 5:7-9) And was therefore crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of His death. (Heb. 2:9)
He was anointed by God to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and open the prison to those bound. (Is. 61:1) He is the Great Shepherd and guardian of our souls, the One who searches for His sheep and seeks them out, wherever they have been scattered, to rescue them, feed them, and make them to lie down in green pastures. He will bandage the injured, strengthen the sick, and comfort with His rod and His staff. (Ez. 34:11-16, 1 Pet. 2:25, Ps. 23)
He is the One who dwells in our heart through faith. (Eph. 3:17) Whose peace rules our hearts and whose word richly dwells in us. (Col. 3:16) He is our peace (Eph. 2:14) The One who preaches peace to those far off and those near so that through Him we could have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Eph. 2:18) The One who made two groups into one and who destroyed the middle wall of partition and hostility (Eph. 2:14) In whom we too have been made alive with, raised up together with, and seated together with in the heavenly places. (Eph. 2:6)
He is the One in whom the blessing of Abraham came to the gentiles so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. (Gal. 3:14) In whom we are sons of God through faith. (Gal. 3:26) In whom we were chosen before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. (Eph. 1:4) In whom the grace of God is freely bestowed upon us. (Eph. 1:6) In whom we have been claimed as God’s own possession. (Eph. 1:11) In whom we have been brought near by His blood. (Eph. 2:13) In whom God will supply our every need. (Phil. 4:19) In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:3)
He is our friend and brother, (John 15:13-14, Heb. 2:11) the One who feeds and takes care of the Church. (Eph. 5:29) The One who is near, (Phil. 4:5) and who is with us always. (Matt. 28:20) He is the power and wisdom of God for us, and the righteousness, sanctification, and redemption from God for us. (1 Cor. 1:24, 2:30) It is through Him that God predestined us to adoption as sons according to the pleasure of His will. (Eph. 1:5) It is through His faithfulness that we have righteousness. (Phil. 3:10) He is the One who died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. (Heb. 7:26) He is the One who sits on the judgment seat before whom we all must appear so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:10) It is He who stands ready to judge the living and the dead, before whom the ungodly will face a reckoning. (1 Pet. 4:5)
He is the One who will return again, in the same way He was seen going into heaven. (Acts 1:11) He will come down with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God. (1 Thes. 4:16) He who is called Faithful and True will descend on a white horse, judging and going to war, wearing clothing dripped with blood. He has a name written on His clothing and on His thigh, ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’ (Rev. 19:11-16) From His mouth extends a sharp sword to strike the nations. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Is. 11:4) He will rule them with an iron rod and He stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God. With flaming fire He will mete out punishment on those who don’t know God and do not obey His gospel. (2 Thes. 1:8) Yet for those who wait for Him, He is our deliverer from the coming wrath. (1 Th. 1:10)
He is the One who says three times over in the final chapter, “Look, I am coming soon! ” (Rev. 22:7,12,20)
Therefore let us reply, even now, wherever we are reading this, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” And not just come in a general sense, but, “Come to me, right now. Seek me, find me, save me, here I am, waiting for You to be the Son who was given for me.”
In love,
Derek