Jesus Christ: The Light Of The World And Is God!

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him,

and without Him nothing was made

that was made.

John 1:1–3

            The apostle John, the one who was loved especially by Jesus Christ, the one who leaned against His bosom (John 13:23), exhibits a true testimony that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, in fact that Jesus is God, the Creator, not a co–creator, rather the creator, and that He, Jesus was there when all things began. When it is said that John leaned on the breast, or the bosom of Jesus we must come to understand how that could happen. Unlike us here in the United States where we sit in chairs separated from one anther, the way they ate in the days of Jesus was to lay on couches, feet towards the rear, and leaning on their left arm. Unlike the painting of the Last Supper, a late 15th-century mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria where the table is elongated with Jesus in the Middle and the disciples around the back of the table, the table in Jesus day was a square “U”. the Narrative of the last supper, and faced the door. On each end of the table would be a man who would have a sword for protection and they arte with their right hand. Often one would dip a morsel of bread into a broth and give it to be eaten by the man on the left. The Greek words: ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ, “in the bosom” does not mean bosom as we do which is the uterus, rather that it is the front of the body between the arms, therefore when a person is reclined at the table that his head covered, as it were the bosom of the one next to him. When it is said that Jesus “loved” John, the Greek word was agape, a principled, God–like love, a special love. Homosexuals would like to point out that was a homosexual admittance, but this is far from the truth, if it were so, as the homosexual likes to say the word would have been used for love: phileo, a brotherly love. Jesus loved all His disciples but the Scriptures are clear that He had a special love, a special principled love for John and this is clear when the Books of John are read.

            Jesus Christ was in the beginning, not the beginning, there s no place in Scripture that says that there are two beginnings, so Jesus had to exist before anything else existed, and was with God, that is that the Greek word, pros, is used to indicate location and that Jesus was in the same direction as God, the Father, and then the Greek is clear on the last part of verse one. “and the Word was God.” The Greek word, theos, is nominative without the definite article and often the article “a” is place in front of the noun, that is, when it is not describing a noun which it is doing so in this verse. The subject is Logos, and Theos, is a predicate nominative participle, and does not require the letter “a” for “Theos” is describing the subject “Logos.” This then makes clear that the Logos is Theos. Jesus Christ is God. The Jehovah Witnesses place the letter “a” in front of Theos because they are Arian in theology and believe that Jesus was not God, rather a god. This is like Mormonism because this admits to there being more than one God.

            Jesus Christ was a man. He had physicality. He need rest, food, sleep. He met all the requirements to pay the debt that a man, Adam, owed to God and had passed down to all his progeny. It is said that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God. This is true for Jesus is God, the Wisdom of God: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God––and righteousness and sanctification and redemption––“(1Corinthians 1:30). Jesus the Wisdom of God was made manifest to the world by His incarnation as foretold from all time: “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of god might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10–11).  All Scripture, being divinely inspired, bears witness to this truth. John defends this fact by setting forth that proposition in particular and does so in an especially lucid manner. This was necessary for at this time Emperor Domitian after Nero persecuted Christians and heretics entered into the Church. They came with good sounding words, advice, and analogies, but like wolves that entered into the sheepfold, they invaded the Church and deprived the Church of its Shepherd. Jehovah Witnesses were not the fist to deny that Jesus was God, and neither was Arius. Marcion, Cerinthus (Gnostic follower) Ebion, and other antichrists dented that Jesus existed before Mary and they stained this simplicity, albeit hard to understand in all its mystery, the simplicity of evangelical faith by their false teachings. This then led John to pen this letter. The Holy Spirit inspired him because the need was urgent. John the one loved especially by Jesus, and we can assume that it was because John converted wholly to Jesus Christ, wrote this to dispel the obscurity the heretics attempted and with some success, to quell the light, and that light was Jesus Christ the Light of the world (John 1:7–10).

Thus says the LORD:

            “Heaven and earth

is My footstool. Where is the

            house that you will

build Me? And where is the

            place of My rest?

For all those things My hand

            Has made, and all those

Things exist,” Says the LORD…

                        Isaiah 65:1–2a).

Let the Light of God shine in you

Richard L. Crumb

The Victory Of God's Word

In your seed all the nations

of the earth shall be blessed,

because you have obeyed

My voice.

Genesis 22:18

            We are to be concerned with the authority of the Holy Scriptures and our conversation should have this as our topic so that we engage with our minds, in advancing our faith, and our ability to defend the truth. What is the most often topic of your conversation? How often we celebrate those who in warlike defense of our country with hymns, and praises, even lessons and do not do the same with those martyrs who did not make any such defense. They simply spoke the word of God wherever they traveled, and yet they are so little spoken of in our Churches and in our conversations. This is probable true, often not taught to us in our Sunday Schools, or from the pulpit. The question that comes to mind is: “If God’s Kingdom is truly one of peace, or charity, and of brotherhood, one of devotion, and truth, justice, and meekness, and those in this Kingdom have resisted warlike bloodthirsty barbarity; as this is a good definition of war, why then do we celebrate those involved in such barbarity, as war, and have received such illustrious remembrance in God’s Church and not those who have resisted such a war and were involved in a war spreading the Gospel of God: Why?” This is a good question so I will attempt to give an answer. I will use the world of Rupert of Deutz (? To 1135 A.D.), in his response to this question spoken to him by Abbot Cuno: “Their struggle and their military might have, with God’s help, been of inestimable profit to us and to the whole world. For the devil was working through Antiochus Epiphanes (c. 215 BC – 164 BC), to destroy all memory of and all hope and faith in the promise of God to Abraham that in his seed all nations would be blessed. What was it that Antiochus did? He erected on god’s altar the detestable idol of abomination; throughout the cities of Judea his men erected sanctuaries; at the doors of homes and in the streets they burned incense and offered sacrifice; the books of God’s law they tore up0 and cast into the flames. And if anyone was found with the books of God’s covenant or if anyone was found observing God’s law, him they put to death according to the royal edict.[1] All this was done in an effort to annihilate the Jewish people, so that in Abraham’s seed, that is, in Christ, all nations should not be blessed and so that God’s purpose and promise might be of no effect. But, thanks be to God, good Cuno, the foundations was successfully defended and from it have come great results. God’s truth has been mightily fulfilled and the Maccabees were the ones who accomplished that feat. For that reason they can rightfully claim an illustrious renown in God’s church.[2]

            God’s purpose to bless all nations according to the promise given to Abraham will be accomplished by all sorts of means, especially true is the mean of using such barbarous wars that often stop the flow of Satanic influence upon people. It was and is necessary for God through His word protect the people through whom he intended to become incarnate for the salvation of the human race. It is this I write about: the victory of God’s Word!. Great and powerful is God’s Word, who has prevailed, but great also is the enemy who was conquered, conquered by the death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven by Jesus Christ. God uses today forces that are not Christian to ward off those who would hinder and if possible, to annihilate the Word of God and His people. God uses Christians to do the same although often we are not engaged in open warfare, our war is silently done in our workplaces, our homes, with our neighbors and in our Churches. Satan is defeated, but he is not destroyed and he still in the ways he can devise attempt to stop this promise of God to Abraham: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1Peter 5:8–9. If you are not at war with sin, and this means to be at war with Satan, and his hordes of demons, who have but one thing in mind, to destroy God’s children, to rule this world. And if Satan can do so, then he believes that God will give to him this world for he would then have usurped God’s authority over mankind. This is the battle Satan has with God, not power, it is authority, who will be the ruler of man is at stake. God has decided and has adjudicated this by His Son, the Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.

            This war, wherever it is being fought by God’s children is filled with terror, suffering at times, especially so for those in countries that are openly opposed to Christianity and will kill Christians, and it may seem difficult to carry out this mandate to live as God has commanded, then, remember the promise of God to Abraham, for God will bless all those in all the nations that turn to Him and live for and by Him. You are already winners in this war, personally, you are legally in heaven, and in God’s timing you will reap the reward of eternal life, no Satan, not demonic hordes to try and destroy your faith; “But may the god of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Peter 5:10–11).

If you are reproached for the

            Name of Christ,

Blessed are you, for the Spirit

            Of glory and of God rests

Upon you. On their part He is

            Blasphemed, but on your

Part He is glorified.

                        1Peter 4:14

Live Victoriously

Richard L. Crumb

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[1] I Maccabees 1:54–57

[2] Rupert, On the Victory of God’s Word, a letter to Cuno

Living In The Power of God

And He said to them, “It is not for you

to know times or seasons which the Father

has put in His own authority. But you shall

receive power when the Holy Spirit has come

upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me

in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:7–8

            How we chase the wind! How we seek that which Jesus Christ has told us not to seek! The Seventh Day Adventist relish in teaching and speaking about the “End Times” and many follow after them seeking some secrete hidden from all others except those who want to know the future.  Well, we know the future: Jesus Christ is coming on the LAST DAY. When is the last day? Who knows for we are not told, but we are told that it is not for us to know the times or seasons: so quit looking. I am not saying we are to be ignorant of the times and all the changes that come with time, rather we are to acknowledge the sin and corruption that may occur. And then we do what Jesus said for us to do: Be HIS WITNESSES. Some chase after some supernatural spiritual awakening so that they see miracles, i.e., healings, even speaking of raising the dead, etc., but that is not the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit did not give us power to heal (I am not saying that we don’t pray for those who need healing, and other needs, financial, and other problems). The Holy Spirit gives us power to be His witnesses. We are His ambassadors are we not. We have been reconciled to God by the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ; have we not. We serve a holy God and God is angry with sin, both in the world of unbelievers and the sin that remains and at times resides in His children. Yet God is loving and gives common grace to all, both believers and unbelievers, and gives saving grace to those whom He chose: His children, the bride of Christ which you are so why are we chasing after the wind. If God acted on His anger instantly and execute His justice then this execution of perfect patience, that which is part of His goodness, we would never have the opportunity to discover His glory. That is why He created the world in the first place: to demonstrate His glory, not that He needed that to be demonstrated, rather that by His love He extends who He is so that we can revel in this fact: God loves, God is Just, and God is longsuffering, and God is God who saves. If God was not this loving patient, longsuffering, and Savior then the world would never know Him and in this obscurity God would be stripped of this knowledge of Him. What would the world be like if not for the restraining hand of God? We have examples of this almost every day: Islam killing infidels, even in the past those who claimed to be Christians killing others who claimed to be Christian albeit not of the faith of the ruling Church (Roman Catholicism: but don’t think that the Protestants did not kill as well; they did). In all the seasons that come and go, those times that pass are all times and seasons whereby God is manifested by the truth which He inspired men to write so that we have revealed to God, His love, His willingness to aid His children while they pass through those times and seasons facing all sorts of trials and tribulations. There are so many hurdles that we must cross, those things which are so abnormal, i.e., a train going to fast leaving the track and killing many people, or such as the shooting at schools killing many children and adults, or the bombing at events, and we may wonder: where is God? Why is God waiting? Why is He delaying His justice? In the light of eternity this is only a short period, a short time and the day is coming when all of God’s children will know in full why God was so patient, with us, and with the world in general. Justice is not wronged by patience, rather it is made more illustrious and is fuller in its scope. The day is coming when the dam of restraint will burst, this dam of long–suffering will be removed, and the floods of justice will rush down with tremendous force and violence. Justice will be fully recompensed for the delay. The authority of God will no longer be questioned. Peter gives us great insight as to the long–suffering and patience of God and our part as Christians: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2Peter 3:9–14).

            We all once lived in sin and were far away from God, His Savior, and followed after doctrines of men, and our own prejudices and beliefs. Then God spoke to you, by His word, by other men and women who they themselves became transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, they changed from the inside out and began to live according to Scripture. We they now perfect? NO! but they are forgiven and when they approach our Holy God in repentance for our failures, God is forgiving. We learn, we change, and we live so that we are what Jesus Christ says we are: WITNESSES for Him. God has all the power in regards to times and seasons, we have  been given the power to be ambassadors for Him.  The question: Are you plugged into that power or not?

            Sunday is coming, are you now preparing for the Sabbath, a day in which we give to God? Or is it just a weekend? My prayer is that it is a day to fellowship with other believers and a day for God.

Lt us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

            Fear God and keep His commandments.

For this is man’s all. for God will bring every

            Word into judgment, including every

Secret thing, whether good or evil.

                                    Ecclesiastes 12:14–14

Live Today In The Power of God

Richard L. Crumb