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| Tom |
| Tom |
I'm going to post some thoughts by various authors on the subject of Jesus Christ revealing God's character. First is Ty Gibson: quote: Jesus could have said it this way: "Do you see how I live, how I care, how I heal, how I love? This is what God is like. I am the living personification, the unobstructed channel, the mirror reflection of God's true character."
Paul called Jesus brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person" (Heb. 1:3). "Great is the mystery of godliness," he proclaimed, "God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16)
Jesus was not kind of like God, or like God is some respects. He was, in the fullest sense, the exact representation of the divine likeness. Every attribute of His character revealed the true personage of God. Every interaction He had with people was a manifestation of the Father's heart. Every episode of His earthly life proclaimed the thoughts and feelings of the Eternal One, whose very nature is love.
At the time of Christ's incarnation the religious leaders had painted a distored, ugly picture of God. It would have been nice if they had kept it to themselves, but they didn't. With great zeal they held up before the world their custom-crafted image of God. Because they created an image of God in their own likeness, they were unwitting idolaters. By their teachings and their dealings with their fellow human beings, they led minds to conceive of God as a dictatorial and cruel judge, slow to forgive and quick to punish. Generation after generation, as they multiplied impossible rules as obstacles to God's favor and dealt out their condemnations, they repeated their high claim, "We have one Father, even God" (John 8:41)
Naturally, the people of the world assumed God must be like His professed followers. But Jesus denied their reproduction of the divine character...
Jesus came to our world to give the true knowledge of God. In every act of mercy He was saying, "This is what God is really like." As He healed the sick, as He befriended sinners, as He took time for children, He was longing for the light of divine love to shine into our hearts and persuade us that God is good. This was His appointed mission....
Jesus emphasized our need to know the Father as "the only true God." It is possible for us to conceive of God is a false light, attributing to Him characteristics that He does not possess. Jesus knew God as He truly is, and He longed for us to discover the transforming beauty of the Father's love. The work God gave Him to do was to manifest the divine character. According to His own testimony, He succeeded in accomplishing that mission...
One of the most astounding and touching statements Jesus ever made offers the answer to this question. In prayer He reminded the Father, You "have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17:23, NKJV). I know this is hard to believe, but it's true. God actually loves you and me as He loves the Lord Jesus Christ. This remarkable reality exalts God's love so far beyond human love that we can barely take it in. (In The Light of God's Love from the chapter "Seeing God"; emphasis original)
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Here is the link to this week's Sabbath School Lesson Study and Discussion Material: Click Here
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