God in the Flesh (Hebrews1:3a)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-03-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  God in the flesh

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:3a

 

            Message of the verse:  “The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about Him represents God exactly.  He sustains the universe by the mighty power of His command.  After He died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.”  (NLV)  “3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (NASB)

            The word radiance in the NASB is translated brightness in the KJV and the Greek word that it comes from is the only use of it in the Bible.  Christ is not just reflecting the glory of the Father, but He is God and radiates His own glory.  John 8:12 says, “12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.’"  Jesus is the light of the world so He has His own light.  The term for glory in the NASV speaks of the “schekinah glory” that is mentioned in the OT and comes from two Hebrew words meaning, “to dwell.” “Jesus Christ is to the Father what the rays of the sun are to the sun:  He is the radiance of God’s glory.  As it is impossible to separate the rays from the sun, it is also impossible to separate Christ’s glory from the nature of God,” quoted from “Be Confident” by Warren W. Wiersbe.

            The verse goes on to say Christ is “the exact representation of His nature.”  The Greek word for exact representation is used only here in the NT.  In extrabiblical literature, it was employed for an engraving of wood, an etching in metal, a brand of animal hide, an impression in clay, and a stamped image of coins.  Thus Jesus Christ is the perfect imprint, the exact representation of the nature and essence of God in time and space. John 14:9b says, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?”  Colossians 1:15 says, “And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.”  Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The writer of the book of Hebrews has gone to much trouble to proclaim that Jesus Christ was no ordinary man; in fact he plainly says that He is God in the flesh and because of this fact I can be saved from sin and accepted by God into His family.  This is something to give thanks for and to rejoice over for all of eternity.  This is also something to reflect on too.

 

The Word of God has brought great joy to my heart because it has expressed that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  I stepped out on faith and asked the other members of the Webbs team to join Jimmy, Clair and myself in a men’s Bible Sturdy, and even more than a Bible study for it will be a small fellowship group studying Rick Warren’s book on a purposed filled life.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Ephesians 2:10 & Mark 12:30:  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us to do. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”