Here we looked at Jesus being fully human. And why that matters to us.
But what about Jesus being fully divine? Does it make a difference if He also is or isn’t a God? Would that affect our everyday lives?
Yes, it makes a difference, and yes, it greatly affects us!
Because. . .
- If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—we don’t have to obey Him.
We could ignore His commandment about loving the Father and loving everybody we know. Um, can you imagine the implications in our relationships if we all lost our motivation to love and resorted to self-centeredness instead?
(See John 15:9-12; Mark 12:29-31; 1John 5:1-2) - If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—our past shame still binds us.
With no perfect sacrifice for our past sins, there would be no permanent forgiveness, no grace. Without a Savior to clean us up, we’d have to carry our dirty baggage around with us from birth past death.
(See Hebrews 1:3; 1John 4:14) - If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—then this life is our only hope.
Our promise of eternal life would be over if the Way is closed. A bright future forever in heaven would be hopeless.
(See John 5:24,39-40; 1John 5:11-12; John 14:6) - If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—so much for our royal lineage.
With Jesus not our brother, we’d be just another face in the crowd, made only in the DNA of our earthly parents, not in the image of a holy Creator.
(See John 1:1-3; Revelation 4:11; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:15-16) - If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—we’re on our own.
That would mean God couldn’t be trusted and the Spirit never came. We would have no higher power to help us. God wouldn’t live in us, nor we in Him.
(See John 10:33-38; 1John 5:20; Luke 10:22-23; John 15:26) - If Jesus is NOT the Son of God—there goes our community.
If Christ isn’t worthy of worship, there would be no Christianity. With no mutual blood of Jesus between us, we’d lose our family ties we now have with those in the church (there would be no church).
(See Colossians 1:18-20; Ephesians 2:12-14)
But since Jesus IS the Son of God . . . we can love beyond ourselves. We start each day with new mercies. We’re assured we’ll live forever. We are a royal priesthood. We are divinely-empowered. We’re included among the bride of Christ. We’re redeemed, delivered, free!
Everything is different for us since Jesus is divine. Awakened to a higher purpose, we have a fuller joy now and a kingdom home with God forever.
(See John 10:28-30; 1John 4:15-17)
Believing in Jesus as my Lord and my God matters to me, both now and later. You, too?
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:28-29
Question:
How has knowing Jesus as the Son of God changed your life? What’s a favorite scripture of yours about Jesus? Let’s talk in the comments.
Great nutshell breakdown of WHY we hold to Him – and HOW His truth is proved THROUGH the lives we live in Him. Apart from His Divine nature, how could we know the joy in our innermost being as we do – and our brothers and sisters in community. Loved the community bit – blessed with these words to meditate upon throughout my day today.
Joy!
Kathy
Thanks, Kathy. I’m grateful that there are even more things we could have added to this list. I appreciate you sharing your joy with us here!
The main point of Jesus being the Son of God is that He created a bridge between the temporal and the divine; God could only build that bridge from His side of the abyss, and He did.
It wouldn’t necessarily follow that we would be constrained to lose hope and community, or accept that this life is all we have, if Jesus were not divine. That “thought experiment” doesn’t obviate God’s existence, or our the existence of our own immortal souls, created in His image. I’ve worked with plenty of Jews and Muslims and Sikhs and Buddhists and Hindus who have a serenity and security of faith, of which I have envied some aspects.
But what they lack is the immanence of a personal Savior, a model of the divine spark within us. For a Christian, it’s not theoretical, not an article of faith. It’s real, and that is what I could not imagine doing without.
I can’t imagine doing without our Savior either, Andrew. Glad we don’t have to.
“God could only build that bridge from His side of the abyss, and He did.” That does make all the difference; I love how you worded that. He had to initiate it, and because He loved us first, we get to love Him in return.
This is a great series!
Your #2 and #4/#5 are most powerful for me.
Following Jesus, having Jesus as a focus and a guide, is helping me nurse and heal myself, giving me strength and patience, showing me how (and why) to consider those near me. (I still fail and get angry at myself though.)
The story around Luke 7:39 is my special story. I like verses where Jesus describes himself as the way.
I don’t feel part of any community but I am so grateful for the helpful people I have found out here. Maybe if/when I can start blogging more I can start to pay back. I am trying to pay back IRL too.
Thank you!
David
The Luke 7 story is special to me, too. Jesus invites us all to Him, regardless of anything we’ve ever done or thought. It’s quite amazing. Do continue to be patient with yourself; sometimes our progress is slower than we’d like, but yes, having Jesus as our way is the change-maker.
Developing an IRL community can take time as well, but having an online community is also a huge blessing. I’m grateful for your participation in this one, David.
I think this is one of my favorites of your posts, Lisa. I think it was C. S. Lewis who said that we can’t just look at Jesus as a moral teacher because of His claims to divinity – if those claims weren’t true then He was not a good moral teacher. But because they are true, we can trust Him with everything.
I appreciate what you share, Barbara, because I know you’re a woman with a deep respect for the Word. Great logic from C.S. Lewis.
Hi Lisa! Oh please don’t tell me that this is all there is! I believe that Jesus is Lord, and that he brings meaning to my life. There is so much more to me than my humanity. I can’t imagine my life without him! (And I know you feel the same way!)
Wonderful post today :)
Ceil
Thanks, Ceil. We’re definitely of the same mind. It explains why we’re so quick to bond when we discover we’re in the same family. So thankful there’s more to each of us than just our flesh.
Good truth here, Lisa. It matters either way, and knowing the truth is such and encouragement for the journey. Thanks for encouraging me today.
I’m glad you dropped in, Natalie. Sometimes I think we can put issues like this into an “irrelevant” category in our minds, but this really is relevant. It encourages me too!
Great post! Yes, the cross demands a reaction. One way or another. For me, Jesus commands attention.
“Jesus commands attention” – Amen. Love how you phrase that truth!
I appreciate the fact that you’re not shy when it comes to defending the Truth! The Word of God has changed and shaped the world. Even a secularist glimpse at history shows that the ones who seek the will of God based on Biblical principles He has used to change and bless this world. The ones who deny and fight the Truth that God claims in His word are the ones who continue to fail and fall and will yet again before when the last trumpet sounds…
Yes, it is amazing when we look back through history and see how many ways that Jesus profoundly changed the world, not just the religious world but all the world. Thanks for your boldness in defending the Truth yourself, Floyd. Proud to you have as a brother.
Thank you for the reminder of Jesus being divine, so I no longer need to carry my shame.
Yes, isn’t that a huge benefit, Katie? I love it as well. Sometimes I still do carry my baggage around, but not because I have to, only because I haven’t learned how to totally let go of it yet. Still in process…
Knowing that Jesus is the Son of God explains a lot of things. It makes the scriptures consistent and gives validity to them. It explains how everything fits in with the godhead.
I agree, Deborah. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t totally understand how the Trinity works, but I can appreciate that each part of the godhead has a role that is to the glory of the whole, and also works for our good. I’m grateful!