Part 2
"If we walk in the light as He is in the light..." (1 John 1:7) We can only see that which we have been given light to see. As we are given light we must walk in that light we are given. We will then be given more light. "This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." (1:5)A story is told about four blind men who were given the task of describing an object from different points of view. The first said the object was a tree. The second said the object was a hose. The third said the object was a rope, and the fourth said it was a wall. The object they were describing was an elephant. When the first blind man felt the massive legs of the elephant, they felt like a tree trunk and so that is what he thought the object was. The second was touching the trunk, and thought it was a hose. The third was feeling the rope-like feature of the tail, and the fourth was against the side of the elephant, which seemed like a wall to him.
All to often we are like one of the blind men as we view the "elephant" of Scripture. Until we view the whole, we will make incorrect judgments about the part. This is clearly illustrated when Jesus is He who is considered.
Jesus asked His disciples: "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Matt. 16:13) The answer to this question remains the foremost important statement we can make. Some will say He is a prophet, others would say He is a good man. Still even amongst Christians there is little agreement as to who Jesus is, where He came from, or where He is now.
For some, the beginning of Jesus’ existence was His birth in the manger. For most He now lives in some far off mystical place called heaven, seated on some literal throne beside His Father, waiting until a time when He shall ride down on a literal cloud in the sky, "snatching away" all the believers, and leaving this planet to suffer through a giant holocaust.
In the Gospel of John chapter 1, starting at verse 1: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word. This was in the beginning toward God. All came into being through it, and apart from it not even one thing came into being which has come into being. In it was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light is appearing in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not...In the world He was, and the world came into being through Him, and the world knew Him not." (CLNT)
"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.[all has it cohesion in Him. CLNT]" (Col. 1:16-17)
There are not three Gods as some doctrines of the church infer with the teaching of the ‘Trinity’; but one God only, with three expressions of that one God. Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. (Col. 1:15)
"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:8-9)
In John 8 Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in the temple. Because of what He had said, they asked Him how it was He had seen Abraham. His reply was thus: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (Vs. 58) This statement was significant to the Jews. Jesus was not using bad grammar when He was speaking, rather He was speaking blasphemy as far as they were concerned. When Moses asked God on Mt. Sinai: "Whom shall I say sent me?" God answered him and said: "Tell them, I Am that I Am sent you." The fact is when Jesus said "Before Abraham was, I am." What he was actually telling them was He is the I Am. He was telling them He is God. He assigned to Himself the Name of God, and they understood perfectly because, verse 59 says: "Then they took up stones to cast at Him." This was the punishment for blasphemy.
Paul cautions us in Colossians 2:8-10, "Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ, for in Him the entire complement of the Deity is dwelling bodily. And you are complete in Him, Who is the Head of every sovereignty and authority." (CLNT)
It is clear through these, and other numerous scriptures who Jesus is. It is also clear where he came from. What needs to be cleared up is, where is He now? The answer to this question will vary according to the understanding of Scripture we have. Initially the understanding we have is based on what we have been taught. The response I would give now, is different from any I would have given in the past.
In the past, like many others, I had an image in my mind of what Jesus looked like, usually a blonde haired, blue eyed man. This image is one created from an artist’s conception, or from actors portraying a role in biblical movies. Who doesn’t picture Charlton Heston in their mind when they read the Bible’s account of Moses, and the Exodus of Israel.
My point is, most of us have a difficulty with thinking in the abstract. We have an introduction to the Jesus of the Gospels in the flesh when we first believe. We continue to think of Him now, as that same physical man who walked the shores of Galilee. However, Paul tells us in II Cor. 5:16, "though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." How have we known Christ after the flesh? Jesus was the flesh manifestation of God, Christ is His title not His last name!
As long as we have this image of Jesus in our minds, we will not be able to understand the mystery of the Gospel when we are told, "Christ in you the hope of glory." (Col. 1:17) "It is no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me!"
So then, how do we harmonize the seeming paradox of the verses that talk of Christ seated at the right hand of the Father; with the ones that say He is in us? The verses that tell us that the Father lives in heaven; with the ones where Jesus says, He and the Father are one?
The fact is, we can’t unless we understand that there is no paradox. All these verses are accurate. This means, if God lives in us, and He lives in heaven too, then heaven must be in us. Heaven is not a location, it is a state of being. Heaven is not a place with gold paved streets, or a mansion just over the hill top. It is an elevated realm of the Spirit, not altitude, but attitude.
As we continue to search the Word, we must be careful we are not holding the tail of the elephant in our hands, thinking it is only a rope.
END.
