Christian Action, 27of39

~ Maintain Unity ~

Series Note  ~  In just the single chapter of Romans 12 the Apostle Paul gave believers a list of 39 things which are part of the Christian life which pleases God.  This chapter is crying out saying, “If you name Jesus Christ as your Savior then please act like a Christian!”  It is Paul’s “To Do List” for us.  The key principle is that while you and I cannot change God’s character (who He really is) we have the clear potential to damage His reputation (what others think He is). 

Scripture to Meditate On  ~  “Be of the same mind toward one another” (Romans 12:16a). 

Comment  ~  Jesus wants His people to work together in unity.  He has set the pattern for us in the unity of the Trinity. 

Related Passages  ~  Jesus prayed, “I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are” (John 17:9-11).

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Jesus Is…, 60

~ Jesus IS Fully and Completely God! ~

Jesus Christ Is The Creator & Sustainer of All  ~  “In the beginning God [a plural term in the original language-implying the Trinity] created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). 

“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], 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).  

“There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). 

“To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9). 

“Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17). 

Jesus Christ Possesses Divine Characteristics  ~  For example Jesus Christ is…

omnipotent / all-powerful (Hebrews 1:3a),

omniscient / all-knowing (Colossians 2:2b-3),

omnipresent / present everywhere simultaneously (Matthew 28:18-20),

immutable / unchanging (Hebrews 13:8), and

immortal / eternal (Hebrews 7:1-3; Revelation 22:12-13). 

     

Jesus Christ Claimed To Be God  ~  Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). 

“Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me’” (John 12:44-45). 

Jesus also said, “‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’  Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves’” (John 14:7-11).

     

Witnesses To Jesus Christ’s Divinity  ~  There are at least seven witnesses to Jesus Christ’s divinity mentioned in the Gospel of John…

John the Baptist (John 1:34),

the actual works of Christ (John 5:36),

the Old Testament record (John 5:39),

God the Father (John 5:37-38),

Jesus Christ Himself (John 8:14),

the Spirit of God (John 15:26), and

early Christians (John 15:27).      

additional remark:  For a different look and fuller understanding of the fully divine nature of God see chapter 3, entitled “The Mystery of Light” in the international award winning book GOD LIGHT: Sunlight Sonlight (find details by clicking on the God Light tab above).

the key question:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).  This is the most important question you will ever answer.  If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Salvation, 17

~ Full Assurance Of Salvation ~

Salvation is not a Reward for the Righteous.

It is an available Gift for those who understand their Guilt!

Full Assurance Of Faith  ~  “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:19-25).

Full Assurance of Faith rests in the past finished work of Jesus Christ—The Messiah!   

Full Assurance Of Understanding  ~  “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:1-3). 

Full Assurance of Understanding learns from the present on-going relationship with Jesus Christ’s—The Messiah. 

Full Assurance Of Hope  ~  “But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.  For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:9-12).

Full Assurance of Hope looks forward to the future participating in the glory of Jesus Christ—The Messiah.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .