JC Blog

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ). Jesus came to communicate God's message of love toward us. To do this, he entered into humanity. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" ( John 1:14 ).

Jesus came to the world he created with a simple but glorious message, that God loves us and has provided the way for reconciliation through the Son. Jesus came to proclaim the good news that God was not holding mankind's sins against them and He would provide the way to the Father. The messengers that God previously sent forecasted these events and longed to see them transpire. "For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." ( Luke 10:24 ). What they longed to see was Jesus, the expression of God's love!

Even in the deep sea, the creatures that live there draw life from the Son. They testify to this incredible message of God's love in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the author of all things and willingly offers eternal life to all who call upon his name. "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" ( John 17:3 ). The message of Jesus is clear, he came to show us the Father and to reconcile the world unto himself ( II Corinthians 5:19 ). We are forgiven, accepted and loved. Jesus has communicated perfectly God's true nature and character. By knowing Jesus, we know the Father.

Tomorrow we look at Hebrews 1:3; Jesus is the Perfect Imprint of God’s Nature.

One of the main stumbling points for both Christians and non-believers is reconciling the differences between their view of God in the Old Testament and their idea of who Jesus is in the New. These views can appear to contradict each other unless we understand this important truth: the Old Testament only gave partial revelation of God's nature, but Jesus gives us the clear and perfect image.

Jesus is the expression of God's love toward us. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ). God has always tried to communicate with us. He sent messengers, prophets and kings to show us his intentions. Each one gave a portion of the truth. But we could not fully understand God’s character by the limited revelation they conveyed, so God sent Jesus to communicate His full nature to us.

It is easy to misinterpret God by solely looking at the Old Testament without the filter of Jesus. For instance, The Old Testament shows us God's justice, but Jesus shows us God's mercy. The Old Testament shows us God's holiness, but Jesus shows us God's grace. The Old Testament shows us God's righteousness, but Jesus is the one who provided that righteousness for us. God has always been merciful, abounding in grace and faithful to save. But Jesus is the one who demonstrated these characteristics to us in a complete and full way. "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known" ( John 1:17-18 ).

Jesus, the very same person who created the universe, who holds it together by his word, who sustains life on this planet, and was sent to reveal God's love to us. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation" ( Colossians 1:15 ). Everything Jesus is, shows us the Father in a complete way so we can know and understand him. I John 4:8 tells us that "God is love". Love is not an attribute of God; it is the essence of God. John went on to explain, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" ( I John 4:9-10 ).

What an amazing truth that Jesus was sent to show us God’s complete nature. This is one of the reasons Jesus came to earth as a man. This is an important truth to understand, Jesus came in the flesh so He could interact with us in a way that we could see, hear and understand. The result is putting our trust in Him.

I was watching a documentary about the deepest parts of the sea. Scientists were studying the life that existed at incredible depths. Most of the creatures that inhabited the deepest points of the ocean still surfaced occasionally to eat plankton and various particles that were produced from the natural flow of life on this planet.

However as they explored these incredible depths, they soon discovered life forms living far beyond the reach of our sun. Until this time, science operated under the assumption that all life on this planet was sustained by the sun and photosynthesis. Needless to say this discovery baffled the deep sea scientists.

Finding these creatures disproved the theory that life is supported by our sun. Rather life is sustained by the Son. Jesus is the one who created the Universe and who holds it in place by His powerful word. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" ( Colossians 1:15-17 ). By these life forms found in the deep sea, science has opened a door for others to understand what believers have long understood: Jesus created the universe. Jesus holds it together. And Jesus sustains life on this planet.

The apostle John told us, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men" ( John 1:3-4 ). Understanding who Jesus is, is the beginning of life. Not just physically but completely and eternally. Jesus himself told us, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" ( John 10:10 ).

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ).

Over the next three days we will look at Hebrews 1:1-2 taking a look at Jesus and how He is the expression of God’s love toward us. He is the one who was sent to communicate God’s nature to us in a way not previously understood. This is important for believers to understand, we can know God by looking at Jesus.

Tomorrow we look at Part 2: Jesus Helps us to Understand God’s Nature