Category Archives: Jesus Christ

Did Jesus ever claim to be God?

Did Jesus ever claim to be God?

Bible Question:

Did Jesus ever claim to be God?

Bible Answer:

Yes, Jesus claimed to be God. Both the religious leaders and the apostles clearly understood that He claimed to be God. Early in Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders did not understand Him, as John 5:18 reveals,

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. (NASB) John 5:18

They reacted as some do today. Many do not understand that Jesus was not just claiming to be equal with God. Yet, He claimed to be God. They missed the point and some do today as well. But later in Jesus’ ministry the Jewish leaders finally understood. Here is the dialog,

“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (NASB) John 10:30-33

Jesus said that He and the Father are one. Finally, the Jewish leaders understood that He was claiming to be God, so they wanted to stone Him to death. That was the penalty for blasphemy. Jesus responded by asking them to give a reason for their actions. They answered that He had blasphemed. Their answer was pointed and specific. They said that He was a man and could not be God. They understood that He was claiming to be God. But they rejected His statement just as others have. Today, people may claim that Jesus never said He was God, but the religious leaders understood that He did.

The expression “Son of God” was a phrase that meant Jesus was God. It did not mean that Jesus was God’s offspring (compare John 10:33 with 10:36) or that He was a child of God. Jesus explained the meaning of the phrase Himself in John 10:36. Later in John 19:7 the Jewish leaders used this claim against Jesus once again.

In John 8:56-58 Jesus once again clearly stated that He was God and, consequently, the religious leaders want to stone Him.

. . . ” Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. John 8:58-59 (NASB)

The Jewish religious leaders knew that He was claiming to have existed before Abraham. Abraham lived about 2,075-2,000 B.C. That is roughly 2,000 years before Jesus. How did the religious leaders respond? They said your “not yet fifty years old.” They understood He was claiming to have existed before Abraham. Consequently, Jesus declared that He was the “I AM.” This was a clear reference to Exodus 3:14 where Jehovah God – Yahweh – declared that He was the “I AM.” Jesus was clearly claiming to be God and the Jews understood. Consequently, they wanted to stone Him to death.

The religious leaders understood that Jesus claimed to be God and so did the apostles. The Apostle Paul wrote this about Jesus,

. . . looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus . . . (NASB) Titus 2:13

This verse is very clear. Here we are told that Jesus is both Savior and God. According to the Greek grammar Granville Sharp rule, any time two nouns of the same case are connected by KAI, the words refer to the same thing if the definite article appears before the first noun and not the second.[1] In this Greek text, the definite article appears before “great God” and not before “Savior.” The case of both nouns are the same. This means that Paul was telling us that Jesus is both God and Savior. Jesus is God.

If Jesus was not God, how did He walk on water, raise the dead, heal the blind, calm the waves, stop the wind, and multiply five loaves, and two fish enough to feed a total of 9,000 men plus women, and children on two occasions? How did He turn water into wine, read the thoughts of people, heal cut-off ears, and cause a Roman cohort to fall to the ground without touching them when He was arrested? Why did the sky turn dark and the earth quake when Jesus died in the mid-afternoon? Secular scientists give witness that darkness encompassed the Mediterranean world at the time of a full moon when Jesus died. A solar eclipse cannot occur during a full moon. The moon is on the wrong side of the planet.

Did Jesus ever say that he was the Son of God

Did Jesus ever say that he was the Son of God

Bible Question:

Did Jesus ever say that He was the Son of God?

Bible Answer:

Yes! Jesus said that He was the Son of God. On several occasions Jesus openly declared that He was God. Here are several examples.

John 5:18

Early in Jesus’ ministry the religious leaders understood that He had claimed to be equal with God. Jesus had just healed a man and a discussion followed between Jesus and the religious leaders and then we read the following,

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. John 5:18 (NAS95S)

The religious leaders thought that Jesus was claiming to be “equal” with God. The Greek word that is translated as “equal” is ISOS. ISOS means “pertaining to that which is equal, either in number, size, quality, or characteristics.” They understood that Jesus was claiming to be more than just a man. But they did not understand that Jesus was claiming that He was more than just ISOS.

John 8:58

Jesus was trying to help them understand that He was God. Notice what Jesus says in the following passages,

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” John 8:56-58 (NAS95S)

Now notice that Jesus called Himself, “I am.” This is the same thing that God called Himself in Exodus 3:6 and 14.

He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” . . . God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” . . . Exodus 3:6, 14(NAS95S)

The Jews understood exactly what Jesus did. Jesus was declaring that He was the God they worshipped – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And they picked up stones to kill Him (John 8:59) because he had declared that He was God.

John 10:33

Sometime later Jesus clearly stated that He was God and the Jewish leaders once again understood.

“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (NASB) John 10:30-33

The Jewish leaders understood that He was claiming to be God, so they wanted to stone Him to death. That was the penalty for blasphemy. Jesus responded by asking them to give a reason for their actions. They answered that He had blasphemed. Their answer was pointed and specific. They said that He was a man and could not be God. They understood that He was claiming to be God. But they rejected His statement just as others have. Today, people may claim that Jesus never said He was God, but the religious leaders understood that He did. People do not want to believe Jesus said this because they do not believe He is God. The expression “Son of God” was a phrase that meant Jesus was God. It did not mean that Jesus was God’s offspring (compare John 10:33 with 10:36) or that He was a child of God. Jesus explained the meaning of the phrase Himself in John 10:36. Later in John 19:7 the Jewish leaders used this claim against Jesus once again.

Other Statements

Just before Jesus returned to heaven the apostle Thomas stated this,

Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28 (NAS95S)

If Jesus had never taught them that truth, why would Thomas say that? Thomas believed Jesus was God and he declared it. Also, notice the words written at the end of 1 John.

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20 (NAS95S)

Jesus is God. Please visit “Did Jesus ever claim to be God?” for further elaboration.

Conclusion:

Jesus said that He was God, the Son of God. The disciples believed He was God and the writers of the epistles in the New Testament believed that He was God. Anyone who says that He never claimed to be God and that the New Testament never says that He is God has never seriously read the New Testament or they did not understand what they were reading. May God bless you.

Did Jesus come to bring peace or not

Did Jesus come to bring peace or not

Did Jesus come to bring peace or not?

Matthew 10:34; Luke 2:14; 22:36 and Mark 9:50; John 14:27; 16:33; Acts 10:36

No Peace

(Matthew 10:34-36) – “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35″For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”

(Luke 12:51,52) – “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three…”

Luke 22:36) – “And He said to them, “But now, let him who has a purse take it along, likewise also a bag, and let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one.”

Peace

(Mark 9:50) – “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

(John 14:27) – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

(John 16:33) – “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace…”

(Acts 10:36) – “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all).”

Context is the key to Jesus’ words. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus is speaking about the divisions that will come, even among family members, over their belief or lack of belief about Him. In that respect, He has come to bring division. This context is also related in Luke 12:51.

Luke 22:36 Jesus is preparing the disciples for His departure. He is telling them that they will need to provide for themselves and even protect themselves. Up to that time, everything they had needed had been provided. But, after the crucifixion and ascension, they would again be “on their own.” They would need to work, provide for their families, and, if need be, protect their own; hence, the mention of the sword. Of course, the Bible teaches that Christians are to be peaceful, loving, and forgiving; however, it also teaches that we are not required to sit idly by when persecuted unrighteously.

The rest of the “peace” verses, teach just that: peace.

Jesus did not contradict Himself. When we look at His words in context, we can see what He was saying and that there is no contradiction at all.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.

At first glance it indeed appears that Jesus encourages violence and calls his disciples to practice it, presumably righteous violence. But appearances can be deceiving. A text without a context often becomes a pretext, as the old saying goes. Once this verse is read in its historical and literary contexts, the meaning will change.

It is time to set the record straight about that verse.

The historical context, we should recall, is Jewish culture, as Jesus ministers to his own people. He sends out the twelve disciples to the “lost sheep of Israel,” not yet to the gentiles, who will be reached after the Resurrection. It is not surprising, historically speaking, that he would spread his word by proclamation to his own, by Jewish disciples. Second, he predicts that some towns may not receive the disciples and that the authorities may put them on trial and flog them. In that eventuality, they should shake the dust off their feet, pray for them, and flee to another city. Third, it is only natural that first-century Jews may not understand this new sect or “Jesus movement” (as sociologists of the New Testament call it), so they resist it. Does this mean, then, that Jesus calls for a holy war with a physical, military sword against his fellow Jewssay, against his own family who wanted to take custody of him because they thought he was “out of his mind” (Mark 3:21)?

Next, those cultural facts explain the immediate literary context, which shows division among family members. The context must be quoted in full to explain the meaning of “sword” in Matthew 10:34 (bold print):

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household [Micah 7:6]
37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The one key element in this lengthy passage is the word “sword,” and its meaning is now clear. It indicates that following Jesus in his original Jewish society may not bring peace to a family, but may “split” it up, the precise function of a metaphorical sword. Are his disciples ready for that? This kind of spiritual sword invisibly severs a man from his father, and daughter from her mother, and so on (Micah 7:6). Given Jesus’ own family resistance early on (they later came around), it is only natural he would say that no matter what the cost, one must follow him to the end, even if it means giving up one’s family. But this applies only if the family rejects the new convert, not if the family accepts him in his new faith; he must not reject them, because the whole point of Jesus’ advent is to win as many people to his side as possible, even if this divides the world in two, but never violently.

Furthermore, we can reference the larger textual context in the Gospel of Matthew. In the Garden of Gethsemane, during the hour when Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Peter struck off the ear of the servant of the high priest in order to protect his Lord. But Jesus tells him to stop.

Matthew 26:52-53 says:

52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (NIV)

Jesus denounces violence to accomplish the will of Godat least as Peter imagines the will of God. Then Jesus says that he has more than twelve legions of angels at his disposal. He did not come to crush the Roman Empire. Instead, he willingly lays down his life and dies for the sins of the whole world. Will it accept this wonderful gift?

Now we can appeal to even a much larger textual context. The non-literal interpretation of the sword is confirmed by a parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 12:49-53 reads:

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo [my death], and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

It is entirely possible that these two parallel passages in Matthew and Luke represent two different occasions. After all, when I teach the same topic in two different classes, I also change the wording a little. Neither class knows about the slight change, but this does not matter, for the meaning is essentially the same. Likewise, in the three years that Jesus taught, he most likely repeated this call to commitment several times to different audiences (though recorded only twice in the Gospels), as he crisscrossed Israel. He issued such radical calls often, telling his listeners to pick up their cross and to follow him (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, 14:27).

Whatever the case, the proper way to interpret Scripture is to let verses clarify other verses, particularly parallel passages. And now Luke 12:49-53 confirms our interpretation of Matt. 10:34. Jesus did not endorse physical violence against one’s own family, but he warns people about possible family division.

So what does all of this mean?

History demonstrates that Jesus never wielded a sword against anyone, and in Matt. 10:34 he does not order his followers to fight, in order to kill their family opponents or for any reason. But a true disciple who is worthy of following Christ and who comes from a possibly hostile family has to use a sword of the will (never a physical sword) to sever away all opposition, even as far as taking up his crossanother metaphorical implement for the disciples. It is true that Jesus divides the world into two camps, those who follow him, and those who do not, those in the light, and those in the dark. However, he never tells his followers to wage war on everyone else, and certainly not on one’s family.

There is not a single verse in the New Testament that calls the Church to commit violence to spread the gospel or to plant churches or to accomplish anything else. Rather, the New Testament hands the sword over to the State (Rom. 13:1-6). In any case, Jesus says a spiritual sword, not a physical one, may sever family ties, so his disciples must be ready for that.

Does the name Jesus actually mean Hail Zeus

Does the name Jesus actually mean Hail Zeus

Question: “Does the name ‘Jesus’ actually mean ‘Hail, Zeus’?”

Answer: There are several strange and misleading teachings that make their rounds concerning the name of God and of Jesus Christ; one such false doctrine is the idea that the name of Jesus actually means “Hail, Zeus.” Promoters of this bizarre concept claim that anyone who uses the name Jesus is offering praise to a false god and is not saved. They go so far as to say a person must use only the Hebrew name for Jesus, since there is only one name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

First, we will explain the “Jesus-means-hail-Zeus” theory, the best we can. Then we will look at the truth of the matter from a biblical perspective.

Those who teach that the name Jesus means “Hail, Zeus” usually start with the name of God, YAH (see Isaiah 26:4, NET). From that name of God, they take the Messiah’s name to be YAHSHUA, which they say means “YAH Is Salvation.” They contend that is the name used by the apostles and by the Messiah Himself; however, after the apostles were dead and gone, the Roman Church took over Christianity. In order to make their brand of religion more palatable to the pagans, the Roman leaders changed the name of the Messiah into a Greek/Latin hybrid, Iésous, which (supposedly) means “Hail, Zeus.” Since Zeus (or Jupiter) was the chief god in the Greco-Roman pantheon, the pagans had little trouble accepting this new demigod. By changing the Savior’s name, Christianity had been effectively stripped of its Hebrew roots, and the melding with paganism was a success. The Greeks’ savior could still be Zeus. In time, the word Iésous was further corrupted into Jesus in English.

As “proof” for their conspiracy theory that Jesus means “Hail, Zeus,” advocates point to the fact that the second syllable of Jesus (-sus) sounds similar to the name of the chief Greek god. Especially when Jesus is pronounced in Spanish, it becomes “evident” that people are “actually” saying “Hey, Zeus.” Added to these “proofs” is the fact that ancient sculptures of Zeus show him with a beard”just like modern-day pictures of Jesus!

What can we say to such far-fetched nonsense? First, not everyone who has a beard is trying to take the place of Jesus. Second, just because a certain word or word part sounds like another word is no proof of commonality. Basing theories of word origin on pronunciation is preposterous. Humorous sounds exactly like humerus, but there’s nothing particularly funny about the bone that goes from the shoulder to the elbow. Third, the Messiah’s Hebrew name is Yeshua, not Yahshua”the latter being a fabrication in order to make the name sound more like YAH.

Fourth, the Hebrew name Yeshua translates into Greek as Iésous. This is the name that the angel Gabriel commanded Joseph to name Mary’s child: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus is a simply a Greek form of Joshua, a common name among Jews. The same verse also alludes to the meaning of the name: the Lord was to be named Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins.” The name Jesus means “The Lord Saves” or “The Lord Is Salvation.” Whether you spell it Jesus or Joshua or Yeshua, the meaning stays the same, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Zeus.

Names can and do translate. Changing a name from one language to another does not change the meaning of the name, nor does it change the character or identity of the person. Elizabeth becomes Elixabete, Isabella, Zsoka, or Eliska, depending on the language. But she remains the same girl. A man named Stephen can be called Stephanos, Stefan, Estevao, Teppo, or Estebe, depending on where in the world he is. But he is the same person, regardless of what we call him. Similarly, Jesus and Yeshua refer to the same Person”and it’s not Zeus.

We use the name Jesus, an Anglicized transliteration of the Greek, because Greek is the language that Matthew and Mark and Luke and John wrote their Gospels in and because English is the language we speak. The best translation of Iésous into modern English is “Jesus.”

Part of Timothy’s work as a pastor was to “command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths” (1 Timothy 1:3″4). Paul was concerned that “such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work”which is by faith” (verse 4). Conspiracy theories and myths regarding the etymology of Jesus’ name are distractions from the true work of God. We should not pay any heed to claims that the name Jesus means anything but what Scripture says it means: “The Lord Saves.”

Cornfields

Cornfields

Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

The intertexture analysis of Matthew 12:1–8 revealed that hunger supersedes. protocol. Jesus suggested that what was permissible for David was also permissible for his disciples. In doing. so he implied that people’s needs took precedent over institutional rules.

Blind Fools

Blind Fools

Matthew 23:17: Did Jesus sin when he called people blind fools?

One of the verses in the Gospel, used by Muslims to deny Jesus’ divinity is the following one: You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? (Matthew 23:17). Was the statement of Jesus really a sin?

1. Jesus showed that people didnt follow the straight path

You blind fools means that Jesus wanted to put things in the right perspective by showing them they are sinners. From the context in Matthew, chapter 23, Jesus deals with the hypocrisy of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! (Matthew 23:13) occurs
seven times in this chapter. Teachers of the law and Pharisees wanted to swear by the gold of the temple. Jesus explains in previous verses that only swearing by the gold of the temple is important. Because the gold is nothing without the temple, while the temple is from its origin holy and therefore is superior to the gold. The warning of Jesus was directed to people who didnt follow the straight path. 2. Statement was against immoral people. The teachers of the law and Pharisees were very strict and precise in some small cases of the Law, but careless and loose in many important cases. They were enemies to the Gospel of Christ, and therefore to the Gods salvation of the souls of men. [1- Matthew Henry Commentary  Matthew 23:13-33]. It is not a little sin that Jesus condemns but the greater sin. While for many people the teachers of the law and Pharisees seem to be godly, in fact they were not righteous at all. Jesus warning was against the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees so that everybody may see through it. Their hearts were immoral and
their minds foolishly blinded with pleasure to please and satisfy themselves. Jesus showed the way of doing Gods will.

3. Conclusion

The remark about blind fools in Matthew 23:17 was against the Scribes and Pharisees who were enemies to the Gospel of God.
It is a general statement and therefore not a sin that Jesus made this statement.

Massive changes in the world due to Jesus Christ

massive changes in the world due to Jesus Christ

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17″18)
4. All the promises of God in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. That is, when you have Christ, sooner or later you will have both Christ himself and all else that God promised through Christ.

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
5. The law was kept perfectly by Christ. And all its penalties against God’s sinful people were poured out on Christ. Therefore, the law is now manifestly not the path to righteousness; Christ is. The ultimate goal of the law is that we would look to Christ, not law-keeping, for our righteousness.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:4)
“When you have Christ, you also have everything God promised through him.” Tweet Share on Facebook
Therefore, with the coming of Christ, virtually everything has changed:

1. The blood sacrifices ceased because Christ fulfilled all that they were pointing toward. He was the final, unrepeatable sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 9:12, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

2. The priesthood that stood between worshiper and God has ceased. Hebrews 7:23″24, “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.”

3. The physical temple has ceased to be the geographic center of worship. Now, Christ himself is the center of worship. He is the “place,” the “tent,” and the “temple” where we meet God. Therefore, Christianity has no geographic center, no Mecca, no Jerusalem. John 4:21, 23, “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . . But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.’” John 2:19, 21, “‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ . . . He [Jesus] was speaking about the temple of his body.” Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my [Jesus’s] name, there am I among them.”

4. The food laws that set Israel apart from the nations have been fulfilled and ended in Christ. Mark 7:18″19, “[Jesus] said to them, . . . ‘Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him?’ . . . (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”

5. The establishment of civil law on the basis of an ethnically rooted people, who are ruled directly by God, has ceased. The people of God are no longer a unified political body or an ethnic group or a nation-state, but are exiles and sojourners among all ethnic groups and all states. Therefore, God’s will for states is not taken directly from the Old Testament theocratic order, but should now be re-established from place to place and from time to time by means that correspond to God’s sovereign rule over all peoples, and that correspond to the fact that genuine obedience, rooted as it is in faith in Christ, cannot be coerced by law. The state is therefore grounded in God, but not expressive of God’s immediate rule. Romans 13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” John 18:36, “My [Jesus’s] kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.”

Let us worship the wonder of Christ, who unleashed these massive changes in the world.

Christ redeemed us from the curse

Christ redeemed us from the curse

The passage you are referring to is found in Galatians 3:13-14.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NASB) Gal. 3:13 -14

To answer your question, we will first discover what the curse is about and then we will find out why it is applied to Jesus.

The Curse. Ancient Israel used four methods for putting criminals to death: “stoning, burning, the sword, and strangulation” (Dr. J. H. Hertz. Pentateuch & Haftorahs. Soncino Press, London. 1960. p. 842.). A criminal or an enemy could then be hung on a tree until evening as a spectacle to everyone of their evil deeds. Joshua 10:25-26 is an excellent example of this humiliation. “Hanging on a tree” was a symbol of humiliation. God did not want a person to be hung on a tree unless he/she had been killed for disobeying God’s moral law. Therefore, God established this law.

If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), . . . (NASB) Deut. 21:22-23

Hanging was for an exceptionally wicked man or woman.

Applied To Jesus. Jesus was “cursed” before He died on that Roman cross which was made out of wood. The scriptures tell us that Jesus was a holy baby (Luke 1:35); He found favor with God as a young person (Luke 2:52); and at the beginning of His ministry God the Father said, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased . . .” (Matt. 3:17). Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, God the Father repeated the statement, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased” at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). Finally, Jesus died on a cross for the sins of every man and woman. The scriptures say that Jesus was perfect. He was sinless. We deserved to die because of our sins. He did not. Therefore, when He willingly died a physical death on a cross in our place for our sins He became a “curse.” The Apostle Peter repeats this fact in His writings and to a crowd which was listening to him preach about Jesus Christ.

. . . and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness . . . (NASB) 1 Pet. 2:24

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.” (NASB) Acts 5:29-30

Jesus died on the cross and continued hanging on it until that evening. So when we come to Gal. 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul says that we can inherit the promise of the Spirit by faith by believing in Jesus. This is possible because Jesus became a curse bore our sins when He hung on the cross a tree.

Why did jesus do this? Because He loves you. It is that simple. Now He asks you to believe or trust in Him.

Signs of the End of the Age

Signs of the End of the Age

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am (J)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.