◄ What Does John 5:39 Mean? ►

There were many witnesses to Christ's claim to deity and His role as Redeemer. John the Baptist was one such human witness, for He proclaimed: "This is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." And both the Father and the Holy Sprit were heavenly witnesses of Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan (an act which they carried out together, in order to fulfil all righteousness).

Christ's miraculous signs and great wonders were a further undeniable stamp of His God-given authority and Messianic claims, but perhaps the most authoritative witness of all is the completed Old Testament Scriptures. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, these sacred writings, which were inspired by God's Holy Spirit, are the most compelling testimony to the deity of Christ and His redeeming role - for all with eyes to see.

God spoke to Israel's ancestors through the prophetic writings which were all pointing to Christ, but finally God spoke to mankind through His only begotten Son Whom He appointed Heir of all things, and through Whom also He made the universe. Christ is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, and yet the leaders of Israel not only missed Him, but shockingly accused Him of blasphemy.

The Old Testament Scriptures are God's eternal witness to Christ's Messianic claims and His redeeming role for mankind. However, although the Jews searched the Scriptures exhaustively (thinking that eternal life was contained within their pages), they missed the truth of Scripture and read them with spiritually blinded eyes. They searched the Scriptures thinking that in them they had eternal life, and yet every jot and tittle of Scripture testifies to Christ's claim to deity and His role as Kinsman-Redeemer.

These religious leaders missed the many clues that identified Jesus as their Messiah and King. They read the letter of the Law but did not recognise the Word made flesh Who came from heaven to tabernacle among them. They tried to search out how they may inherit eternal life, but in attempting to decipher the letter of the Law, they missed the Word of God. They were blinded to Jesus and deaf to His truth.

If only they had realised that He alone has the words of eternal life, for He alone was good enough to pay the price for their sin and for ours. How we thank God that Christ fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law on behalf of all who would trust in Him for salvation.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the inspired Scriptures which point me to Christ. May I read them with understanding and be guided into all truth by Your Holy Spirit. Keep me from seeking to add to Your finished work of Calvary through my own works of the flesh. I know that eternal life is to be found by faith in Christ alone, and that I am only accepted by You because I am 'in Christ' and not because of anything that I could do. Praise His holy name, and draw me closer to Jesus as I read the Scriptures, day by day. In Jesus' name, AMEN.