◄ What Does John 8:19 Mean? ►

The Lord Jesus was the living Bread that had come down from heaven to feed His people Israel and to save them from their sins. Jesus was the eternal Son of the living God Who laid aside His glory so that He might become the Kinsman-Redeemer of the fallen, human race.

Jesus was God incarnate. Jesus was the Lord's anointed Messiah. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. And for a time, He set aside the heavenly glory He had shared with His Father from before the foundation of the world. The Son of God set aside His glory, for a season, so that He could live and die as the perfect pattern of human life. He was the singular example, to humanity, of how God wants all His children to live - in spirit, in truth, and fully submitted to the will of God.

Man is the only created being that was made in the image and likeness of God. Man was created to be God's personal representative on earth, and man was appointed to govern God's creation under His sovereign authority. But because the first man sinned and fell from his exalted position, all humanity was imputed with sin and became estranged from our heavenly Father. All were rendered incapable of living in the way that God purposed for all men to live.

Through wrong choices, we became slaves to Satan and were born in bondage to sin. However, by choosing to trust in God's Word and to live by faith in Christ, we are brought into the family of God, forgiven of our sins, and declared to be righteous in His sight.

And it is all by faith in Christ's perfect sacrifice on the Cross that sins are forgiven and sinners are clothed in Christ's righteousness. And so, by faith in Christ, we were made children of God - and by faith in Him, we have been promised a glorious inheritance which is kept for us in heaven. And that inheritance has been stamped with the eternal Seal of God's unchangeable truthfulness.

Jesus came to earth as the perfect pattern of humanity. He demonstrated from start to finish the conduct and character that exemplifies a Son of God... for Jesus said ONLY what He heard from the Father and did ONLY what He was told to do by His Father. Having set aside His glory for a season, Jesus lived His life through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. But the small-minded, proud-hearted, hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees, challenged every claim He made, "saying to Him, 'Where is Your Father?'"

How astonishing to realise that standing before these foolish, fallen men was the eternal Son of God, the Creator of the universe, the everlasting Saviour and perfect Son of Man, through Whom the heaven and earth was formed. And yet, these arrogant men refused to acknowledge the incarnate Truth, Whom they saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears.

Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God. He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of God's nature. He upholds all things by the word of His power. He made purification of sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high - in heavenly splendour.

Jesus is the exact representation of God's very being. He came to earth as the Word made flesh. He came to tabernacle amongst His people for a time. He came to tell them about His Father in heaven and to reveal the essence of Deity in their midst. He came to show them how to live.. and to give His life as the ransom price for many. But they would not listen to anything He said and questioned every truth He shared.

Jesus answered sadly, "You know neither Me nor My Father, for if you knew Me, you would know My Father also." All things had been delivered up to the Lord Jesus by the Father and He graciously came to earth to reveal the Father to a race that had become estranged from God through sin - a race that was without hope in the world.

God is Spirit, but the Son had come to earth clothed in human flesh, and His mission was to fully reveal the Father to mankind - because all things had been delivered to Him by His Father.  No one is able to know the Father except the Lord Jesus Christ.. His only begotten Son, and those to whom He chooses to reveal Him.

It is only the one that knows the SON who is able to know the FATHER also. All rule and authority has been given by God the Father to God the Son. Those that acknowledge the Son also acknowledge the Father. How sad that spiritual myopia and foolish pride can cause men to miss the Redeemer of the world and remain in eternal condemnation - for only those that put their trust in HIM, for the salvation of their soul by faith, will not perish but have everlasting life.

Heavenly Father, thank You that by grace Your Holy Spirit convicted me of sin and righteousness and judgement. Thank You that by faith in Christ, I have been set free from slavery to sin and given life eternal. Thank You, also, that I have been given free and unhindered access into the very presence of the Majesty on high, to Whom be all praise, might, majesty, dominion, and power... both now and into the eternal ages to come. Praise Your holy name, AMEN.