…”However, the Jews didn’t seem to see it this way. John 8:58-59”…
God works in mysterious ways which He reveals answers as our spirit prospers.
Let’s look at the picture of human history and see how God worked.
- In the beginning He created Adam (Mankind) as both male and female.
Ref: Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The point here is that both male and female inhabit the spirit of God.
- In the process of creation the vessel (Adam) became flawed. Ref: Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
The first vessel (Adam) was marred in the hand of the Potter; notice that it was in the hand of the Potter that Adam became marred?
So He made again another vessel, a second Adam, Jesus and it seemed good to the Potter.
The marred vessel became “lost”.
Ref: Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
- God makes His presence known to Abram, changed to Abraham, for the first installment of the promise of a Savior of mankind.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Not meant physically, but a spiritual people made up of many nations of people.
- God having dedicated a people to receive His words and His laws for the world to witness and as a final result in the Jewish nation.
Purpose was to add degree to sin by the law given to Moses and to rule out the fact that no human could work his or her way to heaven.
Meaning that no human being could ever take credit for it’s own salvation save God.
You may now understand why Jesus could not say He was God because if He did, He would in the flesh be taking credit for mankind’s salvation.
Only God in Spirit, as He is, can be the only God and Savior of mankind.
After Jesus was crucified, sitting at the right hand of God is the same as saying, He is God, for no man can go to the Father except through Jesus.
Back to # 4 above.
God had to blind the nation of Israel to His Christ, for only the Jewish Levi Priests could make animal sacrifices.
Who better than to offer Jesus up than for the designated people (Priests) as a sacrifice for the world?
Yes, the Jews were blinded by the law requirements, that they accused Jesus of blasphemy, and given the reason to offer Him up as a sacrifice, unbeknown to them.
That is why Jesus asked the Father, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.
There are four stages to humanity, which you will see in my explanation above:
- Beginnings/introduction
- Found with sin
- Judgment
- Death/salvation
Jesus as God complied with all of those 4 things above and now owns the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Ref: Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
We can now see that only God alone can save, and that He did in Jesus as God reconciling the world back unto Himself.
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Final note:
If God saves us, who are we to say, because of differing beliefs, that our brother or sister is not going to make it, as if we had the right to judge and not God.
Blessings, AJ
