“So all of us who have had the veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT)
Based on what I wrote in yesterday’s post, someone may conclude that everything we believe is up for grabs, but that isn’t what I said and is certainly not the “takeaway” I wanted anyone to get. Every human being is imperfect and defiled by sin. The only exception is Jesus. And because He is an exception, He alone was able to pay the penalty for our sin and remove from the “faces” of those who choose to put their trust in Him, the veil of ignorance that hardened our heart to the truth of who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the Cross.
The Bible is clear on many things, especially regarding who Jesus is, what He came to accomplish, and what faith and trust in Him can enable us to become to His honor and fame. Yes, of course, there are points of doctrine on which we may disagree, but the vast majority of Scripture allows us to see clearly what we need to believe and have full confidence in the Bible’s authority and accuracy.
Even in the early years of the Church there were misunderstandings and false teachers who were leading people to believe wrong things, thus the reason the Apostles created this early creed as a guide and guard to the basic doctrines of faith that would keep us grounded in our faith in Christ.
“I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, descended into hell, rose again from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, who will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” *Note “holy catholic Church” has reference to the Church Universal comprised of all those who have been born again by faith in the Lord Jesus. It does not have reference to the Roman Catholic Church)
The goal of our faith in Christ is intimacy with the Father made possible by trust in what Jesus did on the Cross in our place. In John 14 Jesus explained that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. (14:16) Why is that important? Because if we lose sight of who Jesus is – God in human flesh – we can more easily be sidetracked by variations of belief about Jesus that range anywhere from a good teacher, to a misinformed lunatic.
Only God has the power and authority to defeat Satan and to free us from our bondage to sin. Without full trust and confidence in the fact that Jesus is God, it casts shadows of doubt on His virgin birth, His sinless life, His resurrection from the dead, and His ascension back to heaven where He continues to bear intercession for the saints (us).
The more clearly we see Jesus, the more closeness we’ll enjoy with His Father, who is now, by faith, OUR Father. We also, because of who Jesus is, are given the Holy Spirit who teaches us, leads us, informs our daily decisions, and empowers us to overcome sin, walk faithfully in obedience to His directives, and share the Good News of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension with those who now walk in darkness, the same darkness out of which we’ve been delivered.
Yes, of course we see things imperfectly now, but the longer we walk with Jesus the clearer the truth of who He is and what He desires of us becomes, and the more certainty we can have in the authority of Scripture and the glorious end He will bring to those who know and love Him.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 