Christ`s Glorious Character: Part 2. The Divine Nature.

Marilyn C

Marilyn C

The Divine Nature. (character)


Jesus is called the `Bread of God.`

`For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives His life to the world.` (John 6: 33)

`I am the bread of life.` (John 6: 48)

Now bread is bought to nourish those who are alive, but Christ the Bread of God imparts life eternal.

The physical bread we eat is from wheat grown in the ground from where our bodies are derived. The calcium, silicon, iodine, phosphates, etc in an organic form are packed into the wheat in order to build up our strength.

In like manner, if we are to become partakers of spiritual life and immortality we must eat the Bread of God, which is made up of -

Righteousness, goodness, loving kindness, graciousness, perfectness, holiness, gentleness, merciful,

and such like which results in Godliness.



Partakers of the Divine nature.

`Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and virtue,

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature....` (2 Peter 1: 2 - 4)



As we learn more about the Lord`s character and meditate upon the different aspects, we have been promised that we will receive the Lord`s very own character imparted into our spirits.

`For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.` (Rom. 8: 29)



And one glad day we know that we shall see the Lord`s handiwork in our lives -

`Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.` (1 John 3: 2)
 
HOLINESS


`Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.` (Isa. 6: 3)

Holiness - Heb. `qadosh,` meaning sacred, morally pure,

The thrice proclaimed `Holy, Holy, Holy, `by the angels over the throne of God reveal that Holiness is the over arching attribute of God`s character.



Worship in response to Holiness.

`Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool, For He is Holy.` (Ps. 99: 5)

And the only appropriate response is to worship and honour this Holy God. Any lesser response means that one`s heart is elsewhere on an idol. Man was made to worship God, who is Holy. The heart rejoices to know and appreciate such beauty and sacredness.

The Psalmist had a revelation of God`s beautiful holiness.

`Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him...` (Ps. 96: 9)

And the writer, to the Hebrews encourages the believers in their service to do so with a reverent attitude.

`Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptable with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.` (Heb. 12: 28 & 29)



Our Need of being made Holy.



Nothing can stand in the `fire` of His Holy Presence. The prophet Isaiah cried out when he saw the vision of God`s holy throne, with the seraphims crying, Holy, Holy, Holy.`

`Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.` (Isa. 6: 5)



It is man`s sin that separates us from a holy God. And it is only by the blood of Christ that a sinner can be washed and sanctified to come near to God`s Holy throne.

`For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.` (Heb. 9: 24)



It is Christ Himself who will present us holy.

`Christ....now He has reconciled (you) in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.` (Col. 1: 21 & 22)
 
Agape - LOVE

Our word, `love` can mean many things, `I love chocolate, I love my cat, I love my children, etc.` However in Greek the word `love` has specific words for a variety of meanings.

  • Phileo, love of a friend,
  • Eros, romantic love.
  • Agape, moral love.
`Agape` in relation to God`s Love is not of feelings but of the will. We see God`s love in the `giving of Himself` out to another.

`For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son....`(John 3: 16)

Then the Son gave of Himself out to others.

`Christ....gave Himself a ransom for all...` (1 Tim. 2: 6)

Christ gave of His Holy Spirit to the believers to make them like Himself, with His divine nature, His pure, holy, character. By Christ`s divine power we -

`....may be partakers of the divine nature....` (2 Peter 1: 4)



Christ`s agape love can be seen -

To those in need by His great goodness.

To those hurting by His great compassion.

To those who are sinners by His great mercy.

To those who are downtrodden by His great gentleness.


Christ revealed to mankind God`s great love that was not based on feelings, emotion or partiality. He even said to those who killed Him -

`Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.` (Luke 23: 34)



It is only through Christ`s great love that we can love not only one another but those who persecute us.

`Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God......In this the love of God was manifested towards us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him...

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.` (1 John 4: 7 - 11)
 
Good morning, Marilyn;

These are my thoughts to Christ's Glorious Character: Part 2. The Divine Nature and Scriptures.

It's in our human nature to be changing with the wind and inconsistent. In the Divine Character Jesus is unchanging and consistent. We are empowered to grow in forgiveness, consistency and unchanging.

We struggle with one foot in holiness and one foot in the world. In Holiness Jesus is absolute in moral purity. We only need to ask and the Lord will bring us more to Holiness and set apart to Him.

The Agape Love of Jesus is His unconditional love for each of us. Though we cannot match His unconditional love we can receive and pass our love to another. God's Agape Love sees the heart and intentions.

The Divine Character, Holiness and Agape Love are attributes to and by God that each of us who follow Him daily can receive and enjoy.

God bless you, Marilyn, and thank you for sharing.

Bob





 
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