Without the Holy Spirit to clarify the truth to our minds and confirm Who Jesus is in our hearts, we would “see” Jesus as just . . .
a man,
or a holy man,
or a prophet,
or a symbolic figure!
But the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see and our minds to know and our hearts to receive that Jesus is more than just a man . . . or a prophet . . . or a teacher . . . or a revolutionary . . . or an icon . . . or a symbol. Jesus is . . .
the Messiah of Israel,
the Son of God,
the Savior of the world,
the reigning King . . .
God Himself in the flesh!
Although God is the Creator of us all, nowhere does the Bible say we are all His children. On the contrary, there are two conditions you and I must meet before we can be called God’s children. One is that we must receive Jesus, or open the door of our hearts and invite Him to come in. The other is that we must believe in His Name.
Believing in His Name means we must be willing to commit our lives to all that He is as represented by His Name. And His Name is Lord Jesus Christ.
The qualification for being a child of God by believing on His Name means much more than just head knowledge. It is not just giving intellectual assent to the fact that the Name Lord Jesus Christ is the label attached to the Person. It means to rest in Jesus, to put all of our trust on Him alone for forgiveness and salvation.
John’s Gospel begins with the astounding statement that “In the beginning was the Word.” The Greek translation for “word” is logos, which means the outward expression of all that God is. Plato once said that he hoped one day there would come a “logos” from God that would make everything clear. John said He has come! “And the Word was with God . . .” as another separate, supreme Being. “And the Word was God.” Although the Word is another separate Person from God the Father, He is no less in power, position, or personality. Because He is God the Creator! “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . . The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NIV)
The “One and Only Son who came from the Father” is the logos of God through Whom God created everything, and His name is JESUS!
What is life in the image of God? It is life with a capacity to know the Creator in a personal relationship. It is a soul that communes with God and has eternal value in His sight. Man was created
to walk and talk with God,
to love and obey God,
to listen to and learn from God,
to glorify and enjoy God forever!
Jesus defined our meaning for existence when He prayed, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Knowing God in a personal and permanent relationship is the ultimate human experience. Knowing God is the meaning of human life. It is the reason for our existence. It was the completion of all the changes God made in the environment in the beginning. And it is the completion of all the changes God is making in your life at the present.
Get to know Him and discover the real meaning of life.
The very promise Jesus gave us contains a name for the Holy Spirit that reveals the uniqueness of His nearness in our loneliness. This name, “Comforter,” is equally translated from the Greek text into six other names, each of which describes a slightly different aspect of the Holy Spirit’s precious, personal ministry in our lives:
Comforter: One Who relieves of mental distress
Counselor: One Who gives advice and manages causes
Helper: One Who furnishes relief or support
Intercessor: One Who acts between parties to reconcile differences.
Advocate: One Who pleads the cause of another.
Strengthener: One Who causes strength and endurance
Standby: One Who can be always relied upon
Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have Someone with these attributes in your life? If you belong to Jesus, you do have that wonderful Someone. You have the Holy Spirit.
