¶324.9d: How do you interpret the statement Jesus Christ is Lord? Serving as a local pastor has caused me to spend more time reflecting on the theology and doctrine of the hymns in our worship practices. I recently noticed that the statement Jesus Christ is Lord is reflected in the composition entitled “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” The hymn celebrates Jesus as the Lamb upon the throne who triumphs over death (UMH 327) (Revelation 19.12). According to the doctrine in The Apostles’ Creed, all authority in heaven and earth rests in Jesus as our Ascended Lord who died for us, who is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, who will one day return to judge the living and the dead, and whose Kingdom has no end (UMH 881). The function
The Spirit of God declares the promises of God and prophetically proclaims the future to us through holy inspiration. The Spirit of God sets my feet upon the paths of righteousness and holy living that I might become filled with integrity, authenticity, and perfect truth. The Spirit of God builds one’s character and transforms one’s personal life for the sole purpose of restoring all relationships. Put another way the Spirit of God moves us individually toward faith, new birth, repentance, sanctification, assurance, and witness for the purpose of corporate love of God and
It is through Jesus that the Kingdom of God is established on earth. It is Jesus who experienced the Resurrection. It is Jesus whose body was resurrected after three days in the tomb, and who will raise the dead at the appointed time. It is Jesus who has Eternal Life because he alone is both God and human. It is Jesus who is eternal because he is God. It is Jesus who has life because he is human (John 1.1-5). If we look to the Gospel of Mark, we find that Jesus came to reveal the Kingdom of God. “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14-15). And, this same message is heard every Sunday as churches seek to teach the power of Christ Jesus’ Resurrection, and the hope of everlasting life that he gives to those who receive him as Lord and believe in His Name (John 20.31). Christ Jesus was bodily resurrected, the firstborn among the dead. The doctrine states that Jesus’ physical body came alive after three days of being in the tomb. We will be resurrected, but our bodies will decay. Paul explains the resurrection of our bodies will be a real and spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 15:34-49). The Kingdom of God brings hope to every heart that our evil inclinations will be washed away, and our lives will be redeemed in an everlasting life. Scripture points to the day
In The Meaning of Jesus N.T. Wright and Marcus Borg present different views on issues relating to how Jesus is viewed. While Borg and Wright do agree on central ideals of Christianity, Borg tends to have more liberal views, whereas Wright holds more conservative views.
What information from this week’s articles might be helpful as you think through this case?
In the parables and teachings of Jesus in the book of Matthew, when Jesus is faced with describing how one should judge others he states, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged…” (Matthew, pg. 179). To Jesus withholding judgement was crucial to stemming hypocrisy and empowering his followers to self-reflect. When thinking of the philosophical implications of Jesus’ teachings it is important to ask what the principles upon which he defines goodness are. How might his teachings differ from the works of Aristotle when it comes to defining relationships and defining what makes people good or bad?
The New King James Bible explains, "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all ... For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man ... If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body" (Acts 4:33 and 1 Corinthians 15:21 and 44). Paul explains that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected. Since Jesus was physically buried, then Jesus ' resurrection would represent Him physically rising from the dead. Moreover, Paul explains that we will be resurrected like Jesus because God created humanity. Humanity cannot be physically resurrected because the human body is perishable. However, the spiritual body is imperishable and will live for eternity. Therefore, our physical bodies will be resurrected into an imperishable spirit. The significance of the passage is to demonstrate the historical event that Jesus ' disciples taught the physical resurrection of Jesus and also humanity will be
God draws us to Himself, our soul responds to Him and in return, He fills our soul with joy. That is portrayed in the words of the Psalmist who says in Psalm 43:3-4, "O send our Your light and Your truth, Let them lead me; Let them bring me t...
In v9 and on down we see the exaltation Christ was subject to, such a great humiliation deserves the same in exaltation, there was a name above all, and v10 and 11 we get a view of the authority given to Jesus over all!
But there are various theories attempting to explain the event. In the Enlightenment period, David Strauss developed a radical new approach to the resurrection of Jesus, explaining it was a “subjective conception in the mind” of the disciples (McGrath, 2001, 399). Strauss’ theory suggests the disciples did not witness a life physically restored, but saw a projection of Jesus living in the presence of their memories (Luke 24:39-49). As a result of this, he referred to the Biblical account of resurrection as “a reflection of the gospel writers’ social conditioning and cultural outlook” (McGrath, 2001, 399).
Wright notes that none of the gospels mention what the resurrection means for our future. They never say anything about how life after death is now possible because of the resurrection. It is not as though his follows breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that they are now saved and rest back on the principle of being “saved by grace, though faith”. Rather, they are excited and begin to spread the gospel throughout the world. They see a renewal of their mission to go and usher in the kingdom of God.
The resurrection of Jesus is a topic in Christian Apologetic that confirms the faith of a believer. Groothuis submits, “Of all the world’s religions Christianity alone purports to be based on the resurrection of its divine founder. No other religion or worldview makes such an audacious and consequential claim. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus himself predicts his own betrayal, death and resurrection.”1 The Bible reveals the importance of the resurrection in Corinthians 15:14-17, “And if Christ wasn’t raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. If the dead won’t be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not. So if the dead won’t be raised to life, Christ wasn’t raised to life. Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins.”
The book Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes shows you the story of Estrella and her family and the struggles they face as migrant workers. Among all the symbolism in the book the one that stand out the most is Petra’s statue of Christ, which symbolizes the failure of religion and the oppressive nature of the Christian religion especially in minorities. Throughout the book, Estrella’s mother, Petra relies on superstitions and religion to get her through the hardships in life. In tough times, she turns to the statue and prays for guidance. Her thirteen-year-old daughter Estrella is the first of her family to realize that she needs to stop relying on religion and take control of her life. This brings in a wave of self-empowerment, not only for Estrella but eventually for all the characters as well. In the book, you’re able to see how religion exemplifies the failures of religion in minorities and how it hinders the growth of the characters while helping some of them.
Many Christians believe that when a person dies, they enter into complete oblivion - a state of non-existence. They remain in dormancy. At the time of the second coming of Jesus, the dead are resurrected and judged. Those who had been saved while on earth will be given special bodies and go to Heaven unlike the unsaved who will go to Hell for eternal punishment (Robinson).
The body that laid on the cross was his actually body, but his spirit was still alive waiting on God to revive him. According to Knight, “Jesus was resurrected early Sunday morning, just as He has predicted. These were not three full days but full day and part of one say on which he was buried (Friday) and part of the day on which He was resurrected (Sunday)” (2001, pg. 243). Jesus had predicted the resurrection but they did not believe him.
Dahl E. "The Resurrection of the Body: A Study of First Corinthians 15." Journal of Bible and Religion (1963): 31-2. JSTOR. Web. 1 May 2014.
"Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:15), or as Paul puts it in Romans 6:23 " the wages of sin is death". Christ never sinned, and therefore did not earn the wages of sin. Therefore God raised him from the dead "having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." (Acts 2:24). The full story of Christ's death and resurrection can be found in Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 15 & 16, Luke 23 & 24, and John 18 - 21.
Therefore, ‘Jesus is Lord’ implies meaning that Jesus is God. The meaning is clarified through Romans 10:9. It says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The Lord Jesus came to the world to save us (John 3:17). Salvation comes from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who has the authority (Acts