“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV)

There can be no mistake as to who Jesus is. He was, is, and always will be the incarnate Son of God. After His work of redemption was complete, God the Father restored Him to His rightful place and position (“the highest place”). Some may look at Jesus and see only a great moral and philosophical teacher, but their view is incomplete. Jesus is Lord! To His name “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.” The Scriptures do not allow for any gray areas of understanding about who Jesus is. Even Jesus was clear about who He was. When He told the religious leaders that “before Abraham was born, I am!”, He brought on the accusation of blasphemy, and they wanted to stone and kill Him.

It is vital that we learn to love and respect Jesus’ humanity and divinity. We need to be in holy awe of who He is and the authority He bears. And at the same time, we need to be comforted by His loving touch and encouraged by His correcting words. Jesus is truly human so that we might have a God who understands our condition. As a man He lived a perfect life, which no other man has been able to do. As a man He sacrificed Himself on the cross for the salvation of our souls. As God, He is more than a man with empathy. He is the God of the universe who can understand and meet our needs. He can see into the deep recesses of our heart that we have even hidden from ourselves. As only God could, He paid the eternal price required by God’s justice because of our sin.

Today, let’s join the disciples, who after Jesus calmed the storm said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” (Mark 4:40-41). May we eternally be in awe of our Savior, who is both God and man.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church