Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Last week, we began thinking of the fact that Jesus does not duck hard questions. One question that unbelievers often ask (sometimes to try to justify their unbelief) is about the existence of evil. If God exists and is good, why does evil continue? I John 5:19 points us to the answer: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness [the wicked one – Satan].” Some have willfully misunderstood this verse to teach that we have no power over evil today. That false idea completely misses the point here: there is an absolute disjunction. We belong either to the family of God or to the world which willingly serves Satan. There is no third alternative available. Let me repeat: there is no third option. This truth does not yet answer the question about the existence of evil, but it provides an important beginning point. For today, let us as Christians “know that we are of God” and rejoice that we have been removed from the realm of Satan. Yes, good can overcome evil! Each believer is a testament to that incontrovertible fact.