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.)
Revelation 21:8 presents us with an absolute choice: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” We briefly considered “the abominable” yesterday: it refers to a pattern of pollution that ultimately completely corrupts the individual. Places and people of such pollution are to be avoided (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1). Although we cannot lose the salvation which Jesus has given us, we can fall into grievous error. We have to be particularly careful of heretical doctrine. Titus 1:16 warns about false teachers: “They profess that they know God: but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Paul specifically speaks of “not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth” (Titus 1:14). At that time, some used fanciful interpretations of the Old Testament to promote their Gnostic agendas, claiming to have a higher truth than that revealed in Scripture. Not surprisingly, their so-called higher knowledge led to legalism (“commandments of men”), to requirements not found in the Bible. Thus, these heretics were able to control and manipulate some foolish people. A simple antidote for us is to avoid speculative ideas and instead to rely on sturdy Scriptural doctrine.