The most profound influence on my thinking about Christmas in recent years has been what Jesus said in John 14:9 (cf. John 6:46):
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
That is an astounding truth that should permeate every fiber of our thought and action. I just can’t get over the truth that Jesus fully explains the Father to us. In a day when we are trying hard to explain God to the world and are looking for every nugget to pull out of the Bible to show what God is like, Jesus has said it all. To “see” Jesus is to “see” the Father, now just what does it mean to “see”? Glad this is on your mind.
Does seeing mean observing with the eye and perceiving with the senses? I believe it definitely can imply that, but I also believe it goes further than that. Seeing is equivalent to knowing. Let me explain…Jesus fully describes who God is because He is God. He tells the story of God, and those who believe in Him come to know Him through that faith experience. The ones who remain ignorant of God plainly don’t know the Son…they have not “seen” Jesus.
We must also keep in our thoughts that all of this affects what we do everyday; it changes our behavior. A faith that does not change behavior is not a faith worth having. God is not satisfied with stagnant children; He wants our relationship with Him to be dynamic. It is not change for the sake of change, but change because of the intimate and awesome relationship we have with our heavenly Father. Remember, He is the one who took the initiative by sending His Son before we sought Him. That is why we have a weekly celebration of Christmas…a time of worshiping God because He is such a great and wonderful gift-giving God.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
That is an astounding truth that should permeate every fiber of our thought and action. I just can’t get over the truth that Jesus fully explains the Father to us. In a day when we are trying hard to explain God to the world and are looking for every nugget to pull out of the Bible to show what God is like, Jesus has said it all. To “see” Jesus is to “see” the Father, now just what does it mean to “see”? Glad this is on your mind.
Does seeing mean observing with the eye and perceiving with the senses? I believe it definitely can imply that, but I also believe it goes further than that. Seeing is equivalent to knowing. Let me explain…Jesus fully describes who God is because He is God. He tells the story of God, and those who believe in Him come to know Him through that faith experience. The ones who remain ignorant of God plainly don’t know the Son…they have not “seen” Jesus.
We must also keep in our thoughts that all of this affects what we do everyday; it changes our behavior. A faith that does not change behavior is not a faith worth having. God is not satisfied with stagnant children; He wants our relationship with Him to be dynamic. It is not change for the sake of change, but change because of the intimate and awesome relationship we have with our heavenly Father. Remember, He is the one who took the initiative by sending His Son before we sought Him. That is why we have a weekly celebration of Christmas…a time of worshiping God because He is such a great and wonderful gift-giving God.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
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