Daily Bible Study

with Prof Maxwell Barson

     

Matthew presents Jesus, God’s Son, recording His human lineage and explaining His divine origin. (Matthew 1: 1,16, 20-22)

God the Son has always existed.

He participated with the Father and Holy Spirit in creation (Gen¬esis 1: 1-2, 26; Colossians 1: 15-16; Hebrews 1:2). Jesus Christ was born a baby, lived a perfect life, and died a death He did not deserve on behalf of sinners. He rose from the grave, proving His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for believers (Matthew 26: 64; Mark 16: 9; Acts 2: 32-33; Romans 8: 34; 1 John 1: 1-2).

One day, He will return to earth to judge the world and take His people to their eternal home. Jesus Christ accomplished and secured the eternal salvation of every believer who puts their faith in Him (Romans 8: 38-39). For all eternity, praise for Jesus, God’s Son, will resound in heaven (Revelation 22: 1-5).

God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born as rightful heir to David’s throne. His ancestry proved that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Mat 1: 1-17).

Principle 1: The Son of God humbled Himself and entered humanity to be the Savior of mankind. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Jesus was fully man but also fully God.

The second person in the Trinity, He willingly took on human form to be the Messiah, the Savior. 

His supernatural birth proves His deity. He was born of a virgin, Mary, and conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1: 23 proclaims a marvelous truth: “ ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” Jesus, God’s Son, came to “… save his people from their sins” (Mat 1: 21). 

His rescue mission to Earth was on our behalf, opening the way for sinners to have access and fellowship with God.

God the Son came near, in human flesh. The truth that God is with us sounds too good to be true. We often focus on daily concerns with little thought of God. It is easy to imagine God in heaven, far removed from the affairs of people and life on planet Earth. However, that is not true. God came near to us.

Jesus left the splendors of heaven and came to earth as a baby. 

He walked on dusty streets in human sandals. God the Son took on human flesh to come near, and He longs for us to come near to Him (James 4: 8). 

We can draw near to our Holy God only because of Jesus. God the Son opened the way for fellowship with God the Father.

Principle 2: Our eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God took on human form for us.

Only Jesus, God’s Son, could live a perfect life and die a human death. Because He is God in the flesh, only He could bear the full weight of the sin of all humanity.

Every human who has ever lived will one day face Jesus, either as Judge or Savior.

He cannot be ignored. There is no neutrality regarding God’s Son (John 3: 36). 

God has issued a call to all humanity to come to His Son. 

Your response to Jesus determines your destiny and offers a way to live in harmony with your Creator and Father (John 14: 6).

When I do not believe in Jesus as God’s Son, I am left to bear the weight of my own sin and carry the guilt and shame associated with my sin. And ultimately, I must face His just judgment.

When I believe that God’s Son personally bore the weight of my own sin and guilt, I can live my life with hope and purpose in this life and for eternity. Because God’s Son came near, I can draw near to God and walk in fellowship with Him. He hears every sinner who calls to Him for salvation. He will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31: 6).

The nearness of Jesus impacts your life today. You do not walk alone. You are not left in hopeless confusion and slavery to sin. Those that trust Jesus know His presence, experience His power, and rest in His peace.

_“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”_  (Ephesians 1: 3).

Principle 3: If you know Jesus as Savior, God is with you this very moment.

Some important Scriptural Evidence on Jesus as “God the Son”

1. The Anointed One (Messiah/Christos)

Psalm 45: 7

Isaiah 61: 1

Dan 9: 24

Luke 4: 18

Acts 4: 27

2. The Creator

John 1: 3

1 Cor 8: 6

Col 1: 16

Heb 1: 2

3. The Glorified Christ

Mat 16: 27

Mat 19: 28

Mark 9:3 

Luke 9: 32

John 1: 14

John 17: 5

Rev 1: 13-16

Rev 5: 12

4. His Divinity (Deity)

Mat 16: 16

John 1: 1-2

John 10: 30, 37-38

John 12: 45

John 14: 7-10

Rom 9: 5

Col 2: 9

1 Tim 3: 16

Heb 1:3

5. His pre-existence

Micah 5: 2

John 8: 58

John 17: 5, 24

Heb 7: 3

Rev 22: 13

6. The King (Ruler)

Isaiah 9: 7

Jer 23: 5

Dan 7: 14

Mark 16: 9

John 1: 49

John 18: 37

1 Cor 15: 25

1 Pet 3: 22

7. His Authority and Dominion 

Isaiah 9: 6-7

Zec 9: 10

Mat 7: 29

Mat 8: 27

Mat 28: 18

Mark 1: 27

John 5: 27

Eph 1: 22

1 Pet 3: 22

8. His Exaltation

Mark 16: 19

John 12: 13

Eph 1: 20

Phil 2: 9

Rev 5: 12, 13

Thank you once again gentlemen for according me this opportunity, may God grow this Word in us so that it bears spiritual fruit. 

*Prof Maxwell Barson is with the University of Botswana.