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1 Timothy 6:15, Various

Jesus is King of Kings!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 12, 2022

In 1 Timothy 6:15 Jesus is called “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords…” This description of Christ is used several times in the New Testament and refers to His 2nd coming when he will return to earth to set up His eternal Kingdom. It appears twice in the book of Revelation. The first time is in 17:14, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” But Paul in his letter to Timothy and John in his writing down as instructed his visions of the future did not make up this title. It’s part of the prophetic message of the Old Testament regarding the coming accomplishments of the Messiah. I believe these passages is what led the Jews, to a large degree, expect a military Messiah who would destroy Rome and it’s legions on their behalf. I believe the misunderstood the nature of the battle. It’s in Ezekiel that the prophets says that God will come against the enemies of God’s people “the kings of Tyre and Babylon.” God will send (Ezekiel 26:7), “the king of kings, with horses and chariots and a host of many soldiers.” The Psalmist sang songs about this sovereign king. Psalm 136:2-3 says, “Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever.” In the book of Daniel 2:37, Daniel calls Nebuchadnezzar “King of Kings.” But, as Yarbrough points out in his commentary, “… in the same verse he continues: ‘The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory.’ There are earthly potentates like Nebuchadnezzar. And then there is God over all. Later in the same conversation Nebuchadnezzar exclaims to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings’ (Dan 2:47). Other OT passages call God ‘Lord of lords’ (Deut 10:17; Ps 136:3).”1

That Jesus is the one being referred to in these Old Testament is clarified for us in the New Testament. As the “Blessed and only Sovereign.” King of Kings and Lord of Lords is actually his name. Revelation 19:15-16 says we’ll all see and everyone will acknowledge this when he returns. It says, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Don’t be like the Jewish people and misunderstand what Jesus came for! Yes, indeed, Jesus came to defeat our enemies but as Paul tells the Ephesians in 6:12, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Don’t look at Jesus as an instrument of temporal salvation! He has not come to make you rich! He has not come to wipe out all your earthly enemies, he has not come to make life a prosperous or pleasure filled venture for you — he has come and he offers himself to you and to me as the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who has come to save us from our sins! And that is what really matters in the long run. He’s the key to knowledge, the wellspring of wisdom, the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace and the roadway to righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness and the gateway to glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of heroes and the leader of legislators and the governor of the governors. He’s the prince of princes, the king of kings, and the lord of lords. We can trust him. His office is manifold, his promise is sure. His name is matchless, his goodness is limitless, his mercy is everlasting, his love never changes: it endures forever, his word is enough, his grace is sufficient, his reign is righteous, his yoke is easy, his burden is light. And I want you to know – we can trust Him!

1 Robert W. Yarbrough, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, ed. D. A. Carson, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; London: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2018), 331.

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Genesis 22:1-2, Hebrews 11:17-19

God is Able!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 12, 2022

In Genesis chapters 20 and 21, God brings about by a miraculous conception the birth of the promised son, Isaac! Sarah at 90 years of age and Abraham at 100 years of age. No wonder they named him “Laughter” that’s what Isaac means! Earlier in the book there was the question that expected a negative answer. It was, “is anything too hard for God?” The expected answer from both Sarah and Abraham is “No, of course not! With God all things are possible.” In this case it applied especially to the conception and birth of a 90 year old woman by a 100 year old man. Abraham and Sarah had trouble believing that and did so many things to bring about their own heir. Abraham identified Eliezer, his servant since he was childless. God said, “no!.” He tried to name Lot as his heir. God said no and separated the two of them. He and Sarah colluded to have Ishmael with a surrogate mother, Hagar! God said, “no.” It’s possible that Abraham and Sarah attempted to get a child from Pharoah and Abimelech. God said, “Absolutely not!” Sarah and Abraham were left without any means of making the heir happen on their own. They needed a miracle. Of course, God gave them one!

The after about 17 years God decided to see if all the doubts and fears of Abraham were settled and that he would no finally trust God. It required a test. Genesis 22:1-2 is the record of that test. It says, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” Abraham did what God asked! But what was he thinking? Hebrews 11:17-19. It says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Abraham had indeed learned the lesson of “faith.” He trusted God!

It’s in the time of testing that our faith counts. Do you really believe God has your best interest foremost in mind? Do you really believe that God is trustworthy? Do you believe that enough to obey him? Do you really believe nothing is too difficult for God? Do you really believe God can and will raise the dead? This is what Darby says, “In offering up Isaac there was that absolute confidence in God which, at His command, can renounce even God’s own promises as possessed after the flesh, sure that God would restore them through the exercise of His power, overcoming death and every obstacle.” But most of all I hope you don’t fail to notice something most profound in this story. Hacking puts it this way, “Significantly, Abraham’s supreme test was on a mountain top not far from where Calvary stood (vv. 17–19). There he offered back his son, a moving story where faith and love battled hard. In the event, Isaac was not sacrificed, but a ram took his place, another of those biblical signposts towards the cross.”2

1 J. N. Darby, Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: Colossians to Revelation. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 377.

2 Philip H Hacking, Opening up Hebrews, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 73–74.

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John 3:29-30, Isaiah 54::5, 62:5

Jesus is the Bridegroom!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 11, 2022

John the Baptist is the first New Testament figure to present Jesus as the “Bridegroom.” In John 3:29-30 when asked if he was the Messiah, he replied, “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” When challenged by the religious leaders for feasting with his disciples, Jesus answered by comparing their situation with that of a wedding with himself as being the bridegroom. In Matthew 9:15 he says, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” All believers look forward to what is known in eschatological circles as the “marriage supper of the lamb.” This is the great feast that is described and will take place upon Christ’s return for the church in the future. Jesus as the bridegroom and the church, all believers, as the bride is well attested to in the New Testament. But the writers didn’t make this up to illustrate the situation. No, indeed.

John the Baptist and all the New Testament writers were referring Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. When Isaiah addresses God’s people, Israel, he says to them in Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Looking to the coming of their Messiah Isaiah says in 62:5, “…and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” It’s everywhere in the Old Testament. Boice remarks, “From this point on the comparison occurs more frequently, several times in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, for instance. Finally, the entire personal story of Hosea and the opening chapters of his prophecy are based on this theme. In all of these books God is the faithful lover and husband. Israel is the unfaithful wife and bride.”1

John the Baptist was the son of a Priest and was well acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures. He didn’t make up the allusion of Jesus as the bridegroom. He recognized it clearly as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophecy. He pointed to Jesus as said, “Behold, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” Boice closes his discussion on this and says, “He knew that Israel was the bride and Jehovah was the bridegroom. Now Jesus appears, and John immediately casts him in God’s role. In mathematics, whenever you have two equations like “A equals B” and “B equals C,” it is always possible to make a third equation which says that “A equals C.” The rule is that things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. In the same way, if Jehovah is the bridegroom and Jesus Christ is the bridegroom, it follows that Jesus is Jehovah. Is he your God? Is he your bridegroom.”

1 James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 260.

2 James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 259–260.

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John 6:33-35, Amos 8:11-12

Jesus is the Bread of Life

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 10, 2022

Jesus is referred to as true “bread” often in the bible. He’s the bread of life. He’s the real manna that came down from heaven. John 6:33 puts it this way.,“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” To get the context of Jesus’ words you should remember that he had just finished feeding 5000 or more with a couple fish and a few small loaves of bread. He then walked on water to the other side of the sea of Galilee and the crowds found him there the next day. Jesus confronted their motives saying “you follow me, not because you believe in me, but because you want the bread.” Not only did they want the bread but they wanted to learn the “trick” of the bread so they could do it themselves. Jesus explained that the bread was a “work” of God. They asked “what must we do to do the works of God.” Jesus then explained something very simple yet very profound. He said, Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?” I think they were wanting to know what his connection with God was that enabled him to do such things so they could do it also. But Jesus went on, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Everyone knows immediately that Jesus is not talking about literal bread here. That kind of bread is grown from various seeds planted in the earth. We take that nourishment from the ground from which our bodies were actually taken as described in Genesis. Our bodies come from dust and will return to dust. We nourish them and keep them alive with the food and drink we enjoy in this life. Bread may not be the main staple for us today but it is still significant. Further, the Greek word for “Bread” is sometimes translated as “Food.” But there is another kind of existence we have that comes from being made “in the image” of God. I have often argued that the whole Bible is about Jesus. His acts as recorded in the Gospels are acts that fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. His teaching is does the same thing. In regard to this passage on Jesus being the “true bread of God” he is looking back at another lessor known Old Testament Prophet. Amos 8:11-12 describes the situation into which Jesus came. It also describes the hearts of all men in rebellion to God. He writes, “Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”

The late James Montgomery Boice applied this situation well. Speaking of the Amos prophecy he writes, “This is a horrible prophecy. But in some ways it is even more horrible to have the Lord Jesus Christ, the bread of life, available (as he is today) and yet have men refuse to come to him. Men have great hunger—a hunger for truth, righteousness, peace, joy, spiritual satisfaction, and other things. Jesus is the answer to this hunger. Yet the tragedy is that men will not come to him. Jesus showed the wisdom of coming when he told the people who had followed him to Capernaum in Galilee, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”1 Just as bread (food) is necessary for physical life, so too is Jesus necessary for spiritual life! You wouldn’t do without food, would you?

1 James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 476.

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Jeremiah 33:15, various

Jesus: the righteous branch!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 9, 2022

Part of the Old Testament figurative language that refers to the Messiah’s coming is the word “branch.” Several prophets refer to the coming Messiah as “a branch.” In Jeremiah 33:15 we read, “…in those days i will cause a righteous branch to spring up.” Isaiah 11:1 says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Jeremiah 33:15 also, speaking for God says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

Let me get “Grammatical.” There is a difference between “a” branch and “the” branch. The indefinite article “a” leaves the identity up for grabs. It could be anyone. But the definite article “the” identifies the one and only of a kind. That’s why Ohio State insists on being “The Ohio State.” A branch will be raised up and that branch will be the messiah. Zechariah, a not frequently quoted Old Testament prophet, says in 6:12, “And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Earlier in Zechariah 3:8, the prophet is speaking to the High Priest at the time whose name is “Joshua.” That’s the Hebrew for of Jesus. He says, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.”

Let’s look at what the Bible means in these passages where it speaks of “Righteousness.” When we read the first part of the Jeremiah 33 quote we see that the branch will “execute justice and righteousness.” I’d argue that from many other passages in both the Old and New Testament that the “branch,” the messiah, Jesus is the only fully just and fully righteous. We can find a personal righteousness not in our own efforts but in Him alone. That’s the why Jeremiah closes this short passage with telling us the name by which the Messiah will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” You know that it was when Martin Luther saw Romans 1:17 in a different way that the reformation began! This passage speaks to us of the “power” of the Gospel is in this phrase: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Luther realized that God was the subject of “righteousness.” It was “HIS” righteousness that saves, not his own, and it’s not our own. Jesus is the complete righteousness of God. Why are still struggling to demonstrate our own righteousness instead of focusing our attention on Jesus and His righteousness. Religious people in Jesus day didn’t get that. Paul tells us in Romans 10:3-4 “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” We say we get that! But why do we live like we don’t?

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John 2, Various

The Abundance of Joy!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 8, 2022

In John Chapter two, at the wedding of Cana, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.” In light of the prophetic role of wine in the Old Testament it appears to be more of a description of the state of things in Israel than simply a statement of fact. We could discuss the Bibles condemnation of drinking “too much” wine and the exhortation to “not be drunk” with wine and other passages which express the danger of strong drink of any kind. Whereas that should not be forgotten, Wine in the Old Testament was the symbol of joy! Wine would be one of the many blessings God’s people would enjoy when they lived according to the Covenant God made with them in the Book of Deuteronomy. He said to Israel, In Deuteronomy 7:13, regarding covenant keeping people, “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.” In Psalm 4:7, David extols the joys of living in harmony with God’s laws and says that it’s better than wine. He writes, (or sings!) “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Abounding wine does represent joy! Then the Psalmist clearly expresses the results of appropriate wine. In Psalm 104:14-15 he says, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man.” So, it’s pretty clear that wine can “gladden” the hearts of men and give them joy.

But wine is not only used as a symbol of joy in the Old Testament, it’s also used as a description of life upon the arrival of the promised Messiah. When Amos prophecies his coming he says in Amos 9:13 that, “…the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” Hosea speaks of those days as having excellent wine. Hosea 14:8 says, “They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow wheat again, they will make the vine flourish, their wine will be as famous as Lebanon’s” (See the New Jerusalem Bible for this specific translation). Jeremiah, as the Prophet of the New Covenant, expresses the joy of the coming days. In Jeremiah 31:12, he writes, “They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil…” In addition to this there are two other Jewish works that foresee the Messianic days as being the days of great joy symbolized by wine. First, The Book of Enoch 10:19 says, “And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance.” The other work is The Apocalypse of Baruch 29:5. It says, “The earth also shall yield its fruit ten thousandfold, and on one vine there shall be a thousand branches, and each branch shall produce a thousand clusters, and each cluster shall produce a thousand grapes, and each grape shall produce a cor of wine.” After discussing these two extra-biblical texts, Hall Harris (a former professor of mine), said that a “cor” of wine is equal to about 120 gallons which is about the same amount of water that Jesus turned into wine at the wedding of Cana in John 2!

The point of all this is that Jesus’ miracle had more to do with the clear demonstration that he was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament and that this “first sign,” as John calls it, was done to begin his ministry of revealing himself as the promised Messiah that would now bring a flow of “joy” to his people as promised throughout the Old Testament. That joy would not come through keeping the covenant of the law, but would come through faith alone in the one who did keep the covenant perfectly and saves us from our sins.

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Matthew 3:17, 9:13

Get Down!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 7, 2022

In Matthew 3:17, the sky opened and God the Father spoke from heaven to the world about His one and only begotten Son. He said for the benefit of all those present and for every generation of people who followed, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” In several of Jesus’ parables mentioned in the Gospels the master of a house entrusts his servants with certain things and when he returns he blesses some of them for being “good and faithful servants.” The master says to those servants, “Well done!” We’d all want to hear than one day from God, don’t you think? I’m afraid most of us believe that has to do with how many good deeds we do and how many religious observations we make but i’m thinking that it is really focusing on the fact the the good servants were “faithful.” I think that means they were full of faith: “believing.” Pleasing God is more about believing in Jesus and trusting in His good works to save you rather than trusting in yourself and your own efforts in that regard. Most religions rest upon a foundation of good works and rituals. Jesus did not come to set up another, competing religion, but to destroy religion as a whole! There is much theological discussion about the role of repentance in our salvation experiences. I believe that repentance is not about being sorry for any particular sin but rather a “change of mind” about our own abilities. This is really what the Greek word for “repentance” means: to change one’s mind. According to Isaiah the best efforts, good works, of man are nothing more than filthy rags or polluted garments. That’s what Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

In a world in which hard work, great accomplishments and strict discipline is widely rewarded it’s rather humbling to acknowledge the fact that we can’t do it! Repentance is saying, “Your are right Lord! I cannot save myself! It is something beyond me.” It’s to humble ourselves before God and His word. In July 1976, Israeli commandos made a daring raid at an airport in Uganda. 103 Jewish hostages were freed. In less than 15 minutes, the soldiers had killed all seven of the kidnappers and set the captives free. As the commandos entered the terminal, they shouted, “Get down!” The Jews understood and lay down, while the guerrillas, who did not speak Hebrew, were left standing. Quickly the rescuers shot the upright kidnappers. But three of the Jewish speaking hostages didn’t fall down. They were shot with the bullets meant for the enemy. Had these three heeded the soldiers’ command, they would have been freed with the rest of the captives.

In Matthew 9, Jesus receives Sinners. The Pharisees take issue with that and Jesus addresses them and says, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 that, “The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” To attain God’s favor and full acceptance is something that’s achieved by faith not by works. When Paul tells the Ephesians that it is in “…praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.” He’s saying that Jesus’ perfect pleasing of His father, is our perfect pleasing of the father by faith in him. What a relief! Rolls is right on as he writes, “This is one of the brightest jewels of revealed truth. In spite of our frailties, failures and faults our acceptance knows no hazard because we are accepted in One who is always and altogether acceptable to the Father. Our confidence in approach, our converse with heaven, our communion in the light and our companionship with the Father are all centered in the Beloved. What a precious foundation this revelation furnishes for faith! A worthy factor to encourage our hearts in fervent devotion and to enrich our lives with delight in the Lord, while we express to Him our adoring gratitude!”1

1 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Hebrews 1:3, John 1:4-5

Jesus is the Light of the World

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2022

Jesus is the “brightness” of God’s glory! That’s what Hebrews 1:3 says as the writer begins his dissertation on the complete superiority of Jesus to the Prophets, Moses, the Law and even Angels. I was curious to learn what it means to be “the brightness of God’s glory.” After looking at a lot of my English Bibles (I have 50 or more!!) many of them use the phrase “radiance” instead of “brightness.” The New Jerusalem Bible says “He is the reflection of God’s glory.” Oh no!! Kistemaker has it right. He says, “The translation ‘radiance’ here is proper, as against some others which use ‘reflection.’ There is a vast difference between the two, as different as the functions of our solar system’s sun and moon. The moon reflects light, whereas the sun radiates light because it is its source. Jesus does not simply reflect God’s glory; he is part of it! This was shown on the Mount of Transfiguration when ‘His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them’ (Mark 9:3). It was his own essential glory, but it was also the Father’s. This is what blinded Paul on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3; 22:6). This is why the Nicene Creed sings of Christ, ‘God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God.’”1

It reminded me of John 1:4-5 that says, speaking of Jesus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Since John began with the same phrase as Genesis “In the Beginning” we can’t miss the allusion to the creation account at the beginning of the Bible where “darkness was over the face of the deep.” But God said, “Let there be light! And there was light.” Then in John 8:12 Jesus told the religious leaders who opposed him, “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Then in John 9:5, he said, “as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” What happened to the light when Jesus ascended into heaven? In Matthew Jesus called his followers by the same title. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” We often teach our children to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine…” Some of the “Christ-consciousness” New Age cults use this passage to argue that we are our own Christs who can save the world in some way. We need simply accept our role as divine ourselves. Watch out for that!! Geisler explains it well, “Jesus is the primary light, and we are the secondary light. As the light of the sun is to the moon, so Jesus is the source of the light, and we are the reflectors of the light. Now that He is no longer here, we are His reflected light in the world.”2

I like the way Bolls describes Jesus as being “the radiance” of God’s glory. He says, “He (Jesus) is the corona of the everlasting flame, the effulgence of essential light, the burnish of celestial brilliance, the aurora borealis of spiritual magnificence, the radiance of supernal resplendence and the nimbus of heaven’s loveliest luster. If the iridescent halo of the ineffable Shekinah that abode on the mercy seat of the tabernacle of old was so awe-inspiring, what are we to say of His eternal excellence, flashing rays of exquisite light from His transcendent countenance to the uttermost bound of heaven’s ceaseless domain?” 3 Thus, Jesus is the only light we’ll ever need. I expect that’s why John explains the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:23 that says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

1Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1984), p. 29.

2 Norman L. Geisler and Thomas A. Howe, When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992), 329.

3 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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