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| It\’s Wabbit Season! It\’s Duck Season! |
Pastors have taught a simple understanding of Jesus for hundreds of years – perhaps even thousands of years. That simple understanding is this:
They further complicate this doctrine by suggesting that Jesus performed miracles in order to authenticate, or prove who He was.
But is this true?
#1 – Jesus gave up His rights to power and authority
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped (retained), but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philp. 2:5-8)
#2 – Jesus was not empowered at His baptism but after His trial in the wilderness
Jesus, full (Gk. plērēs) of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness … And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power (Gk. dynamis) of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. (Luke 4:1, 14)
#3 – God anointed Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power (Gk. dynamis), and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)
#4 – Jesus performed works by the power of the Holy Spirit
… I cast out demons by the Spirit of God … (Matt. 12:28)
#5 – Jesus did nothing of His own will or desire, but only what He saw the Father doing
Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.\” (John 5:19)
#6 – Jesus did not convince people of His identity through His works or Testimony
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” \”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven … Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.\” (Matthew 16:13-20)
#7 – Jesus did not glorify Himself: God glorified Jesus, Jesus glorified God
\”If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me\” (John 8:54).
\”Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, \’Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You … I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.\’\” (John 17:1)
\”The glory which You have given Me I have given to them\”, then He says, \”so that they may see My glory which You have given Me.\” (John 17:22)
A Recovering Legalist 