THE DOCTRINES OF GOD'S LEFT HAND
WHAT KIND OF MAN IS GOD?
(The Personality of Jesus)
If God were a man, what kind of person would He be, what would He be like? How would He act? To whom could His personality be compared?
The answer is, HE WOULD BE LIKE JESUS. Jesus told Philip, "...he that hathseen ME HATH SEENTHEFATHER;.." (John 14:8-9).
The next question is logically: to whom could Jesus be compared? Is there enough information given in the Bible to provide a CLEAR and ACCURATE picture of his personality?
There is, but before we examine the scripture that gives a clear picture of Jesus THE FALSE PICTURE needs to be portrayed.
During the past seventy or eighty years a distorted picture of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has eased into Christian beliefs. It did not take form suddenly and POUNCE into the arena of religious literature but SLITHERED in (like a serpent) slowly and subtly. The "film" of this perverted picture has existed in the mind of Satan and his followers for centuries, but the picture only began to "develop" abound the turn of the twentieth century. By the 1950's it was fully developed.
This false picture of Jesus Christ is being presented to a lost and confused world as the TRUE portrait of his character, nature, and attitudes. Those who display this relatively new picture present it as though it were the ONLY LEGITIMATE AND ACCURATE insight into the Lord's heart. Proponents claim it is the only acceptable picture of Christ that can possibly exist.
Every aspect of these new thoughts concerning Jesus' nature is POSITIVE. Those who adhere to this concept refuse to admit that there was anything NEGATIVE about Jesus' ways, conduct, teachings, or attitudes. In keeping with their view of Jesus, the only PEOPLE they say anything NEGATIVE about are THOSE WHO REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR PORTRAIT OF JESUS IS THE ONLY CORRECT ONE.
Paul warned about those who would come presenting ANOTHER JESUS. He issued this warning in an epistle dealing with FALSE MINISTERS. Paul explained what a TRUE minister SOUNDS and LOOKS like. He used himself as an example. He also told what FALSE ministers SOUND and LOOK like. After giving the characteristics of both true and false ministers, Paul then explained how people would RESPOND to GOD'S TRUE MINISTERS. In Second Corinthians, chapter ten, verse ten, Paul, THE GREATEST MISSIONARY, THE GREATEST PREACHER, AND THE GREATEST EVANGELIST WHO EVER LIVED (other than Jesus), WROTE WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT AND SAID ABOUT HIM: ''...HIS BODILY PRESENCE IS WEAK, AND HIS SPEECHCONTEMPT-IBLE." This is what Paul knew others said about him; what they said about how he LOOKED and how he TALKED. Earlier, Paul had written in the same epistle, "I... came NOT WITH EXCELLENCY OF SPEECH..." (II Cor. 2:1).
Furthermore, Paul said that his SPEECH WAS RUDE (II Cor. 11:6). It is obvious from this that Paul was anything but tactful and diplomatic. He did NOT EMPLOY THE CULTURE he obviously possessed (as a Pharisee, Phil. 3:5). Paul did not COMPROMISE, EVEN WITH A BROTHER BUT REBUKED PETER OVER A DOCTRINAL ISSUE (Gal. 2:6, 12-14).
After using himself as an example of a TRUE minister of Christ, having CONTEMPTIBLE (II Cor. 10:10) and RUDE SPEECH (II Cor. 11:6), Paul went on to tell what a true minister could expect in life. He said that as God's true minister HE HAD BEEN WHIPPED WITH 195 STRIPES, BEATEN WITH RODS TWICE, STONED ONCE, AS WELL AS HAVING ENCOUNTERED OTHER PERILS (II Cor. 11:23-28). Paul said that his life and ministry (along with Timothy's, Barnabas' and others) was an example that other Christians should follow (II Thess. 3:6-9).
Although Paul may have never seen Jesus in the flesh, he said that he did meet him PERSONALLY and that he had more insight into the Lord's gospel than the eleven apostles who preceded him (Gal. 1:15-18, 2:6-7). Paul's primary desire in life was to IMITATE THE CHARACTER, NATURE, WAYS AND ATTITUDES OF HIS SAVIOR.
Those who promote the modern picture of Jesus MUST agree that Paul was a good evangelist, but they must also claim that he missed his goal of imitating Jesus' attitude.
I personally know a preacher who said (or wrote) that Paul made so many mistakes in his early ministry that his fellow Christians had to hustle him off to Tarsus because his "zeal without knowledge" (so to speak) was troubling the CHURCHES. He used the ninth chapter of Acts as his "proof text." It appears that this preacher thinks that Paul went to Jerusalem soon after his conversion. He presented Paul's early ministry as the bungling efforts of a naive novice. The truth of the matter is, PAUL SPENT THREEYEARS IN ARABIA AND DAMASCUS BEFORE GOING TO JERUSALEM (Gal. 1:16-18). Paul was never a "greenhorn" even when his ministry began. He knew what to do and how to do it. He knew how best to glorify the Lord and developed his own personality accordingly.
After presenting Paul's nature and attitude and showing that he imitated Jesus, is this not accusing Jesus of using contemptible and rude speech? Did Jesus indeed employ contemptible and rude speech or did Paul have his Savior figured wrong?
What kind of man was Jesus? What kind of personality did he have?
The false portrait of Jesus currently held by modernists and liberals (who like to be considered conservative fundamentalists) pictures Him as kind and compassionate(and He was, John 8:3-11, etc.), meek and mild (true, Isa. 53:7, Mark 15:1-5) and loving and caring (which is also true, Matt. 23:37, etc.). All these characteristics of Jesus are true, but, He was much more than that. These attributes display but a small portion of his personality. The Bible teaches a great deal more about His ways, attitudes, and conduct. Selecting a few verses that reveal some of the things Jesus did and said does not give a clear picture of His character. This method fails to give a TOTAL picture of the Lord. It fails to give sufficient insight into His nature and attitudes for it gives no indication of HOW He worked and talked.
Can the personality of Jesus be accurately determined since no one today has met Him in person as He was while in the flesh? The Bible is the only source from which information can be obtained.
One way to determine someone's personality is to find out what people who KNOW him SAY about him. While men may not be able to give an accurate assessment of someone's CHARACTER, they can give good insight into his PERSONALITY.
It will take some study, and what may seem to be an "around the world" course to get an accurate picture of Jesus' personality. However, this is the best method of finding what the Bible teaches about ANY subject.
This study of the personality of Jesus begins in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament is basically a revelation of events, both past and future, concerning one nation, Israel. It tells how the nation Israel began, starting with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It follows Jacob's (Israel's) twelve sons who are called THE FATHERS. It follows the course of the nation through the JUDGES, the KINGS, and the PROPHETS (Acts 13). The fathers (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, etc.) were ordinary men who were given no particular job. They were blessed (Gen. 49) but held no office that gave them power or authority other than being elders.
The judges exercised rule, or at least relayed God's messages to the people, and sometime led their nation in battle.
The kings had authority, respect, and wealth (to various degrees). They made decisions, and like the fathers and judges, had the admiration of their people. On the other hand, the PROPHETS were an altogether different breed. They were the most UNUSUAL of the four groups listed. In most cases THEY WERE ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO HAD NO PARTICULAR TALENTS. The prophets were not popular men. None of them had pleasing personalities and were, in fact, the kind of men other people persecuted (Acts 7:52). Even more, the people of Jerusalem were notorious for killing prophets (Matt. 23:37). They didn't kill the fathers, the judges, or the kings, but killed the prophets.
What was it about the prophets that caused their own people to persecute and kill them?
The answer is: hardly anyone liked what the prophets SAID.
What kind of men were the prophets? What kind of personalities did they have that caused them to say things that evoked the wrath of others?
The prophets were STUBBORN (Jer. 1:18), COMPASSIONATE (I Kings 17:17-23), RUDE (I Kings 18:27), TACTLESS (I Kings 3:14), CRUDE (II Kings 2:23-25), UNCOMPROMISING (Dan. 6:1-10), UNDIPLOMATIC (II Chr. 18:7-27), and UNCULTURED (Matt. 3:4). The prophets were a rough bunch who MADE FUN OF FALSE RELIGIONS (my, my) AND SCORNED FALSE GODS (I Kings 18:27). They were AGAINST SINNERS (Jer. 1:18) AND WERE NOT AFRAID TO CALL SIN, SIN (II Chr. 24:20, Mark 6:18) EVEN THOUGH IT COST SOME OF THEM THEIR LIVES (II Chr. 24:21, Mark 6:19-28).
Jesus was very complimentary of the prophets. In fact he said that of all the people who had lived until His day, none was greater than THE PROPHET, John the Baptist (Luke 7:28). When John was put in prison for saying that King Herod's marriage to Herodias was unlawful, he probably had friends or acquaintances visit him in prison, saying, "Look John, if you'd go to Herod and apologize, you could probably get out of jail. You're wasting your life here. Think about the good that you could be doing down at the Jordan River. You really messed up your ministry."
Did John apologize?
Of course he didn't!
After John's death there were probably people who said something like: "If John had kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have lost his head."
THE RUDEST, CRUDEST, MOST UNCOMPROMISING, UNDIPLOMATIC, TACTLESS, AND UNCULTURED MEN IN GOD'S HOLY BIBLE WERE THE PROPHETS. Of all of the prophets, the most "hard core" were ELIJAH, JEREMIAH AND JOHN THE BAPTIST.
So what has this to do with Jesus? What insight does this give into his personality?
Jesus' early ministry was in Galilee, the northern area of Israel. He preached and taught in all the villages there and healed every sickness and disease (Matt. 9:35). After preaching throughout Galilee, Jesus called twelve disciples and commissioned them to go into THE SAME VILLAGES AND REPEAT HIS MESSAGE AND WORKS (Matt. 10:1-8).
Jesus had preached throughout Galilee. The people there KNEW HIM. THE GALILEANS HAD SEEN AND HEARD JESUS. THEY KNEW HIS ATTITUDES, PERSONALITY AND WORDS. HIS WAYS WERE FAMILIAR TO THEM.
JESUS SENT THE TWELVE DISCIPLES TO PEOPLE WHOHAD HEARD HIM AND ALREADY KNEW HIM.
Sometime later, when they had finished a preaching ministry in the same territory where Christ had preached and taught, the disciples were with Jesus in Caesarea Philippi. Jesus might have said to His disciples something like, "You men have been throughout Galilee; you've been where I went earlier. You encountered people who saw and heard me, who KNOW me. They know what I'm like. WHAT DO THEYSAYABOUT ME? WHO DO THEY SAY I AM?"
In fact, Jesus' exact question was, "WHOM DO MEN SAY THAT I THE SON OF MAN AM?" (Matt. 16:13).
THE ANSWER: (paraphrased) "THEY THINK YOU ARE ONE OF THE RUDEST, CRUDEST, MOST UNDIPLOMATIC,UNCULURED, TACTLESS, AND UNCOMPROMISING MEN WHO EVERLIVED."
In fact, their exact answer was, "Some say that thou art JOHN THE BAPTIST (UNCULTURED, see above); some ELIAS (Elijah, WHO MOCKEDOTHERS' RELIGION,see above); and others JEREMIAS (Jeremiah, WHOSE MINISTRY WAS NEGATIVE,see above) or one of THEPROPHETS"(Matt. 16:14).
THAT'S THE KIND OF MAN GOD IS!
Christ died on the cross to save my soul,
No longer am I in Satan's fold.
He died on the cross my soul to save,
From things of the world for which I did crave.
Because He died my soul to save,
I am God's child, and no more a slave.
I rejoice in my mind, my heart and my soul,
Thank you Jesus for making me whole.
Lynne Benton Carney
MUDDY WATER
In a manner of speaking, the world is like a lake filled with drowning people. There is only ONE WAY they can be saved, and that way is A PERSON, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Unless that one person saves them from the sea of sins of this world they will spend eternity in a lake of fire of hopeless and eternal damnation.
The only one who can save the lost is the Lord Jesus Christ, the "Lifeguard" of the lake of nations (Rev. 15:17). Before Jesus saves anyone out of the lake of this world, the drowning person must REALIZE that he is drowning. Only when he knows that he is doomed will he cry out to the "Lifeguard". Upon hearing his cry the Lifeguard will save him (Rom. 10:13).
Although a drowning person may see others who have been rescued standing safely on the shore, he himself will not know or feel that he is doomed UNLESS SOMEONE ON THE SHORE TELLS HIM! (Acts 10).
Let us draw on our imaginations for a moment and say that the voices of the saved along the shore cannot be heard clearly by those in the lake IF THE WATER IS MUDDY.
The muddier the lake, the fewer souls will be saved.
Let us also picture this lake as becoming increasingly contaminated with trash, junk, and garbage. These things make the lake more uncomfortable but they do not, of themselves, MAKE THE LAKE MUDDY.
Those who have been rescued and are on the shore will remain there but for a brief time (relatively speaking). They are destined for an eternity prepared for them by the "Lifeguard.'' While on the shore, they have been commissioned to go along the shoreline and shout warnings of eternal damnation to those in the lake. At the same time they are to tell of the HOPE that lies only in their calling to the "Lifeguard'' for help.
For the past two-thousand years there have been only TWO PERIODS in which this has been done properly; during the Smyrnan (100-325 AD) and Philadelphian (1700-1900 AD) eras of the church age (Rev. 2:8-11, 3:7-13).
Despite all the current bragging and boasting about "great missionary works," ALMOST NOTHING IS BEING DONE THAT HAS ANY PRESENT OR LASTING VALUE (Rev. 3:14-22).
While fewer and fewer souls are being saved, the lake is rapidly becoming a mud puddle. There are still some along the shore striving to carry out their commission and attempting to rescue souls THE RIGHT WAY. But these people are finding their work increasingly difficult BECAUSE THE LAKE IS BECOMING MUDDIER BY THE DAY.
Some who have gone before them, as well as many of their contemporaries, HAVE STOPPED WALKING ALONG THE SHORE WARNING SINKING SOULS THAT THEY (AS WELL AS THE LAKE) ARE DOOMED (II Pet. 3, Rev. 20).
The "Charismatics" and "tongue talkers" are sloshing up and down in the edge of the water not knowing for sure whether they are still in the lake or on the shore. They are making a "BIG SPLASH" and drawing attention to themselves, not to the "Lifeguard." Occasionally their efforts lead a soul to salvation BUT THEY ARE LEAVING THE LAKE IN A FAR WORSE CONDITION THAN THEY FOUND IT. Their "works" have left the lake MUDDY and TRASHY, making it more and more difficult for a doomed soul to HEAR THE TRUTH. Their very doctrines have clouded the issues and muddied the water making the TRUTH appear murky, unclear and more difficult to find.
Others are engaged in TRYING TO CLEAN OUT THE TRASH, JUNK, AND GARBAGE. But TRASH, JUNK, AND GARBAGE HAVE NEVER HINDERED THE LOST FROM HEARING THE GOSPEL. MUDDY WATER HAS! All this mess (trash etc.) is embedded in the bottom of the lake and every attempt to remove any of these objects merely STIRS UP THE MUD.
All attempts to clean up the lake result in FEWER SOULS BEING SAVED, BOTH NOW AND TOMORROW.
THE ISSUE IS NOT JUST SAVING SOULS, BUT WHAT CONDITION THE LAKE IS IN!
Attempts to clean up the lake are the SOCIAL AND POLITICAL involvements of "Christians" in the affairs of this world.
We are to do WHAT GOD SAID DO! SHOUT WARNINGS TO DOOMED SOULS! TELL THEM OF A SAVIOR!
LEAVE THE LAKE ALONE!
PREACH THE WORD (Acts. 4:12) AND LET GOD TAKE CARE OF THE LAKE (Dan. 4:17, 25).
RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility is the obligation to react or give answer to either an act or to something said. It is the acceptance of the fact that a person is accountable for his actions and is duty bound to accept the consequence of his response to any given situation.
A father is responsible for providing food and shelter for his wife and children. A mother is responsible for giving love and aid to her husband and children. A soldier is responsible for defending his nation. A teacher is responsible for giving students facts and helping them to understand their significance. Children and young people are responsible for obeying and honoring their parents and teachers. Every normal person has some responsibility, but not everyone is willing to accept the same degree of responsibility. Some people (to their shame) promise they will do something or be somewhere then fail to keep their promise or show up. This is IRRESPONSIBILITY.