EQUAL!

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. —John 5:18

1=1, 2=2, 3=3… each is the same as the other. Those that are the same as the other are equal. Equal is to be: equivalent, identical, like, the same, one and the same.

The verse above is a statement about Jesus being equal to God. The Jewish people understood what He was saying and they wanted to kill him for saying it. By calling God His Father, they knew that Jesus was putting Himself on equal basis with God His Father.

This teaching is hard for us to grasp, but it is taught in the Word of God. There are those who say that Jesus is just a man like we are—a good teacher and nothing more. Others will say that He was an angel, a created being, before He came to earth. Then there are those who will deny that Jesus even lived on the planet. But God’s Word is the Truth and that is very evident for anyone who has read and studied His communication to us from cover to cover.

Sin is an eternal issue and it took someone who was eternal to resolve man’s sin dilemma. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, died on the cross to resolve the problem and enabled man to come into relationship with God through His finished work on the cross. If a person could sin just one time in their lifetime, that one sin would be enough to keep that person from knowing God and going to heaven when they die. That one sin not covered by the shed blood of Jesus would eternally condemn that person.

But when the eternal Son of God died on that cross He took care of the sin problem for every person— past, present and future. Now, when a person truly trusts the Lord Jesus and His finished work on the cross, that person’s sin is forgiven, covered by the blood of Jesus— past, present and future. This does not give a person the right to go out and sin any way they want to, no, God forbid… But, that person who is in relationship with Jesus is safe and secure for all eternity because of their trust in Him. His finished works saves us and not our work of any kind (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5).

Again, listen to the wonderful truth of this verse: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was the sin offering for us so that every person who truly trusts the Lord Jesus then has the righteousness of God. Galatians 3:27 says that we are “clothed with Christ.” Put those two verses together—- We are clothed with the righteousness of Christ! Think about that!

Dear Father, thank You for sending Your Son so we could be forgiven of our sin and given Your righteousness. This is astounding and I am eternally grateful. Oh, now may I live faithfully for You and be about Your business. May it be so.