The One and Only True God

*“If Christ isn’t who He claimed to be and if He did not rise from the dead . . .”

1 Corinthians 15:14

(GW)

14 If Christ hasn’t come back to life, our message has no meaning and your faith also has no meaning.

*“Jesus made Himself the central issue . . .”

John 8:24

(NLT)

24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.

*“While Jesus’ teachings are important, they are important because of Who He is and how they help us to relate properly to Him. . .”

John 1:4

(NLT)

4 Life itself was in Him, and this Life gives Light to everyone. 

*“Jesus’ prayer to His Father defines the very essence of Christianity. . .”

John 17:3

(GW)

3 This is eternal Life: to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You sent.

*“Jesus made it crystal clear to Saul (later Paul) on the road to Damascus that the focus is on how we all relate to Christ. . .”

Acts 26:18

(GW)

18 You [Saul] will open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God’s. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and a share among God’s people who are made holy by believing in Me.

*“Jesus declared. . . How are we made holy? By believing in Me.”

References:

God's Word (GW) ©—1995 by God's Word to the Nations Bible Society

New Living Translation, Second Edition. (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, —Copyright © 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc

List of quotes and scriptures from Josh McDowell’s Book, The Last Christian Generation, chapter 2 pp36-37 “Our Young People’s Distorted View Of Christianity.” ©—2006 by Josh D. McDowell and David H. Bellis. Published by Green Key Books.

The Mind Of Christ

Philippians 2:5-9

KJV

⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

AMP

⁵ Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] ⁶ Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, ⁷ But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. ⁸ And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!

CPV

^5-8 In this regard, you all think as Christ Jesus did. Though he was in a God form, he didn’t think that being on an equality with God was something to be hoarded. So he humbled himself and took on a slave form, just like any other human being. And on purpose he turned up as a man and brought himself so low that he submitted to death — even a death on the gallows. That’s why God is so proud of him and has bestowed on him the name that is above every name.

MSG

^5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

— Jim: If you meditate on anything this Christmas meditate on this,

Jesus, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God

He possessed the fullness of the attributes which make God God . . .

He made himself of no reputation . . .

He stripped Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity . . .

He humbled himself . . .

He set aside the privileges of deity

MSG

^{Phili 2:1-4} If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Scriptures arranged by — Jim Hughes

King James Version (KJV)—Public Domain/1604, King James I of England

Amplified Bible (AMP)—Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

The Message Bible (MSG)—Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995 by Eugene H. Peterson

Cotton Patch Version (CPV)—Copyright © 1968 by Clarence Jordan