September 26, 2007 by craig.

Jesus was all man and all God. Completely human and, at the same time, divine through and through. His unique nature is a mystery of God that cannot be absorbed fully by our finite minds. Yet, the fact remains - Jesus was and is 100% man and 100% God.

His nature is not designed to confuse us, however (1 Cor. 14:33). He, being fully God (spirit), clothed Himself with our humanity (flesh) for a purpose! Who else, in all creation, shares that makeup of spirit and flesh? For two, the person reading this blog entry, and the person who has written it. You and I are both flesh and spirit. In fact, every human being ever born has existed on the physical and spiritual planes. Clearly, Jesus took on that makeup so we could identify with Him and He with us.

“Concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was established as the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:3-4).” Paul begins his letter to the Romans focusing on the Person of Jesus. According to this passage, one of the reasons Jesus exists in flesh is to fulfill prophecy about His family lineage. Jesus never did anything contrary to the will of God in His flesh - beginning with his very birth. How about you?

Jesus’s divinity has been established in the spiritual realm. His resurrection from the dead, brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit, is the ultimate evidence of that divine nature. He makes possible our own spiritual resurrection from the grip of death that sin held over us. This is also an example for our lives in the spiritual realm, that we might always stay in step with the working of the Holy Spirit.

Flesh AND spirit. We, like Christ, exist on both planes and can find only in Him the model for that kind of existence.

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September 17, 2007 by craig.

Would any of us dare hinder the work of Christ? We would almost instinctively say, “no way - not me! I would never keep God from doing all that He desires in my life, my family, or my church.” But, our personal disobedience in the seemingly “small things” can actually be an obstacle to His will from taking place in this world. That is a major consequence for something we may consider just little ol’ daily decisions.

Mark 1:43-45 gives us an interesting exchange between Jesus and a man He had just healed … “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

This man whom Jesus healed from leprosy made the choice to disobey the warning and the instructions Christ gave him. That violation of God’s will resulted in others missing out on what could have been. Blessings, teachings, even healings like he himself had experienced!

Even so, we’ve got to note that Christ’s sovereign plans are never thwarted. He still drew the people to Himself and passed on His intended blessings.

“So what,” you may say. “God’s will was still accomplished. Why make such a huge deal out of this one man’s disobedience?” Put yourself in this man’s shoes. Would you want to be remembered throughout all history as the one who was a hindrance to the perfect will of God in this phase of Jesus’s ministry on planet earth? Think before you act; weigh carefully the outcome of your disobedience. When Christ gives you a clear warning or command, your obedience must be complete, exact, and immediate.

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September 4, 2007 by craig.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. With the college football season underway (how ’bout them Ap State Mountaineers?) and the 2007 NFL season beginning Thursday, I’m very excited! I’m also looking forward to my fantasy football league this year! As a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, I’m greatly anticipating Tony Romo & Terrell Owens hooking up several times for touchdowns this year.

Some might look at each of these scores and see them as passing touchdowns. Others might consider them receiving touchdowns. Will it be viewed as a great on-target pass? Or maybe an amazing pull-it-out-of-the-air “circus catch”? The truth is … you need both to make the play what it needs to be! That is what will have to happen, again and again, for the ‘Boys or [insert your favorite team here] to walk away with a win.

James 2:26 says this: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” It’s clear that we are both spirit and flesh. Until death, our bodies and spirits are inseparable. Even beyond death, they go together. One day, our bodies will be resurrected and reunited with our spirits (John 5:28-29). They were made to be together. That’s God’s perfect design.

Our faith and works are no different than the players in a well-executed pass play. They are made to go together. Otherwise, our spiritual lives are marked with defeat and death. Our doctrine is sound only when it is coupled with our deeds. Our feats are eternally valid only when they are backed with Christ-centered faith.

See ya on the field … of life!

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