Our outline for this SERIES is taken from the Old Roman Creed (vide ante) from which the Apostles' Creed was adapted and possibly in use before the mid-2nd century.
Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham – Matthew 1:1b
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
Gospel of the Apostle Matthew 16:13 NKJV
This question and self-designation of Jesus Christ — iēsous, meaning “Jehovah is salvation” from the Hebrew root, yᵊhôšûaʿ or Joshua with the same meaning — reveals a great mystery that in His incarnation JESUS IS also the Son of Man.
Who is the Son of Man?
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Numbers 23:19 NJKV
Yet the Messiah of Israel IS the Word of God and cannot lie.
‘Ya`akov became the father of Yosef, the husband of Miryam, from whom was born Yeshua, who is called Messiah.
Matthew 1:16 Hebrew Names Version
(Yes, Matthew Levi, Simon Peter, and Miryam the mother of Jesus Christ are all Jews.)
King David, a thousand years before, asks,
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
Psalm 8:4
His Jewish disciples whom Jesus asks know this self-designation of Yeshua from the Prophet Ezekiel about 600 years before.
“Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
Ezekiel 2:3 NKJV
“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.
“Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.
And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city.. “Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”
..he asked his talmidim, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
They said, “Some say Yochanan the immerser, some, Eliyah, and others, Yirmeyahu, or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 16:13b-14 HNV
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered and said,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:15-16 NKJV
The Son of God
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. – Gospel of Luke 2:7 RSV
Hard to imagine — this Son of Man, the Son of God!
male issue (one begotten by a father and born of a mother)
son of man
Christ seems to have preferred this to the other Messianic titles, because by its lowliness it was least suited to foster the expectation of an earthly Messiah in royal splendour.
son of God
those who revere God as their father,
.. governed by the Spirit of God,
Examine closely every aspect of the life of JESUS from manger to the cross and you will witness both humanity and deity — Christ the Son of Man—Christ the Son of God.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com
NEXT: we will see why JESUS is
His Only Son
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
How do WE respond after hearing a letter from an Apostle of Jesus Christ written to our Church?
We are about to take a look at the faith of three Apostles through Epistles they sent to many churches.
But more than that:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims connections — relationships that matter.
We receive the same love evident through these connections to God and the Apostles, who continue to mean much to 21st century Christians who believe with Apostolic faith.
Apostolic Unity in the Gospels
When someone asks us about our faith, their questions may boil down to a single foundational question:
“Faith in what?”
or perhaps, “faith in whom?”
Let’s begin with what the Lord says about these connections. Jesus actually presents His clarifying question to the Apostles.
And out of all the possibilities of their answers, one stands out in every Gospel.
Peter’s answer to Jesus
Gospel of Luke
9: And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…
And departing, they were going from village to village, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere.
.. and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
.. And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Luke 9:18b,20a BSB
And Peter answered and said,
“The Christ of God.”
Gospel of Matthew
And Simon Peter answered and said,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mat 16:16 LSB
Gospel of Mark
And He continued asking them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8:29 LSB
Peter provided an answer communited to him by the Holy Spirit of God. And the Apostle John through the same Spirit says the same more fully and in mysterious revealed detail.
Gospel of John
Nearly all of us are familiar with John’s introduction of Jesus in his Gospel:
IN THE BEGINNING was the Word [logos]
(We will come to discover that John refers to JESUS as the Word in the flesh.)
and the Word
was with God [Theos]
[but now, in John 1:1, the Apostle clearly states:]
John 1:1 LSB – English translation from Greek New Testament
JESUS IS GOD !
The Gospels all record that the twelve Apostles witness God’s power personally MANY TIMES in JESUS.
“I and the Father are [in essence] one,” John records later in his Gospel [John 10:30].
The Apostle’s Gospel of connection to the Living God revealingly becomes even stronger and more forward-facing after Jesus’ resurrection.
We see this first in Peter and John, but with an additional absolute faith in Christ later proclaimed to all the world by the Apostle Paul.
John 20 – Apostolic Authority from God
ἐμφυσάω
emphysáō– John 20:22, where Jesus, after the manner of the Hebrew prophets, expresses by the symbolic act of breathing upon the apostles the communication of the Holy Spirit to them
He breathed on them and *said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Gospel of John 20:22b LSB
Christ’s communication from the One God — Father, Son and now the Holy Spirit given — to His Apostles sent into all the world with Gospel Good News!
conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
the religious beliefs of Christians
belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
which finds its roots in the eternal truth that GOD IS — the Person of JESUS IS God — and Christ chose Apostles to continue God’s work of redemption of sinners by proclaiming the Gospel to all mankind.
Who are Apostles?
ACTS on Mission
Tens of Thousands of men, women and children witnessed the Son of God, JESUS, born as a man to a virgin.
Many followed JESUS as DISCIPLES, listening to His teachings and commands. Sometimes Jesus taught thousands. At other times hundreds would follow their Master (Lord) as a Rabbi sent from God. Jesus would teach a houseful of guests or sometimes just one chosen by Him even without witness of the Twelve.
More than five hundred witnessed Jesus AFTER the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection from the grave (even as several had seen Him raise Lazarus and others).
.. He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
Disciples followed their itinerant Rabbi from mountainside to village to city over three years, hearing the Messiah Jesus teach true faith. Yet even one of the Twelve had been chosen before time to betray the Lamb of God, our Savior redeeming our sins on a Cross in Jerusalem.
The APOSTLE’S sent out by Jesus were all chosen as witnesses to the Son of Man — an itinerant Teacher who was not of this world, but IS before all time — with God and was God.
Three Apostles nearer to Jesus
And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
James, the older brother of John, became the first Apostle martyred for his faith in Jesus just fourteen years into the establishing of the Church. Another would later replace him, as Matthias would replace Judas Iscariot.
It would be James the half-brother of Jesus who would later lead the church in Jerusalem, writing epistles to followers of The Way and conferring with the Apostles including Peter and John.
We witness these three Apostles nearest to Jesus on several occasions, both before and after the Lord’s resurrection.
Many witness the boldness of Simeon Peter and John in the Temple after Jesus is risen. It’s just once instance where Apostles proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of imprisonment, persecution and even death.
Σίμων Πέτρος – Simon Peter
So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go?”
Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Gospel of John 6:68-69 LSB
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Gospel of Matthew 16:17b-18 LSB
a Fisher of Men
Ἰωάννην Βοανηργές – John son of thunder
Jesus called these two brothers and close friends of His inner-circle of Apostles, “sons of thunder,” and more than once James and John had caused a commotion among his disciples.
And they [James and John] said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
.. And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.
Gospel of Mark 10:37,41 LSB
And nearer the time of their journey to Jerusalem for Jesus’ crucifixion:
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
But He turned and rebuked them..
Luke 9:54-55a LSB
THEN on a hideous hill outside Jerusalem, as Peter and the other Apostles hid distanced from the iniquitous crucifixion of Christ, the youngest of these dared a nearby witness of this most ironic Sacrifice of all time — the Son of God, their friend, hanging and pierced on a cursed Cross.
When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother,
“Woman, behold, your son!”
Then He said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother!”
From that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Gospel of John 19:26-27 LSB + Witness of the Disciple Jesus loved – youngest of the Twelve
The Lord Jesus entrusted His own mother Mary to the beloved Disciple John, who so often would cling to Him and His every word.
Christ would also restore Peter as the Rock upon which He would build His church.
“Children, have you any fish?”
Jesus’ love and connection to these two Apostles cannot be disputed.
Σαῦλος – Saûlos – Ῥωμαῖος Ταρσέα
After His resurrection the Lord will also embrace an arch-enemy who had not only denied a connection of the Son to God the Father, but even worse had persecuted and killed followers of The Way.
- Saul, Roman Citizen of Tarsus and Leading Jew of the Pharisees
And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
Acts of the Apostles 9:26 NKJV
Παῦλος – Paulos – ἀπόστολος ἐθνῶν
apostolos ethnos
ACTS on Mission
But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you..
Gospel of Matthew 5:44 KJV – from Jesus’ sermon on the mount
.. and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen…
To the Greeks the Apostle to the gentiles is Παῦλος – Paulos or Paul. And to Romans encountering this fellow Roman citizen from Tarsus certainly fluent in the Latin of their heritage, the Apostle would be called Paulus.
But to the Aramaic Jews of Jerusalem and Judea this illusive convert to Jesus of Nazareth is well-known as Sha’ul, the same name as Saul, Israel’s first king.
It is now about A.D. 59 or 60. Some thirty years ago JESUS had fore-warned the Twelve:
“Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say..
Gospel of Luke 12:11 LSB
Two years later the Jews had stoned Stephen to death for proclaiming the risen Christ Jesus. Saul had been a young witness to this unjust execution and a leading authority in bringing many followers of The Way to justice for five years – that is, until the Lord met him on a road to Damascus.
Saul disappears for a time and then makes his own defense to Peter and those in Jerusalem.
And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were attempting to put him to death.
Acts 9:29 LSB
All this prior to the Apostle being sent out to all the world of the gentiles on three missionary journeys for ten years.
So now back in Jerusalem by intention, the Apostle has already been detained by the Jews and held by the Romans.
“.. while Paul said G626 in G626 his own defense G626 [to Festus {who is also present here}], “I have committed no sin either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”
Acts of the Apostles 25
Saul’s third apologeomai before Herod Agrippa
Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “You may speak for yourself.”
Then Sha’ul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.
Acts of the Apostles 26:1 Hebrew Names Bible
Saul addressing King Herod Agrippa –
Jew to fellow Jew
continuing in his complimentary introduction:
Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
Acts 26:3 KJV
Remember, Paul is speaking of events beginning some twenty years ago.
My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
Acts 26:4-7 KJV
Paul addresses the "Jewish" king caught in the middle of controversaries between the Saduccees, Pharasees and pagan Romans not part of the promise of the One God to Abraham.
Testimony of the Resurrection
The Apostle now confronts Herod Agrippa with the politically divisive question concerning the Messiah Jesus.
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
Acts of the Apostles 26:8 KJV
“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Acts 26:9-11 NKJV
What’s Paul doing here?
The Apostle is confessing that as a leading Pharisee he was one of them – agreed with them – as zealous to put to death these blasphemers of Yahweh as now they seek to have Paul killed for his witness of the risen Messiah Yeshua.
Herod Agrippa knows the Jesus controversy well. And Paul’s defense now presents evidence of why he has turned from his former disbelief (in the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth). So šā’ûl of Tarsus recounts his journey to Damascus and life-changing encounter with the risen Lord Jesus, the crucified Messiah.
Saul sent out as the Apostle Paul
Luke has previously recorded Paul's account (Acts 9:1–19; 22:6–16).
I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
At midday I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun,
We all fell to the ground
I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew dialect:
‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Acts 26:14b Hebrew Names Version
Herod Agrippa would understand the significance of the Voice from heaven Who communicates with Paul in Hebrew. Sha’ul asks what any man might ask of an unknown person speaking:
Τίς εἶ κύριε
(tis ei Kyrios) Who are you, Lord?
And He said (in the Greek of Luke’s account of Acts of the Apostles)
egō eimi iēsous
Or in the Hebrew šā'ûl likely heard from the Lord:
ănî yᵊhôšûaʿ
“He said,
‘I am Yeshua, whom you are persecuting.
Acts 26:15 b Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua, the risen Son of God, commissions Paul
As Paul knows, Herod Agrippa II, with his Roman and Jewish cultural upbringing, will full-well know and understand the implication of what he is about to say. (And note that this Voice from heaven commands Saul as a King (like Herod Agrippa) would command any subject.
And He said,
‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
But rise and stand on your feet;
for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
Acts 26:14-15 NKJV
Remember, Paul has already been witnessing Christ crucified and risen on three missionary journeys since about AD 47 (more than ten years after Christ's crucifixion in Jerusaalem) until now (~AD 59) for some twelve years.
‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Acts 26:17-18 NKJV – account to Agrippa of the commissioning of Paul by the risen Christ Jesus
It is significant that in sending Saul to the Gentiles that the Lord mentions their redemption – Gospel Good News!
The Lord Jesus also points to our deliverance from original sin and Satan.
And do not overlook His mention of holiness and how Jew and Gentile will now receive sanctification.
Sanctification
Just a reminder of God's HOLINESS and that of CHRIST JESUS
ἁγιάζω – hagiazō –
to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow
to separate from profane things and dedicate to God
consecrate things to God
dedicate people to God
to purify
From hagos G40 (an awful thing) – sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):—(most) holy (one, thing), saint.
21st century Common Era christians tend to overlook Jesus’ role in sanctification of the redeemed saints of Christ, therefore missing the mark of showing ourselves saved from the sin so common in all of us.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com
OPEN YOUR EYES – SEE the implication of what the Lord says to Saul of Tarsus that changed him for all eternity:
to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among
those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts 26:18 RSV
Are YOU, like Saul, a SAINT —a most HOLY thing—
by FAITH in the LORD CHRIST JESUS?
Paul asks the Lord’s question of Agrippa and of Portus Festus.
The Apostle asks JESUS’ question of you who seek forgiveness of your sins somewhere else than by faith in the Person of Him – the risen Christ Jesus.
Next: Agrippa and Festus reject Christ
Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
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