Believing that God is a jealous God will avoid deception

 

3.         The truth about Jesus Christ who took on flesh is a jealous God

The third solid foundation in avoiding being deceived is to know, understand and believe the truth about Jesus Christ who before He took on flesh instructed us by saying; "You shall not make for yourself a carved image --- any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments,” He said again; “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God): “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4-6; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4: 24).

Now the term jealousy denotes having the feeling or showing suspicion of someone’s unfaithfulness in a relationship, and the way one expresses love towards God is by keeping His commandments as we have been duly instructed saying; “This is love that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 6-7).

The words that were told from the beginning stated that; “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” it also states that; “The Word became 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” (John 1:14).

Now the truth and the rationale for the Word becoming flesh and dwelt among us is principally to set us an example that we should follow His steps and so we have been duly instructed saying;

·         “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.

·         To release those who through fear of death were their entire lifetime subject to bondage.

·         For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

·         Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

·         For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

·         For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

·         Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 2:14-18, 4:15-16). 

We can summarize the truth about Christ coming in the flesh and being a jealous God by stating that; He experienced life like any human being so that He could die to pay the penalty of sin in man's stead, for as God alone He could not die. He also set us an example that we should follow His steps, to this end we are told; “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

He left us a perfect offering which He as High priest offers to the Father, so that we can come boldly to the throne of grace, in order to obtain mercy and find grace in time of need. And therefore have been admonished saying, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Imagine Jesus Christ having done all this for humanity and instead of worshiping Him the way He has ordained to be worshiped we blatantly rejecting it and instead worshiping Him in accordance to the customs and traditions of men, this surely must provoked the Lord to jealousy. But if we are steadfast and well established in the truth we will avoid being deceived by the craftiness of men.

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To be continued

With brotherly love 

Lucius Joseph