I am writing this on Easter Sunday morning. Many Christians make a big deal of this and celebrate Christ’s resurrection on this day. Jesus, Son of God died on the cross nearly 2000 years ago and paid, finally and forever, for the sins of many, those whom the Father has drawn to Him.
Then there are some who say this is a pagan celebration instituted by the Roman Catholics a long time ago. Of course, there are aspects of the Easter festival, chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs and other traditions that are pagan, but the celebration by the unbelieving world of a holiday stemming from Christ’s death and resurrection is something to acknowledge.
Jesus Christ pre-existed all creation. He is the I AM! That means the pre-existent One, YHWH, or Jehovah. Jesus made that claim of Himself many times.
Here’s a sample:
“Jesus said to her, I AM! the One speaking to you.”
John 4:26
“But He said to them, I AM! Do not fear.”
John 6:20
Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.
John 8:24
Therefore Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM; and from Myself I do nothing; but as My Father taught Me, these things I speak.
John 8:28
Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham came to be, I AM!
John 8:58
He was there before Abraham. Yet He was born in a human body (Hebrews 10:5), which means He became fully human yet was still fully God.
This is a major problem for the orthodox Jews. They say God can only be spirit. He cannot be a physical thing, certainly He cannot be human. As far as idolatry goes they are correct. But they are missing the point. The Creator made all things. He is omnipotent and He chose to condescend to the level of man. He put His Spirit into human flesh to do this and yet He remained fully God.
So when we worship the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not worshipping mere human flesh but the eternal I AM, the Creator God of the Universe. This is the power of God through salvation. All believers in Jesus Christ become one with Him, in the Vine (John 15). You cannot become one with Him in His earthly flesh body. Only by the Spirit we are in Christ and we join with the true Israel of God, all born-again believers.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you
John 15:4-7
This is the most amazing thing. God gave His Son as a blood sacrifice for our sin. Only a perfect man could make that sacrifice and there were none on Earth so God provided His own. That was Jesus in His incarnate body of human flesh. This is why He deserves to be Lord and King of the Universe.
Jesus Christ is King, always was and always will be.
