“The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep….I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved.” John 10 verses 2 and 9
JESUS SAID THAT HE IS THE DOOR OF OUR SALVATION, YET HE ALSO SAID THAT HE HIMSELF ENTERED BY THE DOOR. THE ONE WHO IS THE DOOR ALSO ENTERED BY THE DOOR.
A COMMON CRITICISM OF CHRISTIANITY IS THE CLAIM THAT JESUS HIMSELF MADE, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.” John 14:6 HIS WORDS ARE TRUE BECAUSE HE ALONE WAS ABLE TO BOTH OPEN THE DOOR AND TO ENTER IN. ONLY BECAUSE JESUS HAS ENTERED BY THE DOOR IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO ENTER. ONLY AS WE UNDERSTAND HOW JESUS ENTERED BY THE DOOR CAN WE APPRECIATE HIS GREAT CLAIM THAT HE ALONE IS THE WAY TO THE FATHER.
FIRST OF ALL, WE MUST UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS A SEPARATION BETWEEN US AND GOD. YES, WE ARE SINNERS AND GOD IS HOLY, BUT ITS IS MORE THAN THAT. A COMMONLY QUOTED VERSE IS, “ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.” THE FIRST PART OF THAT VERSE IS USUALLY EMPHASIZED TO THE NEGLECT OF THE THE SECOND PART. WE FALL SHORT. WE DON’T MEET THE MARK.
WE NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES WHAT GOD’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE IN CREATING MANKIND IS – TO MAKE US INTO HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS, IN SHORT TO SHARE HIS GLORY! GOD IS SEEKING TO EXTEND HIS OWN BEING INTO HIS CREATION. WHEN A MAN AND WOMAN LOVE ONE ANOTHER, IS IT NOT NATURAL FOR THEM TO WANT TO BRING ANOTHER HUMAN BEING INTO THE WORLD, ONE WHO COMES FROM THEIR OWN BODIES?
ADAM WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF GOD’S GREAT ENDEAVOR. ADAM WAS NOT COMPLETE. HAD HE BEEN COMPLETE, HE WOULD NEVER HAVE SINNED. WHAT DID ADAM LACK? – HOLY ETERNAL LIFE! GOD COULD NOT CREATE HIS OWN LIFE. HE MUST GIVE IT, WHICH HE DID IN THE INCARNATION. “AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US, AND WE SAW HIS GLORY, GLORY AS OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN FROM THE FATHER, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH.” John 1:14
LET US NOT BE HESITANT TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE INCARNATION OF GOD. THE ANGEL GABRIEL TOLD THE VIRGIN MARY, “THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU AND THE POWER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU; AND FOR THAT REASON THE HOLY OFFSPRING SHALL BE CALLED THE SON OF GOD.” Luke 1:35
IN THE INCARNATION, THERE WAS THE UNION OF GOD WITH HUMANITY. THE CONCEPTION OF THE HUMAN SON OF ALMIGHTY GOD INVOLVED THE ENTIRE BEING OF GOD – THE ETERNAL FATHER, THE ETERNAL WORD OR EXPRESSION OF THE FATHER, AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD’S BEING; AND IT INVOLVED THE SEED OF THE WOMAN, THAT OVUM THAT CONTAINED THE GENES OF HUMANITY TRACED BACK, IN LUKE’S GENEALOGY, TO DAVID, ABRAHAM, AND ADAM.
I HAVE OFTEN REMEMBERED THE WORDS OF A SISTER IN CHRIST, “IT’S NOT MAGIC.” HOW VERY TRUE. GOD’S SALVATION IS AS ORGANIC AS HUMAN BIRTH. JESUS SPOKE OF THIS BIRTH TO NICODEMUS. “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN,” OR BORN FROM ABOVE.
GOD’S SALVATION IS REAL. IT INVOLVES HUMAN GENES, THE IMPLANTATION OF GOD’S HOLY ETERNAL LIFE INTO A FEMALE OVUM, GESTATION, PHYSICAL BIRTH, AND THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A BABY, INTO A BOY AND INTO A MAN.
JESUS ENTERED BY THE DOOR. WHEN HIS COUSIN JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS BAPTIZING IN THE JORDAN RIVER FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, JESUS SOUGHT TO BE BAPTIZED BY HIS COUSIN. HE SAID TO JOHN WHO RESISTED DOING SO, “IT IS FITTING FOR US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS. “FOR BOTH HE WHO MAKES MEN HOLY AND THOSE WHO ARE MADE HOLY ALL HAVE ONE FATHER. FOR THIS REASON HE IS NOT ASHAMED TO CALL THEM HIS BROTHERS.” Hebrews 2:11
JESUS EXPERIENCED OUR SALVATION. BEFORE JESUS COULD SAVE US, HE HIMSELF HAD TO BE SAVED, NOT SAVED FROM ANY SIN OF HIS OWN, BUT FROM THE SIN AND DEATH OF THOSE HE CAME TO SAVE. “IN THE DAYS OF HIS FLESH, HE OFFERED UP BOTH PRAYERS AND SUPPLICATIONS, WITH LOUD CRYING AND TEARS, TO THE ONE WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH AND HE WAS HEARD BECAUSE OF HIS DEVOTION.” Hebrews 5:7
OUR SALVATION IS NOT MAGICALLY GIVEN TO US. IT IS REAL. IT HAS BEEN REALIZED BY THE SON OF MAN, OUR LORD JESUS MESSIAH.
ALTHOUGH HE WAS THE HOLY SON OF GOD, JESUS LEARNED OBEDIENCE THROUGH HIS SUFFERINGS. HIS HUMANITY WAS PERFECTED THROUGH HIS SUFFERINGS. “AND HAVING BEEN MADE PERFECT, HE BECAME TO ALL THOSE WHO OBEY HIM THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL SALVATION.” Hebrews 5:8-9
PHILIPPIANS 2 SAYS THAT HE BECAME OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH. HOW DID HIS OBEDIENCE LEAD TO HIS DEATH? HE REFUSED TO COMPROMISE HIS HIGH CALLING AND OUR HIGH CALLING. THE GOOD CAN BE THE ENEMY OF THE BEST. HE COULD HAVE HEALED THE WORLD OF ALL OF ITS DISEASES. HE COULD HAVE PROVIDED FOOD FOR ALL. HE COULD HAVE NOT ONLY REMOVED THE ROMAN YOKE FROM ISRAEL BUT STOPPED ALL WARS. HE COULD HAVE SET UP HIS KINGDOM FROM JERUSALEM RIGHT THEN. BY DOING ALL THOSE GOOD THINGS, HE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE ADULATION, WORSHIP AND OBEDIENCE OF ALL.
BUT OUR GOD IS WANTING SO MUCH MORE THAN OUR TRIBUTE. HE WANTS SONS AND DAUGHTERS. HE WANTS TO GIVE HIS OWN LIFE TO US. HE WANTS US TO BE AS HOLY AS HE IS. HE IS SEEKING INTIMATE COMMUNION WITH US.
THIS IS WHY HE HAS TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO REMEMBER HIM IN PARTAKING OF THE BREAD AND WINE. IT SPEAKS OF HIS GIVING HIS OWN LIFE TO US, THE BREAD REPRESENTING HIS HOLY HUMANITY, AND THE WINE REPRESENTING HIS DIVINE LIFE, BOTH GIVEN TO US THROUGH DEATH.
BEFORE JESUS DIED, HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, “FOR THIS REASON THE FATHER LOVES ME, BECAUSE I LAY DOWN MY LIFE SO THAT I MAY TAKE IT AGAIN.” John 10:17 WHEN JESUS ROSE OUT OF OUR DEATH, HE DID NOT GO TO HEAVEN BUT TO EARTH. WHEN HIS DISCIPLES THOUGHT HE WAS A SPIRIT, HE ASKED FOR SOMETHING TO EAT, AND HE ATE A PIECE OF BROILED FISH IN FRONT OF THEM. HE SAID TO THEM, “A SPIRIT DOES NOT HAVE FLESH AND BONES LIKE YOU SEE I HAVE.” Luke 24:36-42
THE HEART OF THE FATHER AND THE SON IS INVESTED IN HUMANITY. WE ARE GOD’S PRIMARY ETERNAL PURPOSE. MAN WAS DESIGNED TO EXPRESS ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD. “FOR IN HIM ALL THE FULLNESS OF DEITY LIVES IN BODILY FORM.” Colossians 2:9
THE HUMANITY OF GOD IN JESUS IS BOTH THE DOOR AND THE MEANS OF ENTERING THAT DOOR. “I AM THE DOOR. IF ANYONE ENTERS THROUGH ME, HE WILL BE SAVED, AND WILL COME IN AND GO OUT, AND FIND PASTURE.” AMEN AND AMEN!
Rosemary E. Hyslop October 4, 2017