Jesus
Only
Elder Wm. Doyal
Thomas
Pastor - Philadelphia
Baptist Church
Decatur , Alabama
"And
after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them:
and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as light.
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be
here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and
one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when
the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And
when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."
(Matthew
17:1-8).
Let me say at the outset, that our subject, Jesus Only, is not a movement
toward the sect known as "Jesus People" who deny the doctrine of the Trinity,
and further deny that the Godhead is inclusively active in the salvation
of sinners. We are not straying from Biblical truth, nor from Baptist practice.
What we are saying, very simply, is that there is no man who can stand
alongside Jesus to be His helper nor His superior. Jesus Only is the personification
of the Godhead and is the express image of God the Father, and is therefore
Singularly, the Saviour. He needs no assistance. His work is not required
to be augmented. He is the Lord, and beside Him there is no Saviour. (Isaiah
43:11).
In Matthew 16:28, we read of the promise of Jesus Christ concerning
the glory that is to be revealed at the second coming. "Verily I
say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death,
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."
He is talking to His disciples in the latter part of Matthew, chapter
16,
concerning His soon coming death and resurrection. He is continually instructing
His loved ones of what lies before Him as He is to be offered in sacrifice
for their sins. He is gently, yet firmly and persistently, alerting them
to the Father's purpose so that they will not be overcome with doubt and
fear when these approaching events come to pass.
In verse 27, He tells them that the "Son of man shall come
in the glory of his Father ...". He is telling them plainly that
they will one day see the glory of the Father as that glory is fully manifested.
He loves them, and He tells them what will transpire.
And then in verse 28, He tells them that some of those who stand
in His presence at that moment will be privileged to have a grand and marvelous
preview of that glory which shall be revealed at His second coming. And
then six days later this preview is presented. And they, some of them,
are there with Him, to witness this great event.
In chapter 17, Jesus revealed his second coming. He opened the curtain
of centuries of time into the future and allowed those with Him to catch
a glimpse of that future glory.
How will it be when His second coming is reality? Hear the apostle John
as he tells us. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;
and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare
record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of
all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear
the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which
is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten
of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings
and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see
him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall
wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:1-8).
John, on the Isle of Patmos, is permitted to see again, and in greater
detail the events and the Person of the Second Coming of Christ. And in
Revelation
21:1-2, he also sees the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven. And what joy floods his soul as he gazes upon that
scene. And he, in ecstasy, is led to proclaim, "Even so, come".
But, while Jesus yet walked with His disciples, none of them had been brought
to the level of maturity that John experienced some sixty or so years later.
Even though these called out ones were permitted to hear the Lord as He
preached and taught, and to witness His marvelous power, and feel His great
compassion, yet, they were still but babes.
Observe Peter, and the others likewise, as they demonstrate their lack
of growth and spiritual discernment. And so with you and me. We are as
weak as water. We are as infantile as they.
Peter suggested that three tabernacles be built. Three dwelling places
for the law and for Moses; for the prophecies and for Elias; for Christ
and His teaching. Peter did know that it was a blessing for he, James,
and John to witness this wonder, but he missed much of the significance
of this transfiguration scene. But so would you and I, had we been present
that day.
Now, we declare that Jesus only can, and did fulfill all that the law and
the prophets had spoken. There is no fulfillment for either the demands
of the law, nor for the promises and threatenings of the prophets in any
other, save Jesus only.
After Peter's outburst, God pulled the cloud over this panoramic scene
until they were able to see Jesus only. They were not allowed to see any
other, but they were caused to see Jesus, and He only was visible to them.
"... and I will not give my glory to another." (Isaiah
48:11). "The law and the prophets were until John ..."
(John
16:16). "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17). "Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).
Jesus
Only In Salvation
In the matter of the salvation of sinners, it becomes evident that none
can be effectual except One who is able to complete the task. And among
mortal men, there can be no one found to either begin or complete this
formidable exercise. Only God can save. Only Jesus among men is God, and
therefore qualified to do this great work. The God Man. The Saviour.
"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one."
(Job
14:4). "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his
spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."
(Jeremiah
13:23). "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend
in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10).
"For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
(Romans
3:23). "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
(Romans 2:10).
From the teaching of the Scriptures there are some conclusions that we
can draw, and we must if we are careful to read. What are some of these
conclusions? Here is something for you and me to know.
Conclusion: Man is a sinner. He is a sinner by nature, and this is genetic.
Man is a sinner, and his state is manifested by his natural birth, and
what follows. Man is a sinner by choice. He sins and loves it. He has no
remorse. He hates God and loves the pleasures of sin. Man is a sinner by
practice. He lives in sin and wallows as it were in the muck and mire as
the sow who always returns again to the mud hole.
Conclusion: Man seeks to appease God. He imagines that God is subject to
the same vanities as man, and therefore is sure that God will accept what
man would accept. Thus, man seeks to appease God by reformation and by
the fruitless act of cleaning up the outside of the vessel, while inwardly
the filth of sin remains.
Consider carefully these thoughts. If it were possible for man to reform
himself, it would only be outward, and would in no wise alter the genetic
make-up of man, nor would it change the character. Man is a sinner, and
he is sin. He does what he does because of what he is.
And reformation, if it were possible, could only apply to present and future
sins. No accounting for past sins which have already properly condemned
man would be possible. Thus, past sins, unatoned for would still and forever
assign one to the eternal burning. In order for one to be justified, condemnation
must be removed; past, present, and future. And reformation of conduct
will not, and cannot facilitate such as is required.
Once in the Scripture is this question asked. "Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). And Paul and Silas were not
slack concerning this man's expressed need. They responded to the Philippian
jailer with these words: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him
the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." (verses
31,
32). They preached unto them Jesus only!
According to the teaching of Romans 3:24, the law does not justify
one. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus:" Note also this declaration: "Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
(Romans
3:28). The expression "without the deeds of the law"
simply says that justification is separate and apart from what the law
can do. The law announces condemnation. It cannot also justify.
"I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:21). "Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16).
The purpose of the law was not to give life, or else it has failed. Rather,
its divine purpose is to expose sin and to announce to the convinced sinner
that he is condemned for failure to meet the demands of the just and holy
Law of God.
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of
sin." (Romans 3:19, 20). Paul said, "I had not known
sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7:7).
What has the law accomplished in the case of those of us who are saved?
The law has exploded our vain hopes in our own abilities to appease God.
It has revealed hell as our doom, except God intervene in our behalf. It
has caused us to flee to Christ for mercy, and having been brought to Him
we have received mercy.
In our case, the law has served its purpose. In every case likewise, it
serves its purpose, and that is to bring the elect to Christ. "Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24). We no longer ask,
"What must I do to be saved?" Rather, we shout with gladness
unparalleled, "It is done. Christ has died for us, our sins are covered,
and the fiery law of God has corralled us and has brought us to Christ,
our Saviour."
Now we have seen Christ presented to us as one born of a woman; as of one
born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law. He is the only
One who has lived under the law to perfection. He is the only One who has
died under the full penalty of the broken law in the room and in the stead
of others. He is the only One who has satisfied every righteous demand
of God's holy law.
Listen: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou
so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" (Psalms
22:1). He is presented, prophetically, as the suffering Messiah, the
bleeding Lamb. And as our sins were, and are odious to our Holy God, so
were they then when imputed to His account. And justice demanded that payment
be made.
In Isaiah, chapter 53, we learn that He was wounded for our
transgressions; was bruised for our iniquities; that the chastisement of
our peace was upon Him; that it was for the transgressions of His people
He was stricken; that it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; and that it was
by His stripes that we are healed.
He is our substitute. He is the sin offering, and at the same time the
scapegoat. He is the innocent One dying for the guilty many. For each of
the many, He died. For each of the many, individually. As much for one
of them as for any other of them. They are all His, and He loves them alike,
and died suitably and successfully for every one of them, His elect.
He surrenders to God's perfect demands, and renders payment. His precious
soul drank the bitter cup dry, to the last dregs. He died for me. He loved
me, and had determined to rescue me. Praise God!
God looked upon that scene and announced, "I am satisfied". Upon the altar
of sacrifice, the Lamb of God declared, "It is finished".
And it is Jesus only who has died, the Son of man and as God the Son in
order that He might fulfill the stipulations of the eternal covenant of
redemption and thereby "set the captives free", as Isaiah
had said of Him.
Jesus
Only In Service
Since salvation is free and unmerited favor of God to sinful men, it is
found in Jesus only. It is in Him that we are united to God. It is in Him
that we are made to be new creatures. (II Corinthians 5:21). It
is in Him that we are created unto good works. (Ephesians 2:10). And
it is in Him that we are called to serve.
Are we slaves to carnal commandments, or are we the sons of God? Are we
motivated by servile fear, or are we constrained by faith, and by love
to serve Him? Are we required to "hold out faithful", as men ascribe, or
is it God who is faithful who promised and will persevere in faithfulness
so that we will persevere in His appointments?
Have we received eternal life, or are we on probation? Do we love Him,
or do we fear Him as some cruel taskmaster? Is the love of God shed abroad
in our hearts, or are we bound up to a tyrant? Now, will a loving child
do less service than would a fearful slave? Is our loyalty to Moses and
to the law; to the prophets and Elias; to some pope, or priest, or preacher,
or to denominational commitments and restraints as imposed by men, or a
body of men? Are we trusting in baptism; or circumcision; or tithing; or
preachers; or churches; or sacraments; or to ceremonies?
Do we depend upon our obedience, or upon Christ's perfect obedience? In
service, your individual love and loyalty to Jesus only will suffice. It
is He that ever liveth to make intercession. It is He that is a Friend
that sticketh closer than a brother. It is He who has saved you, and He
alone can keep you. It is He who will continue with you until the end,
for He has promised never to leave you, nor to forsake you.
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians
1:6).
"On
Christ the solid Rock I stand;
all
other ground is sinking sand."
Jesus
Only In Second Coming
Promises of the second coming of Christ abound throughout the Scriptures.
Reference to this great event are about 2,000 in the Old Testament. In
the New Testament, there are 318 such references, which averages once in
25 verses. The books of Galatians and Philippians are the only exceptions
to these references. Every chapter of I Thessalonians ends with this promise.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a prophecy concerning this next, great
and stupendous event.
Man has many problems in the world, and politics and government provide
no final answer. Society provides no answer. Education provides no answer.
Philosophy provides no answer. Atheism provides no answer. Modernism provides
no answer. Humanism provides no answer. Do-goodism provides no answer.
Man's religion provides no answer.
Man's vain imaginations have led him to build again a "Tower of Babel".
A world church is desired by depraved men to counter world atheism. This
may be a noble motive, but all it is, is religion without Christ. It is
union without unity.
Clouds of despair hover with deepening darkness over man. Men's hearts
fail them for fear and uncertainty. Because of sin, man gropes in the gloom
and dread of the unknown, trying desperately to set himself upon the right
course, to no success. One failure passes on to the next failure, and there
is no answer to be found among men.
In Jesus only, the believer finds the Blessed Hope and assurance of that
day when the second coming, with all its attendant circumstances, both
blessing and judgments will be brought to fruition.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28).
"Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out
of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."
(Luke 17:28-30). "But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light,
and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
(I Thessalonians 5:4-6).
But when He is come, world government will be in His Omnipotent and Omniscient
hand. Peace will rule universally over all the earth, over all men. Harmony
of all things will exist and discord will not be a factor, nor will it
be allowed. Unity among all the King's subjects will be evident; and Righteousness
will reign, with justice prevailing in all things.
And after these things, there shall be no more death. There shall be no
more tears. There shall be no more distresses. There shall be no more wars.
There shall be no more sin.
The only sight we'll behold is Jesus only, God, and the express image of
God.
Dear one, always rejoice, for Jesus only saves sinners. Jesus only will
never fail us. And Jesus only will welcome us home, to the Father's house,
there to eternally eat at the King's table, as the King's sons.
(The
Baptist Herald - April, 1991)
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