Hebrews 3: 14 NKJV
Do you think you know the man Jesus? What IF you don't? What IF all you thought you knew of Christ was simply a old wives tale? Well, thankfully through the pages of scripture and the testimony of the apostles of Christ we are assured not only that Jesus was indeed real, but of His teachings as well. So, why is it that we often forget what we've learned? Why have we forgotten Jesus? I can already hear the voices out there, Scott, I haven't forgotten Jesus! Yeah,that's what I thought too. Until I realized that I had forgotten He who saved me. To get to the bottom of this mystery we need to once again go back to the truth of Christ, that mystery among the gentiles {Colossions 1:27}. The truth of Christ doesn't lie in His teachings, but in who He is. Who is Jesus? He is more than our Savior. He is much more than the one perfect man and He is definately more than I had thought He was. The truth of Jesus is who He is today. The apostle Paul tells us that it is Christ who lives within us {Galations 2:20}. That's right, Jesus dwells within you. All that Christ Jesus is, we are as well. So, how have we forgotten who Jesus is? Well, each and every time we ask ourselves "what if" when speaking of ourselves we have forgotten who Jesus really is. Every time we have doubts about who we are...we've forgotten Jesus. Every time we throw in the towel and give up when adversity hits...we've forgotten Jesus. For all that Jesus is, we are as well. After all, it is Christ who now dwells in us, right? You might tell me, "yeah...but." As Jesus told His apostles, "Blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet believed" {John 20:29}. How many of us are like poor Thomas, struggling to believe and yet falling short? Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that Thomas didn't WANT to believe in the risen Christ...he wanted proof to dispell what he himself had seen with his own eyes. So it is with us.
25The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, 6“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20: 25 - 29 NKJV
What is it that makes those who know the truth of Jesus to forget? If we know in our hearts that Christ dwells within us, how is it that we forget? Well, why did Thomas doubt what he was seeing with his own eyes? We know the truth, and yet at times we act as if we never knew Him. Believe me, I've been there. There have been plenty of times when I have doubted the man I really am. Instead, I followed the narrative the world set before me. Not only was I not Jesus, but Jesus could never be in the presence of a sinner such as myself. Well, that argument only works if you believe that Jesus has not already provided for the abolishment of sin. The fact is, we are now dead to sin {Romans 6:6-11}. Something else I've forgotten every now and then. So, not only did Jesus become sin that I would not suffer its penalty, He also returned to dwell within me. How good of a geneology is that? I am not only a child of God, but a heir with Christ as well. Why would I ever forget something so possitive? One of lifes mysteries I guess. The truth is, whatever negative things those around us claim that we are...Jesus says no. Whatever bad behaviors we might engage in, Jesus tells us that's not who we really are. We will forget Jesus every now and then, but that will never change who we are IN Him. As Thomas claimed..."My Lord and my God!"
~Scott~
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