Annual Spiritual Checkup
As an extra resource, we encourage you to read this piece by The C.S. Lewis Institute on The Jesus Prayer. The C.S. Lewis Institute writes: "Each year many of us will go through a physical checkup, perhaps do a financial checkup at year's end or at tax time, and perhaps do a performance review at our workplace. But how often do we take time to review our spiritual life?" As the second in a series of "spiritual checkup" topics, this piece on prayer reminds us that we can know God through Jesus our Mediator. Let's examine our spiritual lives and prayerfully seek God's help and growth in the New Year. Read the article HERE.
Discussion Questions
““[Is God] a spy in the sky - distant, waiting for you to mess up so he can punish you? That’s not what I see ... I see a God who comes to us, not to be silent or rebuke, but to speak a word of life.””
GENERAL BIBLE STUDY
The following questions are meant to facilitate a study of the passage. These questions are optional.
Observation - What does it say? When you hear and read this passage what do you observe? What do you see that particularly catches your attention or strikes you?
Interpretation - What does it mean? What is the importance of the Doctrine of the Son? In the epic sweep of God’s eternal, redemptive story, why does the Doctrine of the Son matter?
Application - What does it mean to you? What, if anything, about the Doctrine of the Son, challenges or deepens your understanding of your faith or your relationship with God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON
The Apostles’ Creed continues, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” Similarly, the Nicene Creed continues, “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God . . . .”
This leads us to consider several questions.
Who is Jesus Christ? “Jesus Christ is the eternal Word and Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. He took on human nature to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, the only Mediator between God and fallen humanity (Psalm 2; Malachi 3:1; John 1:1–18; Philippians 2:5–11; 1 Timothy 2:5–6).” [a]
What does Christ mean? “Christos is the Greek term for the Hebrew title Messiah, meaning “Anointed One.” Old Testament kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil. Jesus Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit to perfectly fulfill these roles, and he rules now as Prophet, Priest, and King over his Church and all creation (Exodus 40:12–16; 1 Samuel 16:11–13; 1 Kings 19:15–16; Psalm 89:19–29; Luke 3:21–22; 4:14–21; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 4:14–5:10).” [b]
Why is Jesus Christ called the Father’s only Son? “Jesus alone is God the Son, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He alone is the image of the invisible Father, the one who makes the Father known. He is now and forever will be incarnate as a human, bearing his God-given human Name. The Father created and now rules all things in heaven and earth through Jesus Christ our Lord (Psalm 2:7–12; John 1:14–18; Colossians 1:13–15; Hebrews 1:1–5; see also Athanasian Creed).” [c]
The claim Jesus is the only Son of God “is central to the layout of the Creed, for the long section on Jesus Christ stands between the two shorter sections on the Father and the Spirit. And it is central to the faith of the Creed, for we could not know about the Trinity, or salvation, or resurrection and life everlasting, apart from Jesus Christ.” [d]
What do I mean when I call Jesus Christ, Lord? “I acknowledge Jesus’ divine authority over the Church and all creation, over all societies and their leaders, and over every aspect of my life, both public and private. I surrender my entire life to him and seek to live in a way that pleases him (Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 7:21–23; Luke 9:23–26; Ephesians 1:15–23; Colossians 1:16–18).” [e]
HEBREWS 1:1-14
The letter to the Hebrews opens by describing the supremacy of Jesus over all things:
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4).
In his commentary on Hebrews Simon J. Kistemaker states, “In this verse, the writer portrays the Son as Prophet who speaks a powerful word, Priest who provides purification for sins, and King who sits at God’s right hand.” [f]
The author of Hebrews states the main point in Hebrews 8:1-2, “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” This high priest can and will enable us to persevere, so persevere to the end! See this exhortation to persevere in Hebrews 2:1, 3:1, 3:12, 4:1, 4:11, 6:1, and 10:19.
REFLECTION
What is the significance, historically and for us today, of the name of Jesus? [g]
In his book Growing In Christ, author J. I. Packer states, “by calling Jesus Christ God’s only Son, [Christianity] . . . stands quite alone. This claim for Jesus is both the touchstone of Christianity and the ingredient that makes it unique.” [h]
Why can Jesus Christ rightfully claim authority to rule your life?
Consider each of the following roles of Jesus - Prophet, Priest, and King. What does each one mean in general? What does each one mean to you?
How does understanding Jesus as high priest, stated in Hebrews 8:1-2, inspire or enable you to persevere?
In his letter to Timothy Paul states, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5 NASB). If this is the goal of our instruction, how does understanding the Doctrine of the Son better equip you to “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith?”
Closing Prayer - Collect for the Third Sunday of Epiphany
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
See:
a) Who is Jesus Christ?To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 38
b) What does Christ mean?To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 38
c) Why is Jesus called the Father’s only Son? To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 39
d) Packer, J. I., Growing In Christ, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), 39
e) What do you mean when you call Jesus Christ Lord? To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 39
f) Kistemaker, Simon J., A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized, Edited by Michael J. Kruger, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 418
g) “Jesus means God saves and is taken from the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua. In Jesus, God has come to save us from the power of sin and death. ( Joshua 1:1–9; Psalm 20; Matthew 1:18–25; Romans 8:1–2).” To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 38
h) Packer, 39
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Banner: “Abel, Melchezidek, Abraham and Isaac,” 7th century mosaic, Apse of the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo (Ravenna, Italy)