5/5/14- Jesus the sustainer

Scots Confession Ic: "One in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  By whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed and to the manifestation of his own glory."

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  (Hebrews 1:3)

Thoughts: God the Son is the radiance of God's glory.  As the sun is experienced through the glove of the sun, the heat of the sun, and the light of the sun. The Son comes from the Father- is the same substance of the Father, yet different from the Father as the rays of the sun are different from the sun itself yet part of it.
    God not only creates.  He sustains.  It is in the sustaining of creation- that we see God's providential, ongoing care and love.  The goal of out being sustained is not for our own comfort, or for the extension of a short life- but for God's glory.  In the end, we do not live our lives for ourselves or our comfort, but for God's glory.  

Prayer:  Sustain me, Lord, that I may glorify you.  

The Scots Confession was primarily written by John Knox of Scotland.

2/10/13- The Divine and Human Together

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

Thoughts: Jesus is the imprint of God.  He is the mirror image (His radiance)- the exact representation of what God is like.  This is not so much about the physical shape of God as the moral and spiritual shape of God.  Jesus shows us God's love- coming down for us, sacrificing for us, teaching us about good and love, showing us how to live what he taught.  But Jesus is more than an image according to Hebrews 1:3.  He also is the one who sustains all things.  He is seated at a position of power- at the right hand of the Father.   Jesus is divine imprinted on humanity.  As such He is not less human, nor less divine.



We confess the mystery of His two natures, divine and human, in one person. We reject any understanding of the communication of attributes that must result in a blending of the two natures such that Jesus Christ is neither truly God nor truly human. We insist upon sufficient distinction between
the two natures to preserve the truth of the incarnation, that Jesus Christ is indeed Immanuel, God-with-us, not one who used to be God, nor one who has merely been sent from God. Rather, in His coming we have seen God’s glory, for Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s very being and in Him the fullness
of God was pleased to dwell. The divinity of the Son is in no way impaired, limited, or changed by His gracious act of assuming a human nature, and that His true humanity is in no way undermined by His continued divinity. This is a mystery that we cannot explain, but we affirm it with joy and confidence.

2/20/12- Defining Providence

WSC Q. 11. (2012 version) What is God’s providence?
A. God’s providence is His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing every
creature and every action.

Upholding all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. (Matthew 10:29)

(Scepter)


Thoughts: God keeps us and rules over us.  He is our protector, our King, our Lord.  Life is not one big meaningless accident.  Nor is it a matter of luck.  To be able to govern shows His wisdom and power.  But God also governs in righteousness and holiness. 

Prayer: May I grow in my ability to trust in our governing and ruling.