A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Son of God

“...concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4)

It is noteworthy that the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is directly associated with His resurrection from the dead. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26), and since only God Himself can conquer death, Christ’s bodily resurrection is the conclusive affirmation of His unique deity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Many others have claimed divine sonship, but all are dead—only Christ validated that claim by defeating death. “God...hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Acts 13:33). “Death is swallowed up in victory....through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54, 57).

Jesus is explicitly called “the Son of God” about 44 times in the New Testament, only half as often as He is called “Son of man.” Nevertheless, this great truth is clearly taught in numerous other ways than by the use of the title itself. It’s so important that there is no salvation for the one who denies it. Jesus said plainly, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

Because He lives, we who believe on His name will also live forever! “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?...He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:5, 12-13). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The First Stone

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

When the self-righteous men in the crowd surrounding the woman caught in the act of adultery were about to stone her (apparently indifferent to the man with whom she had been caught!), the Lord Jesus turned them all away with His suggestion that the privilege of casting the first stone should go to one who was without sin of his own (John 8:7). They realized that He knew the condition of their sinful hearts, and “being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one” (John 8:9).

This incident is a perpetual reminder that “the Father…hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22), not to any one of us. We are not qualified to judge others, since we ourselves are also sinners—saved sinners, perhaps, but sinners.

One of the most certain doctrines of Scripture is the universality of sin in human experience. “There is none that doeth good, no, not one,” the Scripture says (Romans 3:12). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). “The Scripture hath concluded all under sin” (Galatians 3:22). “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). These and many other Scriptures tell us clearly that, while we urgently need to judge sin in ourselves, we are not qualified to condemn others, at least not on a personal level.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ, being Himself sinless (1 Peter 2:22), can judge a sinner. Thus, it is only He who could be made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and thereby forgive sins and bring salvation. HMM