God’s True Portait: JESUS

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If the idea of God you have in your mind is any different from that of Christ Jesus, then I submit to you that what you have is at best, a distorted picture of God.

God looks nothing like what religions, the various flavors of the Christian kind included, paints Him out to be, you know some version of a mean- faultfinding-always furious- uptight-hard-to-please-sadist or something similar. Nothing could be further from the truth, a quick look at Jesus paints a very beautiful picture of God. Nothing like what religion, for so long, has conditioned us to believe.

The thing is, no one has ever seen God, that is, no one except Jesus, and He is the one who reveals Him to mankind. Wasn’t He even appropriately called “Emmanuel” –“ God with us”?!

Jesus made that point over and over again. Let’s go over a couple of instances, shall we?

Speaking of Jesus, John the apostle writes:

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. – John 1:1-3 ESV

Then he adds:

¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.- John 1:18 NKJV

Jesus speaking:

¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. – John 5:19 NKJV

³⁰ I and My Father are one.” – John 10:30 NKJV

The apostle Paul came along and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned this powerful truth:

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, - Colossians 1:19 ESV

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, - Colossians 2:9 NIV

So there we have it, Jesus came to reveal God to us and in all His interactions with people, He did just that. He expressed the heart of His Father every single time. Now the religious leaders of His day thought with all the Scriptures, the rules and the regulations they had, if anyone knew God and His ways, it should be them. How sorely mistaken were they! To say they were opposed to Him would be an understatement – they hated him.

And just like God - His Father - Jesus did not avoid those religion considered sinners and outcasts in society. He welcomed them, ate with them, spent time with them so much so that the religious folk complained against Him:

² And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” – Luke 15:2 NKJV  

And interestingly, those considered "sinners" were flocking to Him and gladly listening to Him, as Luke once noted and this, as we all know, didn't sit well with the religious leaders.

Jesus himself repeated one the many accusations leveled against Him by those who considered themselves righteous...

¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” – Matthew 11:19 NKJV (emphasis added)

Now the Good News is:

If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then be reminded that this same Jesus is in you

Source: Google Images

today by His Holy Spirit and through Him you have been born from Above. You are now one with the Father just like Jesus is one with the Father. You are complete in Him, you lack nothing! So beloved, since the love of God is already poured out in your hearts, go ahead and joyfully express your Father’s heart in all your interactions today! And if religious folk criticize you, well..rejoice...you're in good company! 

Blessings!