I have believed in God since a young girl. When I was teaching third grade a coworker invited me to study the Bible. I wanted to know God and had never read the Bible before so the thought appealed to me. (Imagine, saying you believe in God and yet never reading His Word)! My true walk with God began, the moment I opened the pages of the Bible.
I took the summer off from work that year and began to read the Bible from front to back. I fell in love with the God I met there, especially the God I saw in the Old Testament. Yes, I understood about Jesus and loved Him, but the character and nature of God that I saw in the Old Testament captured my heart.
A few years ago I read this verse in John 5:22-23: “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. “
This verse made me think more deeply about my understanding and honoring of Jesus, so I began studying truths about Him in God’s Word.
I looked at what the Bible says we have in, by, through and from Jesus. These prepositions are small words, but they introduce great truths about Jesus. I would like to present a few of these truths, without much comment, for your consideration. Perhaps they will magnify Jesus in your mind and heart, as they do in mine.
Redemption in Jesus
Romans 3:23-25b states that we have redemption in Jesus through His atoning blood.
“… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (atonement) by his blood, to be received by faith.”
No Condemnation in Jesus
Romans 8:1-2 states that God in Jesus removes all condemnation from us. What a relief to our mind and spirit!
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Grace in Jesus from Before the Beginning of Time
Before the creation of the world God planned to send His Son to save us and bless us.
The salvation of man through the Son of God, Jesus, was not an afterthought or hastily contrived bandage to the troubles of mankind.
I Timothy 2:9 and10 clearly reveal this truth:
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
We can read this same truth in Ephesians 1:4-5.
“In Christ, He chose us before the world was made. In His love He chose us to be His holy people—people without blame before Him. And before the world was made, God decided to make us His own children through Jesus Christ…” (ICB)
Access to God through Jesus
I long to be near God, I think you do too or you would not be reading this. Jesus gives us access to God, to be able to draw near to Him, to be in His presence and to be able to interact with Him.
In speaking of the Gentiles and the Jews, the writer of the Ephesian letter reveals this truth about Jesus to us in Eph. 2:17-18.
“And He (Jesus) came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
And again, we see it in Ephesians 3:12:
In Him (Jesus) and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.
God’s Handiwork Created in Christ Jesus
When you are feeling that your life has no value, or you have no purpose meditate on this truth – a blessing in Jesus that is found in Ephesians 2:8-10:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship (His hands on work; His masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
No Discrimination in Christ
Galatians 3:25-28 reveals our true identity and value. We are all the same, we are one in Christ, and what is more we are siblings in the family of God in Christ.
“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Truths for Life
There are many other passages in the Bible that reveal what I call the “in, from, by and through” truths about Jesus. These truths have magnified God in Jesus to me, and revealed the blessings I have in Jesus. They keep me strong in times of temptation; in times of doubting God; when I am question His goodness towards me; and in times when I feel under attack by others.
These truths help me to worship God and give Him the thanks that is due Him. I post these truths for you to meditate on and add to your faith, your gratitude, and relationship with God in Christ Jesus.