The Man Christ Jesus
When we study Scripture, we’re not only learning about how we should act as Christians, but also how we should think. We are always learning more about God as well as the world around us.
Learning how to think well about God and others is important as we seek to live faithfully according to God’s Word. Scripture guides and orients our thinking towards God’s thoughts about us and the world.
It is common in culture to believe that all religions and paths of life lead to the same place. But, we must go to Scripture to assess all truth that we hear.
In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul tells Timothy that there is only one mediator between God and mankind. That means that there is only one access point to beginning a relationship with God and being connected to Him. The one mediator is Jesus.
Because Jesus is the only one who is both God and man, He is the only one who can make a way for us back to God. Thus, not all religions lead to God, but only one with Jesus as the center of it all.
It is Jesus who makes the whole plan of God possible. Without Him, we are left without a mediator to bring us back to God. As Christians, we are entrusted with this truth. It is this truth that changes our lives forever.
The Church is God’s Sacred Space
Back when the Old Testament stories were still being lived out, God designated sacred spaces for His people to meet with Him.
First, God planted a garden in Eden—a beautiful space in paradise for His prized creations. Next, the tabernacle was a portable space in the wilderness for the Israelites who’d been rescued from Egyptian slavery. Then, the temple was a permanent space in Jerusalem for the people of Israel.
In all instances, these were specially chosen places of worship, as well as tangible signs of God’s presence.
The Creator of everything that exists can’t be confined to a garden, a tent, or a building, but it was in those sacred spaces where heaven and earth could overlap.
Fun fact: Garden imagery is all over the decorative details of both the tabernacle and the temple: palm trees and pomegranates, water lilies and almond blossoms, lions and oxen, vibrant colors and precious metals. Such designs are meant to point back to the beginning—before ...