By Dr. Don Bierle, FaithSearch President
all religions of the world.
In the January issue of the Paraclete I wrote about the name “Emmanuel” given to Christ by way of announcement by the angel Gabriel (Matthew 1:23). Its meaning, “God with us,” solved the world’s age-old question of WHO God is. God revealed His identity in history – the incarnation of the Christ 2,000 years ago. We celebrate that at Christmas.
But the world’s religions still struggled with the nature of God, particularly His holiness. God revealed in the Bible that “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20). In contrast, all humans have sinned and consequently earned death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Most religions agree that sinful humans are separated from whatever god they serve by an insurmountable gulf. How do they propose that we bridge that gulf?
Counterfeit Plans
- Compromise
My family once lived a couple of miles from the Temple of Eck in Chanhassen, MN, headquarters for an Eastern cult called Eckankar. Their god has a dual identity: “hu” is his righteous side, “kal” his evil side. Since god is both good and evil, we can be accepted that way as well. They compromised holiness to bridge the gulf. Likewise, Islam requires only a majority of good deeds to get into paradise (51% righteous?), thus holiness is again compromised. - Performance
Most religions promote certain self-induced teachings and practices (works) in an effort to attain holiness and overcome death. In their view, humans are self-perfectible.
Performance is promoted in Buddhism by the requirements to achieve the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-Fold Path, and the Four Degrees of Meditation. Their holy book, the Tripitaka, is 1,460 pages long of needed works (which no one could possibly achieve). Earning salvation by good works never ends. It cannot lead to assurance because you never know when you have done enough!
Good works are obligatory in Islam to attempt holiness – identified as Five Pillars. Reciting the Shahadah, seventeen cycles of prayer, fasting, giving alms, and a pilgrimage to Mecca are required, but once again these works cannot lead to any certainty of acceptance by god or the achievement of heaven. Holiness remains elusive.
Is there another way to solve the difficulty of attaining God’s holiness? YES!
The Genuine Plan: The Cross of Jesus
There is no “holiness” problem separating sinful Christians from their holy God… because of Easter! The Bible says, “And she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The apostle Peter adds, “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 3:24).
Jesus took my sin and gifted me His holiness. He took my death and gifted me His eternal life. The apostle Paul summed this up: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2, NIV). The result is that “…He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before God holy and blameless…” (Colossians 1:22, emphasis added).
The holiness problem was solved for Christians… because of Easter! Grace, love, forgiveness, and victory over death (the true meaning of Good Friday and Easter) are absent from other religions. Thus, in vain they attempt to atone for their own sins through human effort and they have no solution to death’s triumph. The genuine atonement, accomplished on the cross by Jesus, bridged the holiness gulf. In His own words, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24, emphasis added).
His NAMES Mean Everything!
Emmanuel (His “Christmas” name) = God with us. I can know who God is; I can know God in relationship!
Jesus (His “Easter” name) = Savior. My sins are forgiven; I am declared holy; I am adopted into God’s family; I have eternal life after death with God!
No wonder it is said of Jesus: “Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the NAME which is above every name, that at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11, emphasis added).
Our Response
We are blessed to have a heritage which includes an understanding of these names. Our first response is to repent of our sin and confess faith in Jesus as our “Emmanuel” and our “Savior” (Romans 10:8-10). Just before Jesus ascended back to heaven, He identified our second response: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere —in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NLT, emphasis added).
