Good morning. No one has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. Remember
that no one can see God and live. Remember when we were talking about the
letters that John wrote, he was fighting the heresy of Gnosticism. They said
that Jesus was just a man before the Holy Spirit came upon Him after being
baptized; and that the Holy Spirit left Him when He was on the cross before He
died. John is saying here that not only was Jesus God, but also that He was
begotten. He became man also. Here John is also saying Jesus is presently in
the bosom of the Father. This would not be true if Jesus were merely a man.
When the religious leaders asked John the Baptist, “who are you?” He said that
he was not the Christ. They had not experienced anyone in their lifetimes
acting and speaking with the power and authority of God like John was. They
were trying to put him in a box, just like people do today, so they would know
how to deal with him and what kind of counter arguments they could use. Are you
Elijah; the Prophet? He said no. Then who, so that we may give an answer to
those who sent us. “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness”, “make
straight the way of the Lord”, as Isaiah the prophet said. John never exalted
himself. Father thank You that You did send Your one true Son. He was very God
of very God, and man at the same time. Go with the reader today. Help it to be
an extraordinary one for him/her.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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