Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

The names of Jesus in the book of revelation – Part 2

By Emeritus Prof. Mercy Olumide
05 November 2017   |   4:16 am
Faithfulness of God in the OT frequently refers to His righteousness (e.g. Ps 4:1), the faithfulness with which He acts.

Emeritus Prof. Mercy Olumide

“Faithful witness” cont.’
Faithfulness of God in the OT frequently refers to His righteousness (e.g. Ps 4:1), the faithfulness with which He acts. This faithfulness is in full accordance with His commitment to His people and with His status as the divine King—to whom the powerless may look for protection, the oppressed for redress and the needy for help.

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim 2:13)
“He remains faithful.” Christ Jesus will most certainly carry out both His promises to us (cf. Mat 10:32) and His warnings (cf. Mat 10:33).
Divine faithfulness is a comfort for those who remain loyal (1 Thes 5:24; 2 Thes 3:3; Heb 10:23) and a solemn warning for those who depart from the faith. God must remain faithful to His Word (2 Sam 7:28; Jer 10:10; Tit 1:2; Rev 3:7).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9)
Faithful and just (1 Jn 1:9) the phrase is virtually a single concept (Faithful and Just). It indicates that God’s response toward those who confess their sins will be in accordance with His nature and His gracious commitment to His people

Jesus is the true Witness—See Isaiah 55:4; Jn 5:36; 8:14,18; 18:37; 1 Jn 5:9
“Witness” Witness, martyr Refers generally to something or someone that bears testimony to things seen, heard, transacted, or experienced. The bearing of testimony can be either passive (as when one is present as a spectator or bystander—Gen. 21:30; Ruth 4:7; Heb. 12: 1) or active (as when one gives evidence as a witness). The conventional meaning and usage pertains to the legal sphere, but can also refer to the moral sphere. Bearing witness may also denote the content and/or the significance of the testimony. Additionally, a witness (testimony) may refer to facts about which a person is firmly convinced by faith and for which that person would willingly die. In this last sense, such a person would be referred to as a martyr. The distinction between witness (marturion, marturia) and martyr (martus) consists only in the degree of their testimony, since both words are cognates of the same Greek verb meaning, “I testify/bear witness.” “The firstborn from the dead.” (Rev 1:5)“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev 1:5)

“ And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)

“Firstborn from the dead”. Jesus Christ was the first to rise from the dead with a spiritual and immortal body (1 Cor 15:20). On His resurrection day, Jesus became head of the church. The NT church began on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22). The fact that Christ is the “firstborn from the dead” implies subsequent resurrection of all those for whom He died. Christ is the “firstborn from the dead.” Jesus was raised from death, and His resurrection proves His lordship over the material world. All who trust in Christ will also defeat death and rise again to live eternally with him (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). Because of Christ’s death on the cross, He has been exalted and elevated to the status that was rightfully His (see Philippians 2:5-11).

Email: mercyolumide2004@yahoo.co.uk; yetundemercyolumidewww.christiscomingsoon.netMobile: +234 803 344 6614; +234 808 123 7987.

0 Comments