CHRIST IS...

This is the most beautiful prose I have ever read about the beauty of Jesus Christ. It's written by Kat Huff, she writes on her blog "Harvest of Pearls". 

You can read her prose by clicking on the below link:

"CHRIST IS" by Kat Huff

Christ: Triumphant over death

Ever since the creation of mankind and the eventual fall of Adam and Eve, humanity has been plagued by one of its most menacing enemies – Death itself. It is important for us to note that death was not the original intent of God’s plan and have never been part of his eternal purpose (Genesis 1 & 2). However it is due to Adam and Eve’s (and ours) transgression of God’s commandment that God had to inflict this penalty on them and their descendants – the penalty of death (Genesis 3).

The Grim Reaper has ever since dogged us, hunt us down one by one, ruthlessly pounced on us regardless of time and circumstances, and taken away our loved ones.

“…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19 NIV)

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away…” (Job 1:21 NIV)

Eventually, man’s egoistic nature did not allow him to repent. Instead, man took great pride in death and soon men started inflicting death on each other. Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) and when God asked him about Abel’s whereabouts Cain replied: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

Man became pleased at the death of fellow man. Clarence Darrow once said, “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”

But the same cannot be said of God.

"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone", declares the Sovereign LORD. "Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:32 NIV)

God cares about us and God wants us to repent and return to Him.

'…As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die…?' (Ezekiel 33:11 NIV)

Death, in God’s word, meant a physical death – separation of soul from body, and a spiritual death – eternal destruction of the soul in hell. Adam’s sin brought with it both the physical death as well as the spiritual death.

God knew that mankind would never be able to overcome death on its own. Victory over death required a sinless human being to fight the battle and eventually triumph. So the all powerful and almighty God took the form of a human – Jesus Christ. Christ took death face on and fought a grueling and vicious battle with the Grim Reaper himself!

It was a battle of the ages! Christ – the Son of the living God – on one side and Death – Satan’s most powerful ally – on the other. Mano-a-mano! But tragedy struck! They flogged Him, battered Him with everything they could, and they finally nailed Him to the cross. There, on that hill, Christ died a brutal death. His body was taken down, wrapped in linen, and buried in an unmarked tomb. Was it the end? Had Satan finally triumphed over God?

Wait a minute! Jesus once said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (John 2:19 NIV)

Didn’t He mean his own body? There had to be a mistake! No there isn’t any mistake, because…

“HE HAS RISEN”, cried the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb. Three days later, our Lord, our Supreme Lord, resurrected from the dead and visited His disciples! How did it happen? God the Father came to the rescue, He sent His Spirit to quicken the body of His Son. For He had once declared, “I will not allow my loved one to see decay.” (Psalm 16:10) God raised up His Son and there stood Jesus, triumphant over death. He came in the form of a man and fought out battle for us, in our name, and He defeated the oldest enemy of mankind. Christ became the ‘last Adam’ and reversed the effects of the first Adam.

Paul says,

So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV)

Does this mean that we will never die physically? Of course not! What we can cherish through Christ’s resurrection is an abundant life both before our physical death and after it. Christ Himself is the ‘Life of all ages’. We will one day be with Him and with the ‘Eternal Life’. He who has triumphed over death is Life itself.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..." (John 11:25 NIV)

Christ: Triumphant where others have failed

In one of the long list of meetings and seminaries I had attended, I heard the preacher encouraging the viewers to be more like Solomon and not be like David.  The particular example he was giving was of Solomon when he had prayed to God not for wealth or power but for wisdom, and that King David had given in to adultery on part of Bathsheba.

However I was puzzled in the early years of my new spiritual life. There were a host of personalities from the Bible – Moses, David, Solomon, etc. Which of these are worthy enough to be a role model for the Christian? Would it surprise the reader when I say – none? No one, absolutely none whatsoever!

Let me tell you why. While Moses, David, and Solomon, all of these men were heroes of faith and worthy of their place in the Word of God, each of them had their special shortcomings. Moses for example was told by God to ‘speak’ to the rock and water would gush out of it (Numbers 20:8). But Moses wanted to be the ‘action hero’ and preferred to strike the rock with his staff (Numbers 20:11), not once but twice! As a result of Moses’ antics God effectively barred him from the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).

David’s scandalous affair with Bathsheba, who was a married woman, was equally detested by God and as a severe punishment God took away their first born child (2 Samuel 11, 12:1-22). Solomon, David’s son, was thoroughly blessed by God with material wealth as well as spiritual wealth. But Israel’s ruler of the ‘golden era’ would soon lose his way by having scandalous affairs with numerous women, many of them pagans. Under the influence of his pagan wives, Solomon was led to worshipping idols (1 Kings 11:1-6). As a result of this act of idolatry and infidelity, Solomon’s son did not inherit his father’s entire kingdom (1 Kings 11:9-13).

So seeing these heroes and their tragic moments, who would I follow? Who would be my role model? The answer lies in a Man who walked the earth two thousand years ago and triumphantly defeated Satan and his demonic minions by dying a brutal death on the cross. Not only did Christ die a brutal death but three days later He was raised from the dead, completing His victory over death.

Paul, a messenger and apostle of Jesus Christ, endured much hardship.

“…I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-27 NIV)

But Paul refused to boast in himself and chose instead to boast in the Lord Jesus Christ as ‘the power and wisdom of God’.

…but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:23-25 NIV)

Also he said.

“Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31 NIV)

Unlike any other person in the entire Bible, even prophets and kings, Jesus had no shortcomings. Where the devil tried to tempt Him to sin, He resisted the temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Where scheming Pharisees tried to trap Him, He reversed the trap (Mark 12:13-17. Where those who were helpless before Him needed forgiveness, He provided mercy (John 8:1-11).

It was and still is clear now whom I should follow. Not Moses, not David, and not Solomon. It is clear in God’s Word that where others have failed, Christ Jesus has emerged triumphant.