A-Z of Salvation | T stands for Transfiguration

 

Today's Devotional is written by Pastor Roy Summers

No Salvation Inner Circles

When I was a lad and first heard the word 'canonization' I imagined someone being fired out of a canon - no joke! And wondered how this could be regarded as a promotion. A child's mind often thinks literally. 

'Canonization', a word and idea unknown to the Bible, is the fabricated notion of the Catholic church by which an ordinary believer enters the ranks of the super-spiritual and becomes a 'saint' - a top tier Christian.

Like so many errors in the Catholic church there is not a hint of truth in this idea. There is no first tier and second tier Christianity in the Bible. The word 'saint' is used to describe every single Christian believer, bar none. There are no levels in the church. Different responsibilities, yes, but not different tiers. 

I say all of this, by way of introduction to the 'T' in our A-Z of salvation because when Jesus was transfigured, as we read in Matthew 17, he took Peter, James and John with him. Not all Twelve just three. And we find that he does this on a number of occasions.

Why? Not because they were upper grade believers ('Saint Peter', 'Saint John' and 'Saint James') but because Jesus was preparing the next generation of leaders to 'hand over' to. And that's where his decision to take Peter, James and John up the mountain with him came from. 

Pastors today must sometimes spend more time with certain believers than others - not out of favouritism - but because they are training them for the future.

Our letter 'T' stands for 'Transfiguration' that amazing event when the Son of God revealed just a little of his divine glory.

Jesus is the Son of God

There are a thousand sound reasons for believing that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, but few more spectacular than the day "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light." (Matthew 17:2)

So etched was this event in John's mind that he wrote "We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only" (John 1:14). And in Peter's memory "we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (1 Peter 1:16)

When Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of commandments his face shone, not his clothes, just his face. And the reason his face was shining was "because he had spoken with the Lord" not because he was the Lord.

Jesus outshone Moses in every way. His clothes shone not just his face. And he shone because he was personally divine. The glory of Moses' face was a reflected glory, the glory of Jesus was a personal glory. The moon shines because of the sun, but the sun shines because of the sun. Moses shone because of the Lord, Jesus shone because he was the Lord.

The transfiguration was proof of Jesus' divinity.

Summing it Up

Why is the divinity of Jesus so important? Because a mere man could not save us from our sins. We are lost if Jesus is only a man. We are without hope. We are all going to die in our sins. 

This is why we ought to be clear about the cults. The Jehovah's Witnesses - so called - deny the divinity of Jesus and in so doing consign all their followers to hell. They are antichrists. 

If Jesus is not God, we are all lost! 

But, Praise God! Jesus is God and so he is able to save to the uttermost, he is powerful to save to the end, all who come to him. 

You and I are safely saved because Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings!

A SONG FOR THE DAY

I can't wait to sing this out at the end of June!

Do you feel the world is broken
Do you feel the shadows deepen
But do you know that all the dark
Won't stop the light from getting through
Do you wish that you could see it all made new

Is all creation groaning
Is a new creation coming
Is the glory of the Lord
To be the light within our midst
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this

Is anyone worthy
Is anyone whole
Is anyone able to break the seal
And open the scroll
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died
To ransom the slave

Is He worthy
Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this
He is

Does the Father truly love us
Does the Spirit move among us
And does Jesus, our Messiah
Hold forever those He loves
Does our God intend to dwell again with us

Is anyone worthy
Is anyone whole
Is anyone able to break the seal
and open the scroll
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died
To ransom the slave

From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son

Is He worthy
Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy
Is He worthy
Is He worthy of this

He is, He is
Is He worthy
Is He worthy
He is, He is
He is worthy
He is worthy
He is 

Andrew Peterson

You can worship HERE.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We thank you for sending your beloved Son into the world for our sakes. Co-equal with you and the Spirit from all eternity, we worship Him as we worship you.

Thank you for the confidence your Son's glory gives to us, for we are saved not by a man, but by the God-man who is your beloved.

And we thank you that a God-man sits at your right  hand, our advocate in heaven, able to save us to the uttermost.

We bow in thanksgiving and worship,

Amen