[The text below represents an edited transcript of the television version of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Celebration of Life for Evangelist Richard F. Ames (1936–2024)

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world.

We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow’s World.

Your Bible gives us keys to face the challenges in our lifetime.

My friends, now is the time to seek God.

My friends, we need to face reality.

One of the greatest mysteries of life is the question: What are human beings doing here on Earth?

God has an awesome plan for all human beings. His desire is that all men be saved.

Pray for Thy Kingdom to come.

Your Bible plainly reveals a successful and abundant way of life.

What is the purpose and meaning of your life? Do you know what you’ll be doing for all eternity? Do you know what lies ahead in your ultimate future? The answers will surprise you, maybe even astound you. Stay tuned.

Honoring Richard Ames’ Life of Service

Gerald Weston: Many of you viewers know of Mr. Richard Ames from his 25 years as a television presenter and writer for Tomorrow’s World, where he courageously proclaimed the plain truth straight from the pages of the Bible. He taught the inspiring teachings of Jesus Christ, the encouraging good news of the coming Kingdom of God and the glorious world to come. And he gave clarity to exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning.

But we’re saddened to inform you that Mr. Ames died July the 4th of this year at the age of 88.

Today I’m joined by fellow evangelists and Tomorrow’s World television presenters, Wallace Smith and Rod McNair, where we’ll reminisce about our dear friend and brother in Christ.

Richard Ames was a longtime teacher and a friend to many of you who appreciated his many telecasts and magazine articles, and the booklets that he wrote.

Some of you met him personally at one of our Tomorrow’s World live presentations. And members of the Living Church of God, the sponsor of Tomorrow’s World, likely met him at one of our weekly Sabbath services, or while observing one of the annual biblical holy days and festivals.

So please join us now as Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I discuss the dynamic life of Richard Franklin Ames, the man who was familiar to so many of you.

Richard Ames: A Pillar in the Work of God

Gerald Weston: A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World.

I was driving to Texas when I learned of the death of our friend and longtime associate, Richard Ames. My wife, Carol, and I were able to fly back to Charlotte for the funeral, but due to a herniated disc, I was unable to officiate at the funeral as planned. And Mr. Rod McNair stepped in at the last minute.

You may not be aware of this, but Mr. Ames was Rod McNair’s uncle by marriage, so it was fitting that he was the one who filled in for me.

Now, Rod, you had a special relationship with Mr. Ames because you are a relative, and I’m sure there were many occasions that you had the opportunity to share, especially in the last couple weeks of his life.

You and your brother spent a lot of time at the hospital helping out, encouraging, listening to what he had to say and things he wanted to pass along, and helping his wife out as well.

So perhaps you can tell us a little bit more about this man that we’re honoring today.

Rod McNair: Thank you, Mr. Weston, and it was a real honor to do the funeral for Mr. Ames.

He has been such a pillar in the work for so many years.

Milestones in Richard Ames’ life

Maybe it would be helpful for our viewers to hear a little bit about the background of this man that many of them have gotten so familiar with through the telecast. Mr. Ames was born in and raised in Meriden, Connecticut. He was the co-captain on his football team, as well as being a local radio station announcer, even as a teenager.

He had a civil engineering degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1959, as well as a graduate program at Yale in traffic and transportation engineering in 1961. Of course, he was in Norfolk, Virginia, after graduation, and he worked with the Southeast Virginia Regional Planning Commission there for a short time.

Mr. Ames’ path to the ministry began with Herbert W. Armstrong

Around that time, he was watching or listening to the World Tomorrow program by Mr. Herbert Armstrong and received the Plain Truth magazine.

And for Mr. Ames, it was like nothing he’d ever heard. This was straight from the Bible. It was explaining prophecy. It was explaining it in a time at the height of the Cold War, giving hope for the future in a time when things were a bit dicey. So it was very, very encouraging to him, and he began learning about the truth from the Bible—from Mr. Armstrong.

He then enrolled in Ambassador College in 1961, and that was in Pasadena, California. And that’s where he met his wife, Kathryn, and they were married for many years. They just were short of 60 years when he died, about two months short. He served as an instructor at the college for many years, and that’s where I first began to be closely associated with him when I went to college.

He was ordained as a minister of Jesus Christ in 1965, and thus began his calling in the ministry.

In the Living Church of God, he served as a media director and telecast presenter. But I also just want to point out to our viewers that when Mr. Armstrong died in 1986, Mr. Ames was one of those who was selected to be a presenter on the World Tomorrow program.

So really, all the way up until April of 2024, just a couple of months before he died, he was recording telecasts—almost 40 years. And so a whole generation of viewers are familiar with Mr. Ames, and he really just set a remarkable example of a servant of God laboring in the field, so to speak, for a long, long time.

Gerald Weston: As I recall, I first met Mr. Ames on the basketball court at Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas. I doubt that he remembers me very much, but I certainly remembered him. I was a ministerial trainee in southeastern Texas and parts of Louisiana.

But I know that, Wally, you’ve had a lot of experience with him. Your first recollections of him, as well as more, you were working in editorial under Mr. Ames, where he was the department head of editorial, as well as media.

And so I know you had some unique relationships there, going over cover selections for the magazine, as well as what was coming up for the articles in the future. So maybe you could share some of the things that you learned about Mr. Ames from your experiences.

Richard Ames Upheld a Standard of Precision

Wallace Smith: I would be glad to.

The first time I remember interacting with him in any sort of professional sense, he was visiting a congregation I attended before I was in the ministry in Texas, and I happened to be speaking that day. It was a small message, and he was in the audience. And then towards the end of the day, as he was about to go home, he let me know that if I felt brave enough, I could ask him for a critique later.

And for those who don’t know him, Mr. Rod McNair just talked about how he was an instructor for many students at Ambassador College. He was sort of famous for his very thorough but loving, loving critiques. And then, I had no idea that I would be working so closely with him later when I was added to the telecast in 2006. He had such a passion for doing things precisely, for getting things exactly right.

I remember one of the first comments he made to me on the telecast. He let me know, “Wally, this isn’t Texas anymore. It’s Zechariah, not ‘Zachariah.’” I wanted to make sure it was dialed in just right.

And then working for him, as was just mentioned, he was the director of all of our media operations, and editorial is under that.

“Look to the Bible to see how God says it”

And as the executive editor, working with him to fine-tune the articles to try to understand exactly what is it we want to highlight in this situation or that, he was so particular, in particular wanting to get the scriptures right. He wanted to make sure that what we said was exactly what was supposed to be said, exactly what God wanted out of that particular message.

He said, “If there’s confusion about how to say something, maybe we should look at the Bible and see how God says it.” And he would often just sharpen our focus by pointing us to the actual words of Scripture.

And the scriptures were so important to him, and often he didn’t have to look it up to tell us what it said precisely, because he knew it.

King David writes in the Psalms about hiding “Your word in my heart.” And Mr. Ames was frequently highlighting how this verse is worth memorizing, and that verse is worth memorizing. And he started to get the impression over time that he thought the entire Bible was worth memorizing. And it seemed as though he had that in him. So really working under his guidance in the editorial department, and here in the media department more broadly, really was a privilege.

Richard Ames was a grandfather figure and shepherd, setting a high bar of expectations

Gerald Weston: Your reference to his correction on Zechariah reminds me of one that he gave me. And I always appreciated it, because it was done in love, and I knew that it was. He mentioned that I should not say “becuz” and I always use that—that’s the way I grew up, “becuz.”

And he said it’s “because.” And it was a bit difficult for me at first, because I had to remember it. And oftentimes I would say “becuz,” and then I would correct myself with “because.” It drove my wife nuts, because I would say it both ways. So it was quite a transition. It took several months for me to change that, and still I go back to “becuz” occasionally, but I do try to say “because.”

Rod McNair: One of the things that he talked to me about—this is just a few weeks before he died—of course, as you mentioned, while he was in the hospital and then in the physical therapy facility. And in one of my visits, I was there, and we were talking, and he said, “Well, Rod, you just said, ‘yeah.’”

I had a proclivity to say the word “yeah” instead of “yes.”

And he said, “About seven years ago,” and I remember this seven years ago, “I talked to you about not using the word ‘yeah.’” And he said, “After seven years, I thought it was about time to bring it up again.” So I have to say, every time something like that’s come up, he’s been right. And it’s been helpful.

Wallace Smith: And it was a loving way. He wasn’t about holding it over you. He wasn’t trying to put you down, because he always wanted to start with something positive, something encouraging, before he would drop the hammer a bit. And sometimes I feel he did have to reach a bit to find something positive he wanted to say before he brought up his critique, but he was very consistent about that.

“I always felt his influence over really all of us, sort of shepherding us, was very grandfatherly” (Wallace Smith).

It was very affectionate in that way.

Mr. Ames himself set an example of humility and willingness to accept correction

Rod McNair: You know, the other thing about that is he also took correction, criticism.

Gerald Weston: There’s a very famous one about Passover time and examining oneself, and he would ask Mrs. Ames one thing that he could change. Every year it seemed like he did that. And of course, he then added it was just one thing—not two, three, and four. So he recognized he had a number of faults. And I think he had a little book, as I recall, a little notebook that he would carry, and he would write down lessons that he learned in life. He was very precise, very, very deliberate about those things.

Quotable Quotes by Richard Ames

Rod McNair: He was sort of a student of life, wasn’t he? Like you say, I recall that made an impression on me years and years ago, that he would actually carry around a little book and write down things that you learn in the situation, and the date, and he would have them numbered—as a student of life.

“Don’t overlook the obvious”

Gerald Weston: You know, one of the things I always appreciated was his little pithy statements like, “Don’t overlook the obvious.” And I can’t remember how many times I heard that, in meetings where we were discussing some situation, or perhaps to a newer minister preparing a sermon. It might be on the subject of “which day is the Christian Sabbath?” And we know a lot of things about that, and we can all speak on that subject. But he would say, “Don’t overlook the obvious.”

In other words, go back. Read the booklet because maybe there’s something you missed before. And he wanted us to look to those things that we have written before. It’s not that we can’t change, not that we can’t grow. But don’t overlook the obvious—the things that we’ve already said on a subject.

Wallace Smith: And that was one of his guiding lights in editorial when it came to magazine covers or titles. You know, often we’re doing our best to create something interesting. We want it to grab people’s attention, and sometimes we can be too artful by half, just a bit. Or at least we think we’re being too artful. And he’d have to remind us:

Don’t overlook the obvious.

Will this person actually know what in the world they’re about to read, based on this title? And he was very, very plainspoken in that way.

“God reigns supreme”

Wallace Smith: One of his statements that I enjoyed—I think I’ve actually stated a number of times on the telecast, because it’s impacted me—and I think he said he got it from Mr. Herbert Armstrong first, I’m not sure. But he liked to remind all of us that “God reigns supreme.”

He saw his life as one in which God is reigning. You know your comment about him taking little notes in a book, and he was probably one of the first individuals I had ever met in my life who was so committed to constantly growing, constantly moving forward in life. And I saw that as a reflection of that statement that God reigns supreme. In every area of his life and in everything going on in the world, he’d be comforted by that. And it was comforting to hear him say that God reigns supreme.

And there’s times with the way the world is going, and so many different challenges here and there, and so much turmoil, that I’m very grateful that he would emphasize that so often. I reflect on the fact that even if we don’t know all of the details, even if something might seem personally challenging, or challenging in the world, there’s great comfort in simply those three words:

God reigns supreme.

And I just thought it was a wonderful expression of his faith because his life seemed to reflect a real belief in that statement.

Rod McNair: But he would say it’s the greatest reality of the universe in three words: God reigns supreme.

“Claim God’s promises”

Rod McNair: You know another saying that he would say a lot is “claim God’s promises.”

And in a number of messages that he put together, he would simply go through and look at so many promises in the Bible and of course, the Bible is full of promises from God.

But he had a way of putting them together and pulling them out. And it meant something to him. It was very meaningful that God promises things, and we need to claim His promises.

Gerald Weston: I remember he talked about wanting to go to Jerusalem, and scriptures that talk about our hearts’ desires. He gives us all things that are in our hearts, desires that are positive and good. And he claimed that promise to be able to go to Jerusalem, or Israel, and it took many, many years. But God opened that door for him, and he was able to do so. And he did live that. He claimed God’s promises. That wasn’t just a saying. It was a saying, but it was something that he lived and he believed.

Richard Ames Taught How to Apply Scriptures in Daily Christian Lifestyle

Gerald Weston: You know, he was a wonderful student of the Bible. That should go without saying. But he had a lot of favorite scriptures. And what I really liked about his favorite scriptures, some of them were rather obvious. Some of them are memorization scriptures.

Memory Verse #1: Ephesians 3:20

But I want to read one here that I learned from because I never really thought of it this way. He had a way of taking something that might be obscure or something that you could just read over and think, it’s just certain words. But he had a way of bringing out the meaning of it.

And that’s over here in Ephesians the third chapter and verse 20, where it says:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).

Now the point that he made on that is that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

In other words, we may ask for certain things. We may not even think about certain things, but God is able to go way above and beyond in His blessings toward us. And that kind of goes along with claiming God’s promises. But he shows here that He even goes above those things that we claim. And that was very meaningful to me, because I could read right over that and not catch the meaning of it. But he was able to draw that out, and he had many other famous scriptures that he looked to.

Memory Verse #2: Matthew 6:33

Wallace Smith: You know, he did, and some were more obscure. Some were obvious in some ways, you might think. At the same time, he turned even the obvious ones into a means by which how he actually acted on a day-to-day basis. So that sometimes if something’s more familiar, we can take it for granted and actually sort of lose the focus it should give us.

And one of those that I do think of is in Matthew 6 and verse 33, where Jesus Christ said that we were to:

Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).

And then if we did that, all these other things we worry about would be added to us. And so think about that verse: Seek first the kingdom of God.

But for Mr. Ames, it really was a guiding principle. It became something where you make even small decisions based upon what this verse says.

I know when it comes to the telecast, he would often remind me—because we talk about so much, we talk about different things going on in the world, we talk about different problems—but he would remind me that the point of it all is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

And no matter what you say, if it’s in an article, if it’s in a television program, because that’s what we want our readers and viewers thinking about is the Kingdom of God. We need them putting that first in their life, in everything they do. And so for him, these memory scriptures, they really weren’t just simply an academic exercise.

They really were these guideposts that he did weave into his own life, and his own choices, and his advice to others.

Rod McNair: Didn’t he also use Matthew 6:33 for students in his classes?

Wallace Smith: He did so. And I’ve heard this from multiple students, even some that hadn’t seen him for years. When they find out that I work with him, they say, “Oh, does he still talk about this?”

He would talk about setting your alarm clock for particular times to remind you of various verses. So if you would want to get up, some I think early, some may not, but you want to get up at 6:30 in the morning. He would say, “Well, you know, if you give yourself just three more minutes of sleep, you can set your alarm for 6:33, and then you’ll wake up thinking, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God.’”

So he even encouraged the students to try to dial in their alarm clocks, to remind them of some of these important scriptures.

Memory Verse #3: Romans 8:28

Rod McNair: I remember him talking about that and explaining that in some of his classes, and then having a student raise their hand, his or her hand, and say, “Well, Mr. Ames, my favorite Scripture is Romans 8:28. So I want to set my alarm clock for 8:28.”

But that was another scripture that really jumps out at you from him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

And I think over the years, different trials that he’s been through that he was very candid about—he had back problems years ago, but when he would speak and talk about some of these issues, he would remind all the rest of us that he learned things from that.

And all things work together—if we love God and are called according to His purpose. It doesn’t mean that everything in the world works out well. But if we love God, and we’re called, and we’re responding to that calling, it’s going to work out.

Richard Ames Taught the Seven Laws of Success

Gerald Weston: I remember one time when I was at the summer camp up in Michigan, and your brother Jonathan and I were sitting in the back of the chapel there, and we had about 200 students and staff that were sitting in front of us, and he was going through the Seven Laws of Success.

And when he got to the fourth one, the fourth law of success was “Drive.” And of course, he drove himself. That was very clear. He was a type A personality. And so when he came to the fourth one with all the students in Ambassador College, when he said, “The fourth law of success is?” He expected them to raise their fist and say, “Drive.”

And so we were sitting there at the back of the chapel, and here are all these young campers, and they had no idea of the way that Mr. Ames did that. And so your brother and I were sitting in the back, and we planned that when he got to number four, we would stand up and yell, “Drive,” which we did. And everybody kind of wondered, what’s going on here? And I think we shocked him as well. He was surprised that anybody would do that, but he was the one that taught all the students to drive themselves.

Mr. Ames Was Never Too Busy to Make Time for Other People

Rod McNair: There are so many memories when you think about the life of Mr. Ames.

Some of the things that I think about are how he would be involved in the local congregation. If there was a picnic, if there was an activity, he would always be there.

He also would always talk to everyone, and in particular to young people.

I just have a lot of mental images and memories of him talking to teenagers, preteens, always wanting to find out something about their life. And he would remember it. Later on when he would talk to them, he’d be asking them, “Well, how’s that project in school going there?“ You know, “How’s that sport that you’re playing? How’s that going?”

“He was never too busy to care about other people“ (Rod McNair).

Wallace Smith: You know, that does remind me, the last conversation I had with him in the hospital, when he was there under hospice care at the time, I felt like he was serving me more than I was serving him.

And that’s one of the things he did. He asked me, “Well, tell me, what’s the biggest thing going on in each of your sons’ lives?” And he remembered their names. He never lost that it was really about people. It’s not just about some academic exercise. It’s about getting that truth to people. He cared about people.

And one of my favorite stories was at one of our Feast of Tabernacles observances in the Living Church of God. It was in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, and it was a large group of people. And there were so many who wanted to meet Mr. Ames. So many people had made appointments with him. His dance card, if you would, was always full because Mr. Ames was in great demand. And my mother-in-law had approached him sometime, asking if maybe he could stop by for dinner, at our condo or something, to spend some time.

And he was just too busy. He wished he could, but the time that we’d had available then, he wasn’t going to be available. But he didn’t forget her, just this one woman in this whole crowd of people. And as they were arranging their plans to get to their flight, because they were serving at multiple locations over that time, as busy as he was with all of his luggage in the car, he went and grabbed my mother-in-law and said, “I could make some time. I’d love to have breakfast with you and your family if we could.”

And so they ended up stopping by for breakfast. We had breakfast tacos. It wasn’t anything elaborate, and it wasn’t expected. But the idea that as busy as they were for someone, that what you might not consider important in some way—just a regular person, regular family, two crying kids—they still made time, taking care of God’s people. And investing in them and getting to know them was so important to Mr. Ames and Mrs. Ames.

“None of us were too small. He was just one of us, and he loved us, and we loved him for it” (Wallace Smith).

Richard Ames’ Life Mission: Turn Many to Righteousness

Gerald Weston: Wally, thank you for sharing these things that you’ve learned from Mr. Ames, and Rod as well. I think we’ve brought some insight to our audience that they may not know.

But I see that we’re out of time, and we need to wrap this up. So I have to ask the question: How does one sum up a life of 88 years in a half hour?

We’ve only given you a few highlights, some memorable moments, regarding our colleague and friend. He touched the lives of many thousands, and each one could add his own memory of the man.

One scripture we did not mention earlier is Daniel 12 and verse three, where it says:

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3).

And yes, his mission in life was to turn many to righteousness. And he understood from the pages of the Bible the meaning of life.

And that’s why we want to share that magnificent hope with all of you viewers. Today’s free offer asks the most important question of all: What Is the Meaning of Life? And it’s not likely what you’ve been taught.

Seriously, friends, what can be more important than understanding why God gave you life? So write down the number shown on the screen, and call to order your absolutely free copy of What Is the Meaning of Life? Just tell the operator that you want today’s offer. That’s all you need.

Or you can order What Is the Meaning of Life? from our website at TWTV.org/Life.

“Richard Ames understood God’s plan for mankind, and that’s why he sought first the Kingdom of God. And that is why his life’s mission was to turn many to righteousness, that they, too, might share in that wonderful plan” (Gerald Weston).

Until next time, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will continue to bring you the good news of the coming Kingdom of God and the plain truths straight from the pages of the Bible.

See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Who Do You Think Jesus Is?

Ask five different people about Jesus Christ and you’ll likely get five different opinions. However, one question sits at the heart of the religion that bears His name: Is Jesus God?

And today, we’re going to answer that question. Don’t go away!

Overwhelming Historical Evidence That Jesus Christ Was a Real Person

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you to make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible. We’re glad you’re here, and today’s question is one of the most important questions you could ever ask: Is Jesus God?

This question about Jesus is important. Estimates indicate around 2.4 billion people in the world claim Christianity as their religion—almost half-a-billion more than claim Islam and more than a billion more than claim Hinduism. Yet, even as almost one-third of the planet claims a religion centered on the person of Jesus Christ, many of those same people disagree on exactly who He really was.

For some, even some claiming to be Christian, Jesus was simply a man—a Jewish teacher in the first century, who just happened to have an outsized impact on world culture. The late Shelby Spong, a bishop in the Episcopal Church, was quite famous for his stance that Jesus was not actually God, was not born from a virgin, and was never resurrected.

Other religions claiming to be Christian teach different things about Jesus’ divinity. Some teach that Jesus was a created being, like the angels. Some identify Him with the archangel Michael. Others claim that Jesus and the Devil were brothers in the past. And others, further, claim that Jesus and the Father are the very same person, and not two separate divine persons, at all.

Outside of nominal Christianity, ideas vary, as well. Some religions consider Jesus to have been a holy man, or wise guru, or even a prophet, but not truly divine in the way God is divine. Others consider Him a manifestation of God, like an avatar, or some sort of ascended master in the manner of new age teachings.

And then, there are those who don’t think He ever existed—as if He were a figment of the imagination, or a fiction created in the first century to form the basis of a new religion.

Perhaps we should tackle this question first, in the event some of you have been infected by this pernicious lie.

There is abundant evidence that Jesus of Nazareth did, indeed, exist. Even if we treat the New Testament not as Scripture, but as a mere human product of history, just like Homer’s Iliad or Caesar’s commentaries, it provides abundant evidence that Jesus was a real person, going back to within two or three decades of His life. We even have a fragment from the gospel of John, the famous Rylands Library Papyrus P52, that dates back to within a handful of years after the Apostle John is believed to have written it.

And, outside of the New Testament, a number of secular historical records refer to Jesus and the impact of His teachings and example in the first century. The contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman historian Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger all speak of Jesus Christ as a real person—much too early in the historical record for some imaginary account to have taken hold so profoundly.

In fact, one of the most effective defenders of the very real existence of Jesus Christ is New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman. While Ehrman has publicly declared that he does not believe Jesus was divine, does not believe in the supernatural, and does not consider himself a Christian, he is just as clear that the evidence for Jesus’ existence is overwhelming.

Referring to those who claim Jesus’ existence is just a myth, Ehrman writes,

“It is fair to say that mythicists as a group, and as individuals, are not taken seriously by the vast majority of scholars in the field of New Testament, early Christianity, ancient history, and theology” (Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, 2012. p. 20).

In fact, almost all scholars, secular and religious alike, tend to agree. As Ehrman summarizes,

“Despite the enormous range of opinion, there are several points on which virtually all scholars of antiquity agree. Jesus was a Jewish man, known to be a preacher and teacher, who was crucified (a Roman form of execution) in Jerusalem during the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea” (p. 12).

In short, those who say that Jesus never existed should be taken as seriously as those who say the tooth fairy or Santa Claus do exist.

Facts are facts. And the man Jesus of Nazareth did live and walk this earth around two thousand years ago in Judea, teaching around the Sea of Galilee and in Jerusalem.

But is that where the story ends? A great teacher dies in His early thirties and just happens to have a religion founded in His name? Or was Jesus more than a man?

Jesus Christ Was God in the Flesh—but Also Preincarnate

And the question at the heart of our discussion today—is Jesus God?—is either true or false. So, which is it?

Admittedly, that idea that Jesus could be God, like God the Father is God, is a large and audacious claim, to be sure! And the only way to know is to let God, Himself, reveal the answer to us.

Let the scholars and skeptics have their opinions and debate their conclusions. What should concern us is what God says of Jesus. What DOES God’s word say? Was Jesus merely a man? Or, perhaps, something greater than a man but less than God, like an angel? Or was He truly GOD in the flesh?

The Bible answers these questions plainly: JESUS IS GOD!

In fact, His identity as God was declared long before He was even born!

In his gospel, Matthew explains that Jesus’ virgin birth had been prophesied long before by Isaiah:

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22–23).

That’s right: Jesus is, literally, “God with us”!

The Apostle John, in his gospel account, explains this in some detail. Let’s read it in John 1, beginning in verse 1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1–5).

The “Word”—or, in Greek, the “Logos” or “Spokesman”—is the One who became Jesus Christ. In the event it is not clear, John specifies a few verses later:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

John is plain. The One now known as Jesus Christ had been with God and was, Himself, God also! He had been with God in eternity past, before Creation existed. In fact, in His final Passover on this earth, Jesus prayed that after His crucifixion He would be returned to this state of glory with His Father—back to the state of eternal co-existence they had known before He became flesh. We read it in John 17 and verse 5, where Jesus prays,

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5).

Yes, existing in eternity past with the One we now call the Father, Jesus, too, was God! John calls Him the Word, or the Logos in Greek. This is because He has always been the Spokesman for God, representing the Father’s will and the Father’s word. Jesus says this in John 12:

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49).

Jesus plainly knew who He was—one of the two divine members of the God Family. During His ministry, he made numerous statements illustrating this—so clearly that Jewish authorities sought to stone Him for what they saw as blasphemous claims.

In John 8, for instance, Jesus speaks of the ancient patriarch Abraham, beginning in verse 56:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:56-58).

There should be no doubt about this statement! Jesus did NOT say, “Before Abraham was, I was.” He said “before Abraham was, I AM.” That otherwise-ungrammatical statement is a direct call-back to God’s statement to Moses:

“And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

The Jews of Jesus’ day understood His claim and sought to stone Him for it. Later, He makes a similar claim of His own divinity. We see this in John 10:

“I and My Father are one.”

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God” (John 10:30–33).

Yes, Jesus knew who He was—and the religious leaders of His day understood exactly what His claims meant!

Not only did Jesus understand who He was, His first century followers did, as well. And if He is anything less than God, then the core beliefs, practices, and truths of Christianity become a lie.

God Created All Things Through Jesus Christ—His Son, the Word, the Savior.

In Colossians 2:2, the Apostle Paul referred to “the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.” Yes, the godhead consists of the Father and Christ—the two members of the God family.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Paul writes earlier in Colossians 1, beginning in verse 16:

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 1:16–17).

Such words echo what we read earlier from John chapter 1, that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” That is a very thorough statement!

Henry Ford is properly credited with creating the “Model T” in America, but others were the hands that accomplished the work. So, too, God the Father is our Creator, yet the Bible makes plain whose hands, as it were, did the work: those of the One who became Jesus Christ! All was created through Him and for Him.

Jesus Christ is, in a real way, our Creator, just as the Father is! Together, they are the reason that Genesis 1:26 says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….” Because there were TWO God beings speaking! In fact, the Hebrew word translated “God” in this passage, Elohim, is unusual for being a singular word that is plural in form—another hint that there is more to “God” than meets the eye!

Paul is just as blatant in Ephesians 3 and verse 9, where he says he seeks “to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.”

These passages and others make it clear that Jesus Christ is not an angel, not even the archangel Michael. Note Hebrews 1 and verse 5,

For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”? (Hebrews 1:5).

And, too, verse 13,

But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? (Hebrews 1:13).

These are rhetorical questions, because the answer is meant to be obvious: To NONE of the angels has God ever said this! They have only been spoken to the Father’s co-creator, who was with God and who was God—the one we now call Jesus Christ.

In fact, all the vital truths at the very heart of the faith of the Bible depend on the truth that Jesus is God.

Consider, how is it that Jesus Christ has standing to die in our stead for our sins? He has that standing because, as our Creator, He can take that responsibility on Himself.

And how is it that His life is sufficient to pay for all of our sins? It is because, as God, His life is worth infinitely more than all of our lives combined—an eternal life given as the payment for the eternal death we’ve earned.

And so, our Creator became a human being, born of a woman, to be able to die and pay that penalty. In explaining this, the Apostle Paul, again, explains just who Jesus really is. Read with me in Philippians 2, where some translations don’t always communicate the fullness of what Paul is saying [vv. 5–8]:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5–8).

The New King James’ phrasing here about not considering it “robbery to be equal with God” and “making Himself of no reputation” is awkward, and other translations take it differently.

For instance, the English Standard Version translates verses 6 and 7 this way, saying that Christ, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

Although He existed in glory with God from eternity past, He did not consider that something He had to desperately cling to, but, instead, was willing to empty Himself of His divine prerogatives and become just like us, His creation, to serve us with His life and death.

The awe-inspiring truth of Jesus Christ—the Word, the divine Spokesman of the God Family—is truly humbling to consider. He lowered Himself from glory to become like us, all so that He might one day lift us up to join Him and His Father in that same glory!

But understanding this profound truth about the identity of Jesus is more than an academic exercise.

The God of the Old Testament and the Son of God Are One and the Same.

When we understand who Jesus really is, it is no wonder that the Apostle Thomas, upon seeing the resurrected Christ, called Him “my Lord and My God!” And it is also no wonder that those living under the Family of God in the Millennial reign of the Kingdom of God will refer to Him as “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).

The Word, the Logos, the divine Spokesman for the God Family willingly set aside the indescribable glory, power, and majesty He had eternally shared with the Father to live a perfect human life, set us an example of righteousness, and become our perfect sacrifice so that we might be cleansed of our sins. Then, three days and three nights later, after His death, He was, in the words of Paul, “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

Yet, many who claim to be Christians seek to avoid the full implications of Jesus’ identity as God.

For instance, many write off the God of the Old Testament as cruel and heartless—unlike Jesus, who is seen as loving and merciful. And God’s commandments are often slandered as too restrictive and harsh.

Yet, consider—who was it who thundered the Ten Commandments to ancient Israel on Mount Sinai and served as the Commander of the Army of the Lord, as He called Himself to Joshua?

The Apostle Paul makes the matter clear. We see this in 1 Corinthians 10, beginning in verse 1:

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ(1 Corinthians 10:1–4).

Yes, it was Jesus Christ—as the divine Logos or Spokesman—who thundered the Ten Commandments!

Consider: Exodus 33 and 34 explain that Moses saw God from behind with His own eyes. And the account of Exodus 24 is even more explicit:

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity (Exodus 24:9–10).

Note, it says plainly “they saw the God of Israel.” Yet compare that to John 1:18, which says, “No one has seen God at any time,” and Jesus’ words of John 6:46:

“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”

Yes, the elders of Israel saw God, but they did not see the Father. Rather, the Member of the God Family they saw was the One who would become the Son, the divine Logos!

So, if it was Jesus Christ who spoke those Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath command, should they not mean more to followers of Jesus Christ than they seem to mean to most self-proclaimed Christians today?

And consider, too, our ultimate destiny. In 1 John 3 and verse 2, note what the Apostle writes to us:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

If we are to become like Christ is now, and Christ now possesses the glory He had with the Father before the world was, then what does that say about the glorious future existence ahead for those who await His return? And what does it say about Jesus’ prayer on His last Passover that His followers may one day be one, just as He and his Father are?

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