Merry Christmas 2011

It's been a wonderful Christmas for the Wolff family this year. Last night we saw both Peggy's side of the family, and we had the full complement of the Wolff family at my parent's celebration. And my Mom's oyster stew was out of this world!

Merry Christmas to you. Today's post will talk about the source of the Good News of Christmas – that God Himself came to Earth in the form of human flesh. Yes, that's right, Jesus is God. More correctly put, Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son. Here are some Bible verses showing Jesus' Divinity:

Job 19:26 (NKJV)
²⁶ And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,

Jeremiah 23:6 (ESV)
⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'

John 1:1-2 (ESV)
¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God.

John 20:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Acts 20:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

1 Corinthians 2:8 (ESV)
⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Romans 9:5 (ESV)
⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Colossians 2:9 (ESV)
⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Philippians 2:6 (ESV)
⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Titus 2:13 (ESV)
¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 1:8 (ESV)
⁸ But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

1 John 5:20 (ESV)
²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

So this Christmas praise our Divine Savior, who saves us all from the judgment our sin deserves. And we can claim this gift of salvation and forgiveness through repentance and faith. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all.

Who is in There?

If you ask most Christians, 'which Person of the Trinity indwells believers?' Most Christians would answer the Holy Spirit. But would it surprise you to know that all three persons of the Trinity are actually inside a believer once they become born again? Let me back up this bold statement with some Bible verses:

Romans 8:11 starts out by saying: "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…" And here is what the Study Guide Commentary Series (R.J.D. Utley - Volume 5: The Gospel According to Paul: Romans) says about this verse: "the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you"
Which Person of the Trinity indwells believers? Most Christians would answer the Spirit. This is certainly true, but in reality, all three Persons of the Trinity indwell believers.

Here are the Bible verses cited by the Commentary:

1.    God the Holy Spirit:

John 14:16–17 (ESV) - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Rom. 8:11 (ESV) – If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.;

1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

2 Timothy 1:14 (ESV) - By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

2.    God the Son:

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) - teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

John 14:20 (ESV) - In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

John 14:23 (ESV) - ²³ Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John 15:4-5 (ESV) - ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Romans 8:10 (ESV) - ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) - Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Galatians 2:20 (ESV) - ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 3:17 (ESV) - ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 1:27 (ESV) - To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

3.    God the Father:

John 14:23 (ESV) - ²³ Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV) - ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

So these verses show that the three persons of the Trinity, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all present inside of a believer, helping the believer grow in faithfulness, holiness and righteousness. Praise God for His work in making us more Christ like! Amen, /s/Tom Wolff

Happy Anniversary (to My Blog)

With this post, I am celebrating two milestones: This post is my 200^th post, and I have been posting for four years. It is interesting to me which of my posts are the 'most viewed' Here are my most viewed posts:

1.    The 10 Greatest Bible Verses - 1,277 views;

2.    Lenski's E-Coli Experiments – 1,062 views;

3.    Four Winged Fruit Fly – 140 views;

4.    Best Male Rock Vocalists – 138 views;

5.    Jesus Commands – Sin – 127 views.

OK, I know that my blog is not visited ny many people. But for some reason, over 1,000 visitors to take a look at my post on Lenski's e-coli experiments? Or one guy's opinion on the top verses in the Bible? I don't get the internet, or what draws people to a blog. The 1980's post on greatest male vocalist makes me happy to see a few others are also interested, with the 1980's being American music's highest peak.

Anyway, I enjoy posting, and I appreciate all who visit. Have a great weekend. /s/Tom Wolff