Not all those who hear the preaching of the gospel make the decision publicly to receive the Lord, but they still may have a heart for the Lord. Through their further contact with the saints, we may learn that they indeed have been saved. We all have to learn how to help these new ones to realize the Lord’s salvation in a full way. On the one hand, the new believers must be clear about the Lord’s salvation, and on the other hand, we need to know how to work with these new believers to help them to know this salvation. When a person receives Jesus Christ the Lord as the Savior, there are two categories of things we must take care of. The first is that there are many things we must know as believers of the Lord Jesus, and the second category is that there are many things to practice. After we receive Christ as our Savior, right away we have to know many matters and practice many items. Many dear brothers and sisters, even among us, are not clear about the main items that Christians must know and practice. In this message we will see the things that we have to know.
The first matter that we must be clear about is the person of Christ. We have to know the person of Christ, that is, who Christ is. This is a great matter in human history. For two thousand years many historians have studied and discussed this matter: Who is Jesus Christ; what is the person of Christ? In a simple way I would recommend you to the Bible. Please open the Bible and read the Gospel of John. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is Christ, and this Word which is Christ was with God, and this Word which is Christ was even God Himself. Then verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.” At least three titles are given here to this one person, who is Christ. He is the Word, this Word is God, and verse 14 tells us that He is the only begotten Son of the Father. This is very meaningful, even very strange, to our thought. On the one hand, this Christ is God Himself; on the other hand, this Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Verse 18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” I wish to ask you to consider these verses, because the mystery of the person of Christ is in them.
In these few verses we are first told that Christ is the Word of God. It is easy for us to understand what the Word is. A word is an expression. My word is my expression; if I stand here and shut my mouth, not speaking a word, you cannot understand what I have within me. What I have within me will be a mystery, because it can be expressed only in my word. Christ is the Word of God; this means that Christ is the expression of God. God Himself is the reality, yet He is hidden and mysterious. Christ is the Word of God, so He is the explanation and definition of God. Christ is God expressed.
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