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.
John 1:1-4 (NKJV)
It is this Word that became flesh in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ). He was born of God and lived a sinless life. In so doing, he was worthy of eternal life. However, he willingly gave up his life so that we who were under slavery to sin may be redeemed or “purchased” back to God. Though he was the Lord of all, he became a servant and humbled himself even to a shameful death by crucifixion. In this, he put sin to death so that all that believe in him will be imparted his righteousness and eternal life. He was then raised three from the dead three days later and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. All those who put their trust in him have the hope of a resurrection like his.
Yeshua saves us by grace (the gift and power of God) and through faith (believing in his finished work of salvation). When we believe in him, we receive the Holy Spirit, who brings us comfort, reminds us of the things Messiah said, and empowers us to live as he lived. Though we are not completely free of the power of sin in our mortal bodies, we become more and more like our sinless savior as we trust in him and give our lives to his Lordship.
Though he reigns now as king of our hearts, at the end of the age Yeshua will return and establish his physical kingdom on earth. This messianic reign was prophesied throughout Scripture. The Jewish people expected their messiah to accomplish this upon his arrival by delivering them from their enemies and becoming their king. Yeshua’s disciples frequently asked him when he would establish his kingdom, to which he responded:
It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
It is therefore our privilege and duty to herald his kingdom. That is, to be witnesses to the truth of Yeshua’s victory over sin and death, the life and truth found in him, and the promise of his return. We can experience the kingdom here and now by trusting and following him, and we know that he will indeed fulfill scripture by returning once again to bring justice to the whole earth and will be seated on his throne in Jerusalem. The whole world will be subject to his laws and his authority. Those of us that willingly worship him now will never again be subject to corruption and will live forever, for we will be given new hearts, minds, and bodies that are perfect and sinless just like our lord, Yeshua, the King of kings.
