At our last "Deep Rooted" class, Aaron Ritter took on the impossible task of presenting "The Doctrine of Jesus Christ" in 30 minutes and God revealed that He "is not constrained to save by many or by few" - men or minutes! Aaron's message deepened my love for Christ.

While he was sharing, I couldn't get "blog post" off my mind so, to calm my OCD, here are the two things that most profoundly encouraged my soul:

1) The apostle whom Jesus loved (John 13:23), arguably the apostle with the most intimate friendship with Christ (John 19:26-27), speaks of a world divided simply. Jesus is the dividing ling and everything is defined in reference to him.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (1John 2:20-23 ESV)

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1John 4:15 ESV)

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1John 5:11-12 ESV)

The biblical view of life allows only one distinction among humanity; you are either in Christ or you are not in Christ. Christ is our only hope for forgiveness, justification, sanctification and eternity. In Christ we have forgiveness (Acts 10:43), righteousness (Romans 5:17) and access to God forever (1 John 5:13 and John 17:3) and without Christ we have none of it (John 3:36 and 2 Thes. 1:8-9).

Jesus is supreme over all distinctions and the final judge between the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1).

2) The Bible may be many things, but it is certainly this: a document claiming with absolute clarity that Jesus Christ is God. There is no middle ground here. If Jesus is not fully God and fully man then the Bible deceives and is leading untold billions astray. It cannot just be a "good book" - it is either the authoritative document for all of life or it is trash.

Aaron pulled together this amazing resource entitled "Jesus Taking Titles Belonging to God" which lists specific instances where Old Testament titles for God are used explicitly for Christ in the New Testament. From now on, this will be in our home and instructing my family.

Read it this Christmas to remind you that "baby Jesus" is also Almighty God.