Introduction
Christianity is a monolithic religion that originated from the teachings, life, and nature of Jesus. Since Christianity is based on Jesus’ teaching, understanding his true nature is key to strengthening it. Biblical Christology is a specialized branch of theology that deals with Jesus’ identity. Once followers understand their master, their relationship is likely to improve.
America was introduced to the Christian religion during the colonial era, in the 16th century. Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the USA, with over 70% of adults in the country identifying with the religion. Although Christianity is the dominant religion in America, the emergence of the post-war era led to secularism, globalization, and the development of modern educational facilities, which contributed to the decline of the religion. Americans need a deeper understanding of biblical Christology to strengthen the religion that is in decline.
Five central beliefs of Christianity are the virgin birth, the Trinity, salvation, the Second Coming, and the inspired Scripture. The emergence of technology and secularism has made American Christians divert from their faith and pursue material happiness, which appears more appealing. The diversionary ideology makes Christianity look like an ordinary ritual, and therefore, people tend to pursue other truths.
Consequently, abominable policies such as support for abortion are passed. The faith is diluted by other doctrines of truth that are in circulation. Some Americans believe that the truth is relative and that what is true for one person may not necessarily be true for another. The challenges facing American Christianity can only be solved by a deeper understanding of the personality of Christ.
Spiritual Awakening
American Christianity urgently needs awakening in the spiritual domain by understanding the doctrine of Christ’s personality. Although it appears to be a superpower and boasts huge success, the pursuit of happiness has never been complete. The increasing suicidal index, ratification of terrible acts to be laws, and failing marriages prove that the freedom to seek happiness can never be complete without understanding the true nature of Christ and his works.
Spiritual awakening is the antidote to give people joy, relief, wisdom, and grace. The manifestation of spiritual awakening will bring immense joy and happiness to people. Spiritual awakening can, however, be achieved through a complete shift in perspective on the power of Jesus and the position he holds in the world. When he was asleep in the boat while traveling with the disciples, the sea became rough, and the disciples worked hard to bail out water from the boat.
Jesus’ “absence” in the boat while asleep caused havoc to the disciples in the boat. The text means that Jesus holds the earth and controls everything that happens. When the disciplines used their human powers to avert the calamity, matters worsened.
The American church will likely collapse if it uses human intelligence for governance. When the disciples remembered Christ was present in the boat, they woke him up. When he rose from sleep, he raised his arm and commanded the ocean to cool down and resume normalcy. When Jesus is in control, all things are restored and work effectively.
However, the discourse will likely go wrong when people use their might to decipher and solve challenges without involving God. Jesus’ true nature of humility and unconditional love is depicted in the world as in the boat. Therefore, American Christianity must “wake” Jesus up and ensure he is central in all the decisions and actions.
One of the most essential Christological passages in the gospels depicts Jesus as the ultimate ruler and King of the universe. Further, the Old Testament designates Jesus as the priest, prophet, and King. The primary role of a priest is to act as a bridge between the people and the deity. Jesus became man to act as the bridge between God and humanity.
Furthermore, human nature is meant to express obedience, and therefore, it teaches all priests in the US today to maintain obedience by following the scripture to the letter. A prophet teaches about the word of God and interprets it in accordance with the truth. Jesus is the only “man” who filled the scriptures in totality. A king is in charge of both the people and their entire being.
If Jesus is not accorded the correct position in Christianity, it will likely disintegrate in the long run. Christ experienced both human and divine natures, enabling Him to work and fulfill His mandate. Human nature was meant to make Jesus understand human suffering and carry their burden on the cross.
However, some of the actions could not be completed without divinity, as sin limits men from performing the work of God. The divinity allowed Jesus to be born without original sin and helped his human nature live without sin despite being tempted in the wilderness. American Christianity must therefore acknowledge the key role played by Jesus and ensure that Christ is in charge of the decisions and actions made in the church.
Understanding the True Source of Salvation
The Christian doctrine circulates the person of Jesus and his works. Other denominations often criticize Christians for claiming that Jesus is the only way to salvation. However, since the central Christian teaching is through the Bible, it is accepted as the universal truth that Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way, and no person reaches God the father without going through the son (John 14:6).
One of the greatest need in the American church is realizing that no one other than Jesus can offer salvation. Neither the rich nor the most intelligent can propagate a different gospel of truth. The virgin birth symbolizes that salvation can only come from God through another divinity. Although Jesus lived as a human and had two natures, his divine nature allowed him to save the world.
If Jesus had come directly into the world without being born of a woman, it would have been difficult to relate to him. However, God, in his immense wisdom, ensured that Jesus was born of a virgin without an earthly father. Since it is scientifically impossible for a person to get pregnant without a man, divinity takes charge.
The Virgin Mary thought as a human that since she had not known a man, it would not be possible. However, angel Gabriel insisted that it would happen through the divine power of the Holy Spirit. The church today must therefore realize that salvation comes from divinity. Although Jesus took a human form and lived among the people for thirty years, only this divine nature allowed him to perform the works of God.
The hypostatic union explains how Jesus is both man and God, and while the divine part is in charge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins, human nature is to show humility. The divinity of Jesus was proved on many occasions when He was asked how he knew about Abraham, who lived many years before his birth. His answer was powerful, and many were shocked by its authority, “before Abraham was created, IAM”(John 8:58).
Although the young people did not understand, the law teachers knew that Christ repeated the exact words used by God when Moses asked about his identity in the Old Testament. When he asked for God’s name, He replied, “I AM WHO I AM.” Jesus was born of a woman to be the source of salvation to the world, but it could only be achieved because of her divine nature.
From the Old Testament and the days of Adam, salvation was only attained when an animal was killed. In God’s divine law, sin’s wages are death, and sin goes against God’s commandment. In the Garden of Eden, God asked Adam to eat from all the trees but not the tree of life. However, he died when he ate the fruit and was required to get the wages of sin.
The Bible teaches that they were driven out of the Garden. Adam and Eve died spiritually and not physically because an animal took their place in dying physically. According to Genesis chapter three, verse twenty-one, God killed an animal to make garments for Adam and Eve, who realized they were naked after eating the forbidden fruit. While animal sacrifices can save people from physical death, the divinity of Jesus is required for the full redemption of both the physical and the spiritual domain.
The doctrine of self-sufficiency spreading in America, which states that people have the power to do everything, is misguided. Salvation cannot originate from a man because of the stain of sin inherent in human nature. Throughout the genealogy, all generations have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 states that all have sinned. All evil thoughts, laws, and doctrines originate from the heart of a sinful man. If the Americans believe that their strength and intelligence can save them, the nature of Christ teaches the exact opposite. The virgin conception without a human father was to remove Jesus from the genealogy marred with sinfulness.
Although the birth through a virgin separated him from the original sin, it took the power of God to prevent the transfer of the original sin from Mary. It only takes the divine nature secluded from the original sin to bring salvation. All ideologies, doctrines, and principles that originate from a person born of a man and a woman are stained with sin and can never be the source of salvation.
Reclaiming Biblical Authority
Contemporary scholars in the USA have challenged the Bible’s validity as God’s word. Thomas Jefferson exemplifies the many writers who challenged Christ’s character and the miracles Jesus performed. Doubting the Bible flaunts God’s rule and dilutes the teachings.
The Gospel, for example, illustrates the words spoken by Christ during his stay on earth. Although different gospels share similar information, their words differ. In John 1:1, the authority of the word is underscored when Jesus says that in the beginning, there was a word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The inspired words make it possible to bind all Christians to the actual message from God. The biblical authority can also be understood through the hypostatic union in Jesus’ nature. In the same way that the power of the Holy Spirit made Jesus born without a man’s intervention, it proved that the same spirit could be used to turn human words into divine instructions.
The human side of Jesus made him ideal for teaching humans and staying with them to feel their pain. However, the divine nature of Christ was the power to forgive their sins and cure all their infirmity. The two natures of the Bible further show that the word was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, and therefore validates it. If the spirit disconnected Jesus from the sinful genealogy by depriving him of a human father, the same spirit inspired the authors of the Bible and, therefore, needs to be understood as an accurate record of the word of God. The decline in biblical authority in the USA is a dangerous trend because the Bible is the only accurate word of God left to guide humanity.
Understanding Jesus’ Unique Mission
Jesus was commissioned and tasked with saving human beings in four main prongs. The initial prong was to give eyesight to the blind, proclaim the good news to the poor, give liberty to the captives, and free the prisoners. American Christianity needs to assign Christ’s key duties to mortal think tanks.
Jesus’s nature is key in understanding his divine assignment, and no other person can perform what was performed by Jesus. His sovereignty is incomparable to anyone, and what he did cannot be done by anyone on earth. In Philippians chapter two, verses nine to eleven, the scripture explains that Jesus was exalted and given a name beyond all other names. Every knee and tongue should bow and confess that Jesus is the world’s faithful Savior. Alexander the Great and Julius Cesar were some leaders who claimed to be God, and their pride led to their downfall.
Jesus remained humble despite being highly favored by God and spoke softly of his mission. He never performed miracles to prove his power and might. Americans must therefore look for the signs of purported great men and women who want to take Christ’s honor through their mighty works. The nature of Christ, however, encouraged humility and meekness to prove the greatness.
Many great names exist worldwide, but they have all been forgotten. Great army commanders, orators, and even prophets; however, the name of Jesus remains above all other names. Therefore, the name of Jesus must be exalted because he lives among us through the power of the Holy Spirit, as all people who believe in him are accorded the powers to be called the children of God.
The doctrine of Jesus’ being and resurrection underscores that he is the top authority in Christianity, and believers must never abide by laws that contradict his teachings. The Bible’s doctrines on the greatness of God are quite incomprehensible since the manifestation in the flesh without a human mind contradicts people’s views. Similarly, humans have two separate entities, yet every man is one. Every human being has physical flesh and a soul. Jesus taught that people on earth should not fear fellow humans or the devil because they lack the power to destroy a person’s entire being. Only God has the power to destroy both the soul and the body.
Failure to realize the power of God is the greatest need, and the doctrines should be changed to teach how Americans can recognize God as being beyond all the powers on earth. It only took the human form for Jesus to mediate between God and the human race. Therefore, the name of Jesus must be revered for American Christianity to be strengthened.
Conclusion
American Christianity faces numerous challenges, including the decline of the Bible’s authority and decreasing levels of spirituality. Despite the country being predominantly Christian, a spiritual awakening is needed to reflect the true personality of Jesus Christ and ensure that he is worshiped in truth and spirit. The true meaning of Jesus’ divinity and human nature through his work is the key to enhancing awakening and ensuring that the church worships Jesus in the true sense as the only way to reclaim joy, peace, and true happiness. The pursuit of Happiness in America can only be achieved when the doctrine of Jesus’ human and divine nature lives up to the expectation.
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