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WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
WONDERFUL
This name has sometimes
been given as "Wonder," and sometimes combined as an adjective as in "Wonderful Counselor." We prefer the view that there
are five of these names and that the first one is "Wonderful." Christ is indeed Wonderful in whatever dimension one views
him.
He is wonderful in his pre-existence,
in his Virgin birth, in his role as executive in Creation and in the "upholding" of our universe. He is indeed wonderful in
his mighty miracles, his unsurpassed teaching, his sufferings, his prophecies, his death, burial, and resurrection. He is
wonderful in the great Christophanies of the Old Testament and his appearance as "The Angel of Jehovah!" He is wonderful in
the establishment of his kingdom, the Church, and in his providential protection and blessing of his Holy Bride throughout
history. He is wonderful in what he will yet accomplish when he appears the Second Time, apart from sin, and shall judge the
living and the dead, and assign to every man who ever lived his eternal destiny.
COUNSELOR
When God said, "Let us make man in our own image," the most logical view places Christ
in that Council as a member of the Godhead. What a Counselor! that even the Father in heaven would discuss with the Son the
creation of mankind! He is the only Counselor who ever had "the words of eternal life" (John 6:68 Simon Peter replied,
"Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life); his counsel alone is truthfully described as
"The Light of the World." His counsel only will judge men at the last day (John 12:48 But all who reject me and my message
will be judged at the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken). The counsel of the Son of God is eternal. "Heaven and earth
shall pass away," but Christ's word abideth forever. A single line of teaching from this Counselor is more valuable than libraries
stacked full of the books of human wisdom. His counsel is the one and only authentic Handbook and Guide to the Christian religion.
No other authority exists, except through the devices of sinful men. When at the Last Day all the nations of earth have been
summonsed to appear before the Great Assize, the word of this Counselor will be enforced as the final and ultimate determiner
of the fate of every man ever born.
MIGHTY GOD
Many Christians and practically all commentators have trouble with the application of words like these to Christ, and
yet they are surely appropriate.
In the New Testament, the
following texts refer to Jesus Christ Our Lord as "God."
John 1:1: In the beginning the Word already
existed. He was with God, and he was God. John 1:18: No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the
Father's heart; he has told us about him.
And in (John 20:28 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.) One of the disciples, Thomas
declared, My Lord and my God."
Acts 20:28: "And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God's flock--his church, purchased with his blood--over
whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.
Rom. 9:5: Their ancestors were great people of God,
and Christ himself was a Jew as far as his human nature is concerned. AND HE IS GOD, WHO RULES OVER EVERYTHING AND
IS WORTHY OF ETERNAL PRAISE! Amen.The noted Charles Hodge stated that the rendition given here is the only correct rendition,
pointing out specifically, that "over all" actually means "over all things." "It is supremacy over the universe that is here
expressed." "Great is
the mystery of godliness:
16Without
question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ (God) appeared in the flesh and was shown to be
righteous by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and was announced to the nations. He was believed on in the world
and was taken up into heaven.
(1 Timothy 3:16)
The use of the pronoun for the first
word is very misleading, because it obscures the identity of just who was "manifested in the flesh." The antecedent of "who"
in this passage is God and cannot be anyone else. The KJV is correct here.
Titus 2:13 -- while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
Also, see Titus 2:10. (or steal, but they must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make
the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.)
Phil. 2:5,6 -- Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand
and cling to his rights as God.
Heb.
1:8 But to his Son he says,"Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in righteousness
James
1:1 -- "James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." James had heard the Master say that no man can serve two masters;
and could he have meant here that he was indeed serving "two masters"? Did he not rather mean that Christ and God were one?
2 Pet. 1:1 -- I am writing
to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, who makes
us right with God.
Here we took out the italics word "the," the italics indicating that it is not in the Greek, leaving
the correct reading here as, "Our God and Saviour."
1 John 5:20 -- And we know that the Son of God
has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his
Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.
EVERLASTING FATHER
In the Bible, especially the New Testament, it is frequently said that God, the Holy Spirit, or the Son of God did
certain things that in other passages may be attributed to a different member of the Godhead; and while it is true that the
New Testament nowhere says that Christ begot us through the gospel, it is stated that God did so (James 1:18 In his goodness
he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession. 1
Pet. 2:3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness); and since the "gospel" delivered to mankind is the word of
Christ delivered through him and his apostles, it is no violation of the scriptures to say that Christ indeed is the "father"
of all who believe in him through his word. It may be that "Everlasting Father" includes something of this meaning. Kidner
also pointed out that, "Father signifies the paternal benevolence of the Perfect Ruler over the people whom he loves."
Christ is called the "Author and Finisher"
of our faith (KJV), and the author and protector of our faith (ASV) in Heb. 12:2.We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom
our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would
be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven.(NLT)
In the same
sense, therefore, that Abraham is called "The Father of the Faithful," Jesus Christ is entitled to be called the "Everlasting
Father."
PRINCE OF PEACE
Jesus Christ is the only true Prince of Peace the world ever knew, and the only one that shall
ever be. When the angels announced his birth over the hills of Judaea, their first word was, "Glory to God in the highest
heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors." (Luke 2:14). Implicit in this verse, is the declaration that the promise
of peace is not given to all men on earth, but only to those with whom God favors. Only the obedient and faithful shall know
the blessedness of that peace which only the Lord can give.
Alas, the rebellious majority of mankind shall continue
to travel in the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13 "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way). The prophecy of Revelation also
reveals in the visions that attended the opening of the seals that wars and desolations shall continue to the end of time.
"Wars and rumors of wars ... but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6 And wars will break out near and far, but don't
panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately). Furthermore, the peace which the Lord gives is
a glorious inner tranquillity that has no relation whatever to any turbulence on earth, whether general or personal. It comes
from a oneness with God that securely rests in the confidence that no matter what may happen to one's person, his health,
his property, his country, his family, or anything else, absolutely nothing can happen to him, because he is the Lord's; and
as Paul stated it, "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore,
or die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8 While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord.
So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord).
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