By The Rev. Ed Ganus

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is identified by titles that describe his power and characteristics like, light of the world, the living bread, the bread of life, the door, the good shepherd, the way, the truth, the life, the resurrection and the vine.

There are other words and phrases in John and in other scripture passages that show us that Jesus can make the difference in our lives when we study and understand what they mean.

To understand the full meaning of these passages, a person must be born again as Jesus told Nicodemus, in John 3:3. In verse 5 of John 3, Jesus also said one must be born of the water and of the spirit.

In John 1:12,13, we find, “But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

To be born again one must repent of sins, seek His forgiveness and receive Jesus into their heart and life.

Then Jesus comes to abide or live in that person as found in John Chapter 15.

There are many passages that relate the fact that Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit lives in the lives of the sons (children) of God. This is where the power to become is supplied for the Christian; the power to resist temptations of the devil, to make wise decisions, to understand God’s plan for life and eternity, and to develop and keep good character.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know yet not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For yet are bought with a price: Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The price the believer was bought with was paid by Jesus when He laid down his life for sinners on the cross at Calvary.

When Jesus paid the price for the forgiveness of sin, and arose to return to His Father in Heaven and came in the Holy Spirit to abide in the children of God, He guides them to glorify God in the body by not defiling the body He abides in and to make it an instrument of righteousness.

The body He abides in should be kept clean, as a vessel for the Master’s use.

In II Corinthians 6:16, “…For ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

In verses 17 and 18 the bodies He dwells in are challenged to be separated from idols, evil and unclean things and show the difference Jesus makes in their lives.

Someone said that to live the Christian life is hard to do, I say it is impossible without the power of the Son of God abiding in you.

We are not strong enough of ourselves to live the full life the Bible teaches for us, but Jesus makes the difference.

The temptations of life presented by Satan are very strong, but remember as 1 John 4:4 states, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: Because Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Jesus in you makes the difference.

 

– The Rev. Ed Ganus is the pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church and a member of the Greater Andalusia Area Ministerial Association.