Am I “the Word”…Jesus?

Question: Is it correct or true to say, “I am Word?” A popular book is out that suggests we talk to Jesus making this claim.

Answer: This is a really challenging subject. Paul wrote, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” So if you asked Paul, “Who are you?” what would his answer be? If I said, “Paul are you Christ?” Maybe He’d say. “No way, I’m dead.” Or would He say, “Of course, who did you think you were talking to?”

I do know that my “old man” is not Jesus, but an imitation Jesus. Yet, my New Man seems to be constructed of Jesus. According to Paul, I am the Body of Jesus AND the Bride of Jesus. So if the Bride says, “The Groom and I are one,” isn’t she right? Or if she says, “If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Groom,” isn’t she correct? But if she says, “There is no Groom, because I am the Groom,” well then she sounds evil; she sounds like she’s killed the Groom and eaten Him for dinner, which I think is a form of original sin.

Well, whatever the case, IF I am what I am by the Grace of God, it’s good. But if I am what I am, by my own works, it’s evil. So if I think I’m the Body of Christ by the Grace of God, it’s true and good. But if I think I’m the Body of the Christ, because of works, it’s evil.

See? I think it gets back to the trees in the garden–that I believe are, in some amazing way, the cross. If I take His Life in the power of my flesh (like the Pharisees did), I nail Jesus to the tree and stand condemned. But if I receive His Life as a gift (what we do when we receive His flesh and blood–through communion) I stand forgiven, redeemed, and sanctified as His Body and Bride.

I believe that Jesus brings us into the kind of relationship that exists within the Trinity, so no wonder it’s such a challenge to describe, and no wonder the Jews were so offended by Jesus and what He said about His relationship with the Father.

So, I don’t know if it’s true to say to the Word, “Word, I am Word.” I suppose it’s all in how you say it–and who in fact is saying it, the old man or New? The old man stands on one side of the cross and the New Man on the other. It’s the New Man that “…does justice, loves kindness, and walks humbly with our God.” What is He or Who is He? I think that’s my biggest question for God. I think it was also John’s. He wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears (Jesus) we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

(This question is in response to the sermon “Just a Word.” To explore this question and that sermon more, simply click on this sermon title: Just a Word.