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NASB | Matthew 11:11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 11:11 "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he. |
Subject: "Least in the kingdom of God"? |
Bible Note: Hi, Zsuzsi! Thanks for your reply! I have had a few run-ins with some people that seek to elevate themselves to the Throne and declare Jesus an inferior being... When I first read your post I began to question the allegory and when I read the subsequent post... a huge red flag sprang up: could they be insinuating that Christ is a lower being? Clearly, in order to save us, as a sacrificial substitute, God, being immortal, could not die. The blood of mere animals (as amoral as they are) could not satisfy the ransom's demands, and man's blood, as it has been made impure, falls short of the grace that was required to completely obliterate sin and the ransom's demands... So only the Son of God could both fulfill the ransom's demands and abolish sin: Hence the incarnation of the Word! The Son, for a little while, would divest Himself of all authority (not of His Deity for Christ is God!) in order to bring us back to the Fold (the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father). In so doing He would become similar to those living under the Law--not equal, since He is free of sin! But once the Lamb's commission was completed, the Word ascended to His place and His Glory: Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed. (John 17:5) ...Zsuzsi, I understand you position as far as Christ's Divinity... ""How can God be the least in heaven?", is this: that's what I call Grace..." My view is that Jesus, the Word incarnate, does not bring to Heaven the limitations of the servants... rather He has been reinstated in the fullness of His Being. Not only that but He began to pull us into that Heavenly Realm while we were still engrossed in doubt and rebellion: I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. (John 15:15) We are being elevated by Christ to the position of friends of God... the whole purpose for the Lamb's existence is to raise us from death... once this was accomplished (death, resurrection and ascension), why would Christ hold on to the limitations of man? Christ is no longer the Lamb that needs to offer Himself as the sacrificial holocaust in our stead; He is the High Priest and the King who officiates in Heaven in our behalf! God Bless! Angel |