God's Dwelling

The book of Hebrews tells us Jesus came to earth as flesh and blood because we are flesh and blood. (Heb. 2:14 LB) He is our proof that God desires to dwell with people—with ordinary human beings—people like you and me.

When Jesus came, He received and identified with our weaknesses, our frail sinful human nature. Because He identified with our sin-nature, He made it possible for us to identify with Him.

His mission was to sacrifice His sinless life for our sin. When Jesus died without sin while in His sin-prone body, He broke the power of the devil and proclaimed victory over Satan. This is the central doctrine of Christianity.

Because Jesus understands our sinful nature, He is our merciful and faithful High Priest before God . . . For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, He knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and He is wonderfully able to help us. (Heb. 2:17b,18 LB)

God cares about us and for us. He chooses to dwell with us. We can receive His love.

Originally published October 23, 1981.

Captivity Captive?

Paul quoted Ps. 68:18 in his letter to the Ephersians: When He [Jesus] ascended on high He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. (Eph. 4:8 NKJV) Because that sounds confusing to our minds, let’s look briefly at what it means to lead captivity captive.

Captivity is a condition of severe restraint or bondage. Spiritual captivity is bondage to sin. It means being overwhelmed or overcome by the power of sin’s influence. People in spiritual captivity experience loss of moral freedom. They can’t choose good for pure or holy reasons.

Satan is the master-mind behind all captivity. He wants to imprison people—rob them of God’s blessings, but Jesus defeated Satan when He shed His blood on Calvary.

When Jesus ascended on high, He entered heaven as the victor over Satan. Since that occasion, no one has had to remain a captive under Satan’s control. Because, He led captivity captive.

Originally published February 16, 1990.
Picture: Cactus in bloom, Arizona Desert, 2008. Photo by Patty.