Written and adapted from Don Keathley’s Gan TV episode Jesus Never Changes
Jesus Christ: the Same, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As the Alpha and Omega—the Eternal One—Jesus entered our world to unveil the Father’s truth and reconcile humanity. He is the cornerstone of all creation, embodying the very essence of eternal truth. This eternal truth in Christ forms the foundation of existence, with all salvation beginning and ending in Him. Jesus is the Source of all life, He is the Resurrection and His Holy Spirit is the voice that guides our in Christ spiritual journey. Let us delve into the depths of the Eternal One and explore how He shapes our understanding of grace, revelation, and new creation realities.
The Historical Jesus and His Teachings
First, let us take a look back to the man Christ Jesus. Jesus is far more than a subject of scholarly historical interest. In the incarnation, He was fully God and fully man, the Chief Cornerstone. His teachings, were delivered with unparalleled authority, and they left an indelible mark on history because as John testified, He was the Word made flesh, God from God, truth unique to Him alone. This Truth continues to resonate and echo throughout all of time, continuing to awaken hearts and transform lives to those who awaken to Him.
Unlike the Scribes and Pharisees who believed they were the highest form of holy, Jesus lived from deep intimacy with the Father. He often began His teachings with, “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” a statement that marked His identity as the Son of the Living God, and confirmed the divine authority behind His words.
Jesus came to Israel proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand—it was here in the presence of them all, yet it was a stumbling block to the religious elite. Through parables and stories, Jesus spoke truths, yet to the prideful religious elites, they could not hear and could not see. Jesus’s desire was not solely for the religious but for all people to see the Father through Him, God in the flesh. To the elites, He would often say of His parables; for he that has “ears to hear” because His with intention was to prick their hearts. His parables were always designed for the readied heart to hear, understand, and embrace His message of life, grace, and redemption.
Jesus’s Use of Parables to Convey Spiritual Truths
Jesus often spoke in parables—simple yet profound stories that communicated deep spiritual truths, particularly about the kingdom of God. His parables were designed to be relatable and accessible, yet they carried transformative messages that transcended cultural and social barriers.
One of the most well-known parables, The Good Samaritan, teaches that true neighborliness is found in compassion and mercy, breaking through man-made social boundaries. Similarly, The Parable of the Prodigal Son beautifully illustrates God’s unwavering love, forgiveness, and the joy of the Father in restoring His children to Beloved Union.
These parables were not merely entertaining anecdotes; they were rich in meaning, intended to unveil the nature of God, His kingdom, and the human condition. By using everyday scenarios and relatable characters, Jesus revealed the heart of the Father in ways that were both understandable and deeply relevant to His audience.
Early Christians recognized the power of Jesus’s parables, often retelling them as they proclaimed the gospel. These stories served as vessels of truth, helping believers and seekers alike gain a deeper understanding of God’s love and His kingdom. Today, Jesus’s parables continue to inspire us to divine wisdom in our daily lives.
Jesus: The Eternal One
Jesus, is the Eternal One, which was radical and deeply unsettling to the religious elite, yet This Love was profoundly transformative to sinners. John the Baptist who was the final Old Covenant prophet proclaimed that Jesus was “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and sinners welcomed the freedom for it was the sick who needed a Doctor, not the well.
Jesus came to restore humanity, and He did through grace and truth. He embodied love and compassion, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to all people. Through what theologians call the hypostatic union—His dual nature as both fully God and fully man—He not only empathized with our human struggles but as the Last Adam, He revealed and restored humanity’s original intent, found only in Him.
The exact representation of the God we can not see, Jesus unveiled the heart and nature of the Father, He demonstrated all authority. His nature is a relentless grace. Grace is the favor of God and the foundation of our faith. It is the length in which God reached out to all of humanity in the Son and held nothing back to do it. Grace is a free gift and there are no strings attached to it . We can not add a single thing to this Grace.
The apostle Paul warned against “strange doctrines” that sought to do this and add to Christ’s finished work. He urged believers to establish their hearts in grace and not go back under a yoke of slavery. This Grace through the Eternal Christ fully liberates us from that weight of sin and religious legalism, which was His predestined purpose since before the foundation of this world.
Interested in learning more about this topic? Watch the video: [HERE]
The Love of Jesus: Love Your Enemies
Among the most radical teachings of Jesus is His command to love one’s enemies. In a world that often embraces revenge and retaliation, Jesus’s call to love and pray for those who persecute us is revolutionary. Yet, it is foundational and a cornerstone of His message to display His love of His enemies at the cross. For Jesus, loving one’s enemies was not simply a moral obligation; it was an acknowledgment of the inherent worth of every individual and the call to extend forgiveness as we ourselves have been forgiven by God.
This radical love reveals the very essence of God’s kingdom—a realm founded on love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Jesus taught that forgiveness stems from the understanding that we are forgiven and reconciled to God, interconnected to the Trinity in the One Man Jesus. This causes us to love others freely as we have been loved by Him and participate in their Divine Nature. For it is written “those who Love, know God”.
Before doctrines of transaction entered the modern church, early Christians embraced this radical love as a hallmark of their faith. They believed that loving their enemies demonstrated the transformative power of God’s love, capable of softening hearts and drawing people closer to Him. While radical love and forgiveness can seem challenging, they are intrinsic to our new nature in Christ. This conciliatory nature empowers us to be a light in a world that often values vengeance over reconciliation.
Living the Abundant Life Through Grace
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and is the promise of heaven. Although heaven was rarely a focal point in His teachings. Instead, He came to reveal the Father, restore humanity, and gift us abundant life. Abundant life transcends the constraints of the Mosaic law or legalistic practices. It is anchored in the freedom we find as partakers of His divine nature. This abundant life is our life lived authentically now, guided by the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us and leads us into all truth.
Traditionally, salvation has often been viewed as an escape from hell, but this was never the heart of God. In Christ, salvation is restoration—our wholeness and liberation from the grip of sin and death. It is a transformative, identity-driven experience of stepping into the fullness of life made possible by Jesus’s resurrection, in our origin and beloved union through Him.
Understanding this shifts our perspective from a transactional view of salvation to a relational one—intimately knowing Jesus, the Savior of the world. Abundant life is the manifestation of His transformative presence in our lives.
To truly live an abundant life, it is all by grace. His grace effortlessly guides us in all our interactions, decisions, and relationships. Through Grace He empowers us to live without fear, secure in the knowledge of our identity in Christ. Grace enables us to extend the same love and grace to others, fostering community driven by Love, acceptance, compassion, and a belonging that reflects the family and kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit Leads Us to the Eternal One
While Jesus remains unchanged, our understanding of Him evolves as we journey in faith. The Spirit of Truth guides this process, continually revealing deeper insights into God’s nature and our relationship with Him. These revelations challenge long-held beliefs, not to threaten faith but to deepen it, enriching our connection to Christ and unveiling His original intent.
Through the new covenant established by Jesus, the Holy Spirit reveals our identity as God’s children. In Christ, we are new creations, no longer bound by old doctrines or rituals but living in the fullness of grace and union with God. This covenant assures us of freedom and a full inheritance in Him.
The Spirit reveals our inclusion in the divine dance of the Trinity, reminding us that Christ is all in all. This truth compels us to share God’s eternal love with the world, fostering unity, hope, and transformation in families and communities. Every revelation from the Holy Spirit is a joyful discovery, unveiling new facets of God’s character and His plan to restore all things.
As we listen to the whispers of the Spirit, may we embrace the fullness of grace, the unchanging nature of Jesus, and the abundant life He offers, living with joy and freedom in His eternal love.
Interested in deepening your understanding? Discover more at: donkeathley.com
President of Don Keathley Ministries & Global Grace Seminary, was born in Battle Creek, Michigan & lived there until he graduated from Marchell High School. Don is married to his wife Linda & they have two grown and married daughters, Janell & Shawn, & four grandchildren. He has pastored churches in Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, & is the founding pastor of Grace Point Community Church in Houston, Texas. Grace Point was established in 1987 & is a nondenominational community church. Don has received degrees from Olivet Nazarene University & a Ph.D. degree from Barnham Graduate School & Seminary. As president of Global Grace Seminary, he brings over 40 years of pastoral experience and a heart to develop leaders who are on the cutting edge of the message of grace & the finished work of the cross.
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