“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB1995)
Interestingly enough, earlier this morning I was on YouTube checking out the news for the day when I saw a video and decided to watch it. I did listen to it again just now, and I typed up the words that I heard the president say, which I have quoted below. This represents only a small section of his speech, but it was the part where he mainly talked about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and what that means for us, the people of the earth.
Now, I will note here that when he became president for the first time, I stopped quoting news articles because the news people kept altering the news articles, changing the wording, deleting certain things said, and even changing the whole article entirely with the same internet link. So, I am just saying upfront that I cannot guarantee that what I have quoted below cannot be doctored in some way. But this is what I heard him say:
President Donald Trump’s Easter speech at prayer service
Speaking of Jesus Christ, President Trump said,
“For our sake He gave up his life, and as the great Reverend Billy Graham once said, ‘God proved his love on the cross when Christ hung and bled and died. It was God saying to the world, “I love you.”’”
“Three days later Christ’s followers found the empty tomb. Jesus had defeated darkness and death, and promised new life to all of human kind. And that’s what we celebrate each year at Easter, as we joyfully proclaim on Sunday, ‘He is risen.’ The death and resurrection of Jesus are the essence of the Christian faith. Whether rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old, or in times of peace or war, Christians everywhere find solace in the hope and knowledge that Christ died for them, and that they could be united with him in heaven. And that’s what we want. That’s what we all want. The miracles of Holy Week set in motion a transformation in human existence. Countless millions of Americans have been moved by Christ’s example to heal the sick, to defend their families, lift up their communities, and make our country stronger, better, and greater than ever before…”
Then he went on to talk mainly about his and his team’s accomplishments in his first 3 months as president of the United States of America, as best as I can recall what he said for the remainder of the speech. (1)
So, when I read this Scripture this evening, the president’s speech is immediately what came to mind. And it does give us a very current example of what we are to watch out for, so that our faith will not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. But let me also say here that when Paul said that he determined to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, it was not in the same context as what President Trump shared of Jesus’ death and resurrection. For it is not to the exclusion of the purpose of why Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead.
So, why did Jesus give his life up for us on that cross? It wasn’t just so everyone on the earth could go to heaven. And it wasn’t to “make America great again.” And it wasn’t just God saying, “I love you” to the people of the world. For, in what way is Jesus’ death and resurrection the essence of the Christian faith? What does that look like exactly? And in what way did Jesus defeat darkness? And for what purpose? And what was the new life that Jesus promised to all human kind? And did he promise new life to all humans? Words spoken should have to mean something.
So, why did Jesus die on that cross? It was to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, we might die with him to sin and now walk with him in obedience to his commands in holy and righteous living, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For, by faith in him, which comes from God, and is not of our own doing, our old self is crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we will no longer be slaves to sin. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience is what we obey, it results in eternal life with God.
And Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, and we are putting sin to death daily, by the Spirit, and we are walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord, in the power of God, then we have life eternal with God. For not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father (Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we can be resurrected with him to new lives in Christ Jesus, not like our old lives of living in slavery (addiction) to sin, but now as slaves of God and of his righteousness, in walks of obedience to his commands, as empowered by God. For when Jesus died on that cross, and when he rose from the dead, he defeated darkness (sin, hell, and death) on our behalf so that we will no longer walk in the darkness (in sin) but so that we will now walk in the light (righteousness, truth, Jesus Christ, the gospel), by God’s grace, in his power.
Did Jesus die for the sins of the entire world? The Bible says he did. Was this God saying to the people, “I love you.” Yes, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son that whosoever believing in him should not perish, but have eternal life. But belief comes from God, and it is not of our own doing, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to now walk in obedience to his commands, by the Spirit. So if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, we do not have eternal life with God.
So, please know what the Scriptures teach. Test everyone against the teachings of the Scriptures, taught in their appropriate context. Even test the words of Billy Graham and of his son Franklin Graham, for they were/are not perfect. And test what you hear from the mouths of your leaders, no matter who they are, including all famous and non-famous preachers, evangelists, missionaries, and teachers of the Scriptures. But test them against the Scriptures taught in their appropriate context, not out of context. For many lies are being spread by teaching Scriptures out of context.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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Christ and Him Crucified
An Original Work / April 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
(1) President Donald Trump’s Easter speech at prayer service
