The NIV 365 Day Devotional

I And the Father Are One

Throughout his ministry, Jesus regularly made bold claims that the Jewish leaders either didn’t like or didn’t understand. His claim to be one with the Father (Jn 10:30) might have been the boldest, most disliked and most misunderstood of all his claims. The Jewish leaders and the crowd charged him with blasphemy and tried to stone him.

For a man to claim to be one with God was unthinkable. This is the great miracle of Christ, the miracle of the incarnation: that Jesus is fully God and as such is utterly holy, yet also fully man and completely human. Christians believe that the divinity of Christ is fully present in the person of Jesus but is veiled in flesh (Jn 1:14). Because of his miraculous incarnation, people can identify with Christ. He is a man, but he simultaneously has the power to save since he is also fully God.

The amazing truth of the gospel is that Jesus left the power, peace and love of his Father to endure the miseries of this life and to willingly take the guilt of human sin upon himself, bearing the brunt of God’s wrath on the cross. Now, in exchange for our sin, he offers us his righteousness. This righteousness is so complete that when we are clothed in it, we become united with Christ and one with God the Father (Jn 17:11,21).

Taken from the NIV The Jesus Bible.