Author: Duncan Bell
As human beings, we all relate things to time. This is a foundational aspect of how we view the universe. We want to know things like when the world was created, when the world will end, and what is happening now. As the human race we face these issues, but as a Christian, we must ask these same questions relating to Christ. When was Christ created? When will Christ come to an end? Lastly, what is Christ doing now? The answers to these questions will either make or break your Christian faith.
These questions are answered in an area of study called Christology. Essentially what this means, is that we look at everything that speaks about Jesus Christ and assess it and put together a reliable account of who He is. Therefore, from the outset I must declare that I hold the Bible as the infallible Word of God. This in conjunction with many other resources proves neatly the claims of Jesus as true and credible. Hear Jesus claim, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). Jesus is claiming here that He is eternal, that is, He was never created. Later we see His miracles back His claim. Miracles of nature, sickness, provision, and over demonic forces: all testifying of the authority that He possesses. Therefore Jesus displays that he always was, and if He always existed there will be no end to Him. There is much more to say on this and if you have any views, please express them in the comments.
However, here is where I want to focus our attention for now. What does Jesus do here and now for us? What difference does He make? In the Trinity, Christ came down and laid His life down to save ours. This was only the beginning of the work that He had to do; next He returned to the Father, so that the Holy Spirit could begin His work. So Christ is right now seated at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places. The significance of this is that Christ is described as a bridegroom awaiting His bride. There is a story Matthew 25, depicting Jesus as this excited Bridegroom. What does this imply for us? What is it that Christ is accomplishing by waiting? Christ is enabling! He is motivating and encouraging all believers to have perseverance in the walk of faith. He is enabling the Holy Spirit to move freely amongst His people. The objective of all of this is that His bride will be ready for Him.
The greater our focus on Christ, which is having a strong Christology, the more committed we will be in allowing the Holy Spirit to bring about the character changes we need to make us ready for our wedding to Christ. The more we focus on Jesus, the more we pursue Him, the more we obey Him, the more fulfilled we end up living our own lives.
The simple Gospel. Love it Duncan!
That was really great to read and think it's very relevant for where we are today. I know for myself that it's difficult at times to focus on Jesus and I constantly have to "realign" my focus to Him, but it's so worthwhile to do so.
Thank you for the article. Looking forward to the others.
Great article! Keep them coming :)
I found this really insightful and I believe that most Christians need to be reminded of this. In addition to that, the conclusion was very well written. “The more we focus on Jesus, the more we pursue Him, the more we obey Him, the more fulfilled we end up living our own lives.” -Duncan Bell.
Great Work, thanks for sharing.