Some people view Christ as a great philosopher – a spiritual guru. They think He imparted important teaching. Of course, they’re selective when it comes to what they accept from His teaching. They uphold His ideals, ethics, and truisms, as a standard for all people, while ignoring any of His explicit references to sin and salvation.
Some people view Christ as a great humanitarian. He ministered to the destitute, cared for widows and orphans, walked with social outcasts, and championed the oppressed. They view Him as a social reformer. They view Him as a standard for modern-day humanitarian efforts. And they emulate what they perceive to be His compassion.
Some people view Christ as a great prophet. They think He’s one in a long series of prophets, including Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, Confucius, and Oprah (I’m joking, sort of), who have shown us something of the way to God. They believe that each of these prophets possesses a part of the picture, but not the entire picture. They reject any claims of absolutism.
Some people view Christ as a great counselor. If He were alive today, He would have written “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” They see Him as possessing a modern-view into the human psyche. They accept those segments of His teaching, which they think are aimed at improving humanity – human experience, awareness, and behavior.
But all of these views are deficient. Christ only gives us one option. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also” (Jn. 8:19). “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me” (Jn. 12:44). “Whoever receives me receives the one who sent me” (Jn. 13:20). There’s no wiggle room. In order to be a follower of Christ, we must believe He’s exactly who He claims to be – God.
Elsewhere, we read that “[Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:4). On the back of our coins (Canadian coins, that is), there’s an image of Queen Elizabeth. It’s a likeness of the Queen, but it doesn’t embody her essence. She’s not in her image on our coins. However, Christ is the “exact imprint of [God’s] nature.” The term “nature” (or substance) denotes essential being. In other words, Christ is the very impress of God’s substance. He is Emmanuel.
Quotable: “All that God is, in His nature and character, is expressed and manifested, absolutely and perfectly, by the incarnate Son” (A. W. Pink).
Some people view Christ as a great humanitarian. He ministered to the destitute, cared for widows and orphans, walked with social outcasts, and championed the oppressed. They view Him as a social reformer. They view Him as a standard for modern-day humanitarian efforts. And they emulate what they perceive to be His compassion.
Some people view Christ as a great prophet. They think He’s one in a long series of prophets, including Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, Confucius, and Oprah (I’m joking, sort of), who have shown us something of the way to God. They believe that each of these prophets possesses a part of the picture, but not the entire picture. They reject any claims of absolutism.
Some people view Christ as a great counselor. If He were alive today, He would have written “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” They see Him as possessing a modern-view into the human psyche. They accept those segments of His teaching, which they think are aimed at improving humanity – human experience, awareness, and behavior.
But all of these views are deficient. Christ only gives us one option. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also” (Jn. 8:19). “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me” (Jn. 12:44). “Whoever receives me receives the one who sent me” (Jn. 13:20). There’s no wiggle room. In order to be a follower of Christ, we must believe He’s exactly who He claims to be – God.
Elsewhere, we read that “[Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:4). On the back of our coins (Canadian coins, that is), there’s an image of Queen Elizabeth. It’s a likeness of the Queen, but it doesn’t embody her essence. She’s not in her image on our coins. However, Christ is the “exact imprint of [God’s] nature.” The term “nature” (or substance) denotes essential being. In other words, Christ is the very impress of God’s substance. He is Emmanuel.
Quotable: “All that God is, in His nature and character, is expressed and manifested, absolutely and perfectly, by the incarnate Son” (A. W. Pink).
0 comments:
Post a Comment