Jesus is first and
foremost, the Lord and Saviour.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were
realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only
begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.[1]
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”[2]
Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet
you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father;
how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?”[3]
…for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have believed that I came forth from the Father.[4]
And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.[5]
…so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign
through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.[6]
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law
through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who
was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.[7]
…and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be
glorified with Him.[8]
…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to
God and approved by men.[9]
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which
was given you in Christ Jesus,[10]
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.[11]
…in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds
of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.[12]
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ,[13]
…even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),[14]
…and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my
own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,[15]
…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings
which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.[16]
…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is
the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and
upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of
sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,[17]
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so
easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.[18]
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great
Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even
Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us
that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the
glory forever and ever. Amen.[19]
…you also, as living stones, are being built up as a
spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.[20]
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking
the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving
by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.[21]
This is by no means an exhaustive list of statements
indicating that everything pleasing to God is through, or, in Jesus.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[22]
Religions that do not confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, are
not pleasing to God, nor do they honour God.
There is salvation in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be
saved.[23]
One’s thoughts might easily turn toward Islam or Judaism as
both of those religions deny the Lordship of Christ. People invested in either
Judaism or Islam are not servants of God, because the scripture is clear that
only people who confess Jesus as Lord have access to God. Jews claim they serve
Yahweh and Muslims honour Allah, that’s too bad, because pleasing God can only
be accomplished through Jesus. It is impossible to please God while bypassing
Jesus. Jews have the Hebrew Scriptures in which Jesus was foretold to be the
Messiah. Muslims have the writings of Mohamed, and that’s all the Quran is, the
writings of a man, and much of that is material plagiarized from other sources.
The Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) along with the Jehovah Witness and
other cults are manmade religions that diminish Christ.
The more insidious depreciation of Jesus is within
Mainstream and Evangelical Christianity. The Universal Church of Christ, or
Roman Catholic Church, positions itself as the true Church, existing from the
first century to present day. In truth the Roman Catholic Church was born out
of the Counsel of Nicaea convened by Constantine. At first the popes were
appointed by the Emperor, but quickly they grabbed power and the Church became
as much political as it was religious. Papal authority was a major factor until
the late eighteen hundreds, when all the Papal States were lost except the
Vatican City. The Roman Catholic Church brought shame to the name of Christ
through the corruption and immorality of its leaders and its perverse doctrines.
According to the Roman Church the pope is the Vicar of Christ, and his word
when speaking “from the throne” is infallible. The Catholic Church through its
history has dishonoured Jesus. The elevation of Mary to deity absolutely
disregards Jesus and his teaching. The current pope demonstrates more
“Christian” qualities than most of the popes before him.
Traditional Protestant Churches vary in their response to
Jesus as the risen Lord. The United Church as a religious institution in Canada
is spiritually impotent. Evangelicals use Jesus’ name as a mantra, and treat
religion as a public display of personal piety. Conservative groups focus on
exactness of doctrine, to them the Church is the supreme and exclusive means of
accessing God’s pleasure.
The institutional Church has diminished Christ by focusing
on its own agenda. Despite widespread institutionalism some believers are able
to practice discipleship within the realm of Protestantism. Some believers live
within the Catholic empire, but do not accept all the pompous trappings of its
pope and priesthood. Some believers exist in Evangelical and Conservative
groups, participating in fellowship, but not succumbing to their exclusivity
and doctrinal bigotry. There are believers in most denominations who have
figured how live as citizens of God’s kingdom while at the same time, disregarding
the nonsense of institutional religion. There are many others who have left the
ranks of organized religion, preferring to worship in small groups or family
situations.
Most Churches teach the “Great Commission” – go and preach
to the unconverted and bring them into the Church. Jesus never gave a “Great
Commission”, that was specific to that time and to those people. On one occasion
Jesus responded to a question from his audience;
Then they said to him, “What must we do
to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God,
that you believe in him whom he has sent.”[24]
Jesus knew that God required people to believe in him as
Lord, and from the list of scriptures provided it is abundantly evident that
Jesus is not only primary, he is absolute; nothing is to have priority over
Jesus. That includes, religion, Church, doctrine, Church leaders, or preachers.
Of all the scriptures establishing Christ’s priority this is the most simple
and straight forward;
“I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”
The shadow of the Catholic Church has blanketed Christian
beliefs like a pall of death since its inception in the fourth century CE. The
Catholic Church persecuted and murdered true believers, obliterating all who
opposed its control. The Reformation spawned Protestantism and subsequently all
other denominations including those that claim they are not a denomination. The
struggle against Catholicism had the effect of spreading the disease of
institutionalism, causing it to spring up in Churches disguised as “true
doctrine”. “True doctrine” is nothing more than revamped Catholicism. Some
Churches claim to have a contiguous link going back to the New Testament church,
others claim to have replicated the New Testament church. Upon close
examination it can be seen that all Christian Churches in the West have the DNA
of the Catholic Church at their core. Reformation and Restoration were human
attempts to improve on the Catholic Church, the result has been only cosmetic.
The basic structure and premise remain the same as the Roman Church. In a
nutshell, the problem with the institutional Church is its belief that the
Church is essential. Every Church is founded on the belief that it can offer
people something other Churches don’t have; otherwise, why would they exist? Theologians,
scholars, monks and preachers will vehemently deny that they put the Church
before Christ, but they do. Putting Christ first and foremost would change the
entire nature and purpose of the Church and of Christian religions.
…in these last days has spoken to us in
His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made
purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…
“God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is
like him in every way.”(CEV) Jesus the man, God in the flesh, is the only
avenue through which people can approach God. It is impossible to reach God
apart from believing that Jesus is God’s Son and Saviour. Many of us have grown
up knowing more about the Church than Christ. It has been more important to be
a member of the Church in good standing, than a citizen of God’s kingdom
honouring our Lord Jesus. For many of us it is hard to conceive of life without
Church; it has been such an integral part of life and devotion. It is not
impossible to be a citizen of God’s kingdom and a member of the institutional
Church, but in most Churches it will be difficult not to have split loyalties. Since
God has put all things in Jesus, and he alone is the way, it seems only
reasonable that we should get to know Jesus so that we can try to become more
like him. Jesus never asked people to attend Church services, or to be involved
in Church programs. Jesus is not interested in part-time discipleship, he wants
our complete lives 24x7. Church affiliation is not a substitute for a lifetime of
citizenship. Being a citizen of God’s kingdom is not a calling, its living.
Being a citizen of the kingdom is a forever scenario, it starts in the here and
now, but goes on into eternity; the Church is a human institution and will not
carry over into eternity. Citizenship is not doing something or another, it is
living who you are, where you are, all the time, representing God’s grace and
love. Church is ok as long as it is a time of encouragement and fellowship
supporting the citizens of God’s realm. Church is not ok if all it does is
promote itself and use God’s people for its own benefit. Becoming more like
Jesus has nothing to do with diet, clothing, or customs, it’s living with a
spiritual focus, loving people, honouring God.
The Catholic Church, Protestant Churches, Evangelical, or
Conservative Churches are not the “bride of Christ”; they are all human aberrations.
The ekklesia of Christ, like the ekklesia of the Old Testament is a
kingdom of God’s people. That kingdom, Jesus taught and died for. It is
incumbent on all believers to know and believe Jesus; a disciple follows his
master in everything.
I have not written to you because you
do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the
truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is
the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the
Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father
also. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If
what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son
and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal
life.[25]
Although not intended, the greatest compliment paid to the
apostles came from their accusers;
“…there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which
we must be saved.” Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and
understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began
to recognize them as having been with
Jesus.[26]
To be recognized as having been influenced by Jesus should
be every person’s goal. It doesn’t matter what Church, if any, one attends; who
cares if you are known as Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical, surely what’s
important is, that Jesus can be seen in your life.
People look at the Church as though it is a vehicle destined
for heaven. Like a bus, going non-stop to the Promised Land. Outreach is the
activity of getting people to climb aboard; the whole focus is to crowd as many
people onto the bus as possible. Little to no thought is given to the comfort
of passengers –a little suffering can be expected on such a trip. There are few
provisions for passengers, very little to sustain them on the journey. There
are programs and activities to keep passengers busy, but nothing of real
consequence. Songs are sung about the wonderful place to which passengers are
traveling, lectures are given on the importance of the bus and its maintenance,
and passengers are required to lend a hand, and cash to keep the bus in good
shape. Other vehicles appear on the road from time to time, some are bigger
than the bus you are on, others smaller. Occasionally a limousine will race
past slower vehicles, its occupants waving and calling raucously from open
windows. Once in a long while the bus might pass a pedestrian who had refused
the offer of a ride; the bus conductor will address passengers, pointing out
the folly of the pedestrian trying to go it alone –they’ll never make it! As
for the other busses, they don’t have the right credentials to enter heaven;
this bus alone has all the necessary documentation. A true, but very sad
depiction of the Church.
We are all sinners; no one on his or her own merit is able
to approach the Creator. There is nothing any of can do to earn the right to be
in God’s presence. There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus.
Even at our best, washed a thousand times, disinfected by a myriad ointments,
or purified by fire, we can never do enough to stand before God. But, in Jesus
we have confidence to approach God’s throne.
For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's
descendants, heirs according to promise.[27]
Being in Christ is to be clothed in him, only those adorned
by Jesus are accepted into God’s presence. It seems redundant to point out
that, being a Church member doesn’t cut it. Jesus does not offer group
insurance, he is our insurance on a personal level, strictly individual, and
only in him.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of
Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under
the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.[28]
[1] John
1:17, 18
[2] John
14:6
[3] Joh
14:9
[4] John
16:27
[5] Rom
5:11
[6] Rom
5:21
[7] Rom
7:4
[8] Rom
8:17
[9] Rom
14:17, 18
[10] 1Co
1:4
[11] 2Co
3:4
[12] 2Co
4:4
[13] Eph
1:3
[14] Eph
2:5
[15] Php
3:9
[16] 2Ti
3:15
[17] Heb
1:2, 3
[18] Heb
12:1, 2
[19] Heb
13:20, 21
[20] 1Pe
2:5
[21] 1Pe
4:11
[22] Php
2:9-11
[23] Act
4:12
[24] Joh
6:28, 29
[25] 1Jn
2:21-25
[26] Act
4:12, 13
[27] Gal
3:26-29
[28] Php
2:5-11
