Christianity Is Christ

Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out, "Christianity is Christ. It all centers around Him, and every doctrine that we have and every idea that we possess is something that comes from Him. Therefore, we must of necessity start with Him."

Christianity is Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of theology. All should agree that the Bible is a book about God. How can we understand who God is? Christ is perfect and complete theology. No wonder Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Christ is the total and full revelation of God. Christianity is God revealed in Christ.

Christianity is Christ in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, Christ is revealed in prophecy and typology. The first prophecy of Christ coming is found in Genesis 3:15. He is the Seed of the woman. In typology Christ is revealed in signs and symbols, such as the Lamb of God. In the New Testament, Christ is revealed as fulfilling the prophecy and typology of the Old Testament.

Christianity is Christ as our Lord and Savior. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the sacrifice for all our sins. He is our risen Lord. Christ is our assurance of salvation. He is the focus of our faith, the hope of our future, and the love of our lives. Christianity is Christ as our all and all, now and forever!

God's Grace Resisted

God's grace is resisted by rejecting the gospel of Christ. Those who do have "insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29). The Bible teaches that people resist the Spirit of grace, because their hearts have not been changed by the grace of God. The responsibility of man is his own just condemnation in rejecting the gospel of Christ.

"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). Only the Spirit of grace can change the heart of man, which means our mind, will, and emotions. By resisting the Holy Spirit, people are insulting the only one who can apply the gospel of Christ to our hearts.

The Holy Spirit, who changes the corrupt heart of man, is the same Spirit of grace who convicts the heart of man. Conviction is grace that precedes new birth (John 16:7-11). When conviction is resisted, grace is resisted. Conviction deals specifically with the sin of unbelief, in essence, rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why would anyone reject the gospel of Christ? Jesus said, "And this is condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Therefore, those who resist the Spirit of grace reject the gospel of Christ. As a result, they face their own just condemnation (John 3:18).

How to Hear God

"Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks to us through the Bible. It's God's love letter to us. The Holy Spirit inspired the words of Holy Scripture centuries ago, but He still speaks through them. Those who believe not, can only read printed words on paper. Believers read words that speak to their hearts.

The word "heart" is a symbol for your inner being. That's the mind, will, and emotions. God's word to us is through the Holy Spirit. God's voice has been seldom heard by the ears of men, even in Bible times. God's word in the Bible will speak daily to your heart. 

God has important things to say to you through the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). God speaks in a personal and intimate way to every believer. God communicates with us to experience his love in our hearts, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).

The Holy Spirit, who inspired Holy Scripture, speaks to the hearts of all God's children. God shares his thoughts with you. They are eternal thoughts found in your Bible from the Father above. God's thoughts encourage, console and comfort you. His thoughts strengthen and assure you. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God speaks to your heart with love.

The Holy Spirit's Seal

"In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). Scripture is clear, upon believing the gospel of Christ, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. God has sealed every believer in Christ.

In Bible days, important letters were written on scrolls of parchment. It was rolled together and sealed in such a way that the recipient of the letter knew that no one had changed the message. We could say, it was signed, sealed and delivered. This custom was used to illustrate our security in Christ. Believers are sealed with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of promise comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:2, 5). The Holy Spirit is the covenant promise of God to you and every believer (Acts 2:38-39). God says, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27).

The Holy Spirit is our seal of promise, to be our Guide, Counselor, Helper and Comforter. The Holy Spirit was promised to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Every believer is sealed with the promise of the Spirit, unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). That's the day Christ returns and believers are glorified into His likeness (1 John 3:2). 

Sovereignty Not Fatalism

Sovereignty without human responsibility leads to fatalism. On the other hand, teaching human responsibility while neglecting God's sovereignty leads to deism, where God is simply not ruling in our world. Then, God is nothing more than a spectator. Neither can ever be acceptable according to Holy Scripture.

Concurrence is God's sovereignty plus our responsibility. The Bible teaches both. Consider this illustration. The farmer plows the soil, sows the seed, and continues to cultivate the field. Yet, only God can give the increase. This was the illustration given by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). Here we understand the sovereignty of God concurrent with our responsibility.

God is sovereign over all. He is the Almighty, beside whom there is no other. He is the Creator, sustaining and ruling over all. Yet, God has given us choice that makes us responsible and accountable to Him. Therein, we find the basis of God's judgment. Therefore, God speaks to us in the Bible with exhortations and commands.

Concurrence is God's sovereignty including our responsibility. Theological systems that teach God's sovereignty without our responsibility will lead to the error of fatalism. God's sovereignty and our responsibility are always concurrent.

God's Sure Mercies

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David" (Isaiah 55:3). The everlasting covenant promises us a personal relationship with God. We know from the Bible, that it is God's will to extend mercy, even the sure mercies of David. God made covenant with David concerning the coming of Christ (2 Samuel 7:12-16). It was a sure promise, because it was the promise of God fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's sure mercies are for us are in covenant with Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21). God's oath of promise is to have sure mercies upon us in Christ alone. It's God's sworn promise through the everlasting covenant. Simply stated, covenant means that God will never change His mind.

God's sure mercies for us are secured at the cross of Jesus. He died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. God declared it to be true by raising Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9). All who believe the gospel of Christ are in covenant with God.

God's sure mercies promise to cleanse believers from all sin through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7-9). The covenant sure mercies of God in the Lord Jesus Christ saves all who believe (Acts 16:31). God's everlasting covenant mercies are sure to us by faith in Christ.

Election Is In Christ

Election is in Christ unto salvation from eternal judgment. Christ is our deliverance from condemnation. Election is God the Father's choice to save sinners in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). Reprobation is the opposite of election. It is the reprobate's choice to reject God's salvation in Christ (John 3:18).

Election is in Christ by God's grace. He saves us from the condemnation of our sin. God's grace is his goodness, leading us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The reprobate chooses to obstinately reject the goodness of God's grace in Christ.

Election is confirmed through faith in Christ (2 Peter 1:1,10); reprobation is confirmed through continual rejection of Christ. Election gives mercy to sinners through Christ crucified (Romans 5:8). Christ risen from the dead brings justification to sinners by faith alone (Romans 4:5; 10:9). The reprobate is hardened in his own sin that rejects Christ forever.

Election is in Christ by God's active will to save us as believers. Reprobation is God's passive will to let others continue in their sin and unbelief. Election is the will of God in Christ (1 Peter 1:1-2). Reprobation is the will of man in sin (John 5:40).

Election is in Christ to the praise of God's glory. God saves us by faith in Christ to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). God passively allows those who are reprobate to reject Christ unto their own just condemnation (John 3:19).