Foundation of Jesus.
Read time: 6 mins
“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.”
Romans 3:27-31 NLT
The focus of Christianity should always be Jesus and here’s why…
Romans 1:3 & 16 remind us that the Gospel is the good news of Jesus and His gift of salvation through faith in Him. Jesus is the central tenet of all scripture. All scripture leads to and cascades from His work on the cross. You deserved death but because of Jesus you have freedom. Faith in Him is the only thing you bring to this equation, and He even powers that. You cannot do anything to earn salvation, it is all given through Jesus. Now I know you’ve heard that before but If we really believed it Jesus would be the focus of our understanding. If we want what He offers, we would ardently accept Him and willingly allow Him to bear the resulting fruit in us.
If the definition of the Gospel is the good news of Jesus, anything else may be good but it's not the full Gospel. He is the core of our belief and agent of everything we long for. Anything and everything we are celebrating or trying to get out of this Christian journey is predicated on Christ. Jesus is the central figure in this thing. But we often lend our focus to the fruit instead of the root. We focus on the reaction instead of the only person who can truly cause it. And when anything outside of Christ is put in the center of our lives, it's not just out of order. It's idolatry.
What am I trying to say? You remember P.E.M.D.A.S.? The acronym outlines the order of operations in doing algebra. Every variable is important but if you don’t start with the right one first, your entire equation will be solved wrong. There are many things we desire in this Christian journey. We want heart and life change, we want better, we want fruit. It is crucial that we understand every unit of this equation holds its importance, but if we start with anything other than Christ we will come out with the wrong conclusion. And the temptation sometimes is to make the focus of Christianity “what I can do” and not “what He has done.” This puts you at the center instead of Him.
If we profess to be Christians or followers of Christ, we must seek Him and His method of interpretation, theology and worldview. Jesus told us that He is the way the truth and the life and no one can go to the father except by Him (John 14:6). Jesus told us that He is the chief cornerstone and foundation, which means everything we build and produce starts with and is enabled by Him (Matthew 21:42). Jesus told us that all scripture points to Him (John 5:39). Jesus told us that He is the vine and we are merely branches. It is solely by our foundational connection to Him that we bear fruit (John 15:4-5). And in the most famous Bible verse of all time, Jesus tells us that belief in Him is what guarantees eternal life (John 3:16). But Christian history is patterned by a lack of belief in His sufficiency and centrality. We essentially fall subconsciously into a belief that Jesus is good but not good enough. We admit that Jesus is important but assert that more must be necessary for salvation. And this can be seen in how we view the good works in us that come as a result of Him.
I want you to hear me clearly. I’m not saying good works are bad or that they don't matter. I’m not saying they aren't commanded by a good God. I’m not saying we should not submit ourselves to the continual process of sanctification and dying to ourselves daily as we seek God. Works are needed and expected, but as a result of your salvation, not a precursor to it. What I am saying is that we often miss the order of operations. When Christ isn't the first and foremost focus in our life, exegesis and theology, we run the risk of making Christianity us centered and idolatrous. We tend to focus on what I do and not what God has done. At best, this becomes behavior modification but never life transformation. Good works don't save you. They come as a result of being saved. Good works are birthed from your salvation. They don't create it. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone. If we truly want good works our focus would be on connection with the God who produces that in us. The fact is that our good works merit nothing. They are filthy rags. But Jesus is enough. And as a reaction to His action, I can accept His gift of grace and allow the Holy Spirit to help me walk according to my new calling, which encompasses the good works we look for. I just want to emphasize the focus. Jesus, not you. Your focus of a Christian life isn't you being good enough. It’s Jesus being good enough. If we truly understood this we would preach Christ with a fervent urgency instead of trying to force self imposed life change on others without Him.
Ellen White says it like this, “There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or established more firmly in the minds of all than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.”
I used to love Legos. And oftentimes I would just look at the finished picture on the box and try to figure out the creation on my own without instructions. Many of us are looking at the finished picture and trying to accomplish it without the foundation that is Christ. If you’re following an instruction manual to build something, you cannot skip to page 6 and expect to have luck accomplishing the goals outlined on that page, without possessing the necessary foundations found on page 1. Page 1 would set you up for producing the outcome on page 6. In the same way, we cannot live as Christ outlined without first seeking Christ. Oftentimes Christianity becomes a contest to become perfect. This quest found in our own merits and ability only results in a hurried, mean spirited and worried lifestyle; while considering the awe inspiring wonder of the gift and person that Jesus is, results in the desired life change we’re looking for. You cannot change yourself. Only Jesus can. Don’t leave Him out of your desire to grow. Prioritize Him. While good practice and discipline and work ethic can help with things, they’re only truly possible through Christ. We have to recognize that we are helpless without Him and desperately need Him if we desire better. Christ must be first in this equation if we are to have any lasting positive outcome.
Good works are needed and expected. But they aren't what make you right with God. They are a result of being right with God. So choose Jesus first. Paul says an emphasis on faith doesn't mean a disregarding of the law. On the contrary faith is what makes it possible for you to follow the law. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Salvation produces works. Works don't produce salvation. And Salvation comes from Jesus. We need to believe He is who He says He is and is enough. If we want to be saved, He should be our focus. We must use every ounce of our being to desire more of Him. We must believe that Jesus is good enough like He said He was. If we truly believed that, we would focus more on getting to know Jesus and proclaiming His character than policing others. We would apply the love, character and power of Jesus fervently to situations that reek of sin. We would believe that His grace is as powerful as He says it is. Jesus says He is the only way-not your own knowledge or work ethic. If we truly believed in the power of Jesus we would trust the Spirit to do the work in us and others that He promised to do instead of jumping ahead and hurriedly trying to force that work in others ourselves.
I’m crazy enough to believe that Jesus wasn't lying when He said He is sufficient. I’m crazy enough to believe that Jesus will produce the fruit that we couldn’t on our own. Paul says that you are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). This has never been about you. It’s always been about Jesus. The book of Ephesians reminds us that before the world was created God already did the work of bringing us to safety. And if we trust and believe Him, we will be saved. It’s not something we have to earn or create. We simply react to His proactive action. When I consider how unexplainably good God is, I can't help but desire to give myself back to Him in worship and deed. Good works are a result not a cause. Jesus is the first unit in this equation. Don’t put good works first or you run the risk of putting yourself first instead of Him. Let’s focus on Him and truly worship Him for all He has done.
This is why the character of Jesus must be preached. Jesus is so good that words can’t adequately express it. Jesus is the only path to the freedom we desire. Jesus is the only motivator to live for Him. Fear will run out. Worry will calm. But His love will last forever and evoke a response of surrender in all who accept it. If we seek fruit from ourselves, Jesus and His love is the only thing that will evoke that response of surrender. Allow Him to reveal His character to you. As you trust in who He says he is, good works will be made possible. Accept your new reality in Him and you will see freedom. You will see life change.
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*Read this*
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- Pace
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“Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our own sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts. Jesus has said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.”
- Steps to Christ
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:4-10 KJV
