#45 CHRIST IS 8-27-26
We will never exhaust the great truths about Christ Jesus. We may study them for a lifetime and still feel that we have only stood at the shoreline of an ocean without beginning or end. Three of those truths are these:
CHRIST IS GOD. Jesus is not merely a good man, a great teacher, or a prophet sent from God. He is God who came among us. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Then John tells us something astonishing: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The One who was with God and was God became flesh. Jesus could say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Paul declared that in Christ “dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). When we look at Jesus, we are not looking at someone less than God. We are looking upon God revealed in human flesh.
And because Christ is God, Christ is worthy of our worship. Thomas saw the risen Christ and answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Heaven itself declares the worth of the Lamb, giving Him the praise, honor, glory, and worship that belong to God (Revelation 5:12-14). Christianity does not begin with merely admiring Jesus. It begins with bowing before Him.
CHRIST IS GRACE. The God who came to us in Christ did not come because we deserved Him. He came because He loved us. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). Grace has a face. Grace has hands. Grace walked the roads of Galilee. Grace touched lepers, welcomed sinners, forgave the guilty, received the broken, and finally stretched out His hands upon a cross.
“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). Salvation is not something we can purchase, achieve, or deserve. It comes to us through Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). The cross is the greatest demonstration of grace the world has ever seen. There, the innocent One bore the guilt of the guilty so that guilty people could be brought near to God.
That is why we never outgrow grace. We do not begin our Christian life by grace and then graduate to something better. We live by grace. We stand by grace. We are strengthened by grace. We are kept humble by grace. Everything we have in Christ is a gift. “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
CHRIST IS THE GOAL. This may be the truth we are most likely to forget. We can become so occupied with the blessings of Christianity that we forget Christ Himself. We want forgiveness, peace, joy, answers to prayer, heaven, and victory. All of these are wonderful gifts. But the greatest gift is Christ.
Paul said that his great desire was “that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). He counted everything else as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Christ was not merely the doorway into Paul’s faith. Christ was the destination of his faith.
The goal is not simply to know about Christ. The goal is to know Christ. The goal is not merely to receive His gifts. The goal is to possess Him and be possessed by Him. The goal is not merely to escape hell. The goal is to belong completely to Jesus.
Everything points toward Him. Creation points toward Him. Scripture points toward Him. Redemption points toward Him. The church belongs to Him. History is moving toward Him. And one day faith will become sight when we see Him face to face.
Christ is God, therefore worship Him.
Christ is grace, therefore receive Him.
Christ is the goal, therefore pursue Him.
And perhaps the greatest prayer we can pray is simply this: “Lord Jesus, let me never become so busy with the things of Christianity that I lose sight of Christ.”
For when we have Christ, we have what heaven itself cannot improve upon. He is the beginning, He is the center, and He is the goal. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
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Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see You as You truly are. You are God, worthy of all worship. You are grace, undeserved and overflowing. You are the goal of our faith, the treasure of our hearts, and the One for whom we long. Keep us from becoming satisfied with anything less than You. Let our lives begin with Christ, continue with Christ, and end with Christ. May everything we are and everything we do point to Your glory. Amen.
BDD
