“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
2 Corinthians 11:3
At the center of the Christian faith stands Jesus of Nazareth, God’s ultimate self-disclosure and mankind’s only hope. The Scriptures remind us constantly to look to Him and consider Him (Hebrews 12:2-3). He is called “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:2). The Lord Jesus not only stands at the center of the Christian religion, but the center of human and cosmic history. Considering the Lord’s credentials, qualifications and accomplishments, one would think that keeping the mind stayed on Him would not be a problem. In our fallen world, however, this is too often not the case, even in the lives of born-again people. Cares, concerns, pressures, and obligations all compete with the Lord for our attention, allegiance, obedience and affection. That is why it is good to remind ourselves of the centrality and simplicity of Christ and His Gospel. He is the sure, immovable and unchangeable foundation of our faith (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Scriptures from beginning to end give testimony to Him and His Gospel (John 5:39; Revelation 19:10). He is the one thing that is needful (Luke 10:42), the only way to a right relationship with God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Though His Gospel has a depth to it that will keep the most brilliant minds occupied for eternity, it is nevertheless simple enough for even children to understand and respond to in faith to the saving of their souls (2 Timothy 3:15-16). Many despise the simplicity of the Gospel, insisting that we have some part in our own salvation. The earliest manifestation of this heresy was on the part of the Judaizers, who insisted that in order to be saved one must observe the outward requirements of the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:1). Even though Paul warned the church against this kind of blasphemous folly in the strongest terms possible (Romans 4:4-5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 1-6), the church has nevertheless struggled with having its attention pulled from Christ and onto lesser things. The great theme of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that Christ is better than anything that has come before. He is better than angels, or Moses, or the Law, or any of the priests and prophets who have come before. He is Almighty God, manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). He is our blessed hope (1 Timothy 1:1) and our faithful Provider (Philippians 4:19). Let us fix our attention squarely on Him, knowing that God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).
God bless you my dear friends,
Pastor John
English