141
K i n ' g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
March 1928
T h e
The Indispensable Christ B OME prominent “ Christian leaders” today tell us that the historical Christ is not essen tial to Christianity— that even if we should find that such a person never lived, it would not affect Christianity in the least. Prof. Charles Bentheir, a former Baptist minister, is quoted as saying: “ Jesus made religion a personal matter. His Messianic message was not: Make me and my words the means o f your religion. It was : Let religion be to you and with you what it is to me and with me ; a means of
was not a code but a PERSON . So preoccupied with H IM was the apostle Paul that he said, “ For me to live is CHR IST .” Let us remember there is no salvation apart from HIM . He it is who must be lifted up that men might be drawn to God— not simply a doctrine. What the sun is to the natural world, Christ H IM SELF is to the spiritual world. He is the life-blood o f Christianity. Christianity is CHR IST H IMSELF , or it is a counterfeit.
Contending without a Contentious Spirit T HE other day a friend of ours gave us a copy of
personal life ; an expression o f personal experience; a token of personal relation ship with God and self iden tification with G od ; the King dom of Heaven is within you, and having found it, you are sons and daughters of My Father and your Father.” But he who opens the pages o f Holy Writ does not have to read far to discover that Christianity c e n t e r s about a Divine Person who LIVED and w h o N O W LIVES . Jesus defined Chris tianity in terms of Himself. “ I AM the Bread of life— the light o f the world— the resurrection and the life—the way, the truth, and the life— the vine— the door— the good shepherd.” I AM . Christianity is devotion to the Divine Person of Christ, not just to a creed. “ Come
John Newton’s famous let ters on religious subjects, and although it was published in 1830 the leaves were still un cut. While the print is ex- asperatingly fine, it deserved better, at the hands of the years. It was worth cutting the leaves if for nothing else than to get this choice bit on “ Controversy” : ■ “ There is a principle of self, which disposes us to despise those who differ from us ; and we are often under its influence, when we think we are only showing a be coming zeal in the cause of God. “ Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that .we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do
Follow ME— By Such invita-
not subscribe to our doctrines, o f follow, our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit. Self-righteous ness can feed upon doctrines, as well as upon works : and a man may have the heart of a Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature, and the riches of free grace. “ It seems a laudable service to defend the faith once delivered to the saints; we are commanded to contend earnestly for it, and to convince gainsayers. If ever such defences were seasonable and expedient, they appear to be so in our day, when errors abound on all sides, and every truth of the Gospel is either directly denied, or grossly misrepresented. And yet we find but very few writers of controversy who have not been manifestly hurt by it. Either they grow in a sense of their own impor tance, or imbibe an angry contentious spirit, or they insensibly withdraw their attention from those things which are the food and immediate support of the life of faith, and spend their time and strength upon matters which at most are but of a secondary value. This shows, that if the service is honorable, it is dangerous. What will
unto ME— Confess ME before men— ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved; tions are the very heart of the Christian message. The message of Christ cannot be separated from Christ H IMSELF . Men need JESUS, not merely .a system of teaching or a set of ideals. No man can hope to live the teachings of Christ who does not have CHR IST H IM SELF. . “ Christ IvOeth in me,” said Paul, and this was the secret of his victorious life. Christ is Himself the Gospel. As Dr. Dale' has said: “ He came not so much to preach the Gospel, but that there might be a Gospel to preach.” Faith in Christ H IMSELF is the one condition of His help. “ Ye believe in God—- believe also in ME .” O f those who thus receive Him, he says: “ Neither shall any pluck them out of MY HAND .” “ Because I live, ye shall live.” To all believers He left the. Lord’s supper, a memorial to H IMSELF . “ This do in remembrance of ME .” When we come to the message of the apostles, they are determined to preach nothing else save CHR IST and H IM CRUCIFIED . From first to last their Christianity
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