Cling to Christ
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Introduction
Introduction
How many of you have played the game Jenga? There is a tower of bricks and each player takes turns removing one brick at a time and placing it on top. The one who causes the tower to fall loses.
There are some who view theology as if it is a Jenga tower. They seems to think that there is liberty to remove bricks, put them back in a different place, and think that everything is just fine and dandy. While it is true that there are some doctrines that carry less weight and affect fewer things in the grand scheme of things, there are some doctrines that are so foundational to the Christian life that to remove them does not merely change the overall shape of the structure, but it causes the whole thing to fall down.
There are some who play fast and loose with these doctrines and yet act surprised when the tower comes a tumbling down.
Doctrines such as biblical bibliology. Doctrine of the Word of God.
Theology Proper—doctrine of God
Soteriology—the doctrine of salvation.
And several others.
To try to remove these doctrine, change them, or to forsake what the Bible says about them is not simply to alter the structure, but it causes the whole thing to topple over.
This last week I was down in Atlanta for the G3 conference. G3 stands for Gospel, Grace, and Glory. It was conference started by a pastor of a midsize church simply seeking to edify his church by bringing in some quality speakers. The conference has rapidly grown over the years and this year there were nearly 6500 people in attendance in person, and who knows how many more streaming online.
The theme of the conference this year was Biblical Christology. The speakers each taught from key texts that highlight and magnify the glory of Christ. The teaching was good, the fellowship was sweet, and it was great to see that there are still so many individuals in our nation that are still holding the line on biblical theology and standing for the word of God.
As I listened to the speakers this week, there is a passage that came to my mind which underscores the necessity of holding the line on biblical Christology.
Biblical Christology is one of those foundational doctrines with which we cannot play fast and loose. We cannot hope to alter it and think that it will not cause the tower to fall. The Bible is crystal clear on who Jesus Christ is, what he is down, and what our response to him ought to be.
So today, as I was reminded of the critical nature of the centrality of Christ over this week, we are going take a one-week break from our Philippians study to consider the importance of the doctrine of Christ.
Turn with me to 2 John.
2 John is one of the more unique letters that we have. It is very short, and it was not addressed to a whole church but rather to “the elect, or chosen, Lady and her children”
The letter is a simple one, containing just a few simple reminders: love one another. Watch out for those who deny the doctrine of Christ.
Look with me at verse 9
9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
The concept of “going on ahead” is the idea of stepping beyond an established boundary. There is a line, and someone crossed it. They’ve gone on ahead. I prefer the translation of the New American Standard Bible here:
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
Some go too far. Some leave the established teaching of Scripture and invent ideas about Christ that are not contained in Scripture.
John gives us a solemn warning: do not go there.
Earlier in the letter he wrote about one specific way we can go too far:
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
In John’s day there were some who denied that Jesus Christ really came in the flesh. Some believed, based on pagan philosophy, that anything physical is necessarily evil. Therefore, Jesus could not have come in the flesh, but merely appeared to be in the flesh. But ultimately it was a mirage.
John says this is heresy. This is abject heresy.
There were a few other similar heresies that were floating around that the church had to deal with in some form over the years.
But John is adamant. We don’t bend on this! We don’t veer here. We don’t go beyond, go too far, go on ahead, of what the Scripture clearly teaches.
John clearly understands Scripture to be teaching something specific about Christ. We don’t have time to look into everything that Scripture says about who Christ, is, but it may be helpful to see what else John wrote about Jesus Christ.
Turn with me back to the Gospel of John, chapter 1.
We are going to trace a few key themes throughout the Gospel of John.
John wrote with a specific purpose. If you read through the Gospel of John you will notice that there is constant tension, comparison, and contrast between those who outright reject Jesus, those who seem to embrace him, but do so for the wrong reasons, and those who truly believe in him. John is very concerned about the identity of who Jesus Christ is and the proper response that we ought to have in light of who he is.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Post resurrection moments
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
He is the Christ! He is the Messiah! He is the one prophesied of long ago! HE has come! He lived! God made flesh! He died, he rose again!
9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
This is what makes false religions and cults so tragic!
JWs
Mormons
Prosperity Gospel
Brahnamites
Islam
This is why this purpose statement is so important.
we proclaim Christ!
not just any version of Christ we’d like, but the true Christ. The one from the pages of Scripture.
We must cling to the doctrine of Christ. We must adhere to what had been handed down to us in the pages of Scripture!
But we must not only cling to the doctrine of Christ. We must cling to Christ Himself.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
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