Jesus Our All in All (#5)

I'm going to continue to quote from "Jesus Manifesto" by Frank Viola (and Leonard Sweet) because of more wonderful material there about this Person who really is too good to be true: Jesus!

"According to Scripture, Jesus Christ (and not a doctrine about Him) is the truth. In addition, Jesus Christ (and not an ethic derived from His teaching) is the way. In other words, both God's truth and God's way are embodied in a living, breathing person - Christ...

When Christ is understood in terms of a cohesive theological system, Jesus becomes subordinated to a human description. The 'idea' of Jesus is treated as the equivalent of the reality of Christ. We are then hindered from growing in His life, being tied down to a frozen construction of Him...

When Christ is understood in terms of an ethical standard, He becomes simply a means. There is one thing that all ethical teachers have in common. In every case, they are only a means to an end. They are merely the vehicles of something far more important - their ethical teaching. Once a person has leaned the teaching, he or she could lose the memory and identity of the teacher and still possess his teaching...this is not the case with Christianity. Jesus Christ is the main event. He...is the end and goal...

Aristotle said to his disciples, 'Follow my teachings.' Socrates...Buddha... Confucius...and Muhammad said to his disciples, 'Follow my teachings/sayings/meditations/noble pillars.'

But Jesus says to His disciples, 'Follow Me.'

While Jesus is flawless, our religious sensibilities - whether our doctrinal or ethical systems - are always subject to error. Thus they are only redeemable as they are made subject to Christ's constant transformation.

The end of existence is not understanding faith. It is living faith - a walk of utter dependence upon and loving attentiveness to Jesus Christ.

G.K. Chesterton: 'Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.'"

Jesus, You are our Life and Portion and Goal! How wonderful that being in You is about getting to know and love a Person who is magnificent and beautiful in every way. Oh, send forth Your gracious and powerful Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts and minds to see You more clearly. Strip away all that dims our view of You, most of all that which religion has constructed to obscure Your beauty. Thank You for Your fiery zeal towards us, dear Lord! You will do this for us...thank YOu, thank You!