The centrality of Christ

At the centre of the Christian faith is Jesus: He is the one we approach when we approach God; He is the founder of our religion and its focus; He is the centre of our beliefs; He is "Emmanuel", God with us. Other faiths have their founders. Mohammedanism has Mohammed, Buddhism has Buddha....... Yet, not only is Christ the founder of our religion, he is the focus of it; He is God. In other religions the founder is a prophet, someone who claims to show the way to God. Jesus claims of himself that he not only points the way, he is God with us.

When we approach God we often do it in a nondescript way; we ask God to do this, and ask him to do that. We will often pray to God in terms of "God help me......." Yet our God is not a nondescript being of unlimited power, but a person, the person Jesus. When we approach God the Father, we do so through Jesus, for as Jesus said, "If you have seen me you have seen the Father."

The Bible is quite clear on the centrality of Jesus. Jesus himself said, "He who honors not the Son honors not the Father", John 5:23. The apostle Paul always emphasized the centrality of Jesus: "at the name of Jesus" that every knee shall bow", Philippians 2:10; "Christ is all in all", Colossians 3:11.

Think for a moment on the centrality of Christ: He is central in redemption. Peter, speaking before the Jewish Sanhedrin, said of Jesus that "salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to humanity by which we must be saved", Acts 4:12. He is central for access into the presence of God; "No one comes to the Father but by me." He is central in revelation; the apostle Paul said, "In Christ all the fullness of the deity dwells bodily", Colossians 2:9. In Colossians 1:14-20 we see Christ's central place in creation, revelation and redemption.

In the service of Holy Communion we actually experience the centrality of Christ. In this service we reaffirm the benefits we have received through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. The benefits, of course, being forgiveness and friendship with God. The only thing we offer God in the service is thanksgiving for his grace to us in Christ.

So, let's make Jesus the centre of our living, for he is the centre of all things.

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