“Paul said if Christ ain’t resurrected, we wastin’ our lives, but that implies that our life’s built around Jesus being alive.”
-Lecrae
The great theologian Lecrae (phrase copyright Frank Immanuel Weise III) is onto something, as he echoes the Apostle Paul who was definitely onto something when he wrote to the Corinthians about the central importance of the deity of Jesus Christ. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain,” he says (1 Corinthians 15:12-18, pleading with the Corinthian church to cherish the resurrection and glory in the person and the power of Jesus Christ.
If the Gospel is the theme song of the Christian, than Christ is the joyous, glorious chorus and refrain. He is the call to abandon all other hopes of salvation and satisfaction and to run into the arms of God-given grace. God’s grace is not cheap, though. Bonehoeffer reminds us of this in The Cost of Discipleship.
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
The grace found in the Gospel through Jesus Christ is a grace that demands everything from us. It is a grace that was manifested in abundant love on the cross, and it is a grace that compels us to follow and to abandon all other worldly avenues. If the central, all-glorified person of Christ we are justified and made clean, and our messages, ministries, missions, and very lives hinge on His person and work.
How much do you focus on the central, glorious theme of Christ? When you think of the Gospel and its impact on your life, do you glory in Christ or in your own freedom? If you are saved, do you know that your discipleship allegiance is to Christ and to no other ambition? Think about Christ’s love for you and the tremendous bounds of costly grace poured out for the Church on the cross. When you think about the Gospel this Easter and continually throughout the year, pray and strive by the Holy Spirit to make Christ the center of your focus and the whole of your admiration and devotion. If our lives center around it, it’s the only option we have!
εν Χριστώ
-Riley
Excellent post and it is vital to constantly remind ourselves that, “The grace found in the Gospel through Jesus Christ is a grace that demands everything from us. It is a grace that was manifested in abundant love on the cross, and it is a grace that compels us to follow and to abandon all other worldly avenues. If the central, all-glorified person of Christ we are justified and made clean, and our messages, ministries, missions, and very lives hinge on His person and work.”
I really hope to see more followers of Christ step up in the Church. As I said on Sunday, I’m convinced that Christ calls all of his followers to step up in ministry; whether vocationally or not. Right now too many of us depend on others’ work and don’t work “heartily as for the Lord” (Colossians 3). Ministry forces us to continually be “focus[ed] on the central, glorious theme of Christ.”
Great post again, Riley, and let’s not forget the meaning of this holiday. Treasure Christ and treasure the Gospel.
First of all, great post.
Second of all, the correct phrase is “the great rapper-theologian Lecrae”.