The Centrality of Christ in Christian Theology

Now while this is obviously and clearly not the starting point of biblical Doctrine it is certainly the core and the center of biblical Doctrine this is the 23rd time that we meet together so it obviously isn't the first Doctrine or the beginning of the doctrine we start with the great doctrine of God and how God has revealed himself and men and his need and so on but uh obviously we come to this which as I say is the core and the center of biblical Doctrine because the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ is at one and the same time the Central and the most stupendous fact in the history of redemption. [00:58:36]

The Bible itself makes it very plain and clear that the whole essence of the Christian position is dependent upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ now that is in many ways what you may call the differentia of Christianity that is the thing that separates the Christian faith from all other religions in the other religions the names associated with them the names of men associated with them are not absolutely essential to them if uh the Buddha had never existed you could still have Buddhism if Muhammad had never lived you could still have muhammadanism the leaders the founders while important in such religions are not absolutely essential to them in other religions it is the teaching that matters and the person is not absolutely essential other persons might have done it equally well and the teaching would remain unaffected but that isn't the case with the Christian faith Christianity as has often been pointed out is Christ the person himself is not only Central he is absolutely vital. [03:13:28]

The New Testament itself exorts us to do this why do you think the four gospels were ever written surely there can be no hesitation about answering that question they were written God caused men to write them and guided them through the spirit as they did write them in order that the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ might be known exactly there were all sorts of false stories current at the time in the first century there were apocryphal gospels things were being ascribed to him and disperson and he was reported to have done and said things which he never had done nor said and the gospels are written in order to define the truth in order to exclude certain things and in order to State these other things plainly and clearly. [07:31:36]

The Bible also exalts us to consider him because he is the only one by whom we can be reconciled to God and by whom we can know God we read in Hebrews 12:24 that he is the mediator of the New Covenant he said himself I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me anyone who says a thing like that must be looked at in considered any man who values his salvation and wants to know God must listen to such a person no man cometh unto the father but by me he said and then do you remember what we are told he said after his resurrection you read Luke 24:46 and 47 and you'll find this thus it is written and thus it beh hearded Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name among all nations. [26:09:36]

One that he is the one in whose hands all things are all power has been given to him in heaven and in Earth he has all might and dominion and authority and power and is raised up over every other right and dominion and authority and power everything has been given to him in Revelations 5 we are told that he is the only one who can control and unfold history there was no one who was strong enough to break the seals of the book of History except the lion of the tribe of Judah the lamb that once were slain but he can do so and does so he's the Lord of History he is controlling the whole of History. [28:12:36]

This is a staggering and a stupendous thought that all history is in the hands of this person everything that happens in this world is under him and under his control everything without any exception he is the Lord Of Glory and the Lord of history and all things are under his feet under his head he sits at the right hand of the the authority and the glory of God. [29:36:39]

The final reason which the Bible gives us for considering him is this that he is the one by whom the world is going to be judged and this is where we are all vitally concerned he claimed this himself take John 5:17 for instance and has given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man Paul in preaching to the Learned Athenians says as recorded in Acts 1731 that God has appointed a day in which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by the men whom he ha ordained of which he says he has given notice in that Heath raised him from the dead the Lord of History will be the judge of the whole world the father has committed judgment unto him. [30:05:48]

Now in the doctrine of the Incarnation we are concerned of course with the first part of that statement great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest In the Flesh now what do this MO what is this Doctrine stti I'm simply going to give you my definition tonight and uh next Friday God willing we'll go on to break it up and show what it does say and what it doesn't say more in detail but let's be clear about the comprehensive statement the statement is this that the Eternal Son of God the second person in the Blessed Holy Trinity has taken on him or has taken unto himself human nature notice what I'm saying I am not saying that when Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem that a new personality came into being that is wrong that is not true that's error that is anaris the doctrine of the Incarnation says that the Eternal second person in the Blessed Trinity entered into time took unto himself and into himself human nature and was born as a babe lived a life as a man and appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh. [32:29:32]

The essence of the statement is that the one who was born was not coming into being there was not starting his existence as a person no it is this eternal person the second person in the Blessed Trinity who now assumes this form enters the life of men in the world comes into the world now there are endless statements in the scriptures which put it like that and which emphasize that one of course of the most notable which we'll have to consider in Greater detail later is that great passage in Philippians 2: 5-8 but there are many prophecies in the Old Testament which put it in the same way the son of righteousness shall come with healing in his wing and all these other statements which talk about his coming or his appearing he doesn't start there he comes from eternity from the bosom of the Blessed God himself and thus enters into life and into time and into history in that particular. [35:49:32]

The progression of ideas the progression of our thought something must be done by God before men can be saved we have the assurance that it's going to be done in the Covenant and all the Covenant points to this person he's at the center of this book the book asks us to consider him for the reasons I've given and then we having listened and having obeyed we come and look at him and what are we told about him that is the stupendous fact with which we start the doctrine the mirle of the Incarnation the Son of God entering into the world into time and into history and as we come to break that idea up we shall see what a glorious and astounding truth it is why it had to happen in that way and then we shall go on to consider the details which will involve the consideration obviously of the doctrine of the Virgin birth and after that we shall have to go on to consider what we are told about his deity and then about his Humanity and how these two are reconciled or exist together in the one person and so we shall be plunging right into the midst of this most wonderful and most glorious doctr concerning the mystery and the Marvel of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. [37:19:00]