| THURSDAY | May 14 |
Christ Our Salvation
It's easy for Christians to get sidetracked. For some, the focus of their faith is either on the Bible, or on the church, or on the traditions or doctrines of their church. While all these have their role, they can be very problematic if they turn us away from Jesus, who alone is the Source of our salvation.
As Seventh-day Adventists, we often refer to the "truth" as the focus of our faith. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as we do not reduce our concept of truth to a list of doctrines to which we intellectually ascribe. Our faith should find its center in the truth as we find it in Jesus. We believe in a Person who has revealed our God to us, who has come to redeem us, who presently is our heavenly Mediator, and who will return to take us home. This must be of primary importance to us.
What do such passages as Ephesians 2:4-10 and Titus 2:11-14 teach us about the centrality of Christ in our faith?
Ephesians 2:4-10 is an extraordinarily rich passage. It underlines several times that we are saved by grace. This grace is described as "incomparable riches" (vs. 6, NIV), which issue from God's "great love for us" (vs. 4, NIV). This grace is gratis, free. It cannot be earned. Our works do not bring us eternal life. If that were the case, we would have reason to boast about our own goodness. It is God's grace that will bring visible changes in our daily lives and that will enable us to do "good" works (vs. 10). But even these good deeds are, essentially, God's work in us.
What magnificent description of the centrality of Jesus Christ to our faith do we find in Paul's words as recorded in Acts 17:28? See also Gal. 2:16-20.
How should the doctrines we have as Adventists help us better understand what Christ has done for us? Suppose, for instance, that you believed in eternal torment in hell. How would that, or other false teachings, impact your understanding of Christ? Why then are correct doctrines so important in helping us come to know Jesus better?
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