Christ is all!

[Martin Marprelate]

Col. 1:28. 'Him we preach.....'
I wonder if anyone finds that a little surprising? Shouldn't it be 'which we preach'? Aren't we supposed to preach the doctrines concerning our Lord and the way of salvation. Yet Paul says here that we are to preach Christ.

2 Tim. 1:12. 'For I know whom I have believed.....'
Again, Paul doesn't say, 'I know what I have believed.' Nor does He say, 'I know about whom I have believed. I have studied Christian doctrine and the Bible to the point where I could answer questions on them on Mastermind, so now I'm all sorted out with God.'

John 14:6. 'I am the way, the truth and the life.......'
Again, it is not the doctrines concerning Christ that are the way to heaven, He is.

Of course we need to know our doctrine and our Bible; we can't know a person, unless we know something about Him. But the doctrines and the learning are means to an end, and that end is Christ. 'That I may gain Christ, and be found in Him.....' (Phil. 3:8-9). The rest is rubbish (or worse), says Paul. To have all knowledge, all the arguments at your fingertips, and not to know Christ, is abysmal failure.

I found this lovely quotation by a 19th Century preacher called W.S. Plumer:

Jesus Christ is a wonderful, a glorious Person. To look away from oneself and one's own works to Christ, is to lay hold on eternal life. Safety consists in fleeing to Him and abiding in Him. When He is in the ascendant, the night flees away, and the morning comes- a morning without clouds. His names and titles are as important as they are significant. Every one of them is as ointment poured forth.....His people sit under His shadow with great delight and His fruit is sweet to their taste. To them He is altogether lovely.
He is their advocate, the angel of the covenant, the author and finisher of faith. He is as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood; the alpha and omega; the Beloved, the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, the bread of life, the righteous Branch, the bridegroom, the brightness of His Father's glory and the express image of His Person. He is a bundle of myrrh.
To His saints He is and is owned to be Creator, captain, counsellor, covenant, cornerstone, a covert from the tempest and the chiefest among 10,000. He is to them as the dew, the door into the fold, a daysman, a day-star, a deliverer, a diadem, and the desire of all nations, ranks and generations of pious men.
In their eyes He is the Elect, the Emmanuel, the everlasting father and eternal life. He is a Fountain of living water to thirsty souls, of joy to troubled souls, of life to dying souls. He is the foundation.....He is the Father of eternity, the fir-tree under whose shadow the saints rejoice, the first and the last, the first fruits of the greatest harvest ever gathered, the first-born among many brethren and the first-begotten from the dead.
To His chosen He is as the most fine gold. a guide, a governor, a glorious Lord, God, the true God, God over all, forever blessed. He is the Head of the Church, the health, the hope, the husband, the heritage, the habitation of His people. He is the horn of their salvation.....He is the Jehovah, the inheritance, Judge and King of His saints He is their light, their life, their Lord, their leader, their lawgiver, their atoning Lamb, the lily of the valley, the lion of the tribe of Judah.
He is the Man Christ Jesus, the master, the mediator, the messenger of the covenant, the minister of the true sanctuary, which the Lord pitched and not man. He is the mighty God of Isaiah, ........ the Melchizadek of David and of Paul, the bright and morning star of John and the Messiah of all the prophets.
He is the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is at once the root and offspring of David. He is the Peace, the prince, the prophet, the potentate, the purifier, the propitiation of our sins, the physician of souls, the plant of renown, the power of God unto salvation, the Passover of all saints. He is the polished shaft in the quiver of God.
He is the Rock, the refuge, the ruler, the ransom, the refiner, the Redeemer, the righteousness and the resurrection of all who walk in white. He is the rose of Sharon. He is the Seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David, the stem of Jesse, the Son of God, the Son of man, the shield the strength, the surety, the Shiloh, the sacrifice, the sanctuary, the salvation, the sanctification, and the sun of righteousness to all believers.
He is that holy Thing that was born of Mary. He is the truth the treasure, the teacher, the temple, the tree of life, the great testator of His Church. He is the way, the well of salvation, the Word of God, the wisdom of God, the faithful witness. He is THE WONDERFUL.

W.S. Plumer, Rock of our Salvation. Sprinkle Publications, 1995.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

It is interesting that a thread on drink has had over 100 comments in a day, while a thread entitled 'Christ is all!' gets none.

 

[agedman]

Martin,

I think you have hit the exact Key of what Paul also stated in Philippians 3:

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

It is one thing to preach about, and a whole other matter to teach and preach what one knows by experience and and intimate fellowship.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Martin,

I think you have hit the exact Key of what Paul also stated in Philippians 3:

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

It is one thing to preach about, and a whole other matter to teach and preach what one knows by experience and and intimate fellowship.

:thumbs: From one aged man to another- thanks for commenting.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Col. 1:28. 'Him we preach.....'
I wonder if anyone finds that a little surprising? Shouldn't it be 'which we preach'? Aren't we supposed to preach the doctrines concerning our Lord and the way of salvation. Yet Paul says here that we are to preach Christ.

2 Tim. 1:12. 'For I know whom I have believed.....'
Again, Paul doesn't say, 'I know what I have believed.' Nor does He say, 'I know about whom I have believed. I have studied Christian doctrine and the Bible to the point where I could answer questions on them on Mastermind, so now I'm all sorted out with God.'

John 14:6. 'I am the way, the truth and the life.......'
Again, it is not the doctrines concerning Christ that are the way to heaven, He is.

Of course we need to know our doctrine and our Bible; we can't know a person, unless we know something about Him. But the doctrines and the learning are means to an end,
and that end is Christ. 'That I may gain Christ, and be found in Him.....' (Phil. 3:8-9). The rest is rubbish (or worse), says Paul. To have all knowledge, all the arguments at your fingertips, and not to know Christ, is abysmal failure.

I found this lovely quotation by a 19th Century preacher called W.S. Plumer:

W.S. Plumer, Rock of our Salvation. Sprinkle Publications, 1995.

Tell that to theJews

 

[tyndale1946]

It is interesting that a thread on drink has had over 100 comments in a day, while a thread entitled 'Christ is all!' gets none.

Not strange at all, you just haven't been on here long enough!... Brother Glen

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Not strange at all, you just haven't been on here long enough!... Brother Glen

Wonder how that would play out in the Calvy cafe???

 

[McCree79]

.'

John 14:6. 'I am the way, the truth and the life.......'
Again, it is not the doctrines concerning Christ that are the way to heaven, He is.

Absolutely He is the only way. But just like you state further down. One must have a doctrine of Christ that reflects Him as Lord and Saviour. You must have a doctrine of Christology that reflects the Son of man for who is. The quote you posted describes Christ very eloquently and in fact one of the most comprehensive descriptions I have read.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[SovereignGrace]

Wonderful post, Martin. :thumbsup: