God is Relationship
The Son
Christianity without Jesus is a hollow trap
Have you ever reflected on the fact that the Gospel message is not merely that God has made a way for humans to reconnect with Him, but that He initiated the process by being incarnate as a human Himself? Our faith does not rely on shrewdly interpreted ancient proverbs or the esoteric visions of hermits and seers. To ensure that we saw clearly what God was like, He was born as a human and lived in our midst (cf. John 1:14).
Western culture has taken much from the vast treasury of Jesus’s life and teaching. However, as we continue into a post-Christian world, people advocate more and more for divorcing the principles of Christianity from the person of Jesus. We, Christ’s beloved and His disciples, must not fall victim to that influence.
Jesus transcends our social categories and calls us to do the same.
Do you find yourself following a principle, or a person?
In this teaching, I advocate for loyalty to Christ above loyalty to the principles we ascribe to Christ. The Good News was not new tablets with 10 Commandments on them, it was a call to relationship with God through Jesus. The story of Christ told in the New Testament and the demonstration the character of God by Jesus when He walked among us gave birth to emancipation movements, advocacy for women and children’s rights, economic stability and prosperity, and much more. But we must be very careful to pursue the cause rather than the effect if we want to avoid stripping Christ from our faith.
Relationship with Jesus can (and often will) result in that and similar fruit, but we need to trust Him to have the impact He wants in our life, relationships, and circle of influence. If we chase the results we assume He wants, we open ourselves up to error. The antidote to all this? Make intimacy with Jesus your highest and constant goal.
Consider the following response:
Read John 3:1-21. Imagine yourself having a conversation like Nicodemus did. What questions would you ask Him? Which ones would He brush aside and which ones would He answer different from what you expected? Post the questions and answers you think might take place in that conversation.