Christ Himself the Content of Christian Faith
Christ Himself is the very life content of the Christian faith, making it relevant to each one of us right now as a contemporary experience.
Major W. Ian Thomas emphasizes that Christianity is more than just a religion or ethical code; it is a contemporary experience where Christ Himself is the life content of the faith, empowering believers to live out His demands. Christ's death not only saves from a bad conscience but also paves the way for divine action, reconciling us to God and continually saving us through His life. Upon responding to God's call, believers are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, not by their own works but by God's mercy and the work of Jesus Christ.
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There is something, which makes Christianity more than a religion, more than an ethic, and more than the idle dream of the sentimental idealist. It is this something, which makes it relevant to each one of us right now as a contemporary experience. It is the fact that Christ Himself is the very life content of the Christian faith. It is He who makes it "tick." "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (I Thessalonians 5:24). The One who calls you is the One who does that to which He calls you. "For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). He is Himself the very dynamic of all His demands.
Christ did not die simply that you might be saved from a bad conscience, or even to remove the stain of past failure, but to "clear the decks" for divine action. You have been told that Christ died to save you. This is gloriously true in a very limited, though vital sense. In Romans 5:10 we read, "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." The Lord Jesus Christ therefore ministers to you in two distinct ways - He reconciles you to God by His death, and He saves you by His life.
This, however, is but the beginning of the story, "for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, (now an accomplished fact,) we shall be saved (as a continuing process) by His life" (Romans 5:10). The glorious fact of the matter is this no sooner has God reconciled to Himself the man who has responded to His call, than He re-imparts to him, as a forgiven sinner, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and this restoration to him of the Holy Spirit constitutes what the Bible calls regeneration, or new birth. Titus 3:5 and 6, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour."
Sermon Outline
- I. Christ as the Content of Christian Faith
- A. Christ makes Christianity more than a religion or ethic
- B. Christ is the dynamic of all His demands
- II. Christ's Ministry
- A. Reconciles us to God by His death
- B. Saves us by His life
- III. Regeneration and the Holy Spirit
- A. Re-imparts the presence of the Holy Spirit
- B. Constitutes regeneration or new birth
Key Quotes
“Christ Himself is the very life content of the Christian faith.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“The One who calls you is the One who does that to which He calls you.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Recognize that Christ's death and life are the foundation of our faith and salvation.
- Understand that regeneration or new birth is a gift from God, restoring the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
- Trust in God's mercy and salvation, which is available to us through Jesus Christ our Saviour.