The Wednesday Word ~ 29 November, 2023 A.D.
The Gospel and the Believer, Part 2
by D. G. Miles McKee
“And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the
preeminence.” -Colossians 1:18 [KJV] I
once had a friend who was a devotee of a certain Indian Guru. My friend
would sit for hours looking within himself and having all manner of
so-called experiences. When he neglected to meditate, his quality of
life, he said, was not nearly as good. He claimed that meditation on
the ‘Divine Light’ within him brought peace and joy. His was a classic
case of subjectivism. His experience and condition were the centre of
his spiritual life. He and
his fellow devotees would congregate weekly and encourage one another
to keep growing in their inward experiences. Sounds familiar doesn’t
it? It sounds like they were having a testimony meeting or some kind of
a mid-week church meeting! But it wasn’t church; it wasn’t Christian.
The Lamb of God was not the centre. Their experience was the core of
their so-called spiritual lives. Now,
let’s ask a question. Over there we have this ‘Indian Guru’ group of
people meeting to encourage one another in their so-called faith. They
sit around and inspire each other in their experience and growth. The
speaker speaks about them and how they can improve their quality of
life. They themselves are the centre of their meeting. Now here’s the
question, is this a Christian meeting? Well of course not! Why not?
Because, as already stated, the Lamb of God is not the centre! Jesus is
neither the goal nor the sum and substance of their meeting. Now,
in a different location, meeting on the same night, in a different part
of the city, we have another small group of people. They are not
followers of the Indian Guru; they are Christians. Why then is their
meeting to all intents and purposes the same as the Guru group? It’s the
same cat with different whiskers. They encourage one another in their
experience and growth. Their speaker speaks about them and how they can
improve their quality of inner life. They are the centre of their
meeting. Christ and His finished work are not at the core. So, let’s
ask, what’s the difference? Both meetings have the common denominator of
self-centred subjectivism. “Oh no”, I think I hear someone object, “You are too extreme, the Christians are meeting in Jesus’ name!” Are
they indeed? If, in fact, they are meeting in His precious name then
let Him, the Lord Jesus, be the centre of the meeting. Let Him be the
preeminent one. Tell each other about Him. Teach one another about
Him. Give testimonies about Him. Let the gathering of the people be
unto Him (Genesis 49:10)! One
of the many reasons why Christians need to be continually confronted by
the gospel is that we are subjectivists by nature. As Luther said, “We
need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day.” Mark
it down; the gospel is God’s cure for subjectivism. The gospel proclaims
a salvation that has already taken place outside of the believer. It is
a salvation grounded in someone other than us and our performance.
Furthermore, it is a salvation grounded in concrete historical facts.
Bible salvation is not centred in the believer’s experience, but rather
in Christ’s experience for us on our behalf. May it be said of our meetings "…And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him." -Luke 4:20. Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended;Pleads the merit of His blood.Trust on Him; venture wholly,Let no other hope intrude.None but Jesus, none but JesusCan do helpless sinners good.-preacher Joseph Hart And that’s the Gospel Truth!
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