I Would Forget Everything Except Jesus Christ

Meditations on the Epistles of Saint John

November 4, 2020

I Would Forget Everything Except Jesus Christ

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2 John 1:7

I have noticed in the last several years more and more discussion, writings and books about the question of whether Jesus was a very wise teacher, but just a human being, or is he God. Many of these are taking inspiration from the Apostle John: “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve” (2 John 1:8a). John was concerned for the church because many deceivers had gone out into the world and denied that Jesus Christ came in a real body. (2 John 1:7) That was John’s way of confronting false teachers, who he saw as a very real threat to the church. The Apostle Paul dealt with this same subject in almost all of his letters.

The church in the USA has undergone a dramatic shift in the last several years. Gone, or at least gone for the most part, is our two-thousand-year heritage of church architecture with our narthex, altars, chancels, paraments, sacraments and robes. In their place are preachers in un-tucked shirts, platforms, and auditoriums without crosses, but with coffee cafes. Let me be clear, I preached many sermons in a Guayabera shirt, and if the new ways are proclaiming, “Whoever has the Son has life; There is salvation in no one else!” -- I am OK with their style. My concern is that we do not lose sight of the essential tenants of faith in Jesus Christ. Regrettably, some popular preachers are leaning more to motivational talks about don’t worry, be happy than joining the Apostle Paul in Gospel messages that begin with, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

My Takeaway: It is not liturgy that saves us, so I am OK with non-liturgical forms of worship. It is Jesus who saves, and I am not OK with forms of worship that are not centered on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.