CHRIST OUR EVERYTHING
There is a great hindrance to every disciple’s progress in the things of God. It is self. “We have seen the enemy and the enemy is us.” We are the problem. Many seem to think only in terms of what the devil does to us or the influence that the world has upon us. And, while it is certainly true that the Bible warns us to be on guard against the devil and the ways of the world system that is under his rule, it is equally clear from the word of God that the reason the devil and his world affect us is because we are so selfish.
When one makes up his or her mind that they will follow Christ in true discipleship, it becomes apparent that the great hindrance of self remains active. There can only be one ruler in our lives, and self wants to be that ruler. If we believe God’s promises, then things can be altogether different: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:9-11).
Because of what Christ has done in us and for us, He must become our “everything.” “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) The apostle writes to the immature Corinthians and maintained before them that he had no desire to know anything but Christ. This, to him, was the beginning and the end. He was in need of no wisdom except that which is found in Christ; for indeed he had already revealed in the first chapter that Christ has become for us wisdom from God (1 Cor. 1:30).
He was in need of no more understanding than of that which was directly related to his Master. For the Ephesians and the Colossians he had prayed that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened to know more and more about the riches that they possessed in Christ. He was in need of no further insight into his purpose in the world—for he knew who he was and to whom he belonged. Yes, he continued to grow in his understanding of the “unsearchable riches of Christ,” but outside of that, there was nothing more he needed to know. In short, Paul was a Christ-centered man. His thinking was of Christ, his knowledge was based on Christ, and his motivation sprang forth from a desire to please Christ. All was of Christ, through Christ, and for Christ.
“Gospel preaching” seeks to point others to Christ for every answer to every question. But maintaining this emphasis is not always easy. To decide that Christ, and Christ alone, will be the supreme object of our attention is contrary to what we so often regard as spirituality. It is easier for preachers and church members to talk about him and know about him, than to talk with him or know him personally.
Our carnality in this regard is expressed in a multitude of ways. First, we assure ourselves that we are already to a significant point on this road—that Christ is already all-in-all to us and we do not need to hear of the importance of putting him first over and over. We are there. We understand this—or so we pretend. Let it be realized, however, that in all truthfulness, one who is sincerely seeking Christ will never tire of preaching his preeminence in the believer’s life or helping others to see his sufficiency for every need. The grand old truths of union with Jesus and seeking his kingdom and righteousness first will always be the focus of true gospel preaching and teaching.
The Hebrew writer affirmed that the fruit of our lips should give praise to his name (Heb. 13:15). The sinner drawn from the pit in Psalm 40 promised that he would tell others of the ways of God. Paul told the Ephesians that everything the believer does in word or deed is to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. When the heart is full of Jesus, the lips have something to tell. With Paul, a gospel minister should be able to say without reservation that Christ is “all I know”. He is my everything.
Dewayne Dunaway
