Christianity: More than a relationship
Jesus: More than a Man (Fully God)
People are saying two different things that have a common thread:
- I don’t have a religion. I have a relationship with Jesus.
- I don’t have a religion. I have my own spirituality.
Christianity is, by all definitions, a religion. A simple definition of religion is, “a personal or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.”
Most likely, you are an adherent of the Christian religion.
As J.I. Packer has said: “Here are two mysteries for the price of one–the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus. …Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation,” writes contemporary theologian J.I. Packer.
Christianity is anchored in the person, work, and ministry of Jesus. What Jesus has done and is doing is essential for the continuance of the Christian faith. Much of our Christian faith is not about us but about Jesus’ role in meeting the requirements of the Holy God.
Let us consider the amazing ministry of Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 we learn what is of “first importance.”
- That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures
- That he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures.
- That he appeared to many
We will be studying, in this series, God’s wrath toward sin and how only God could bring justice to God’s demands.
God’s wrath toward sin is a function of God’s holiness and of his acts of judgment and reward. 1 Peter 1:16, Hebrews 10:30
Let’s look at God’s wrath:
- “God’s wrath is “the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness:
- it issues in a positive outgoing of the divine displeasure.
- And this is righteous anger – the right reaction of moral perfection in the Creator toward moral perversity in the creature.” J.I. Packer “In My Place Condemned He Stood”
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the Godlessness and wickedness of people…” Romans 1:18
Consider Romans 2:5-11 in matters of God’s wrath toward sin.
Since our sin is the object of God’s wrath, Jesus death for our sins is a matter of first importance.
Jesus death, when applied to your life by faith, removes the sin toward which God’s wrath is directed.
MCA Church LIFE Groups
Connecting with each other
- Do you hope that Anchorage gets 3.3 more inches of snow and set the record?
Digging Deeper into the Weekend Lesson.
- How easy or difficult is it to make Jesus’ death for our sin a matter of first importance? 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
- What does God’s holiness require? 1 Peter 1:16
- Can a human meet the righteous demands of God’s holiness? Titus 3:4-7
- This reveals the power of God’s love. Romans 5:8
Pray for greater ability to make or keep Jesus’ death for our sins a matter of first importance.