Okay, let’s recap. In the last two blogs we have seen from the Book of Acts that:
· The focus of Peter’s sermons in Acts 2 & 3 was that Jesus, Whom the listeners had crucified, was “the Christ,” and that those who refused to recognize Him as such needed to repent of that sin in order to be saved.
· The daily message of the church in Jerusalem, both in the temple and house to house, was that Jesus was the Christ (5:42). In fact, that fact was identified as the “Gospel” (NIV).
· When Philip the Evangelist went out from Jerusalem, the focus of his evangelistic message was that Jesus was the Christ (8:5)
· When Paul was converted, his first evangelistic mission was to convince the Jews in Damascus that Jesus was the Christ (9:22)
· In Thessalonica, Paul focused his evagnelistic efforts on convincing the people that Jesus was the Christ (17:2-3).
· In Corinth, Paul followed the same strategy, trying to convince the people that Jesus was the Christ (18:4-5).
· When Apollos set out on his evangelistic mission, he focused on the fact that Jesus was the Christ (18:28).
· And when Paul stood before Festus, at the center of his presentation was the emphasis that Jesus was the Christ, the fulfillment of prophecy (26:23).
In all of these it becomes clear that recognition of Jesus as the Christ was essential for salvation.
We also referred to John’s concluding statement in 20:31 that: these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (NASB). In fact, this indicates that a primary purpose of John’s Gospel was to prove that Jesus was indeed the Christ—when we survey his Gospel, we find that emphasis consistently throughout the entire book! And as we pointed out earlier, in this passage, eternal life is directly and inseparably linked to believing that Jesus is “the Christ.” In fact, according to this passage, a person who does not believe in Jesus as the Christ is not saved!
So, again, what does this mean—if I cannot be saved apart from recognizing Jesus as the Christ, what does this require of me? Is it enough to just agree with the Apostle John and say, “Okay, I believe Jesus was the Christ!”? No, because the expectation is not to believe ABOUT Jesus, but rather to put our trust IN Him as the Christ.
To begin to appreciate this we need to recognize that the word “Christ” was not merely a title to those first century followers, it was a role—a function—that Jesus exercised. So faith/belief was directly tied to recognizing Him in that role.
I will address what that role was/is in the next blog, but a hint is found in the passages that refer to the Gospel as “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Check this out:
· At the outset of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He preached the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt. 4:23);
· Later in His ministry He continued preaching that Gospel (Matt. 9:35; Luke 8:1)
· He said that the Gospel of the Kingdom must—and would—be preached throughout the whole world before the end would come (Matt. 24:14).
· Philip preached the Gospel of the Kingdom in Samaria (Acts 8:12)
· One final hint: in the last chapter of Acts (28), Paul combines the message of the Kingdom with the teaching that Jesus was the Christ (vs. 23, 31).
From these, it is clear that the true Gospel has at its core the truth of the Kingdom and the reality of the Christ. In fact, any presentation that lacks these essentials is not an accurate reflection of the true Gospel.
I promise, in the next blog I will address and further explain the significance of the title and role of Jesus as the Christ, but until then, ask yourself this: How much emphasis do our contemporary presentations place upon the fact that Jesus was the Christ, or that the Gospel is centered upon the Kingdom? Have we become so focused on “getting people saved,” that we have become preoccupied with putting together an effective presentation at the expense of essential content? Have we become so focused on getting people out of hell and into heaven, that we have forgotten the heart—the very core—of the Gospel?
Those first century followers of Jesus knew this core well—it consumed them—everything about their lives, their witness, their fellowship, and their mission was inextricable tied to and flowed out of the reality of Jesus as the Christ and His Gospel of the Kingdom.
Can we say the same?
