Can you say you have no position on Christ? Let’s talk about it on Deeper Waters.
Christ is someone in history that nearly everyone has something to say concerning. When Christ showed up, there were several other religions, and he said little about them, save the Judaism he grew up in and practiced, but since He showed up, religions that have heard of Him have said something about Him. Even shortly after His time, gnostic challenges of Christianity showed up all seeking to explain this figure and fit Him into their paradigm.
If you are a Buddhist, you can have a place for Jesus in your system as one who is enlightened. A Hindu can see Jesus as an avatar. The numerous cults of Christianity all seek to have a way to explain Him by changing Him in some way, such as lowering his oneness with the Father by JWs or by making Him one of many gods such as in Mormonism. Islam is ready to accept Jesus as a prophet, Messiah, and even that He will return again, but it denies entirely that He is the Son of God.
Even those without a religion still want to do something with Jesus. A growing number of fundy atheists seek to deny that He ever even existed. Those who do accept His existence are willing to usually accept Him as a good moral teacher. It is not uncommon to hear an atheist or agnostic say that they really like Jesus.
Jesus is just someone that has to be dealt with.
And Jesus Himself makes the challenge strong.
In Matthew and Luke, when Jesus casts a demon out of someone and is told that he does it by the power of Beelzebub, he responds and in the response says that “Whoever is not with me is against me.” In Mark 9 when told about another man casting out demons in His name Jesus says “Whoever is not against us, is for us.”
The message is that Jesus is someone you cannot be neutral about. There is no indication the early church was neutral either. This was a group willing to go to the lions and to be the lights for Nero’s evening parties rather than make a compromise on their faith. Their position on Christ was more precious than their own lives.
Today, the same challenge still comes to all of us. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the skeptical investigating the evidence of Jesus. Still, the reason one searches is so one can reach a conclusion. In the end, one must remember the words long ago of Thomas Sherlock. When considering the resurrection, one must either accept the miracle or prove the fraud.
Jesus comes to us today still with strong claims and asks if we are with Him or against Him. If we are with Him, it is ultimately a call to die still. A call to die to yourselves. To forgo public favor and being celebrated by the culture. It is a call to learn how to properly balance our desires. To realize that it is not all about us. To realize that all the pleasures of life are meant to be put underneath Him as the greatest pleasure. It is to realize that we must depend on Him entirely for all we do and are.
If you are against Him, then that comes with a high cost. It is to say that you will ultimately reject the way of Christ, including His claims of being the true revelation of God to the world and to be bringing about His Kingdom. It is a claim to oppose then the Kingdom of God. Of course, if Jesus is wrong, then it is a claim that has no threat, but one best make sure He is wrong.
In doing this, we must once again realize the staggering claims of Jesus and remember the question asked of Him so often in His ministry. “Who is He?”
Apparently, a lot hangs on that question.
Choose your side. Neutral is not an option.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
Support Deeper Waters on Patreon!
