ONE Lord Jesus Christ
This week we look at the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. The opening section is about 9% of the Creed, whereas the ‘Christological’ section is about 58% of the Creed. The ecumenical council that met at Nicaea (325 AD) was to address the issue of Christ’s relationship to the Father. There were significant heresies that were arising around in that period where notably Arianism, Apollinarianism, Macedonianism (also called Pneumatomachianism), and Chiliasm. All of which says Christ became God or is not equal in power and glory and not the same substance as God. We will address these heresies in the coming weeks. However, this week we see the simple statement that we believe ‘in one Lord Jesus Christ.’ This simple statement is questioned and rejected, even in today’s broad ‘Christian’ culture.
Firstly, One Lord, in today’s pluralistic culture which seeks to live by the mantra of ‘coexist.’ This ‘Coexist’ mentality is the belief of ‘Omnism,’ which believes that all religions are different paths that lead to the same destination. At the end of the 20th Century, there was a push to see all faiths as inclusive rather than exclusive. Christianity is an exclusive religion. Christianity is exclusive means that not everyone is a Christian, and not everyone will go to heaven. The only way that someone can enter heaven is by believing in the One Lord Jesus Christ. The way of salvation is not found in various paths (religions) but one person, Jesus Christ. Jesus makes this clear when he says, “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life, NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through me” (John 14:6). There are not multiple ways but only one way to the Father that is through the One Lord Jesus Christ.
How can this be loving? If there is only one way, it is loving to tell people. If there is only one way to get to the top of the mountain, then it would be unloving to explain to people that it does matter which way you go. People would blindly walk to their death. Every analogy has its downsides. You could, in the mountain analogy, find a different way. However, the Bible makes it clear, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” In this situation, you cannot have two right answers. Either all ways lead to heaven, and Jesus is lying, or Jesus is telling the truth, and all ways cannot lead to heaven. Christianity is exclusive in that it claims to be the only way of salvation. However, it is not exclusive in that the gospel should only be shared with particular people or people group. The doors to the church should be a wide as they can be. We should proclaim the truth of the gospel to everyone. There is only one way to have eternal life, and that is through Jesus. We should proclaim this boldly, frequently, and this is the only loving thing we can do. Who are some people in your life you could be praying for? Pray for the loving opportunity to share the message of hope given to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
