Friday, June 27, 2008

Jesus is Depth

Last week I posted on Depth, and I said Jesus is real depth. I want to say it again, because just a few days later I am committing to answer every query about what spiritual depth is or what deeper teaching looks like with "It is Jesus; it looks like Jesus."

That doesn't sound deep, I know. We think deep is systematic theology or detailed doctrinal study or digging into Hebrew and Greek etymology or whatever. And all that stuff is cool. But it's not deep. It's not going deep. It's for smart people and for people who want to be smart, sure. But the kingdom is for all kinds of people, not just intellectuals, and everybody gets to press on to maturity, and maturity is going further and further into and closer and closer toward Jesus.

These words from Calvin (posted today by my friend Ray) gave me goosebumps:
We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is of him. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects, that he might learn to feel our pain. If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross; if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other.

Oh my goodness, yes. Let us drink our fill(!) from him and from no other.

And let those of us charged with feeding the sheep offer only the living water and no other.

Related:
Jesus Plus Nothing

1 comment:

Weekend Fisher said...

You know, I had no idea that Calvin ever got that the Gospel is about Christ. There's something I haven't heard from the TR PR group. Kinda cool. There's hope.

Take care & God bless
WF