"In Christ"       

Ephesians 1:1

     The message of the Bible is Jesus Christ and him crucified. When Paul said to the Ephesians, "I have declared unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), he was saying, "I have preached Christ to you from all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27, 44, 47; I Cor. 2:2). If you have not yet learned that Jesus Christ and him crucified is the foundation, essence, and fulness of all Divine truth, if you have not yet discovered that the message of the Bible and the hope of the gospel is Jesus Christ the Lord, then you have read the Word of God with no profit to your soul, your religion is a vain show, and you are yet without hope before God. The knowledge you have of the sacred Scriptures will only add to your condemnation in the day of judgment. Without Christ crucified, religion is as useless as a bucket without a bottom. Without the crucified Substitute there is no forgiveness of sin, no comfort in trouble, no strength for trial, no atonement, no peace, no reconciliation to God, no Mediator, no Priest, no Advocate in heaven, no hope in death, no access to God, and no entrance into heaven.

     Do you understand this? "Christ is all!" Without him we are nothing and have nothing, but sin and death (I Cor. 1:30-31). All that God has for guilty sinners, all that he does for guilty sinners, all that he requires of guilty sinners is in Jesus Christ, our incarnate,crucified,risen, exalted Substitute (John 3:35-36; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 2:9-10).The love of God is in Christ. The silliest thing this side of hell is for preachers to tell sinners that they are beneficiaries of God's love, mercy, and grace without Christ! Without Christ there is no love,mercy,and grace,but only wrath,judgment, and condemnation! When the flood came, there was no mercy and deliverance anywhere, but in the ark; and that ark was a picture of Christ. When the man-slayer fled to the city of refuge, he found no safety until he entered the city;and that city typified Christ.God said to Israel, "I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat"(Ex. 25:22). Christ is the Mercy-Seat. God meets with sinners nowhere else!

 

Don Fortner