Over at Miscellanies, Tony Reinke tells the story of how Mark Dever, facing a small group of people unsure about Christianity, answered a question by simply stating, “Yes, I do believe in that, because Jesus said it happened, and I’m with Jesus.”
Renkie goes on to show how the simplicity of “I’m with Jesus” can answer a barrage of questions. This woke up my brain, as it did his, and reminded me how central Jesus is to questions of the Christian faith. If one accepts Jesus everything else falls into place, from the authority of scripture, to practical living. Which also reminds me of how important it is to point to Christ when defending the faith. Jesus is the door, there is no other way in. If we preach Christ, his acceptance will lead to the acceptance of his divinity, the innerancy of the Bible, the existence of the prophets of old, the resurrection, justification, total depravity… because to accept Jesus is to accept his words. C.S. Lewis’ description of Jesus either being a liar, lunatic or Lord, though so overused, is so true. If you say you are with Jesus yet do not accept his words as his own, then you are not with him. You cannot accept Jesus without accepting him as Lord.