A CHRIST-CENTERED EMPHASIS
Terence E. Johnson

The congregation belonging to God is composed of people who are centering their emphasis upon the Church’s Lord, the Christ. The religion implied by the term “church” is Christianity; this religion is named for its founder, Christ. Christ is the Lord of the Church. St. Paul spoke of “the church of the Lord, which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20.28). The same author wrote, “Every tongue should confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2.11). The central emphasis of the Church must be the Christ.

Its real message is Christ. The pulpits of the Church must reflect Christ: Christ must be preached, Christ must be seen in the lives of those who occupy the pulpits. This Lord must be seen in the lives of all who claim His name; lives must be viewed by the world that truly show the Son of God; we must walk “in His steps”; we must strive to maintain a “likeness to Him”; He is our supreme example.

If there are doubts in the minds of onlookers concerning the central emphasis of a church, then that church is nor reflecting the true light of Jesus Christ. If it appears that a “law” or “code” or “plan” is the centrality, if it seems that the Church is only preaching and maintaining a set of dogmas, a legalistic doctrine, if it appears that the Church exists only to demand adherence to its peculiar tradition --- then the “church” observed is not reflecting the Christ-centeredness of the New Testament!

“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8.9). The true Church --- God’s reborn possessions --- is that great Company of believers who possess Christ’s Spirit. The true Church is composed of those people who have responded to the love of God symbolized in the Cross of Christ: those whose wills have submitted to Christ’s in a vivid response to the Christian Gospel. This demands initially that those becoming a part of this assembly commit themselves totally to Christ. An outstanding Christian has written:

When we reduce it (Christianity) to a pat formula with more emphasis on a few mechanical acts than the weighty soul-trying demands of our new-born hearts, then we somehow miss out on the issues of life entirely, for with all its problems there is a happiness and freedom in full commitment never experienced short of this kind of surrender. (from a personal letter)

Too much cannot be said in this 20th century in the direction of possessing “the Spirit of Christ.” Read again Paul’s sobering warning: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (RSV) . We might paraphrase this statement to involve an entire congregation: Any church that does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.

If you observe an assembly of people who are really centering their emphasis on Christ, then that is Christ’s congregation. Where people truly acknowledge “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God” with all of its meaningful implications, there is His Church. This basic creed of the Christian church, the foundation of the religion of Jesus Christ, must be observed. This faith in Christ must be seen: seen in submission to Jesus; seen in dedicated commitment to His principles; seen in righteous, Christ-like living; seen in vital, vibrant, living conviction!

Do we possess His Spirit? Are those qualities that characterized the life of the Christ observable in the life of the Church? “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ” (Philippians 2.5). An Anglican minister has written,

. . . we can belong to . . . a Church without necessarily belonging to Christ . . . Church membership is no easy guarantee of salvation. The sad truth is that some of those whose names are inscribed in the baptismal register of the church have not been enrolled in what the Bible calls the Lamb’s Book of Life.¹

The real Church belongs to the Lord. It is His action that adds or takes from His assembly. A minister of the Church of Christ in Florida said in a sermon, “We did not create it (the church) or put ourselves into it, and we cannot put others out of it . . . If we could restore this primitive Christian assembly . . . we would experience a boundless surge of creativity in the spiritual realm.”

God’s church on earth must present a Christ-centered emphasis. We must agree with Mr. Campbell: “It is the image of Christ the Christian looks for and loves,”²

1. John R. W. Scott, “The Holy Catholic Church.” Atlanta: Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation (April 1, 1962).

2. Millennial Harbinger, VIII, 1937, page 412.

Terrence E. Johnson is Instructor in Music, David Lipscomb College, Nashville, Tennessee. Gospel Advocate has also recently published this splendid article.