Arkansas State press., 1951-02-16

0oAiG 0Nsho 50 ShtAss s'iN'
Peter said to Jesus you are the
Christ" Jesus reply shows that
Peter had not only said something
important, but something which up
70 that time had not dawned on any
one else.
Only One Christ
VI1E shall have to think what the
w word Christ" meant as Peter
used the word and a. Jesus under
stood II. The Jews Of that time
we're looking with eager excitement
for an "anointed one" (the literal
meaning Of Christ. or Messiah) who
would put an end to al the evil Of
Tie world and usher In Gods New
Age. They were not quite clear
now Mis- would be done. but they
were sure that only the Christ
could do II.
Consider three points. First.
When Peter said yes are
Christ" hs meant "Ysu are
unilus." Ne Jew locked for
twe Christs. There II no enc else
IN Jesus class, there 10 only
enc u him. Every human
being, 70 be sure. b different
from oil others; but simon
Peter did mot mean that. what
~ did mean WAS that Jesus
could not be classed - ~"
teacher or -" prophet or a."
man Of God. He Was the Teach
Or and Prophet. He was 0od's
llan - no other man was.
We make q mistake, we get away
from the original Christian faith.
the faith which Jesus praised. when
we put Jesus on the same level with
other men. any other men. There
II only one Christ.
God Was In Christ
IN the second place, when Peter
4 called Jesus Christ" he meant
that God had anointed him. He was
not a man who took notion to do
what he did, he was one whom God
had appointed to be and to do as
God willed We cannot understand
Jesus apart from God, for his
source is God.
Any one who reads the gospel
of John will find this very
prominent In Jesus thinking
always: II was sent E. My
meat Is TO do the will Of him
that sent me-"
Christians later than this saw
that the relation between God and
Jesus was even closer than that
between sender and sent. Jesus Is
called the Son of God, he is called
the Word that was with God and
was God. Paul says God was In
Christ.
Later generations would develop
the doctrine of the Trinity as 1t Is
expressed tfor instance) in the
Nicene Greed. Every century has
its own formulas. Peter In the
first century does not use the
language Of the fourth century, still
less Of the goth; but all the formulas
express In various ways the con
viction Peter had: that when Christ
confronts US. God confronts us
Christ Is Lord Of All
n THIRD thing Peter meant wher
"a he called Jesus Christ" anc
that the church means now--is tha
he has complete authority. AL
other authority. in the church OF
out Of it, is less than his.
A word often used 20 express
this truth Is Lord" But the
word alone Is not enough. II
really makes less difference
what words we use about Jesus
than what our attitude 10 him
II. Jesus himself once spoke
sternly Of people who call him
Lord, Lord" but do not do
the things he says TO do.
II is one thing to say, In tn,
Greed, that we believe In "Jesu
Christ. his only Son, our Lord;
1t is another thing to carry tina
part of the creed into life Jesus /
our Lord; not the church. not Moses
not Paul, not any hero or sain
Of the church, but Jesus, Christian
take orders from him first Of all
for we believe that his mind wa
the mind Of God.
A Christian profession Of faith
therefore, is more than statemer
of belief II is an oath OF allegiance
Copy right by the international Cou,
oil OF Religious Education on behalf
20 Protestant denominations. Release
BY VIM Featufesl