The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-03-30
Christ the Center
Lesson for April 1, 1862

center of the Christian faith
and with good reason. True
Christian faith is quite definite,
however mysterious some of its
aspects may be. Just II be-
neve" doesn't make a Christian
out Of you. Mohammedans be-
lieve. SO do Pharasees and Jews
and Spirituaists and Mormon
and Buddhists. So, for that mat
ter, do Voo-doo witch doctors
and devil worshippers. Every
body believes something; just
acknowledgements isn't Chris
tan. It is not even common
sense. What can possibly be
meant by believing" or faith"
without faith in something or
somebody? A believer" who
isn't in the least sure of what or
whom he believes is as pathetic
figure as a "Goer" who has
no idea where he is going. Just
going" will get you nowhere;
SO just believing" gets you no
where either.
Center of Grace
Christ is the center of Chris
tan faith. the pole to which
faiths compass swings. This is
true first of all because Christ
is the center Of Gods grace. AS
the New Testament writer's use
that word grace" they most
often mean by it the undeserved
but freely given favor of God to
men. Paul puts it in a nutshell
in I Tim. TIA: 1.-The grace of
our Lord overlooked for me with
the faith and love which are in
Christ Jesus" Grace = faith =
love - Christ Jesus: they all go
together. Paul cannot think of
one apart from the rest.
The kind of world we have to
live in sometimes discourages
us about a God of live. If we
believe that God is a God of
love, there must be a strong
reason for our faith. something
because of which we believe, to
offset all that in spite of which
we believe. And this "some-
thing is Jesus Christ. It is be-
cause we believe him to be
Gods gift to us, to each one of
us who will take HINT is be-
cause we understand as St. Paul
did that Christ's life and even
death were for our sakes. that
he literally poured himself out
in sacrifice for uS-that we find
in him the center of Gods
grace.
| NSMtCA Va 1NOOCluYtlVn
There are many ways used in
the New Testament. by Paul
and others. to describe in meta
phors what we call Salvation
for Salvation, we must always
remember. is the main aim of
all religions. Salvation is what
God does to rid us of what de-
spoilS and ruins us. namely sin;
Salvation is the name of all that
brings man out Of the far coun-
try and into his Fathers home.
One of the words. used some
times in place of Salvation" is
Redemption" or lite ally,
Buying Back" The picture is
of wretched people who are be-
ing held for ransom, suddenly
set free through the payment Of
the price demanded. Christ is
the ransom, it is he who paid
the price. who was the price, of
our freedom from sin. our being
"alive to God" as Paul put it
once. So Christ is the center OF
redemption. Without him we
would be unredeemed. Almost in
the same sentence Paul calls
Christ the Mediator between
God and man. He is the Bridge.
the Way. 1t is he who opens the
door to God, it is he who breaks
down our opposition. makes us
as one with God. Center! How
could Christ have any other
place?
Center Of Hope
Because some Christians have
not seen clearly the meaning of
Christ and Christianity for this
present life and world, and have
as good as said that we don't
begin to cash in" in our faith
till after we die. other Chris
tianS have fled to the opposite
extreme. and found the entire
meaning of Christianity in this
world and time. Today there is
a swing of the pendulum back
toward where it used to be,
though not all the way. We can
see that both ideas are, true:
our religion Is for today. tcmor,
row and always. Christianity Is
. religion Of hcpe. and that
needs to be remembered tn dark
days Ike the present. This earth
viii pass away. and CID knew
1t when he made It. But that
does not spell the end for God S
people. Christ will come again.
The appearing Of our Lord
Jesus Christ in wavs