The Magnitude of Christ in Our Midst Now

A Jesus who had died would be enough for us if Christianity were nothing more, and needed to be nothing more, than a doctrine for us to grasp with our mind, or a moral prescription and example which we had to follow. But the Christian religion is something very different and much more than that. It is the perfect redemption of the whole man, of the whole organism of mankind, and of the whole world. And Christ came to earth in order in this full sense to save the world. He did not come to achieve the possibility of salvation for us all, and then to leave to our free will the question of whether or not we would take advantage of the possibility. Instead, He humiliated Himself and became obedient even to the death on the cross in order really, perfectly and eternally to save us.¹

Perhaps we might transplant this quote into our own context this way. Christianity is far more transcendent than being a Republican or striving to maintain political conservatism. Christianity is far more immanent than a Gospel of being busy doing the right things or merely believing that the doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone (which is true) is what saves us. It is Christ that saves, Christ that gives life, Christ that reconciles us to the Father both now and into an eternal age in which we will not have much recollection of what a Republican or Democrat was. There will be far too much of Christ to need to conserve him.

That same Christ is in our midst even now, already here but not yet as He will be. Nevertheless that same Christ is in the midst of His church really and truly now.


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¹ Bavinck, Herman. Our Reasonable Faith. (Baker Books, 1977). p 363.