Eight Marks of The Church: Mark 2 - Son Confessing

Eight (8) Myths, Marks & Metaphors of The Church

Myth # 2:  There are all kinds of churches that emphasize all kinds of particulars about Jesus that I can choose

The idea undergurding this myth is the idea that you can believe what you want about Jesus and still be part of the Church.  You can believe some of the accounts in the Gospels that paint the picture of Jesus you like, but question or leave out others that paint a picture of Jesus you’re a bit uncomfortable with.  You an believe everything Jesus said about mecy, but leave out what He says about justice if it doesn’t sit well with you for instance.  This myth tells you that you can love Jesus, follow Jesus, serve Jesus, even tell people about Jesus, but it’s the Jesus you’ve made up for yourself, not necessarily Jesus of Nazareth.

This myth is dangerous because if believed it can lead to a couple of disastrous consequences:

1. It can cause people to think they know Jesus, follow Jesus and serve Jesus, only to know, follow and serve another Jesus that’s not even the real Jesus at all.  Around here we call this believing and following the Jesus of Orange County instead of Jesus of Nazareth.
2. At best, which really isn’t best at all, it can cause the church corporately to be schizophrenic when it comes to Jesus – everyone having a different understanding of Jesus, what He thinks and what He would do.  At worst, which really is worst, it can cause the church corporately to become apostate – not really following Jesus at all while all along thinking they are.

Mark 2:  Son Confessing

There is in reality only one Jesus, only one.  Paul said in his sermon in Acts 2, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses…….Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” – Acts 2:32, 36  It’s “This Jesus,” a specific Jesus, only one Jesus.

John, the disciple of that was closest to Jesus, reminded us that any other Jesus than the one Jesus he knew was really no Jesus at all, but another Jesus, and imposter of Jesus, a demon posing as Jesus.  John told us, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” – 1 John 4:2-3

Metaphor 2:  Bride of Christ

"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; – Revelation 19:7

The New Testament gives us a great metaphor to understand this in a simple way.  Jesus said that we the Church are the Bride of Christ.  And just as Dina is married to me and only me, so we are united to Jesus and only Jesus.  There is only one me, and there is only one me for Dina.  There is only one Jesus, and there is only one Jesus for His Church. 

As the Bride of Christ, we should know our Bridegroom so intimately that we’re never deceived by an imposter.  It’s almost comical to think about Dina thinking that someone else is me, especially the nearer she is to me, the closer the look she gets at me.  In the same way, it should seem almost comical that we would fall for another Jesus, that as the imposter draws closer or we take a closer look we’d be dooped.  Are you close enough to Jesus to know it’s Him?  Are you intimate enough with Jesus to know for sure?

In a nut shell this is the Jesus we believe in, this is the Jesus we love, this is the Jesus we follow:

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ - His virgin birth, being conceived of the Holy Spirit; that He is true God and true man.

We believe in the sinless life, atoning death and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that He physically ascended into heaven, being seated at the right hand of God as our Mediator, Priest, and Advocate, and that He will one day return for His Church.

As the Bride of Christ, we love Jesus for who He is, not who we think He is, want Him to be, make Him up to be.  There is only One.