ALL OR NOTHING

To have Christ is to have everything; to not have Him is to have ... absolutely nothing. 

Joy, peace, meaning, value, purpose, hope, and fulfillment are all bound up in Him. When a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they enter into an all-sufficient relationship with an all-sufficient Christ.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:9-10

You are truly, from a spiritual viewpoint, complete in Him. Everything written in the New Testament speaks to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

In Christ, we have all wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30  

We now live in a church age where there is doubt cast upon whether or not Christ is sufficient. Many say they have faith in Him, but it is invariably based on ... Christ plus 'something'. It might be Christ plus human intellect, Christ plus human acts of charity, or Christ plus any of assorted man-made doctrines and rituals. 

But ... having a role in your own redemption does not bring the salvation found in a 'Christ plus nothing' faith. Jesus Christ is the all-sufficient One and we are to abandon our human effort and stubborn independence ...

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

A 'Christ plus' theology only elevates and indulges the flesh, making one proud of his sacrifices, his insights, his spiritual achievements, and (ironically) ... his humbleness. It represents a self-styled false religion, laced with forged piety. 

And ... it ultimately rejects Christ's sovereignty. 

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8

MacArthur - In Christ, I find the satisfaction borne of knowing forever I am His, and He is mine. In Christ, I find a harbor from the tempest and shelter from the darkness. In Christ I find the greatest of treasures: the washing white from sin ... my salvation. In Him is found a joy that knows no measure, a gift from One who gave His all for me. In Christ, I find the peace that shares with doubt no part. 

Either the Lord Jesus Christ is all I need for every aspect of life or He is nothing to me. There is no rest for the soul that trusts in some 'middle ground' theology that perpetuates a never-ending spiritual struggle. 

Lay everything at the foot of the cross, pilgrim.