23 The Christ-Centered Emphasis Specializes in Christlike Character
December 23
The Christ-Centered Emphasis Specializes in Christlike Character
IN SUMMING UP the soundness of emphasizing being in Christ and Christ’s being in us, we may add this: if the emphasis is on God, the tendency will be to try to become identified with God in essence—to become God. India in her quest for union with God has missed the union and has also missed the communion. The Christian in seeking for union as communion has found both the communion and the union—this side of identification.
Those who emphasize the Holy Spirit as the center of the mysticism run off into signs and wonders. Their Mecca is this passage: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick; and they will recover” (Mark 16:17–18). This passage is not a part of the original Gospel of Mark. It is so stated in Moffatt and in the Revised Standard Version. It is a later attempt to piece out the gospel, which was broken off at verse 8.
In any case, it shows the departure in spirit from the Christian gospel. The signs of a believer are casting out demons, speaking in tongues, picking up serpents, drinking deadly things without harm, and laying on hands to heal the sick. The sign of a believer was a sign and wonder—not one of them a moral quality or a Christian virtue. If these are the signs of a Christian, then the Christian faith deals in signs and wonders instead of Christlike character.
A firsthandedness centered in Jesus specializes in the Christlike spirit, manifested in attitudes, actions, and relationships. Its first fruit is love—love to everybody, including enemies.
Blessed Savior and Lord, when centered in Thee I’m centered in Thy Spirit and mind. Thy Spirit and mind is love. Give me Thy love and only Thy love, for Thy love is the greatest thing on this planet. In Thy name. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: The greatest thing on this planet is the love of Jesus. I shall manifest it in all my relationships today.
