This week, I came across a sermon series by Alister Begg of Truth for Life Ministries entitled "Who is Jesus?" Along with the sermons, Pastor Begg also provides a free booklet. It can be found here. The booklet is divided into four sections:
Indirect Claims
Direct Claims
What Does It Mean?
What Does it Matter?
Here is an excerpt from the "What Does It Matter" section-
"This is why it matters. If, in this New Age world
in which we live, the Christian church does not
affirm and reaffirm the centrality, the priority, the
necessity, and the fundamental orthodoxy of the
incarnation of Jesus Christ, then Christianity in
Western culture will dwindle to a legend. We will
become totally marginalized, and we will become
absolutely irrelevant.
If you think this is an overstatement, then think of
it this way: Doctors for years have told us we can
live without our appendix. I still have mine, and I
am planning on keeping it. It is very hard to get a
Scotsman to give up very much that is as close to
him as that, but I believe if you take it away, I’ll still
be around. If you take away my heart, I will not
still be around. So you had better be sure that what
you are planning on taking away is something you
can live without.
Some argue that the incarnation is to Christianity
what an appendix is to theologians. In other words,
you can take it out and the body of Christianity
will go on by itself. How do you answer that? By
saying, “Let’s look at the evidence and see whether
the incarnation is an appendix or a heart.”1
I believe this is a very good resource for believers to reinforce the importance of the Deity of Christ and for non-believers to see reasons why Christians hold to this doctrine.
God Bless,
1- Who is Jesus booklet pg. 33
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