The main Person . . .

There are biblical truths that I know as I read, reread and hear them but unless they are right in my face, my thoughts seldom go there. I’m convicted by the words of John the Baptist who said, “He must increase but I must decrease.”

Jesus is more significant than I am, yet John must have had the same struggles as I do. Putting Him first in my heart and mind is not a natural act for me, never mind for those who don’t know anything about Him. It is not that I am short of material; the New Testament was written to describe the many aspects of who Jesus is and what He has done. Here is just one short passage:

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:18–20)

Jesus is the head of His Body the church, our leader and also our source. Apart from Him, there would be no church, no Christianity — and apart from Him, the entire Body of believers or the local congregations are not able to function according to the will of God.

He is the beginning, a word meaning ‘the first cause that does not itself have a cause.’ This points to His deity. He is God in human flesh, the God who has no start in time, no beginning or end. He has always existed. Further, this God the Son was totally delighted to take up residence in a human body.

Jesus did this because all of humanity is separated from an intimate personal relationship with God and need to be reconciled, restored to what was intended when He created us. He made this possible by dying for our sin and satisfying the just penalty we deserved so we could be set free from the law of sin and death. By His blood, I have peace with God.

All of this means certain privileges and changes for me. I am in the Body of Christ, a child of God. By His Spirit He again moves into humanity by living in us, His people, even me. His human body was sinless; mine is not, yet the marvel of that and of all that He has done points to the words of John: “He must increase . . .”

^^^^^^^^^

Oh Jesus, who am I to be a dwelling place for God? As Tozer says, “Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord!       Oh, to be lost in Thee! Oh, that it might be no more I, but Christ that lives in me!”