No Other Law But Christ's

The person who desires to be a Christian must dedicate himself to obeying the law of Christ. For who can claim to be a follower of Jesus without obeying Jesus?

Jesus said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Also in Luke 6:46, "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" Here Jesus is teaching something that should be obvious, but is not often accepted: the one who loves Christ, obeys Christ; the one who accepts Jesus as his Lord, obeys His commands. The true Christian will obey the law of Christ.

The Christian understands that the law of Christ is perfect and that it was perfectly taught to the world through Jesus' Apostles.

In John 16:13, Jesus promised them: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth....

This means that we should not modify the teaching of the Apostles in any way. Indeed (since anything that is more or less than the truth is error) any additions or deletions from the law of Christ turns the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25) into an imperfect law of man.

Unfortunately, the usual practice of many who claim to be Christians is to add to and take away from the law of Christ. They do this by creating creeds, confessions, prayer books, and Articles of Faith. A creed is a list of beliefs that a group imposes as their test of fellowship. The only test of fellowship known to the Bible is obedience to God's commands (2 Thessalonians 3:14). The group that creates a creed selects a few tenets which it feels are important, often adding doctrines which are not found in God's word. Either the creed requires less than the Bible (in which case it requires too little), or it requires more than the Bible (in which case it requires too much). The creed, then, is not the law of Christ. Instead, it is a substitute for the law of Christ. It is a law of man.

The Christian, who in order to please His Master is *just* a Christian, will accept no other law but Christ's. He knows that no man has the authority to modify God's law (see Deuteronomy 4:2, Galatians 1:9-10). He also knows that obedience to only a subset of God's commands is disobedience (1 Samuel 15:22).

The Christian who completely submits to the law of Christ and rejects all human substitutes will do his part in eliminating division between his brethren. For the Christian knows that division does not come from God or from His word. Division, without exception, is the result of carnal mindedness (I Corinthians 3:1-3, James 4:1-4). If everyone claiming to be a Christian were determined to obey God's word, all would have the same goal, the same rule, the same interests: all would be spiritually minded. No one would dare hold up one part of God's word as the only important part. No one would conceive of requiring fellow Christians to do things not commanded by God. And no one would ever act outside the limits imposed by God. All would be striving towards one standard of Christianity, the perfect standard found in God's word. This is unity. This is exactly what God expects of Christians.

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. (Philippians 3:16)

No Other Name But Christ's

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)

The Christian should take great delight in wearing the name of Christ. Just as the person who lights a candle and puts it in a candlestick to light the whole room (Matthew 5:15-16), the Christian calls himself a follower of Christ so that all the world may know who his master is: Jesus Christ. By wearing the name of Christ, the Christian is saying that his goal, his loyalty and his life are given to Christ.

Unfortunately, it is the practice of many who call themselves "Christians" to take other names for themselves besides Christ's. Though many feel that this is an innocent practice, the Bible (as in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13) strictly condemns it. Paul condemned this for the three reasons.

First, Paul asked, is Christ divided? When Christians wear other names than Christ's they attempt, whether willfully or not, to divide the body of Christ. Each new name represents another faction. In Corinth there were four, today the factions number into the thousands. Most of these factions justify their existence by claiming to be a part--a denomination--of the Body of Christ. But Christ is not divided (see also Ephesians 4:4-6). The inescapable conclusion is this: if a person is a part of a division (a denomination), he is not a part of Christ's Body. The Christian should wear no other name but Christ's because he wants nothing to do with the divisions that are not a part of Christ.

Second, Paul asked, was Paul crucified for you? The erring Christians at Corinth who had named themselves after Paul had lost sight of the only allowable focus for Christians: Christ. Paul was not crucified for them, Christ was. Christ should have been the sole object of their loyalty. Those today who take different names make the same error. Whether they name themselves after a person (Lutheran, Calvinist), a doctrine (Baptist, Fundamentalist), or an organization (Presbyterian, Episcopalian), they show that their loyalty is divided between Christ and man. The Christian should wear no other name but Christ's because it is only to Christ that he is loyal.

Third, Paul asked, were you baptized in the name of Paul? Those at Corinth had lost sight of the significance of being baptized in the name of Christ (as well as the Father and Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19). By being baptized they were uniting with Christ, crucifying their old lives of sin and rising to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-6). They were putting on Christ (Galatians 3:27) so that, from then on, Christ would live through them (Galatians 2:20). Having embarked upon a new life totally centered around Christ, how could they (or we) then take a name other than His? Only Christ made this New Life possible, only Christ should be the center of it.

The Christian should wear no other name but Christ's because he lives (like he was newly born) in no other name but Christ's.

The Christian should wear no other name but Christ's because that is what God expects of him. Wearing more than the name of Christ would lead him to make all of the mistakes of being more than just a Christian: He would cause division, he would be distracted by earthly things and he would not be doing all in the name of the Lord.

Conclusion

In these two articles we have stressed that a person must completely change his lifewhen he becomes a Christian. We have seen that the Christian must thoroughly give over his life to his Master (Jesus). He must cease to live and let his Master live through him. He must devote his entire being to following Jesus.

He should not just strive to be a Christian, he should strive to be * just a Christian *.

Being just a Christian means that his goals in life are centered solely around Christ. The only causes that he takes up are Christ's causes (2 Timothy 2:4). The only war that he fight's is Christ's war. His only purpose in life is Christ's purpose. He cannot let the world drag him into its causes. He will only fight for the cause of Christ.

Being just a Christian means that he will accept no other law but Christ's. He will not tolerate any additions or deletions by man (Matthew 15:9). Only Christ's law is the perfect law (James 1:25), which means that anything more or less is imperfect. Since only Christ's law will judge a Christian in the end (James 2:12), only Christ's law will he concern himself with obeying.

Being just a Christian means that he will wear no other name but Christ's (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). After all, Christ is not divided. Only Christ died for him. Only Christ holds his loyalty. Since only Christ was the focus of his new birth (by baptism, John 3:1-8 & Romans 6:4) only Christ will be the focus of his new life.

Being just a Christian is the only way that he can hope to fulfill all of the duties that Christ has placed upon him. Being just a Christian is the only way that he can honestly claim to be doing "all in the name of the Lord" (Colossians 3:17). Being just a Christian is the only way that he can avoid divisions.

Being just a Christian is the only way that he can be pleasing to God.

Pray that everyone who claims the title of "Christian" dedicates his life to being just a Christian.

by John Hendrix

Mailto:"Jonathan Hendrix" <hendrixj@nichols.com>