The Christo-Centric Principle
The Christo-Centric Principle is that principle of Divine revelation whereby God shows:
a. That the mind of Diety is eternally centered in Christ.
b. That all angelic thought and ministry are centered in Christ.
c. That all Satanic and demoniacal hatred and subtility are centered in Christ.
d. That all human hopes and human occupations should be centered in Christ.
e. That the whole material universe in creation and preservation is centered in Christ.
f. That the entire written Word is centered in Christ.
a. From eternity to all eternity is centered in Christ. (Philippians 2:4.) Jesus Christ was in the form of God and the fulness of God was in Him. Hebrews 1:3. He is the Brightness of His glory.
The distant sun is seen through its rays. The image of the invisible God is seen in the visible Christ.
He made food; He raised the dead; He forgave sin; then he could say, "He that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father." We know that all things were made by Him-Romans 11:36, but also of, to and for Him- Colossians 1:16, 17; II Corinthians 8:9. He is the Heir of all things. Ephesians 1:4; Romans 5:14-Adam was the figure of Christ.
b. Isaiah saw the figure; turn to John 12:41. In the Book of the Revelation we find that the Scroll is sealed with seven seals. Who is worthy to open the seals? The Lion of Judah, a Lamb, at the right of the throne of God. Will this be the one? Read Matthew 25:3 1; II Thessalonians 1:7; I Peter 3:22; Ephesians 1:21 and Hebrews 1:6.
c. Christ was worshipped by angels, but He was feared and hated by demons. Demons recognized Him. In Revelation 12 we find that woman is Israel and Child is Christ. A dragon is in Heaven. There is a picture of Satan standing before the woman. In Genesis you'll find Satan standing before the woman. All through the ages Satan has been warring against this promised Seed, called by some the "Conflict of the Ages." Eve and Satan both thought the Seed was Abel.
d. Read John 1:29; Acts 4:12; and Hebrews 1:3. When Christ was upon the Cross His mother could not take His place, because she was a sinner. His heavenly Father could not take His place, because He (Jehovah) was sinless.
Atonement means "covering". There is NO HOPE save through Jesus Christ- I Corinthians 10:13; I Corinthians 6:20. Dr. Truett tells of the time he spoke at a cattlemen's convention in Texas. There were thousands of cattlemen present. After the noonday service on Sunday, one rancher asked Dr. Truett if he would take a walk with him. Dr. Truett did so. When they were away from the crowd the man turned to Dr. Truett and said, "I own thousands of head of cattle, but I didn't know that they were God's. I own great ranches and houses, but not until today did I know that they all belong to God. I want you to help me dedicate them to God right here." They knelt, and the rancher prayed and cried, "God, I have a boy that's unsaved; you can have him, too." That night before the invitation could be given a young man cried out from among the ranchers, "I can't stand it any longer; I want to be saved!" Yes, it was the son of this cattleman. He acknowledged Christ as his Saviour and gave all things to Him.
e. The whole material universe in creation is centered in Christ- John 1:3; 1:10; Colossians 1:10; Hebrews 1:3; 3:4. He created all things. The world is just a "pinpoint" in God's universe. All creation is preserved by Him-Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17. In Him things hang together. Why do we stick to the earth? They all hang together by the power of the Son of God.
f. The Word is centered in Him. The Bible is the only Book in the world that tells the past, present and future of the world. It tells of man, Satan and Israel, but they are not the theme of this Book. Yes, the Word speaks of the Church and the nations, but they are not the Theme of the Book. The THEME of the BOOK is CHRIST. In Genesis we find He is Shiloh. In Revelation He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The living embodiment of the Bible is Christ. The viewpoint of the Bible is Christ. The Bible gives the account of Adam (the first man) and Christ (the last Adam).
The first man crucified the Second Man. "WHEN MAN SINNED, HE GOT HIMSELF IN A FIX"-James M. Gray. Rather-"HE GOT HIMSELF INTO A CASKET"-Meyer.
The Life of the Bible is Christ. Where this Word is preached, it (Christ) will make Christians. You can preach Shakespeare and Hugo, but none will save; you can preach the Word and you'll make Christians! There may be seven hundred dialects, but no matter where you go, the Word works the same.
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