JESUS CHRIST-SUFFICIENCY
In Christ we
have a love that can never be fathomed; a life that can never die; a
righteousness that can never be tarnished; a peace that can never be
understood; a rest that can never be disturbed; a joy that can never be
diminished; a hope that can never be disappointed; a glory that can never be
clouded; a light that can never be darkened; a happiness that can never be
interrupted; a strength that can never be enfeebled; a purity that can never be
defiled; a beauty that can never be marred; a wisdom that can never be baffled;
and resources that can never be exhausted.
As
Christians, we find complete sufficiency in Christ and His provisions for our
needs. There’s no such thing as an incomplete or deficient Christian. Our
Savior’s divine power has granted to us everything
pertaining to life and godliness. Human wisdom offers nothing to augment that.
Every Christian receives all he and she needs at the moment of salvation. Each
one must grow and mature, but no necessary resource is missing. There’s no need
to search for something more.
John MacArthur
Preface
from Our Sufficiency in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division of Good News
Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.
p. 18.
Where can we
get reliable answers for life’s hardest questions? Our all-sufficient Savior
has not left us without ample spiritual resources. His perfect wisdom is
available through His Word. Comfort, assurance, understanding, and power are
ours through the ministry of His indwelling Spirit. All of that is amplified by
loving ministry from gifted people who operate in the community of believers. And it all works together to assure that each believer has perfect
“abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor. 9:8).
John MacArthur
Psychological Sanctification? from Our Sufficiency
in Christ, 1991, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton
Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.
p. 111.
In Christ, as
a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive ingots
of solid gold which when coined into creeds and doctrines are the wealth of the
Church. All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and
righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who
is the home and deep mine where truth is stored... The central fact of the
universe and the perfect encyclopedia of all moral and spiritual truth is in Christ, the Incarnate Word, the Lamb slain, the
ascended King.
Alexander MacLaren
It is a
destructive addition to add anything to Christ.
Richard Sibbes
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 47.
O sirs! There
is in a crucified Jesus – something proportionate to all the straits, needs,
necessities, and desires of His poor people. He is bread to nourish them, a
garment to cover and adorn them, a physician to heal them, a counselor to
advise them, a captain to defend them, a prince to rule them, a prophet to
teach them, a priest to make atonement for them; a husband to protect them, a
father to provide for them, a brother to relieve them, a foundation to support
them, a head to guide them, a treasure to enrich them, a sun to enlighten them,
and a fountain to cleanse them! What more can any Christian desire – to satisfy
him and save him; and to make him holy and happy – in time and eternity?
Thomas Brooks
The
Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures, 1675.
To encounter
Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence. He gives us a sense of self-worth or personal
significance, because He assures us of God's love for us. He sets us free from guilt because He died
for us…and from paralyzing fear because He reigns…He
gives meaning to marriage and home, work and leisure, personhood and
citizenship.
John Stott
Between Two Worlds, p. 154.
I also know
that there is only one place where that angry, reactive, overwhelmed self can
be transformed – the same place that Mary chose – the feet of Jesus…When I get
into His presence, the whole world looks different. When I draw close to His heart, I find mercy
when I know I deserve judgment; I find forgiveness for all my petty, selfish
ways; I find grace for all my inadequacies; I find peace for my troubled heart;
I find perspective for my distorted views.
In Him, I find an eye in the midst of the storm. Oh the storm around me may not immediately
subside; but the storm within me is made calm.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
A Place of Quiet Rest, Moody, 2000, p. 44.
The great
mistake made by most of the Lord’s people is in hoping to discover in
themselves that which is to be found in Christ alone.
The Doctrine of Sanctification, Bible Truth Depot, 1955, p. 200.
Your main and
principal motive as a Christian should always be to live for Christ. To live for glory? Yes, but for his glory. To live for comfort? Yes, but be all your consolation in him. To live for pleasure? Yes, but when you are merry, sing psalms, and
make melody in your hearts to the Lord. To live for wealth?
Yes, but to be rich in faith. You
may lay up treasure, but lay it up in heaven.
C.H. Spurgeon
Do not tell
me that there is no rest for us till we get to heaven. We who have believed in Jesus enter into rest
even now. Why should we not do so? Our salvation is complete. The robe of righteousness in which we are
clad is finished. The atonement for our
sins is fully made. We are reconciled to
God, beloved of the Father, preserved by His grace, and supplied by His
providence with all that we need. We
carry all our burdens to Him and leave them at His feet. We spend our lives in His service, and we
find His ways to be ways of pleasantness, and His paths to be paths of peace. Oh, yes, we have found rest unto our
souls! I recollect the first day that I
ever rested in Christ, and I did rest that day.
And so will all of you who trust in Jesus as I trusted in him.
C.H. Spurgeon
I have a
great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.
C.H. Spurgeon
He
bears the keys – to Him we must go for admission into heaven. He is the door –
through Him we must enter. He is the Shepherd – we must hear His voice, and
follow Him, if we would not perish in the wilderness. He is the Physician – we
must apply to Him, if we would be healed of the plague of sin. He is the bread
of life – we must feed on Him, if we would have our souls satisfied. He is the
light – we must walk after Him, if we would not wander in darkness. He is the
fountain – we must wash in His blood, if we would be cleansed, and made ready
for the great day of account.
J.C. Ryle
Matthew Commentary, Chapter 11.
This explains
why Christ is sometimes not enough for us.
If I stand before him as a cup waiting to be filled with psychological
satisfaction, I will never feel quite full.
Why? First, because my lusts are
boundless; by their very nature, they can’t be filled. Second, because Jesus does not intend to
satisfy my selfish desires. Instead, he
intends to break the cup of psychological need (lusts), not fill it.
Edward T. Welch
When People are Big and God is Small, P&R
Publishing, 1997, p. 149. Used by Permission.
There are
basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human
achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the
other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.
John MacArthur
The whole of
the Christian life is centered on Jesus Christ.
Like Paul the contemporary Christian can say: “To me to live is
Christ.” But often, in Christian
experience, we are tempted to look elsewhere for direction, example, counsel
and guidance. We lose sight of the fact
that everything we need to live the Christian life is to be found exclusively
in Christ. For this reason when we begin
thinking about spiritual growth we must think first of all about Christ.
Sinclair B. Ferguson
Grow in Grace, by permission of Banner of
Truth, Carlisle, PA. 1989, p. xi.
In Jesus are
riches – if you are poor; Honor – if you are despised; Friendship – if you are
forsaken; Help – if you are injured; Mercy – if you are miserable; Joy – if you
are disconsolate; Protection – if you are in danger; Deliverance – if you are a
captive; Life – if you are mortal; and all things – if you have nothing at all.
James Meikle