Without which, nothing.
Sine Qua Non
What would the New Testament be without Jesus is Lord? A virgin birth might happen once in a trillion years, so it would be an account of extremely rare circumstance, but without witnesses to Mary’s virginity, an account with an asterisk next to it. It would be a story of a man with truly outrageous teachings—commands so radical that they denied the self in favor of loving others. They would be truly different than anything before, but they would be only teachings.
These Gospels would hardly bear the title of Good News and would be only a collection of accounts of truly spectacular things and events. Walking on water, quieting storms, feeding thousands with very little are all spectacular events, but stories that would eventually fade away in favor of something more current. Parables would be interesting and good for literary study, but hardly contain earthly insights into heavenly thinking and order.
It would also be a story of a man that suffered and died on a cross. And even if we believed he was resurrected, we would ask why? Even if we believed that he was God incarnate, we would have to ask why? Our answers would seem incomplete. Would God sacrifice Jesus for our sins and then discard him? Would God sacrifice Jesus for our sins and then reward him with a life of royal comfort never having to contend with this mess called humanity again?
Atonement is a big enough concept in its current form to even grasp in glimpses. How much harder would it be to comprehend—if it were even comprehensible—to have the sacrificial life of Jesus as a single event with no other meaning to us than any other animal brought to the altar? The answer to all of these questions is that there is no suitable answer. Only when we declare, proclaim, believe, and live in the promise that Jesus is Lord does the New Testament make sense. Jesus is Lord is the true Sine Qua Non (without which nothing) of the New Testament.
The pieces remain pieces and do not fit together in a lesser mixture. Jesus cannot just be a human sacrifice. He cannot even be a divine sacrifice if he is still not divine for eternity. He must not only be divine but Lord. Paul would describe this sort of thinking as foolishness for Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). The world would call a god that would sacrifice himself for his creation, ridiculous. The creation is at the disposal of the creator and not worth such a sacrifice. Anyone that would believe in such nonsense is a fool.
That is our wisdom—even though declared foolishness by the world. Christ crucified. Christ resurrected. Christ as Lord. And this is most likely the first expository I have submitted where I can proclaim, I believe my words to be sufficiently foolish—well, to those who are perishing; and sufficiently clear to those who know Jesus is Lord!
This survey explores and confirms that this is a very viable thread throughout the gospels, epistles, and eschatology of the New Testament. Decide for yourself if you agree with Dr. Rustenhaven and myself, that the message of the New Testament is JESUS IS LORD!
Working Day Wisdom
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Here are some articles that look at the very challenging book of James.
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How about something from the Gospel of Matthew
About being a servant in a society that says, that dog don't hunt.
What do you call a guy with degrees in Political Science and Biblical Studies? What do you call someone that served as a Marine Officer for over 20 years and now pastors a church? What do you call someone with this unique perspective of the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God?
Most folks just call me Tom.
Take a look on the political side, try A Good Read.
Check out a leadership mix of Pastor, Parent, Marine, and American in Forward Deployed.
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