Welcome to “Christocentric Biblical Studies!
Also known as “All For The Gospel”
First, I just switched to WordPress, so it will take time to get my writings onto this site.
While this is primarily a biblical studies website, I believe the Lord has been impressing upon me to ALSO focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think there’s plenty enough websites that deal with theological issues, where my focus has been for many years. However, I don’t believe there can ever be enough websites that deal with the gospel message that changes lives and eternal outcomes. Therefore, I’ll strive to have a good number of studies regarding the gospel message, as well.
Biblical Studies: While this website covers biblical studies in general, a lot of what you’ll find here pertains to Biblical Theology, which views the Bible as a whole. It considers the big picture, which then allows us to interpret the particulars within that picture. It aids in our understanding of the individual doctrines of the Bible (Systematic Theology). It requires a Christocentric approach. Here you’ll learn why the Lord Jesus Himself is the key to understanding the doctrines of the Bible. He is the fulfillment of all the promises, prophecies and teachings of the Old Testament. It all points to Him. We understand the Old Testament only as we understand that Christ is the fulfillment of it. Likewise, we understand the doctrines of New Testament only as we understand how Jesus fulfilled those doctrines. We cannot understand either Testament unless we realize how central His fulfillment is in God’s plan and purposes.
This is especially important to understand as it relates to Israel and the Church. This is of particular interest to me, because this is where there’s so much confusion for Christians. At the heart of this confusion is Dispensationalism. It sees a distinction between ethnic Israel and the Church, where God still has a plan for Israel yet to be fulfilled in an earthly, millennial kingdom. However, with a truly Christocentric hermeneutic, we understand that Israel has its complete fulfillment in Christ and His Church. Since this is such an important doctrine, where so much of our interpretation of Scripture depends on which side of the fence we stand, a lot of studies on this website are devoted to this subject—where the Kingdom of Christ is also directly related.
Speaking personally, I was a dispensationalist for most of my Christians life—and the whole time I was always confused about what to apply to Israel under the Law and what to apply to the Church in the age of grace. However, when we understand that Jesus fulfilled all the promises to Israel, and that we are now living under the New Covenant of Christ, the confusion is removed.
Having a Christocentric approach to understanding the Bible also provides guidance for living the Christian life. The two are inseparable. Without the right focus, we can get very off-track. We must live with Christ and His Kingdom in view. We must live with the purpose of spreading His message and advancing His Kingdom….and I’m not talking about a physical kingdom of this world, but the spiritual Kingdom of Christ that all believers dwell in (Col 1:13), which continues in the Eternal Kingdom of Revelation 21 & 22.
I also deal with a variety of other biblical topics.
The gospel of Christ: As indicated in the beginning, a lot of the articles on this site will pertain to the gospel of Christ, or to the doctrine of salvation in general. This includes several gospel tracts I’ve written. I had one tract published, the one titled “Steps To Heaven?” You may find that one here. You may also find it on the website where it’s made available: Click here.
I got saved as a result of reading a gospel tract, so I’ve always used them, especially in my early years. I can tell you from personal experience, they work. The Lord uses them. If people don’t come to faith in Christ as a direct result of reading a tract, the seeds of truth are being planted. And that’s what we’re to do; we’re to be out there spreading seeds of truth for the Lord to use in people’s hearts.
My hope and prayer is that the Lord will use this website to encourage faithfulness in sharing Christ with others. The gospel tracts and other resources that will be provided here can be used as a guide for knowing what truths we’re to share when presenting the plan of salvation. It’s also my goal to include articles that will provide some guidelines for knowing how to go about doing that.
I began my life as a follower of Christ with a passionate burden for the lost. For the first 15 years or so, I was majorly focused on spreading the Good News about the Lord Jesus and what He did for us. But as time went on, I lost a lot of my zeal and began to focus on theology instead. For the past many months the Lord has been rekindling that fire I once had. I believe God has been letting me know, in certain ways, that I need to provide a proper balance between bible & theology and the gospel of Christ, to regain a focus on the lost who need Him. The motivating verse in my life right now is where Paul says, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel” (1 Cor 9:23). That’s where I’m at now. May the Lord use this website to encourage the same thing in your life too.
Also related to sharing our faith is our testimony—how we present ourselves to others as those who represent Christ. In other words, are we living the kind of life that glorifies Christ and that draws people to Him? Or are we presenting ourselves in manner that would turn people away from Christ? This is a major concern of mine. I believe that for the past several years, we Christians in America have done much to harm our testimony before a watching world—for various reasons. Our testimony is everything. Yet, I don’t believe that we, in general, put enough value on our witness, how we’re viewed in the eyes of those who need Jesus. Surely this must grieve our Lord’s heart. As time goes on, I’ll be addressing this subject, as well. I already have one article that talks about this very thing.
Grab yourself a comfortable chair and enjoy the read.