8. Reformed Baptist Distinctives: Christ Centered

Reformers are Christ-centered. The Reformed Doctrine emphasizes and highlights the person and work of Christ over and above the efforts, works, or will of mankind. Jesus himself said, The Scriptures testify of me.

Moses wrote about me. So when we see on the road to Emmaus, Jesus speaking to them and opening their eyes and explaining to them everything that the prophets wrote and how it all pointed to him, we now look back in the Old Testament and the prophets and the law and we see how Moses and the prophets wrote about Jesus.

Everything points to him. Jesus is the end of the law for all who believe. That doesn't mean the law has gone away. That word end means the target. In other words, all these things were pointing towards the target.

Jesus was the target and he's here. So he was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Everything is centered on him. Christ is everything to the Reformed believer. Christ is all and in all. The Holy Scriptures teach us to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

Anybody want to tell me what the definition of eternal life in John 17 3 is? This is eternal life? That they may know you, the one true God in Jesus Christ whom you've sent. So the sum and substance of eternal life is knowing God and Jesus as Lord.

Where Rome wants to win you to their church, an evangelical Christian wants to win you to Christ. Now where you fellowship is very important but I'm not looking to win you to my church. I'm looking to win you to the Lord of my church.

Reformed theology is entirely God-centered and here we clarify that it is centered on the Triune God who comes to us through the only Mediator, Jesus Christ. Rome would set up another Mediator, a Mediatrix, Mary.

The Puritans portrayed the Gospel as the greatest love story ever told, the Father's heavenly match of his perfect Son with his fallen sinful bride, the Church. They traced in glowing detail Jesus' mediatorial office as the prophet, priest, and king of his people.

The knowledge of Christ is a topic of immeasurable glory and as Ephesians 3 says, the unsearchable riches of Christ. Why would you stop studying about Christ and start studying about his mother when his riches are unsearchable?

Continue to pursue Christ and no one else. He is preeminent before all things. He is what we are focused on. Thank goodness.