It never ceases to amaze me how often I forget this profound truth:
“The center of God’s revelation is Christ. All that God is to us, He is in Christ. All that we know of God, we know through Christ.” (Henry Eyster Jacobs, Elements of Religion, p. 170).
So often we are tempted to think that the center of God’s revelation is a rationally satifying doctrinal system, which we then spend our time arguing and debating and fighting others about on our little, puny blog sites. Often we are tempted to think that *we* in fact are the center of God’s revelation. Our pompous pride and arrogant self-absorption blind us to the reality of the overwhelming centrality of Christ, for all, and for us and our salvation. We are tempted to think the center of God’s revelation is a set of “laws” or “principles” or “how to” steps and procedures by which we can realize a higher spiritual existence. But over and over again, when we are led into these sins of self-deceit and self-deception, and attempts at self-justification, we are crushed under the condemnation of God’s holiness and righteousness which reveals who we really are and what we really are: poor, miserable sinners in need of a merciful God, and it is in that putting to death of our sinful self, that the grace of God, revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, comes shining into our hearts, minds, and lives, and we realize once more that all that God is to us, He is in Christ, and that all we know of God, and must know of God, we know through Christ Jesus our Lord, the One who is Life and Light.
You have a decision to make: double or nothing.
For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
In other words, your gift of $50 unlocks $100 for First Things, your gift of $100 unlocks $200, and so on, up to a total of $120,000. But if you don’t give, nothing.
So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?
Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
