Christ-centered Values

[David Ragland]

"Christ-centered Values"

What are Christ-centered values?

Having Christ centered values is not merely paying lip service to Christian ideology. It goes far beyond voting for pro-life politicians, speaking out against debauchery and secularism, or attending Church on Sunday mornings. These are only good things when done with a sincere heart that loves God totally (Matt. 22:37). The mere carrying out of certain activities does not mean one has Christ centered values or even that one is a Christian.

Having Christ centered values means honoring Christ’s will in all we do (Jn. 14:15). It means that we crucify our flesh and adopt a spiritual mindset regarding our life decisions (Rom. 8:5). Again, it requires one to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. 22:37).

If we are to avoid placing secular things above those of God in our lives, we must realize that our love of God must greatly outweigh our love of earthly pleasures. In other words, Christ Himself must be at the center of what we value in life. The great danger in liberal doctrines is their tendency to diminish the need for putting God first in our lives. We must not misuse and twist good teachings regarding law and grace to sell corrupt leftist theology (Rom 6:1,2). Christ said it best when He said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."(Jn. 14:15).

Below is an example listing of orthodox inferences regarding Christ-centered values:

1. We value what we love and vice versa.

2. We give our affections most to that which we love and value most (Matt. 6:24).

3. If we love and value God more than the things of this world, our behavior will reflect the Christ-centered values in our hearts (Matt. 6: 24; 1Cor. 8:3).

4. Therefore, a person who obviously chases the things of this world, cannot persuade God or any spiritually discerning person that he/she possesses Christ-centered values (Rom. 8:5).

So, having Christ-centered values means that our value system differs entirely from that of secularists. We cannot share their world view and be considered friends of God. James 4:4 spells this out clearly. James 4:4 -Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

A loud, clear warning is what we get from this scripture. We should therefore strenuously consider what our love of carnality means in the long run. The short answer is that it make us enemies of God. True Christians should be aware of this. Those laying claim to Christian status, while still clinging stubbornly to their carnality, are what we could term cultural Christians.

A carnal mind is an enemy of God because, it cannot possibly submit to God’s laws (Rom. 8:7). The carnal mind must die so that a renewed, spiritual mind can be born (2 Cor. 5:17). It is true that we are saved when we sincerely confess with our mouths that we trust in Christ to be our Savior at the time of our conversion (Rom. 10:9). In short, when we truly repent and believe the Gospel we are saved (Mk. 1:15). However, does this mean that a Christian needs nothing further from God? No, it does not! The overarching point of this entire book is that a person must live as an obedient follower of Christ to actually be a Christian.

Now, this is not to say that we begin living a Godly life at the time of our confession of faith and are thereby saved by our own good deeds. If this were true, Christ died in vain. It means that we are called to Christ by the Holy Spirit and saved by our faith in Him and what He did to save us from our sins. Turning from carnality and the ways of the world is a subsequent process by which we are sanctified unto God. Holy living does not save a person, holy living is what a saved person does.

So then, how does James 4:4 apply to those professing to be Christians? This verse is a warning to those who call themselves Christians but are not living for Christ. This scripture draws a very clear picture of who the enemies of God are. Those who love the secular world more than God are His enemies. In short, true Christians put God first.

Therefore, all professing Christians should look at their lives in the light of scriptures like this one. We should call upon God to examine our hearts and show us our error, show us where we fail to meet His standards for living. Scriptures like James 4:4 should set us on a journey of self-examination.

We must ask ourselves whether we love God more than the world or not. We must keep asking this question and keep prayerfully seeking God’s best for our lives. We must hide truths like the ones contained in James 4:4 in our hearts. When we face the fact that God’s enemies are lovers of the world, we should then seek to cling to God with all our might and turn from worldly vices. We belong to Christ now, not ourselves (1 Cor 6:20).

In Matthew 13:7 Christ says, " And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:" This is from the "Parable of the Sower". When declaring for His disciples the meaning of the parable, He compared the seeds that fell amongst thorns to temporary converts. These are those who hear and receive the Gospel message but are later turned from it by the worldly distractions.

They are brought to fruitlessness by the cares of this world and by the deception that follows when one loves worldly riches more than God. How can one claim to have received salvation when his/her sojourn with the Lord was so brief? Let’s let God’s Word answer this question for us. Matthew 24:13 - But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

We must endure till the end, giving way to God in our lives at all times, friends. He is our Lord as well as our Savior and demands we love Him instead of the world. The Word tells us in no uncertain terms that one is not a true Christian who loves the world. Again, what we value must have Christ at its center.



Laterness . . .
david the servant