Pastor J: [00:00:00] Taste and see that the Lord is good. Amen!. You’re listening to the soul food podcast and I’m your host, Pastor J.
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Announcer: Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he’s a child, but solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. This is SoulFood podcast.
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Pastor J: [00:00:10] This is episode 4 of this all-new ministry podcast, which is focused on providing solid food for hungry souls, and by doing so fostering, genuine spiritual maturity and the magnification of faith. Today, we’re going to be wrapping up a two part series that is focused on the statement: Christianity is more about relationship than it is religion. So, stick around and we’ll get to it after this.
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Pastor J: [00:00:38] Welcome back to SoulFood. I’m your host, Pastor J, and I’d like to take just a moment to encourage all of you listeners out there to head on over to soulfoodpodcast.com and to make a contribution right now. Will you? Whatever you can give is helpful and will go a long way to keeping this podcast feeding hungry souls all around the world. [00:01:00] That was actually the only announcement I had for the top of this episode, so let’s dive into our topic of discussion, which is based on the statement: Christianity is more about relationship than it is religion. Over the course of episode three, we looked at the word Christianity from a linguistic standpoint, separating the suffix -ity from the root word Christian.
Pastor J: [00:01:24] Since the suffix -ity signifies a state of being, it was concluded that Christianity is the state of being Christian. That conclusion brought about a new question. What does being Christian mean? Again, we considered the answer from a linguistic standpoint and determined that the suffix of the word, Christian, which is -ian signifies, quote, “one from, belonging to, relating to, or like.” End quote. With that in mind, an assertion was [00:02:00] made that being Christian could be described as, quote, “being from Christ, belonging to Christ, relating to Christ, or being like Christ.” End quote. Of course, I did take a moment to further clarify that being like Christ is not the same as being Christ, because I know all about the word games people like to play. The remainder of episode 3 was spent considering the first two of the four aforementioned clauses. So, we looked at “being from Christ” and “belonging to Christ.” For the first, we considered how we are physically from Christ since we are God’s special creation, and since Jesus Christ and God the Father are one and have always been. We also considered how we are figuratively from Christ and I shared Jesus’ words found in Matthew 28, beginning at verse 19, commonly referred to as The [00:03:00] Great Commission. For the second clause of our being Christian definition, “belonging to Christ,” I made an argument from the standpoint of Christ’s blood binding us back to the Lord after the fall, which occurred when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the garden. We were from the Lord, being his special creation. We fell away from him because we disobeyed him. However, since he loves us so much, Jesus came down to earth and shed his blood to restore us to our original standing. And since it is Jesus’ blood that created that new covenant, we belong to Christ. Let’s face it, if we must belong to someone, Jesus Christ, in his infinite love, and mercy, and grace is the best possible someone we could ever hope to belong to. When we come back, we will continue our discussion by examining the third clause from our being Christian definition, [00:04:00] “relating to Christ.” Back in just a moment. Stick around.
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Pastor J: [00:04:03] Welcome back to SoulFood. I’m your host, Pastor J. We’re onto the third clause of our being Christian definition, which is “relating to Christ”. What does that mean, relating to Christ? Equally as important, what does Scripture say about it? The answer to this one is actually an incredibly important key aspect of our salvation. Our primary relation to Christ is our humanity. We are human. Jesus Christ was, both, human and divine. And it was a little bit of both of those aspects of Jesus that made our salvation by his death possible. I quite like how my performer professor, Dr. Rod Rosenblat, put it. He said something along the lines of, if Jesus wasn’t fully God, then he wouldn’t have had the authority to atone for our sins. If he wasn’t fully man, then he couldn’t have actually died. So, [00:05:00] we’re still on the hook for our sins. Now, of course he was lecturing on Jesus’ dual nature and we’re talking about how we relate to Christ, but there is an overlap in understanding both topics, and I need to establish the understanding that Jesus was both human and God at the same time, and that it is his human nature, specifically, that we most closely relate to. Turning to Scripture, there are no references that come to mind, where Jesus is actually commenting on his human nature in relation to his divine nature. While he did say that he was divine, he never specifically talks about being human. He just simply lived a human exist. There are references to him being hungry, tired, scared, and even thirsty. All of these qualities are found within the human condition. Not once do we ever see these being [00:06:00] associated with God the Father, who is purely of a divine nature. So, it is entirely rational to conclude that they are uniquely human. And since Jesus experienced these things regularly, he had a human nature. That, in essence, is how we relate to Christ. When we come back, we’ll cover the fourth and final clause from our being Christian definition, “being like Christ,” back in just a moment.
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Pastor J: [00:06:29] Welcome back to SoulFood podcast with your host, Pastor J. The fourth and final clause from our being Christian definition that we need to consider is “being like Christ”. Again, an overlap can immediately be discovered with “relating to Christ”. We are of human nature, and Jesus also had a human nature, along with his divine nature. As I had indicated before the break, without his human nature, Jesus couldn’t have stepped in as a sacrifice for our sins. I don’t [00:07:00] know if I could honestly fill another entire segment, just repeating myself without at least half of you falling asleep or stopping this episode. Instead, I am going to make an additional point or two that also ties in with how we are like Christ. And the first point to be made, the same Holy Spirit that resides in us is also with Jesus Christ, making us more like Christ. Jesus himself said that the Holy Spirit was to be sent by his Father in his, Jesus’, name. John 14:26, quote, “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” End quote. In this, we learn two things. First, that the Holy Spirit was sent to us in Jesus’ name. Also, that the Holy Spirit was sent to bring to remembrance all that [00:08:00] he taught us. Of course, we remember these lessons so that we can be transformed, becoming more like Jesus, as we draw closer and closer to an eternity with our Lord in heaven. And as I first stated, this same Holy Spirit is with Jesus. Luke 4:1, quote, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit in the wilderness.” End quote. As this first indicates, the Holy Spirit was with Jesus even before it fell upon us. And now that it resides in those who follow after Christ, it helps to align us more with our Savior, thus making us more like Jesus Christ. Back after this.
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Pastor J: [00:08:47] Welcome back to SoulFood podcast with your host, Pastor J; helping you to know that Christianity is more about relationship than religion. Over the course of episodes 3 and 4, [00:09:00] we’ve really examined that statement from various angles, and I am still just as confident in proclaiming that Christianity is more about relationship than it is about religion. Remember though, that it’s not only about your relationship with Christ, but also about your relationship with your fellow man. Jesus revealed this when he was asked what the greatest of the commandments is. His response, according to Matthew 22, starting at verse 37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, this is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” End quote. In the next episode of SoulFood podcast, we’ll start talking about love. Not love as the world is teaching [00:10:00] it, but love as the creator intended it. For more information about SoulFood podcast, more episodes, to contact me with questions and prayer requests, to inquire about marketing opportunities, or to make a financial contribution, please log on to soulfoodpodcast.com. If you’d prefer to listen to the podcast without ads, you can head on over to glow.fm/soulfoodpodcast. That’s g-l-o-w.fm/soulfoodpodcast and enjoy ad-free content with your subscription of as little as $5 per month. Now, remember, not only will you enjoy ad-free content with your subscription, you will also be contributing to helping this ministry flourish and to help feed hungry souls all around the world. If you’re a new listener, this is a twice-weekly podcast with new episodes dropping on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. You can keep [00:11:00] up-to-date with all things SoulFood podcast by visiting soulfoodpodcast.com and subscribing to the digital mailing list. Your information will never be sold, shared or traded. It will be used exclusively by me, so that I can communicate important information with you regarding SoulFood podcast, including the availability of new episodes. And now, [Begin Outro Jingle] I offer you this blessing to take with you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you his peace. Amen. This is Pastor J saying, take care and God bless. See you next time.
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