J.C. Ryle on Christianity's Unexplainable Facts (1 of 4)

"When skeptics and infidels have said all they can, we must not forget that there are three great broad facts which they have never explained away, and I am convinced they never can, and never will.  Let me tell you briefly what they are.  They are very simple facts, and any plain man can understand them.

"The first fact is Jesus Christ Himself.  If Christianity is a mere invention of man, and the Bible is not from God, how can infidels explain Jesus Christ?  His existence in history they cannot deny.  How is it that without force or bribery, without arms or money, He has made such an immensely deep mark on the world as He certainly has?  Who was He?  What was He?  Where did He come from?  How is it that there never has been one like Him, neither before nor after, since the beginning of historical times?  They cannot explain it.  Nothing can explain it but the great foundation principle of revealed religion, that Jesus Christ is God, and His gospel is all true" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness).

J.C. Ryle: The Unsearchable Richness of Christ as both God and Man

Ephesians 3:8 (ESV)

"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given,

to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

"Set down, first and foremost, in your minds that there are unsearchable riches in Christ's person.  That miraculous union of perfect Man and perfect God in our Lord Jesus Christ is a great mystery, no doubt, which we have no line to fathom.  It is a high thing; and we cannot attain to it.  But, mysterious as that union may be, it is a mine of comfort and consolation to all who can rightly regard it.  Infinite power and infinite sympathy are met together and combined in our Savior.  If He had been only Man, He could not have saved us.  If He had been only God (I speak with reverence), He could not have been 'touched with the feeling of our infirmities,' nor 'suffered Himself being tempted'  (Heb. 4:15; 2:18).  As God, He is mighty to save; as Man, He is exactly suited to be our Head, Representative, and Friend.  Let those who never think deeply, taunt us, if they will, with squabbling about creeds and dogmatic theology.  But let thoughtful Christians never be ashamed to believe and hold fast the neglected doctrine of the Incarnation, and union of two natures in our Savior.  It is a rich and precious truth that our Lord Jesus Christ is both 'God and Man'" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness).

The Joy Found in His Increase

“For many years Sir Walter Scott was the leading literary figure in the British Empire. No one could write as well as he. Then the works of Lord Byron began to appear, and their greatness was immediately evident. Soon an anonymous critic praised his poems in a London Paper. He declared that in the presence of these brilliant works of poetic genius, Scott could no longer be considered the leading poet of England. It was later discovered that the unnamed reviewer had been none other than Sir Walter Scott himself!”  (Dr. Gary Collins in Homemade, July, 1985)

The disciples of John the Baptist became so concerned over the increased popularity and influence of Jesus they feared the ministry of John would be over-shadowed.  In response to this John gives a beautiful reply: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).  John was not about self-exaltation.  He was about exalting the Messiah.

Join us this week as we dive into John 3:22-30 to learn what it means for Jesus to increase in our lives while we willingly and joyfully decrease.  May the Spirit of God guide us into all truth through His Word and may we be prayerfully prepared to encounter the greatness of Jesus our Christ.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark