Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

It All Comes Down To Jesus

     The atheist, or socialist, or Christian—all who look to the future and express a view of what ought to be, see the same vision. They see the brotherhood of man, a time of peace on earth when there will be no more war, but a state of goodwill and perfect liberty, at present inconceivable. There is nothing wrong with the vision, and there is no difference in the vision because its source is the Spirit of God; the difference is in the way it is to be reached. The vision is of the nature of a castle in the air. That is where a castle should be; who ever heard of a castle underground! The problem is how to put the foundation under your castle in the air so that it can stand upon the earth. The New Testament says that the only foundation is not Rationalism but the absolute efficacy of the Redemption of Jesus Christ. … 

     There is only one thing as futile as the Roman Catholic Church and that is Protestantism. In Roman Catholicism the great dominating authority is Churchianity, the church is vested with all authority. In Protestantism it is what the Book says that is the supreme authority, and a man gets rest when he decides for either. “I am going to give up all the turmoil and let my Church do my thinking for me.” If you put your faith in a Church, it will solve your problems for you. Or you may stake your faith in Bibliolatry with the same result. “Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me, and ye will not come to Me that ye may have life” (John 5:39-40). Jesus Christ says neither the Church nor the Bible is the authority, but “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”; the Church and the Bible are secondary. 

From The Shadow Of An Agony 

Atheism, socialism, Christianism, Catholicism, Protestantism—all these –isms are man’s ideas.

Our priority should be a personal relationship to Jesus Christ! Stop fighting for an idea; but fight those ideas that want you to choose them over Jesus.

Only One is THE Way, Truth, and Life.