What happens in our relationship with God—which, of course, includes our half-heartedness, our consistent sins, our excitements and emotional roller-coasters, and more—what happens if in that, we subtly start relating to God without consciously thinking of Jesus? The belief in God is there. The understanding of my imperfection is present. Perhaps even the embrace of God’s love is felt. But Jesus is downplayed.
What happens?
This isn’t a mere hypothetical thought. Religions of all sorts for thousands of year essentially have addressed this issue of me-and-God—without Jesus. But even in daily life for the Christian, we still can think of the general “God” existing and us having to do with him, and then we too can then start to do so without Christ.
So what happens?
Loss of Refreshing Thoughts of God
John Owen around 400 years ago addressed this. He begins by writing,
“No comfortable, refreshing thoughts of God, no warrantable or acceptable boldness in approach and access unto him, can any one entertain or receive, but in this exercise of faith on Christ as the mediator between God and man. And if, in the practice of religion, this regard of faith unto him—this acting of faith on God through him—be not the principle whereby the whole is animated and guided, Christianity is renounced, and the vain cloud of natural religion embraced in the room for it. Not a verbal mention of him but the real international of heart to come unto God by him, is required of us.”
Without Christ, refreshing thoughts of God become absent. “God loves me and embraces me by grace,” becomes, “He’s up there, watching me.” That’s point number 1.
Vain Natural Religion
Yet not only that, but then in grace’s place, what comes is what Owen describes as “the vain cloud of natural religion.” (“Natural religion,” not meaning the worship of nature, but what we naturally do in regard to God). And what’s our natural religion? We seek to earn God’s love, his acceptance; or at least be fit enough for it.
“He’s up there, watching me, and I need to do better” is what then fills our thoughts.
Owen later continues,
“When men begin to satisfy themselves with general hopes of mercy in God, without a continual respect unto the interposition and mediation of Christ, whereinto their hope and trust is resolved, there is decay in their faith, and proportionably in all other evangelical [meaning, gospel] graces also. Herein lies the mystery of Christian religion, which the world seems to almost be weary of.”
General hopes of mercy in God won’t do—can’t do. Why? Because our only “hope and trust is resolved” in Christ. The world doesn’t get this, or like this, as Owen comments. We and the world naturally want to earn, deserve, be worthy of, the love and grace of God. Yet the truth is, we have no hope or certainty that broken people like us are right with this God of all love, holiness, and perfection apart from Christ. Therefore, when Christ is lost, as Owen says above, Christianity is “renounced.” And as a result, “all other evangelical [gospel] graces” start to wither too.
All because we’ve neglected Christ.
Consciously Embracing Christ
Which means for us as Christians, yes, we say and genuinely “believe in God” and “believe in Jesus.” And by those terms, we first mean we believe in God’s existence—which is a good starting point. And then by God’s grace we then also trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are thus saved.
But then, daily and practically, when it comes to general thoughts of God, isn’t it then that we can fall back into the “vain cloud of natural religion”?
We can subtly relate to God, pray to God, and try to follow God—practically, daily—without much thought of Christ, except knowing he, yes, saves us forever (and perhaps except ending our prayers with the habitual “in Jesus’s name”).
But this is truly more hurtful—and hope-killing—than we know. For Owen’s point is that such an overstepping of Christ will hurt our faith, immensely. Because having peace with God in and through Christ isn’t just the way to initial salvation; it’s how we live the Christian life. “The righteous shall live by faith,” “we walk by faith,” the Bible says (Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7)—and “by faith,” the New Testament means continually trusting Jesus.
Only In Christ
The point is: Christ therefore must continually be central in our relating to God (not to mention in so many other aspects of our lives as well). He is the risen Lord. He is our forever Savior. And he is our present (and eternal) Mediator. We come to God, always, through him. And we only receive God’s love and mercy, always, through him.
It’s only in Christ we can be sure we always are welcome in the Father’s presence—just as Christ is always welcome. It’s only in Christ we can have certainty and feel we truly are infinitely loved—just as Christ is always loved. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
As Jesus prayed, the goal always has been: “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).
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(Quotes from John Owen, Christologia: Or, A Declaration of the Glorious Mystery of the Person of Christ, Volume 1, The Works of John Owen, pp. 134)
