Chapter 1: “Christian thinkers were not in the business of establishing something; their task was to understand and explain something.” pg 3.
In the introductory post to this series, I referred you to 1 Corinthians 15:13-17, which is effectively a statement of the lynchpin of Christianity: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wilken identifies that the early leaders of Christian intellect were primarily concerned with explaining and understanding the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. The whole of Christian theology flows out from Calvary and the Empty Tomb. If one’s theology is not centered on the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, one has left the entire historic tradition of Christian Thought. This first chapter of Wilken’s work is titled “Founded on the Cross of Christ” and it is an exemplary choice for the subject matter at hand.
I found this quote from the first chapter challenging because it forced me to reconsider what it meant for my faith to be focused on Christ. In that vein I offer you the challenge to reflect on what your focus is fixed on, is it on the person of Christ? Are you often contemplating the cross and the resurrection and what they mean for your life? Or is your focus on other things, and if your focus is not on Christ, why is it not on Christ?
Psalm 2, especially verses 11 and 12.
“Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
In Step With God 