The Doctrine of Jesus and a Pastor’s Ministry

On the night before he was crucified, Jesus told his followers, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This is an astonishing claim: No one can come to God except through Jesus. As Bible-believing Christians, we believe Jesus’ words are true. But do we live like it? Do we follow his radical call to discipleship? Or are we, as Francis Schaeffer argued long ago in a scathing indictment of all-too-comfortable Christians in the West, worshipping the idol of personal peace and affluence? The doctrine of Jesus is absolutely vital for a pastor’s ministry.

Why Jesus Matters

Jesus matters because Christianity is essentially Jesus. Jesus claimed to have a unique relationship with God and to be himself God. Both Jesus’ person and work are utterly unique. Doctrines like the virgin birth, the deity of Jesus, and the substitutionary atonement all have Jesus at the center. Jesus is the pinnacle of revelation (John 1:18; Heb 1:1–2). It is also Jesus who brought the once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Heb 9:27–28; 1 Pet 3:18). There is no other way of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). It is impossible to overstate the significance of Jesus for believers. Here are seven suggestions for how pastors can help their congregation think more about Jesus in light of biblical revelation.

7 Truths to Teach about Jesus

1. To preach the gospel is to preach Jesus.

The gospel is not an abstract set of affirmations; it pertains to historical events in the life of Jesus in fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3–4). To preach the gospel means to preach Jesus and to invite people into an intimate, growing relationship with him. Jesus loved you and me so much that he gave his life for us on the cross. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

2. Consider not only Jesus’ death and resurrection but also his life and ministry.

Many treatments of Jesus focus largely on his virgin birth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection after three days. While this is at the heart of the gospel, the fact remains that Jesus’ ministry on earth lasted for over three years. We don’t have an exhaustive record of everything Jesus did (John 21:25), but we have a wealth of material in the four New Testament Gospels. Not only should we preach regularly on the Gospels, we should encourage people in our churches to read the Gospels. In this way, they will be able to reflect on Jesus’ teachings, actions, and example. We should urge believers to mine the treasure trove of eyewitness testimony about Jesus. There is much to be learned, not only from the way Jesus died, but also from the way he lived.

3. Urge people to heed Jesus’ radical call to discipleship.

Jesus’ call to discipleship is categorical and all-consuming. Jesus tolerates no rivals, no conflicting priorities. Following Jesus overrides family loyalties and calls for a detached attitude toward material possessions. In my experience, pastors preach on Jesus’ radical call to discipleship far too seldom. There are many possible reasons for this, none of them valid. Anyone reading the Gospels will quickly discover that Jesus’ call to discipleship is at the very heart of the biblical message about Jesus. Thus it should also be at the heart of our preaching in our churches today. We should aim to produce committed Christians who leave everything to follow Jesus.

4. Focus on the Great Commission.

It is a remarkable but undeniable fact that the Gospels don’t end with the resurrection but with Jesus commissioning his followers to go and make disciples. To be sure, it was at the very heart of Jesus’ mission to come and die for our sins on the cross. But in addition, Jesus came to call and train his new messianic community to take the message of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus to the ends of the earth. After training his followers for over three years, and after dying on the cross and rising back to life, Jesus followed through on the culminating purpose of his coming: He commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel and to make converts far and wide. We ought to stay focused on what Jesus commissioned the church to do.

5. Call attention to Jesus’ prayer life and dependence on God.

Luke tells us that Jesus would regularly “withdraw to desolate places and pray” (5:16). Before appointing the twelve apostles, Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and “all night he continued in prayer to God” (6:12). Later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and as he was praying, his face shone and his clothes became dazzling white—the Transfiguration (9:28–29). What all these instances, and many others recorded in the Gospels, should encourage us to do is make it a practice to pray often and regularly, especially before making important decisions. We’re all so terribly busy. But are we busier than Jesus? This is hardly the case. So, if he made time to pray, so should we.

6. Urge people to follow Christ’s example in suffering and submission to authority.

In his first letter, the apostle Peter urged his readers to suffer the way Jesus did, “because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet 2:21–23). Today’s culture tells people to aggressively defend their rights. But Jesus modeled submission to authority, even unjust authority. Practicing submission is one very important way in which Jesus’ followers can stand out in a world that is obsessed with personal rights and privileges.

7. Emphasize the unique nature of Jesus’ person and mission.

Jesus is utterly unique. He is unique in his person as God in the flesh (John 1:14), and as the one-of-a-kind Son of God (John 1:18). He is unique in his redemptive mission as God’s sacrificial lamb who died for the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). Jesus is also the firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18); if he wasn’t raised, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins (1 Cor 15:17). We need to impress on people in our congregation the fact that Jesus is unique and that nothing and no one else can ever take his place—no hobbies, no relationship, no thrill, no possession, no dream, and no aspiration.

Conclusion

If we neglect or forget Jesus, we lose the gospel. In fact, we dilute the cross and the exclusive message of salvation. We may have a measure of love but we don’t have truth. We may have a measure of acceptance but not forgiveness. The gospel isn’t abstract propositional truth; the gospel is Jesus. Christian orthodoxy or heresy hinges on people’s view of Jesus. Invariably, other major world religions and cults deny essential biblical truths about Jesus, most notably his deity.

Jesus must be at the heart of our lives, our teaching, and our preaching. If we fail to preach Jesus’ radical call to discipleship, we’ll fill our churches with shallow Christians. Those are people whose commitment is only ankle-deep. They have one foot in the church and the other in the culture. Then, when the storms of life invariably come, these people will likely be swept away. Instead, let’s teach people to build their lives on the unshakable rock of Jesus Christ.

Note: This post originally appeared on the Focused Pastor website.