“I Desire To . . . Know Christ.”[1]
“I Desire to Know Christ.” Paul in Philippians 3:10
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis
What do you desire most in life? I asked my seven-year-old granddaughter that question. Her response? “A real live unicorn.” Precious.
What unicorn are you desiring in your life? As adults our unicorns come in many shapes and sizes. It might be the unicorn of money, success, security, power, control, being liked or admired.
For Paul there was one desire: To Know Christ.
But who is Christ? How would you answer that? Many Christians think of Christ as the last name of Jesus. It means anointed one. Messiah. The connotation for many if not most is that Christ is the personal savior. Here on full display is the individualistic spirituality of western Christianity. But Christ goes much further and deeper than that. I would like to suggest three concepts or descriptions of the Christ, all drawn from the New Testament.
First is the “Icon of God.” In Colossians chapter one Paul refers to the “Son of God’s Love” and then goes on to describe Him, calling Christ “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,” who has preeminence and power in all things. What’s significant here is that Christ is the revealer of who God is. Looking at, considering, contemplating the Christ is to “see” God. This can be done in a myriad of ways, which is a topic for future blogs.
The second is The Logos. This is the first description of Christ in the Gospel of John, which starts “In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here is where we stumble in English translations and culture. We can’t grasp the full meaning or impact of “Logos” in the minds of the Greeks and Romans of the day. The best we can do is say that the “Logos” is the ordering principal and glue for all creation. It is the causal factor for creation, and the means by which everything in all creation holds together.
The third is “I Am.” We are familiar with this because it is the answer that God gave to Moses when queried about God’s identity. “ I Am that I Am” God responded. The word itself (translated YHWH in English) imitates the breath or Spirit. To say this is to imply that there is nothing more or other or else than God. That God is all in all. Jesus makes seven “I Am” statements as recorded in the Gospel of John.
These three descriptions are the closest I can come to capturing the meaning and essence of Christ. But what does it matter? Simply this: To desire Christ is to yearn for something more than our paltry personal desires. It is to be drawn out of ourselves, where we spend so much time and energy in life, and to be invited to participate in something, or dare I say Someone, that is much bigger, more meaningful, and lasting. It is, as Paul says in Colossians, to be brought into the Presence of The Son of God’s Love. And in the end that is all there is, and all that matters.
[1] This is the first of a series of meditations on the theme. It came to me on the flight to Cambodia. Early in the morning on the first day there I began “downloading” the inspiration given to me. There was so much to this one theme, that I was compelled to share it. I hope you enjoy and are fulfilled and nourished by it.