Andy Lines - General Secretary

Much on the worldwide Anglican scene is challenging churches to respond – desperate socio-economic conditions in Zimbabwe; 3 Kenyans dying of AIDS every 5 minutes; a hardening of government attitudes towards our brothers and sisters in Myanmar. Meanwhile, the Anglican Communion seems to be focused on the issue of human sexuality. Is this a luxury that only the rich West can afford to tear itself apart over, but which bears no relation to the 'more serious' issues facing Anglicans in the rest of the world? I don't think so. 

Our founders in BCMS/Crosslinks reinforced the importance of what we believe and teach in the Basis of Faith.What we believe is essential to who we are. It is not loving to allow teaching that is not in accord with God's revealed truth. It is a fundamental issue which is a direct challenge to God Himself. It calls into question what He has said and risks the eternal status of those He seeks to save. That is why the themes of ‘Bible, Cross & Mission’ at the forthcoming National Evangelical Anglican Congress (NEAC IV) in Blackpool are so vital. So I turn in this series to Article 2 of the Basis of the Society:

"Belief in the essential Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ; His Incarnation and Virgin Birth; the truthfulness of all His utterances; the all sufficiency of His atoning Death; His corporeal Resurrection, Ascension, and Coming Again"

This Article affirms what we believe about Jesus Christ; who He is and what He has done. Whilst not denying Jesus’ complete humanity, this Article emphasises His divinity. Jesus is God as well as man. This is a key point of distinction between Christianity and Islam or Judaism. The latter both believe in one supreme God but differ strongly on the nature of Jesus as God, and yet the Bible clearly subscribes to His divinity. 

There are 2 key reasons why the divinity of Jesus is so important: 

If Jesus, who clearly claimed to be God, is not God then His revealed truth about God carries no authority. What He said can be superseded. Christian claims to truth are invalid, and we are left ‘groping in the darkness of our own unenlightened reason’ (Bruce Milne). But if He is God then His revelation of God to us, revealed in Scripture, is authoritative, final and complete. The second reason has to do with what He did. If Jesus is not God then the “all sufficiency of His atoning death” is rubbished. The salvation that He died on the cross to achieve and make available to us would have been in vain. Humanity’s greatest need is to escape from the righteous indignation of God at our godlessness and rebellion. We have wronged God and only God can redeem us; the scribes were right, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). If Jesus is not God He is not a party to our relationship with God and His death and atonement are irrelevant to our status before God. Crosslinks believes on good evidence that Jesus is God and that His death for us was and is totally effective.

The mission imperative 

Do you see how Article 2 reinforces the themes of Bible, Cross & Mission at NEAC IV? Christ's final revelation of who God is can only be found in the Bible. The saving and effective work of Jesus is focused on the cross. Hence Paul’s declaration: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ (who He is) and him crucified (what He did)” 1 Corinthians 2:2. Mission flows from the person and the work of Christ on the cross. Having received His free forgiveness, available and effective for all, and since there is no other way, we are under obligation to share the message of the cross with our fellow sinners. This is an urgent task as the only key event of Christ's work still to take place is His “Coming Again”. Knowing this and living in the ‘last days’ will effect everything: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20. 

That is what Crosslinks is all about. 

Crosslinks magazine October 2003 index