• Home
• Good Words
• Sound Doctrine

Mohler: “Jesus Christ’s name is a proposition!”

Published on September 14th, 2007.

Today, at Southern Seminaries Chapel service, Dr. Mohler delivered this third message in a series on the Apostle’s Creed. This week: “Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord.” In the course of this message Mohler recounted a debate in which he participated where the gospel was being maligned. This exchange is worth a book mark in our minds. I have transcribed it here,

I was in Washington DC about a decade ago in the context of great theological controversy and I was asked to step into a situation of conflict and debate the theological issues of the Christian faith. It was an invitation I could not let go. I felt duty bound to accept it. It was with a cry of urgency. They were finding it difficult to find someone to stand for the Christian faith. I felt that I should do it. It was one of those debates that as I got into it was set up for something other than an honest exchange of ideas. It was an opportunity for the faith to be humiliated. In the midst of it, a very hostile audience, I prayed that he lord would give me an opportunity in an unexpected way to break through the mechanism of this debate and give a testimony to the gospel that would not just be the answer to the question but would be somehow be used by the holy spirit to clarify some issues, to make Jesus the focal position in this conversation.

This particular debate allowed questions from the audience. For most of the debate that was a disaster. But this one moment it was accidentally glorious. A man stood up. He Identified himself as holding two Phd. degrees. One in astrophysics and the other in something similar. we knew he was smart. Furthermore, he said he has studied theology. Then he said that he was a senior scientist with NASA. We were really impressed! Then he said, Dr. Mohler, I’m so tired of all this theology. I’m tired of all this doctrine. Every time you get asked a question you respond with a theological answer.”

I said to him, “Sir you will notice the program says a theological debate. Someone with two Phd’s should understand what that word means.” But then he accidentally gave me all the entry I needed. I’ll admit it, the blood was coursing through the veins. You are all the sudden realizing that you are before hundreds of people, this is being televised and this man is heading for what he things is the kill and I realized that I was what he wanted to kill.

He said, “Dr. Mohler. I am a Christian and I want nothing to do with this doctrine and theology. All I want is Jesus Christ.”

It was as if the runway was cleared. all the traffic was cleared the clouds parted. i was cleared for take off.

I said, “Sir, do you think there was a mailbox in Judea that said, Christ, Jesus?’ Do you think that’s his last name? you just made a theological statement. You who want nothing to do with theology. You are declaring Jesus to be the anointed one of God, the Messiah. Christ is not a surname. It is a title. Jesus is not merely a name, it is a theological proposition. It is a claim that all of the promises of Israel are fulfilled in this one, Jesus. His name means Savior.”

To say “Jesus Christ” is to say what human ingenuity would never understand, never devise, never conceive but by the revelation of God. And that is that God would save sinners through the Messiah. The promise to save his people, to save his people from their sins… Jesus’ name is a confession of faith, unknown to millions of people who speak that name… We believe in Jesus Christ.

Filled under Miscellany.

2 Comments

Leave a Comment

Username (required) :
Email (required) :
Web Site :
Comment :