Editor’s note: The article that was originally published here has been replaced with the following, which is an update.
Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola
We hold these truths to be biblically-evident, that all people have fallen short of the glory of God, that they are endowed by their Creator with a Savior, who is Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, our risen, rising, and reigning Lord.
Jesus Christ is the subject, goal, and motivation of our faith and devotion.
Jesus Christ came to show us how to be a new kind of human, a Jesus kind of human. He came to do what Adam failed to do. He is the firstborn of a new humanity.
Jesus Christ is alive. He lives. He lives His resurrection life in and through us—members of His beloved bride—the body of Christ on earth.
Jesus is the Way. What is Christianity? It is Christ.
Jesus is the Life. What is the gospel? It is Christ.
Jesus is the Truth. What is truth? It is Christ.
The “Jesus of History” cannot be separated from the “Christ of Faith.” The Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee is the same person who indwells the church today.
We declare Jesus to be the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, and meaning. Without Him, all things lose their value. Without Him, all things are but detached pieces floating around in space.
We declare that God’s mission in the world is less the business of fixing things that have gone wrong in our lives and more the relentless pursuit of finding us in our brokenness and giving us Christ as sheer Gift.
We declare that God doesn’t give us “things” – whether they be values, virtues, truths, or gifts. The Father gives us His Son – Jesus Christ – who is the embodiment of all spiritual values, virtues, truths, and gifts.
We declare that only Jesus can transfix and transfigure the void at the heart of the church. God has chosen to vest all power, authority, and life in the living Christ. And God in Christ is only known fully in and through His church. God has no hands but our hands; no feet but our feet. If we are doing today what Jesus did then, we wouldn’t be doing what Jesus did in the past. We’d be doing what Jesus is doing today.
We, therefore, members of the body of Christ, assembled in virtual space and real space, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the moral integrity of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the holy Scriptures, solemnly publish and declare, that we return to the absolute preeminence and sovereignty of Jesus—the triumphant, victorious, resurrected, ascended, enthroned, glorified, Lord of the universe and God’s All in All.
And for the support of this Manifesto, with a firm reliance on God our Creator, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor in pursuit of our passion, our mission, and our very life – which is Christ Jesus, this world’s true Lord.
Len Sweet and Frank Viola
This nano-Manifesto is a tract version of the new book JESUS MANIFESTO: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (Thomas Nelson). The book is available on Amazon.com at a discount. Note that this short essay is only an introduction to the book which goes into great detail and answers related questions. Here is the official website: www.theJesusManifesto.com
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