Learning Christ.

Not long ago a friend gave me a book by the Puritan Thomas Watson titled: The Art of Divine Contentment. It is a series of sermons preached in 1652-1653 from Paul's words to the church at Philippi: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11; KJV).

Watson opens his study with the following remarks which I have paraphrased for brevity and to remove the archaisms of his day: "There is a great dishonor done to God and a great deal of judgment to ourselves by the sin of discontentment...Discontent is to the soul what disease is to the body...It is a universal and epidemic sin and has no place in the life of a Christian because the Christian has all the promises of God to rely upon and sustain him. Thus, contentment ought to reveal itself in a life that is gracious and content with all thing God chooses to bestow. For my part, I do not know of any attribute that more adorns a Christian or that glitters in the eye of God...I know that there will never be perfect contentment in this life. perfect pleasure is only at God's right hand, yet we may begin here to tune our instrument before we play the sweet note of contentment more fully in heaven."

Watson then proceeds to expound on the text by breaking it up into individual clauses, the first one being I have learned. The key to contentment, says Watson, "is that one must learn Christ." This is different from knowing about Christ or even knowing Christ in a saving way. "A man may know much about Christ but not know Him, even less have learned Him - the devils know Christ (Mark 1:34). A man may preach Christ and not know him or learn Him, such was Judas. A person may know Christ and yet be discontent, such was Martha (Luke 10:40-42). A person may make a public profession of Christ and yet not have learned Christ (Mat. 7:22-23)." Watson then asks the important question: "What is it then, to learn Christ?"  He answers:

"To learn Christ is to be made like Christ, when the divine characters of his holiness are engraved upon our hearts - "we all with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18). There is, says Watson, "a metamorphosis: a sinner who sees Christ is transformed into His image. No man ever looked upon Christ with a spiritual eye and went away unchanged. A saint is a divine landscape or picture where all the beauties of Christ are displayed. He has the same Spirit as Christ. To learn Christ is to believe in him as 'My Lord and My God' (John 20:28). To learn Christ is to live like Christ in biblical conduct. When we do, our lives, like diamonds, cast a sparkle and a luster in the church...'"

Writing to Timothy Paul said godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). To be content we must be godly. To be content we must know Christ and have learned Him. How much we have learned Christ can be measured by how content we are.

Learning together,

In Calvary’s bond,

Pastor Ron