A Theology Through the Lens of Jesus Christ
Organizing the Christian Faith Around the Father's Purpose to Conform Humanity to the Image of His Son
(English & Español)
July 8, 2026
(English & Español)
July 8, 2026
For many years, I thought I was trying to better understand discipleship. I wanted to know how Jesus made disciples, what true spiritual maturity looks like, and why so much of modern discipleship often produces knowledgeable Christians without consistently producing Christlike people. As I continued studying Scripture, however, I realized I was asking increasingly larger questions.
At first, I asked, What is discipleship? That question drove me for more than three decades. I read, prayed, observed the state of the Church, and returned again and again to Scripture. Over time, fresh understanding kept reshaping not only where I looked for answers, but what I was looking for.
Then I began asking, What kind of person was Jesus trying to form? That question moved me beyond methods and programs into the deeper issue of formation: the shaping of the whole person into the likeness of Christ.
Soon after, another question emerged: What kind of human life did the Father reveal and perfect in Jesus, the true and faithful human being? This question expanded my vision even further. Jesus was not only forming disciples; He was Himself the perfect revelation of the life God intends for humanity. His communion with the Father, His character, His obedience, His motives, and His mission became the pattern for understanding what God desires to form in us.
Eventually, I realized I was no longer asking only about discipleship. I was asking about theology. Not merely individual doctrines, but the whole of Christian theology: Scripture, salvation, humanity, the Church, the Spirit, mission, the Kingdom, and the purpose of God in history.
I began to see that every doctrine ultimately finds its meaning within God’s greater purpose in Christ. The question is not merely whether a doctrine is true—though truth is essential—but how that truth reveals Christ, participates in His work, and serves the Father’s purpose of conforming humanity to the image of His Son. That realization changed everything.
Instead of beginning with isolated doctrines and attempting to connect them together, I found myself beginning with Jesus Himself. Not simply Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy. Not simply Jesus as Savior. Not simply Jesus as King. But Jesus as the fullest revelation of God, the fullest revelation of true humanity, and the perfect model of the life the Father intends to reproduce in His people. In other words, Jesus is not merely the subject of theology. He is the organizing center of theology.
The New Testament repeatedly presents Christ this way. He is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). He is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). He is the One in whom “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). He is the One to whom the Law, the Prophets, and the Scriptures bear witness (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39). He is the One into whose image believers are being transformed (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
This means that theology is not simply about collecting true statements concerning God. Theology is about understanding God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ and His purpose of conforming humanity to the image of His Son.
That conviction has gradually become the lens through which I now read the whole of Scripture.
When I study salvation, I ask: How does this bring people into the likeness of Christ?
When I study the Church, I ask: How does the Church participate in forming people into the likeness of Christ?
When I study spiritual disciplines, I ask: How do these cultivate deeper communion with Christ so that His life is formed within us?
When I study mission, I ask: How does the mission of the Church extend the life, character, and ministry of Christ into the world?
Even when I study history, leadership, worship, community, suffering, or spiritual gifts, the same question remains: How does this reveal Christ, participate in His work, and contribute to God’s purpose of conforming people to His image?
This does not diminish the authority of Scripture. Quite the opposite. Scripture becomes even more central because its primary purpose is to reveal Christ.
Jesus Himself taught that the Scriptures testify about Him (John 5:39; Luke 24:27, 44). The apostles proclaimed Him as the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan (Acts 2:22–36; Acts 13:32–39). Every major movement of the biblical story finds its fulfillment in Him (Matthew 5:17; Ephesians 1:9–10; Colossians 1:19–20).
Therefore, the Bible is not merely a collection of doctrines, commands, stories, and principles. It is God’s unified testimony to His Son.
Likewise, this vision does not diminish theology. It gives theology its proper center. Every doctrine retains its importance, but no doctrine exists independently. Each finds its meaning within the larger purpose of God’s revelation in Christ.
Creation reveals the world Christ entered.
Humanity explains those made in His image.
Sin explains why His coming was necessary.
The gospel proclaims His saving work.
The Holy Spirit forms His life within us.
The Church becomes His visible body.
Mission continues His ministry.
The Kingdom announces His reign.
The new creation completes His work.
Everything belongs because everything belongs to Christ.
This also reshapes how I understand discipleship. Discipleship is no longer merely learning biblical information, adopting Christian behaviors, or participating in church activities. Nor is it simply becoming more moral, more knowledgeable, or more active in ministry. Discipleship is participating in God’s lifelong work of conforming us to the image of His Son.
Jesus did not merely teach people what to believe. He formed people by inviting them to be with Him, to become like Him, and to continue His work. That pattern remains the Church’s calling today.
For this reason, I increasingly describe my vision as a theology through the lens of Jesus Christ. It is not an attempt to replace systematic theology. It is an attempt to organize every part of theology around its proper center.
Jesus is not merely one doctrine among many. He is the One through whom every doctrine is understood:
He is the revelation of the Father.
He is the fulfillment of Scripture.
He is the perfect image of redeemed humanity.
He is the model of discipleship.
He is the Head of the Church.
He is the center of the Kingdom.
He is the goal toward which the Holy Spirit is forming God’s people.
Ultimately, I believe this is the Father’s great purpose throughout history: to reveal His Son and to conform a people into His likeness.
When that becomes the organizing vision of theology, the Christian faith is no longer experienced as a collection of disconnected beliefs and practices. Instead, every doctrine, every discipline, every ministry, every act of worship, and every expression of mission finds its coherence in one Person.
Everything begins with Christ. Everything points to Christ. Everything is fulfilled in Christ. And everything God is doing in His people is to make them increasingly like Christ.