In Luke 10:42 we discover that only one thing is necessary in the ultimate sense, the sense that puts all other things into focus, and that is knowing and hearing the Word of Jesus.
Here are twenty-seven reasons why Jesus is that one necessity.
1. He entered into a covenant with the Father to save us, the elect, whom the father gave to him in eternity past (John 6:37, 39; 17:2).
2. The Father chose us in view of being united to Christ, i.e. in him, in eternity past and so predestined us to adoption (Eph. 1:4-5).
3. The elect are his sheep, he calls out to them, brings them to him, dies for them, and holds on to them with the Father so that no one can remove them from him (John 10:27-30). And so, he causes us to stand, to persevere, so that we do persevere—after all they are kept for and by Jesus Christ (Jude 1, 21, 24).
4. He is the Creator, the goal of creation, and he is the sustainer of creation and all that is in it (Col. 1:16-17; John 1:2).
5. Jesus lived in our place so that his perfect active obedience could be imputed to us (John 5:19, 30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 2:5-18), and so, as will be seen in the next point, we are dependent upon him for our right standing with God (Rom. 5:1-2).
6. When Jesus died and was raised for us, he redeemed us, and accomplished the forgiveness of our sins, realities applied to us when we repent and trust in him as Savior (Rom. 8:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:13-14; 1 Peter 2;24; 3:18). As such, it is in Christ we are justified by faith—his righteousness (an alien righteousness) being imputed to us (Rom. 3:21-26; Phil. 3:9).
7. When Jesus died and was raised for us he purchased for us our faith (1 Peter 1:21) and new life so that the Holy Spirit could be poured out upon us richly (Acts 2:33; Gal. 4:4-7; Titus 3:5-6), the very one who unites us to Christ and applies to us the person, power, presence, and work of Christ (John 3:1-8; Rom. 8:1-17).
8. We have been adopted into the family and been given a right to all the privileges of God in our union with Christ (Rom. 8:12-17; Gal. 4:4-7).
9. Jesus is not only the firstborn among brothers and sisters (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11) and so in a family relationship with us (Rom. 8:12-17), he is also our friend (Jn. 15:15). He is the kind of friend (the ultimate fulfillment of such) that sticks even closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24). This closeness also reminds us that he is the ultimate mighty man/hero (cf. Col. 1:12-14), the ultimate bridegroom to his bride (Eph. 5:32).
10. Jesus is the one in whose image we are being transformed and conformed to, that we might glorify him (Rom. 8:29-30; 2 Cor. 3:18). This future glorification in him is certain (Romans 8:28-39). We will be like him in spirit and body someday because we are united to him (Rom. 8:29-30; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:20-21) and because he is the first born of our new life (Col. 1:18).
11. From the time we trust Christ to the time Christ returns or we are taken home, Jesus shows us by his Word how to live the life God wills for us (Luke 10:38-42, he enables us to live the life God calls us to (Gal. 2:20), and so gives us the grace to abide in him and to bear much lasting fruit for the glory of God as his disciples (Luke 10:38-42; John 15:1-16; Eph. 3:21; Heb. 13:20-21).
12. Because of Jesus we experientially and really know the saving, electing love of God (Rom. 8:28-39) and so we are assured of the love of God (John 14:21, 23; Rom. 5:6, 8; Eph. 3:14-21)
13. United to Jesus Christ we have peace with God, stand in his grace, and we can rejoice in the outcomes of trials (Rom. 5:1-5; 1 Peter 1:3-9).
14. Jesus has been, is, and continues to intercede for and to advocate for us before the presence of the Father, thus continually applying his saving work and calling for the very things we need to walk with and to serve him (John 17; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2).
15. Jesus Christ is forever a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, who can deal gently with us, and who can give us help since he has walked where we walked, been tempted with the same type of temptations, and he has put on weakness as us (Heb. 2:5-18; 4:15; 5:2; 7:25)
16. Jesus Christ is the one in whom we are brought back to and reconciled to the Father (2 Cor. 5:11-21; Eph. 2:11-22), and so we have access in and through Christ to his throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).
17. Jesus has, he continues, and he will continue to send his Holy Spirit such that he permanently indwells and empowers us for Christian life and ministry (John 14:15-17; 16:5-16; 2 Cor. 3).
18. Jesus Christ has promised that he is preparing a place for us in eternity future and will come again to take us to himself so that where he is we can be also and therefore our hearts do not have to be troubled (John 14:1-6), and he even gives us his Spirit to help us have this experiential peace (John 14:15-31).
19. Because of Jesus Christ we will be resurrected, glorified, and so our labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:12-58).
20. It is in Christ that we have the New Covenant whereby God gives us his Spirit, transforms us from the inside out, writes his law upon our hearts, and enables us in a new and deeper way to follow him (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-27; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8; 12:24).
21. It should be no surprise that all God’s promises to us are fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20), who is the fulfillment of: Israel (Mt. 2:13-15); the feasts, festivals, and dietery laws, as well as the sacrifices (Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; 1 Cor. 8:8; Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 8). He also is our wisdom (Prov. 8:27-30; 1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 2:3). He is our prophet to show us the way to God (John 1:1-14; 14:6; Acts 3:22; Heb. 1:1-3), our priest to win and apply our access/peace to and with God (see above), and he is our king, the one who brings us the kingdom and into the saving reign and blessings of God (Mt. 4:17; 5:3-10; 7:21-23; Lk. 11:28).
22. Based upon the previous point, then, we should not only read all the Bible, knowing that all God promises and all the conditions to those promises are fulfilled in Christ, but we should see that the blessed happiness that comes through the gospel of the happy God (1 Tim. 1:11), and through the savior who accomplished salvation because of the joy set before him (Heb. 12:2), all this blessed happiness comes in and through Jesus Christ (Mt. 5:3-10ff.; John 14:1-14; 16:23-24; Gal. 5:22-23). After all, our obedience comes in and through him (Rom. 1:1-7). It is the rich Christ who became poor that we through his poverty might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
23. In Christ we find rest (Matthew 11:28-30; Heb. 4).
24. In Christ we find hidden all the riches of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).
25. It is because of Christ we are assured that God will give to us all we need to persevere and enter into our eternal joy (Rom. 8:32). As such, we can do all things through the one who strengthens us and can be assured that God will supply every need of our according to his riches in glory in Christ.
26. Based on all that has been listed here, it is not only not a surprise that Jesus is the one and only ultimate necessity, but that he is the one and only one who is sufficient to help us with our problems and difficulties, and so he is always necessary in our lives no matter what other helps we utilize. There is no Christian or biblical counsel where he is not supreme and central. Apart from him we have not faced and dealt with our problems. As such, if we are to glorify the Father it will be through glorifying the Son (John 1:1-14; 5:23; Heb. 1:1-3).
27. As we discover in this very passage (Lk. 10:42) all that we have in Jesus Christ through being his disciple and following his Word is the one thing that cannot be taken away! See #08 below.
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