Practicing your faith
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
I don't believe in a John 3:16 faith.
That is, I don't believe that the Christian faith is summed up perfectly in that particular verse, as so many people do. Now I do think every bit of it is true: God does love the world; he did give his only begotten son; we are called to believe in him and we are promised eternal life.
But the problem with a John 3:16 faith is that so many people both start and stop with it. The transformation of their lives (what we call sanctification) is not important, so long as they believe that Jesus is who he says he is. How they use their time, who they choose to love, how they spend their money, and whether they commit to life in the church don't seem to have much bearing in their lives.
The problem with this, of course, is that it runs against the grain of the entire New Testament witness. The Scriptures want to testify to us how our lives are transformed by Christ as we live in the covenant community known as the church. And that involves a change in our habits. Every one of them.
There are other "3:16s" out there that help to put John 3:16 in its proper perspective. Check out Ephesians 3:16, which speaks of inner transformation through the power of the Spirit (a transformation which, if it is true, must be expressed outwardly as well). Or Philippians 3:16, which enjoins us to hold fast to what we have attained - a statement which, in the light of Paul's previous comments about pressing on toward the goal, is about the importance of how we live out our lives in concrete acts. Then, of course, there is Revelation 3:16, where the Laodiceans are told that they will be spewed out of Christ's mouth for their lukewarmness. If that's not a call to a new way of life, I don't know what is!
About a year and a half ago, Steve Manskar at the General Board of Discipleship asked me to write a couple of short essays for Covenant Discipleship Quarterly about my experience with Covenant Discipleship Groups. I happen to think CD Groups are one of the best tools in helping Christians practice their faith through concrete acts - acts which, in turn, help to facilitate the work of the Spirit in sanctification. So if you are interested in something more than a simple John 3:16 faith, you should check out Steve's work in Covenant Discipleship at the GBOD. The website is here.
Those two essays I wrote for the CDQ are online as well:
Covenant Discipleship and My Journey into Ministry (Part I)
Covenant Discipleship and My Journey into Ministry (Part II)
Steve recently asked me to start contributing regularly to CDQ, so there will be more essays out in the future. I'll post them on the blog as I do with my United Methodist Reporter columns.
Labels: Covenant Discipleship Quarterly, Holy Scripture, Sanctification, Soteriology
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 9:15 PM
4 Comments:
While I don't always agree with you theologically or with all of your opinions I do agree with you here.
All people within all religions fall under the problem of believing but never go from there. There are far too many Christians who will tell you that they are saved and will have life with God in Heaven while unsaved people such as myself will either burn in Hell or be eternally separated from God.
Yet, they do nothing about putting their faith into practice and living life by the basic principles outlined by Jesus. As a Deist, I do not see Jesus as the son of God anymore than anyone else is but I see the beauty in his words, life and instructions. So, I try to live my life by those basic principles.
I look at so many Christians who stop at John 3:16 and then think that it is all there is to being a Christian. Conversely, I know of many non-Christians who live life as Jesus instructed us to yet John 3:16 has little to no meaning.
I believe that one reason that the church is hurting is because people have taken to this superficial Christianity and the hyprocrisy shines through when they do so. Gen Xers and Gen Yers have little stomach for this sort of thing and have no desire to be apart of a church where John 3:16 is the main goal with no regard for importance of living by the example set forth by Jesus.
MethoDeist
Those are interesting comments, MethoDeist. I have never heard someone defend traditional Christian formation while at the same time claiming the religious position of Deism.
If you are a deist, why would you choose to follow Jesus' teachings over the teachings of any other religious figure in history? But what criteria do you give him prominence as any kind of authority in your life?
Andrew,
I know that I am something of an enigma as I am a Deist that attends and is a somewhat active participant in the Christian church. Either that or I am just crazy and everyone is too nice to tell me.
You asked:
"If you are a deist, why would you choose to follow Jesus' teachings over the teachings of any other religious figure in history?"
I put Jesus on the same level as many of the great philosophers, theologians and scientists that we have been lucky to have throughout history. These include but are not limited to Socrates, Aristotle, Buddha, Epictetus, Thomas Paine, Albert Einstein and the list goes on and on.
I find universal truth from many sources because that is what truth is, it is universal. The Golden Rule has been stated throughout history long before Jesus was born and after by those who would have never heard his teachings. You ask why Jesus has meaning for me as a Deist; it is because I am a westerner and grew up in America so the philosophy of Jesus (even from a non-Christian perspective) had a profound effect on me. Also and more importantly, I find great wisdom and truth in his words and teachings.
You also asked:
"But what criteria do you give him prominence as any kind of authority in your life?"
The only authority I give to Jesus is the same authority that I give to those men and women from the past to the present that have had profound experiences of God and had great insight into our existence. There have been many and I do not put one above the others in regards to their ability to experience and comprehend God in ways that most of us never will. Certainly, I favor the philosophies and insight in some more than others but that is just me.
My wife is Christian and grew up in the Methodist church. I did not experience any type of spiritual-based fellowship growing up and I only began to get involved in such an environment after we were married. Since then I have seen the benefits of spiritual fellowship in many settings and in many different religions so I have come to see the importance and value of such communities.
The church in America (and the West in general) has allowed many to experience this spiritual fellowship and I have no desire to see such an important institution lose its role in our society. I feel that it would be a significant loss for all. I have been watching as an interested observer over the last 12 years as the church on all levels and beliefs has struggled to find its place in this post-modern society. I consider myself an observer and I feel that I can bring forth an outsiders view of what is happening in the church and what might be done to help.
Finally, I have met many wonderful and inviting people at my wife's church who were driven by the life and teachings of Jesus on how to live their lives and have done so in a positive life-affirming fashion. I feel that many might miss out on such an opportunity if the church keeps going in the direction it is going.
MethoDeist
Thank you for sharing that unique outlook.
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