Bishop Scott Jones on Salvation
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
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| Bishop Scott J. Jones |
I want to recommend Bishop Jones' commentary for reasons I'll mention below. But first, the article can be found at this link.
As odd as it may seem, it is rare in some churches to hear talk of salvation. Preachers focus on the love of God in their sermons, and church members focus on studying the Bible and organizing themselves for good works in the world. Congregations do the hard daily work of discipleship: giving of their tithes, joining together in the worship of God, celebrating the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, visiting the sick, helping men and women join together in marriage, and burying the dead.
All this faithful work makes up central aspects of what it means to live as a faithful Christian. But we don't always integrate what we do with an understanding of exactly what Bishop Jones is pointing us toward in his article: the way of salvation.
I think it is crucially important for us to emphasize that all we do should be in response to the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and that this response is what we understand salvation in this life to look like.
Awhile back, I wrote a column in the United Methodist Reporter where I advocated for us to renew our attention to the doctrine of salvation in our churches. Bishop Jones' article is a wonderful primer in that doctrine, and I recommend its reading. After all, we don't gather as the church for just any reason. We do so because we are seeking to respond in faith to Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Bishop Jones writes, "There are people ... living in our communities who need salvation. They need a personal relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior. They need the means of grace found only in the church. They need what our church has to offer."
That's a wonderful statement of the reason God has gathered a church at all. And it also points to the importance of the church's life and mission.
Labels: Bishop Scott Jones, Doctrine, Means of Grace, Salvation, Soteriology, Wesleyan Theology
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 7:34 AM
1 Comments:
Andrew, I was heartened to hear one of my astute parishioner's say recently, "I notice you preach for decision."
"Yes!" I said. I try, in many and various ways, to invite people into a decision.
Just to share some practical insights of my own experience, I DO use the language of "Lord and Savior" but explain it as "putting all your hope in Christ" and "letting Jesus call the shots."
I also emphasize that we need a "connection to Christ AND to his Church." We need to hold these two together: Christ and the Christian community.
Not to whine, but I fear that too many UM churches see the emphasis on salvation from sin, death and hell as "fundamentalist." If that makes me a fundamentalist, then I'm a fundamentalist.
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