Monday, June 20, 2016

The Renascence of Christian Thought

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.[1]

I have been putting down thoughts on the above scripture for several days; writing, deleting, and writing again. I may refer to it later, but right now my mind has wandered into a different field. I picked up a book by Jim Palmer that’s been on my shelf for a few years, but never opened. Some of Palmer’s early comments made me to think about my own religious journey. I won’t bore anyone with details, except to say that I have moved from conservative legalism to a personal walk with Jesus. My view on the institutional Church is that it has become a substitute, replacing a life in Christ. My current views are the result of moving from knowledge-based Christianity to faith-based Christianity. In the past the Church has been dominated by academics and knowledge was power. The combination of knowledge and charisma vaulted many teachers to an elevated status. Knowledge-based Christianity is actually an oxymoron considering Jesus’ attitude;

At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."[2]

The apostle Paul was blessed with an impediment;
…to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.[3]

I’m sure Paul’s issue was more severe than anything I have thought worthy of divine intervention. Due to my prosaic background I view the section in which Palmer describes a paranormal experience as plainly weird. He’s not Paul, and he hasn’t been “caught up into Paradise”[4]. Generally such events I classify as “out of mind” experiences. The rationale behind my explanation of unexplained events comes from my interpretation of scripture. This is where things for me get complicated; I claim to have moved away from knowledge-based Christianity, and yet my attitude to unexplainable events is based mostly on my religious teaching. In reaction to Pentecostal “Spirit” led experiences the group I associated with came close to negating any Spirit activity. For clarity I need to insert my beliefs on the role of scripture in our lives today: Despite the meaning of its title, the “Bible” is not a book, it is the compilation of sixty-six books. It has more in common with a library than a single book. The convenience of having the sacred scriptures together in a single volume is offset by the confusion that causes. The sacred books are connected by a common theme which is the account of God’s creation, man’s failure to live within the constraints of paradise, God’s promise of redemption, its plan, execution, and completion. That is the revealed story of God from beginning to end. Concerning the ancient writings Paul referred to events which happened times past saying, “These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.”[5] Paul recognizing early Christians were living in the end of the age pointed out that God had left principles to be followed in the examples recorded. The end of the age or the last days of the Jewish era was the backdrop to the birth of Christianity. The promise of a new covenant was made in antiquity and brought to fruition in Jesus. His mission was to teach that the kingdom of heaven was near, his death was the ultimate sacrifice required for man to gain entrance into paradise. God poured his Spirit upon the human race establishing his covenant of grace, initiating a new era of hope. The fledgling kingdom was given birth in the shadow of the temple and all that majestic structure stood for. Judaism could not accept that its kingdom was in decline, or that it was being phased out. The period of writings, making up the so called “New Testament”, was a period of transition from the material kingdom of Israel to the spiritual kingdom of Israel; from Jesus’ death to the destruction of the temple. That was a unique time, a time of great conflict, a time of miracles and wonders confirming the truth of the gospel. Jesus told his listeners that some would live to witness the end of the age;

For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.[6]
                                                                                                                                               
Early Christians lived at a time the collated “NT” was not in circulation. In their assemblies they read the ancient scriptures and any religious document that might come into their possession, some of which today are not accepted as part of the canon. Paul taught his readers that the ancient scriptures included vital examples, and I believe the same is true of writings from the mid-first century. All sixty-six books offer principles and examples applicable today, but not regulations. Everything that Jesus taught and died for is in place, he brought the kingdom of heaven to earth, and opened the way for people to enter the kingdom. I pity people who are still waiting for the end of the age, they are missing out on the hope and security that are in the kingdom of God. From when the teaching of the gospel began on the Day of Pentecost with Peters address to fellow Jews up to the end of the Jewish era, there were two primary responses to the good news; one was antagonistic from traditional Jews, the second was from those who followed Jesus. The disciples of Jesus were excited and eager to share what they believed was the new and better way. Jewry opposed and persecuted all who accepted Jesus as Messiah. Judaism had been in place for almost fifteen hundred years, it was established and permanent. Christianity was the upstart, the new thing, and would eventually die out and be forgotten. Christianity didn’t die out, instead for three hundred years under frequent persecution it flourished. In the fourth century Constantine deemed it necessary to bring Christian factions together for the sake of the Empire. That he did, giving bishops in Rome authority to unify Christianity and maintain peace. That initiative gave birth to the Roman Church which exercised its given power to dominate the Christians throughout the world, stamping out opposition to its control. Every Christian Church has its origin in the Roman Church. Every Church, but not every Christian. Over the past forty years or more a grassroots Christian movement has been growing in spite of the institutional Church. The desire to serve Jesus and God without the encumbrance of Church faces the same opposition as the first Christians in the end times of the Jewish nation. A greater obstacle to be overcome is the long history of the Church and its many offsprings. Some would-be renascence Christians fail to find the freedom in Christ because they cling to traditions of the Church and are unable to move forward toward simple Christianity.


Back to Palmer’s strange experience. I believe we live in the time when faith, hope, and love, govern our relationships with God. As children of Abraham we live by faith and not by sight. This being true my response to unexplained experiences needs to reflect that which comes to us through principle and example not dictate. There is no doubt in my mind that the miracles and wonders prophesied by the prophet Joel ceased at the end of the age. Paul gave notice that tongues, prophecy and miracles would pass away. There is no principle indicating that all unexplained events or experiences are figments of imagination. Therefor a more appropriate response would be to consider if an experience was constructive and honoured Jesus, or detracted from spiritual life. John left a principle regarding the unexplained; “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”[7] In a time when there was demonic activity, and when the power of God was demonstrated in miracles and wonders, John’s advice was very necessary. It is important that we follow his example.From a few sources recently I have come across statements to the effect that, “we need to accept God’s plan for us rather than designing a plan for God.” I grew tired of mission pleas based on, “God has called me…” or, “God has a plan for me.” I suspect that any call that was heard was the echo of personal desire. Do what you want and ask God’s blessing, but don’t presume to tell God what he has said. Jesus charged his apostles to preach to all nations. Redemption and forgiveness of sin had not been available until Jesus’ death. He told his apostles to go far and wide and spread the good news, and he gave them the timeframe in which it had to be done. The charge to people following the end of the age, was not to go hither and yon, but to live in a manner which would bring glory to God. I’m not sure that God has a plan for everyone other than we all live reflecting his love. For me it’s important to remember that God doesn’t need me, but I definitely need God.

It looks like I have wandered back to the first quotation:

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

There is a degree of specificity in the words of Jesus, since he was instructing his disciples. Jesus was in the world as the “exact imprint of God's very being,”[8] his disciples would be expected to represent Jesus to all people after his departure. They would live the message of Jesus for all to see. They would be spiritual seasoning in the absence of Jesus, and take on themselves the mantle of light radiating from God through his son. John said that Jesus was the Creator and “the light of all people.”[9] Later in his vision of hope John recorded, “…the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”[10] Jesus told his disciples that they were the light of the world, they bore the message of life, and the light of the logos would illuminate the world wherever they took the gospel. Believers are lights in the world, not in the same way as Jesus, not in the same way as the disciples who were the first to proclaim the hope of paradise. Our task is to let the love and grace of God radiate from our lives to those about. Reflecting God’s love through living is not a simple task, it can be easier to inundate ourselves in religious programs, or, devote ourselves to Church activities. The feedback from being involved in Church activities is more tangible than that received from “just living” as a follower of Jesus. “Just living” is more time consuming, more deliberate, and less noticed than being in the flow of Church activities. One of the most profound acts of love by Jesus gets very little attention, the theology of the cross overshadows his mundane act of house-keeping:

When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own.[11]

Jesus instructed his disciples to be secretive when they, “gave alms, prayed, or fasted;”[12] adding that, God sees all things. The contrast Jesus made was between the behaviours of the Pharisees who performed their religious devotion for all to see, and what behaviours Jesus wanted from his followers. In the context of his teaching, Jesus went on to tell his disciples to have heavenly accounts into God credits secret acts of service.  I believe that renascence Christians seek to live similar to Jesus who made no alliances with any of the Jewish sects. He kept the Commandments, but not religious tradition. He lived a simple life, teaching through word and behaviour, he represented God in the world. Today, we live as citizens in the kingdom of God with Jesus is our king. We are not anxiously awaiting the results of a final judgement, we live in assurance that our lives are secure in Christ.







[1] Mat 5:13-16
[2] Mat 11:25, 26
[3] 2Co 12:7-9
[4] 2Co 12:4
[5] 1Co 10:11 
[6] Mat 16:27, 28
[7] 1Jn 4:1 
[8] Heb 1:3(NRSV)
[9] Joh 1:4
[10] Rev 21:23 
[11] Joh 19:26, 27
[12] Mat 6:4, 6, 17 (NRSV)

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