Nonconformist Chronicles

What About the Resurrection?, Part One

I have recently posed the question, Can We Take the Bible Literally? There are undoubtedly many texts that aren't meant to be taken literally. The Scriptures, at times, employ poetic license, allegory, apocalyptic, parable, and other non-literal forms and genres. So I don't believe every text is to be taken literally.  

Nor do I think it's always necessary to force the pre-modern biblical texts into a scientific mold as if they were written to either demonize or to be harmonized with modern theories or discoveries. Modern science wasn't even on the biblical authors' radar screens. 

While God knows all the secrets of the universe, I doubt that he revealed them to these authors who originally addressed pre-moderns. The biblical authors wrote within the framework of pre-scientific understandings, sometimes reflected in the Scriptures themselves, which does not make the biblical theology any less true.

I believe that God took the biblical authors where they were, not revealing everything to them, but just what was pertinent to human redemption. If it were proved to me beyond the shadow of a doubt (which it has not been) that creation did not take place in six literal days, or that the Book of Jonah is a parable, or that the "demons" Jesus cast out were actually diseases, this would not shake my faith in the least. But are some texts intended to be taken literally as objectively and historically true? Does the theological truth of some texts depend upon the literalness of historical events described therein?

I think a case in point would be the resurrection narratives in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew clearly argues for a historical, literal, and bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Matthew dispels the rumor that disciples stole the body of Jesus. The tomb was well-guarded and well-secured (Matthew 27:62-66).

The rumor of the stolen body began with guards who claimed to have been asleep at the time of the alleged grave robbery (Matthew 28:11-15). As Rubel Shelly asked in his book, Prepare to Answer: A Defense of the Christian Faith, what court would accept the testimony of those who claim to have been asleep during the incident in question? Moreover, Shelly contends that had the disciples stolen the body, both religious and Roman officials had both the means and the motive to produce the body. They could "examine every piece of evidence" and "interrogate every witness" (p. 205). 

We must reckon with the empty tomb when pondering the claims of the Christian faith. What did happen to the body of Jesus?  

More later---soon---I promise.                   

Hitting the Mark: Love is at Center

Not every religious practice is of equal importance. Jesus distinguished the weightier matters from those of lesser importance. But what happens if we fail to make those distinctions? We might wrongly assume that what happens for an hour on Sunday morning is as much an indication of spiritual health as how we live throughout the week. This happens if we exalt external religious rites to the same level of importance as how we treat other people.

Here we see a stark contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were externalists who prioritized the external rites, like tithing and fasting, even priding themselves on the exactitude and frequency of these practices (Matt. 23:23; Luke 18:9-14). But Jesus denounced their self-righteous judgmentalism which evidenced their neglect of the weightier matters. He insisted that the weightier matters are not the outward forms of religion. The weightier matters are those of justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23). Such matters can be categorized under the banner of love.

Jesus prioritized love as the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34). In an effort to trap Jesus, the Pharisees sent a scribe to ask which commandment is the greatest. The greatest commandment is twofold: Love God and love your neighbor.

Jesus may have won the scribe over, for the scribe deduced that love is "more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33). In other words, our treatment of others is of greater spiritual consequence than external religious rites. Jesus commended the scribe for having answered wisely (Mark 12:34).

The scribe's observation is consistent with the teaching of the prophets. As Judah sank into moral decline, some thought of themselves as pretty religious since they conformed to the externals. But God expressed disdain for their burnt offerings, incense, New Moons, Sabbaths, and public prayers. He would rather they seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:11-17). So again, the weightier matters are not external rites, but matters of justice and mercy.

Micah poses some questions to Judah:

With what shall I come before the Lord? And bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings...Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?...(Micah 6:6-7).

Then Micah summarizes what is most important to God:

...And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Notice how justice and mercy keep making the list of what is of central importance. This is how love is demonstrated.

So why are we so apt to fall into externalism--to measure spirituality in terms of precision in these matters? Maybe it's because the externals are easier to measure and easier to do. We can check off our list and go home from church feeling justified. But it's harder to be merciful--especially when people push my buttons or when they need help after having made their own messes. It's harder to be a voice for social equality. It's harder to reach out to the fatherless.

When it comes to hitting the bulls-eye, love is definitely at center. Are you hitting the mark? 

(Photo courtesy http://flickr.com/photos/devos/3908087/in/pool-stock/)    

            

 

What Flows from Center?

Two posts ago, I wrote about the bulls-eye perspective, in which I compared an individual's belief system to a dart board or target. The bulls-eye represents what one considers to be non-negotiable and essential to faith. What Jesus called the greatest commands or weightier matters certainly belong at center (Matt. 22:34-40; Matt. 23:23).

In the next concentric circle, just outside center, should be matters that are important, perhaps even essential. But these matters are not the central issues from which everything else flows. So what is in your next concentric circle, just outside center?

While my target is a usable analogy for evaluating our priorities, Ben Overby offered a better analogy for articulating the ideal. He compared what belongs at center to the sun. And everything else is a beam shining out from what is at center (See Overby's comments on my What Belongs at Center? post).

So what are some things that flow from center, but are not actually at center? In this category are external religious rites. I would place baptism, church attendance, the Lord's Supper, and giving--among other things--in this category. Some would mistakenly put these external practices at center, right in the bulls-eye, or where the sun should be. But I will not do so for a number of reasons.

First, the meaning of these practices is defined by what is at center--the core beliefs stated in my previous post. Rites like baptism and the Lord's Supper have no independent life of their own. They flow from what is at center. Without such a theological center, these practices become hollow legalistic rituals.

Second, when external rites are placed in the bulls-eye, one too easily considers precision in these matters to be as important as what is truly at center. In other words, frequency of the Lord's Supper is considered as important as loving one's neighbor. One might feel secure in having been baptized correctly, while turning a blind eye to social justice. One's understanding of music in church becomes every bit the test of fellowship as one's confession of Jesus as Lord.

Third, the Pharisees were very exacting in regard to outward religious rites. They considered these externals to be the gauge of spirituality. One could tithe well, while neglecting mercy, and still feel spiritual (Matt. 23:23). One could take pride in fasting or generous giving, show contempt for one's neighbor, and still go home feeling justified (Luke 18:9-14). Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus never defined external religious rites as being among the greatest commands or weightier matters.

When the externals that should flow from center are wrongly placed at center, the condition for God's acceptance is thought to be precision in these externals. When this happens, the sun (or Son) has been eclipsed by our own efforts at self-righteousness. We end up living in the dark while thinking we're the only ones with any light. We applaud our supposed superiority to those whose external practices may not be identical to ours. The rites take on a life of their own, redefined as efforts which secure our salvation, void of their true meaning which is derived from the gospel that is truly at center.

Just one disclaimer: Some of the externals are nevertheless important--perhaps even essential. I don't want to disparage practices like baptism or the Lord's Supper, which have great theological significance--flowing from what is at center. I believe these practices have been de-emphasized and undervalued by many who profess Christ. While I have not placed these matters at center, they are perhaps closer to center than some have supposed. Sounds like some good topics for a near future post.       

What is at Center?: My Core Beliefs

1) I believe in God the Father, creator of the universe, sustainer and redeemer of creation.

2) I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, both divine and human, mediator between God and humans. Jesus is the means of a relationship with the divine (John 14:6). He made a substitutionary sacrifice on the cross taking the penalty for my sins that I deserve. At the cross an exchange was made, as he who knew no sin was made to be sin so that I might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

With my debt paid in full, I have been pardoned of my sins and put in a right relationship with God. A right standing in his sight has been imparted to me on the basis of my faith in Jesus' finished work on the cross--not because of anything that I have done, or am now achieving--but because of the grace I receive in Jesus Christ. 

3) I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he performed miracles, that he literally died and was bodily raised from the dead. I believe that he ascended into the clouds and that he will return, just as he left, at which time believers will rise to meet him in the air. 

4) I believe that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to personally indwell believers in Christ and to corporately dwell within his body, the church. The Spirit is God's agent of providence in the world. He guides us as we pray for direction. But if something we intuitively believe contradicts the Word, it is not of the Spirit.

The Spirit empowers believers with boldness to speak for Christ and the Spirit  convicts our consciences of sin. He empowers sanctification, enabling us to serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the letter. We are transformed from within. The Spirit gives appropriate gifts for service within the body. Everything he does points beyond himself to the glory of Christ.

The Spirit intercedes in our prayer life. "We do not know what we ought to pray for (Rom. 8:26)."  The Spirit translates our prayers into what should be said and the Lord answers according to what is best.

5) I believe that Scripture is the divinely inspired guide for our lives showing us how to have a relationship with God and to live according to his design for humans. In matters of theology, ethics, and morality the Scripture is clear, non-negotiable, and infallible.

6) I believe that humans were created in God's image, male and female. As God's representatives, humans are to exercise responsible management over the rest of creation. We were created for fellowship with God, but that fellowship is broken because of sin. Fellowship is restored through a relationship with Christ. 

7) The good news of the kingdom is a call into the redeemed community under the Lordship of Christ. We carry on the redemptive ministry of Jesus as we practice humility, justice, and mercy. Wherever God's just and merciful rule infiltrates on earth there is a foretaste of heaven--a restoration of the ideal. God's people model the heavenly ideal on earth as we demonstrate our love for God by loving our neighbor (1 John 4:20-21; Matt. 22:34-40).

What Belongs at Center?

In Jim Woodroof's book, The Church in Transition (still timely after 16 years), he mentions "The Bulls-Eye Perspective" which regards some truths as of greater importance than others.

Some are nearer the center of life, while others, though true, are more on the periphery. Jesus held that some matters are "weightier" than others (Matt. 23:23) (Woodroof, p. 137).

Let's elaborate on the "Bulls-Eye Perspective" for just a moment. A target is often round with a bulls-eye right in the center. We are aiming at the bulls-eye. Around the periphery of this bulls-eye is a series of concentric circles. The closer you get to the bulls-eye the better your aim. Landing too far off center means that one's aim is poor.

Consider your religious beliefs. Some beliefs are non-negotiable, based on the express statements of Scripture. These beliefs are essential to salvation and they belong in the center. We need to make sure we hit the bulls-eye on these. Among these weightier matters, Jesus cited justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These principles are at center.

Other beliefs regard external religious rites. Jesus cited the example of tithing. As a biblical command tithing belonged on the target, perhaps nearer to center than some other issues, but not right in the middle. One could tithe generously, but still lack mercy. A person has still missed the mark in this case.

Some beliefs are not based on biblical commands at all. For these we cannot cite an explicitly specific "thus sayeth the Lord." But we might assume that the Bible implied a specific practice or application. So we make assumptions on what the Bible must mean by something it said or did not say.  It's especially dangerous to put such a belief in the center of the bulls-eye, judging as lost or erring those who disagree with one's own conclusion. Only the weightier matters belong in the center.

We might even hold some beliefs that are simply tradition. We may have strong feelings about these beliefs. But if we're brutally honest with ourselves, they are "comfort zone" issues. Some have attempted the manufacturing of "scriptural" arguments to support beliefs based on traditions.

Congregations and entire fellowships have been held hostage to comfort zone issues that have erroneously been viewed as in the middle of the bulls-eye. While it may not be wrong to practice a certain tradition, it should never be placed at center as though it were a nonnegotiable test of orthodoxy or fellowship. 

Everyone has their personal dart board. And at center are beliefs or practices that one places in the bulls-eye. In the circle just outside the bulls-eye are matters one may not consider as foundational as what belongs at center, but one nevertheless considers these matters biblical and important. As we move on to some of the outermost circles on the periphery, this is where the matters of inference and tradition belong. 

So what does your dart board look like? What beliefs or practices would you say belong at center? What would you place in the next outermost circle and in the one beyond that? What beliefs or practices might you consider somewhat important, belonging on the board, but not near the center? And what are your "comfort zone" issues that might either be out on the periphery or maybe they don't belong on the board at all? Now be honest and be biblical.

So what does my dart board look like? What would I place at center? In my next posting or two I'll tell you what I believe Scripture teaches regarding the bulls-eye matters that belong at center--essentially my core beliefs statement. Stay tuned.