Thursday, September
21, 2017
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are
truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free.” John 8:31-32(NLT)
My friend
and UMC elder, Drew McIntyre shared his review of a new book by David Watson, in
which the author makes the point that there is no such thing as a church
without creeds:
There are
churches with implicit creeds and churches with explicit creeds. Every
Christian tradition, however, is organized around some set of beliefs that set
it apart from other traditions, and the adherents of those traditions generally
know what those beliefs are. These beliefs help to shape the ways in which the
community of faith understands and applies Scripture.[2]
Creeds are
simply that which we believe about God, and which we continue to pass along as
the faith once delivered to the saints[3]. You might say that a church of folk who are creed-aphobic could be
defined as those who are afraid of being known as holding any thoughts about
the nature of God and our relationship with Him.
McIntyre
makes the exact opposite point;
We should not be shy about the traditions we
inhabit and the beliefs that go along with them. In part, this is simple
honesty: be up front with insiders and outsiders about who you are and what you
are about….Better to own it than to deceive.
Beyond
simple integrity about what we claim to believe, I would carry it one step
further and hold that this very truth is what sets us free, and makes us strong
, or Godly. In fact, everything we do in
our daily lives restates part of the creed we hold. Every hymn sung or act of worship in which we
participate, witnesses to what we believe or hold as creed about God.
To deny this, or to be embarrassed in it, is to deny the very faith we
claim to possess.
You are a
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, or whatever label history has crowned upon
the distinctives of your creedal tribe; because of recent events or changes, or
lack of change, you find yourself being too embarrassed to even claim being
part of that tribe. This would be a good
time to reflect on what makes you nervous about the place where you once found
faith. Like Martin Luther and countless
other reformers and protestors who sensed they served a church that was missing
the mark, it’s time to do what Paul the Apostle suggests:
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves.
Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the
test of genuine faith.
2 Corinthians
13:5(NLT)
For You Today
Now, as one
who has served the church, loves the church, and wants only the advance and
strength of the genuine church of Jesus Christ, do not mistake what I am
suggesting. This is not a call (or
convenient excuse) for wholesale scrapping of local churches and
denominations. But, if after diligent
prayer, heart-searching and personal honesty, you cannot say you identify with the
church where your faith once heard the call of God to labor together and heartily,
vibrantly server others…if the creed which was once your own now only serves to
divide you…then, like Luther and others, if you cannot own it, live it, and
proclaim it, it may be time to leave it!
As it was
in school, where nobody else can take your tests for you, it is most certainly
true in the weightier issues of life, faith and eternity – no other person can
take that test for you. But when you
live out those tests with honesty and integrity you will find truth, and He, THE Truth will set your feet
on freedom’s path!
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment