Forthright Magazine http://www.forthright.net Straight to the Cross ---- Christendom’s Blind Spot - The Nature of Faith by Barry Newton Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer by Stan Mitchell ---- COLUMN: Hands-on Faith Christendom’s Blind Spot - The Nature of Faith by Barry Newton All I could see dangling over the edge of our shed's roof were his feet. My words ascended up to a boy obscured from view, "Son, slowly let yourself down. I will support you." The response was short and terse, "I'm afraid." In the most security-inspiring tone I could muster came the words, "It's OK. Just six more inches and I will be able to grab your feet. Trust me." In that moment, a young boy instinctively knew something which has eluded many possessing advanced degrees in theology. How we trust is situationally specific. To affirm the necessity of faith does not inform someone how to trust. Earlier that week he had exhibited faith in his dad by simply believing the promise, "I'll be home on time so we can play soccer together." But now, as he lay on his stomach on a warm asphalt- shingled roof, even he knew that in this situation for him to have faith in his dad would require more than being convinced his dad would grab his feet. Similarly, when earlier that summer bees had been circling around his body, dad had commanded, "stand still." It had taken a lot of faith in dad to remain motionless. But to remain frozen now would not constitute trusting in his dad. No, in order for him to have faith in his dad at this moment would require him to slowly back off of the roof until he could feel his dad's secure hands supporting his tennis shoes. All of us discover ourselves in a situation far worse than merely dangling our feet over the edge of a roof. When God looks at people, he perceives the stain of sin upon us condemning us to those fires prepared for Satan and his angels. And so, in love the Father took the initiative to rescue us, yet to do so without violating his righteous nature./1 By sending his Son to die on our behalf, God avoided the problem of trampling upon the requirements of justice, which demanded sin to be condemned, while God also created through grace the basis for a new relationship with him. People could now be forgiven and belong to him, not by their our merit, but rather upon the sinless righteousness of Jesus./2 God's promise to forgive those who would receive Jesus is called the new covenant./3 God recognizes those within this new covenant community of Christ, known as the body of Christ or the church, as belonging to himself and being forgiven. Understandably then, through the gospel God calls us to stop creating further guilt and to trust in Jesus for salvation./4 Since God has provided salvation to us on the basis of grace through faith, and since he has determined how we are to trust in Jesus' blood, the gospel's call to rely upon Jesus by being immersed is unequivocal and unilateral./5 In baptism, Christ performs a surgery cutting off the sinfulness of our old person in order to create a new creature in Christ, raised up from the water forgiven, adopted as a child of God and a servant to righteousness./6 God adds those who have faith in Jesus to his saved people./7 Everyone who preaches the gospel must tell the listener how to respond to Jesus in order to believe in him. Neither a letter nor an historical example in the New Testament suggests that we are to trust in Jesus by inviting Jesus into our hearts through saying a sinner's prayer. What we do repeatedly find are examples and teachings clearly indicating faith in Jesus starts with baptism. The dike of the sinner's prayer has been breached. The collapse of how a major branch of Christendom proclaims salvation by faith is inevitable as people realize a fatal blind spot to their doctrine has been exposed. The nature of faith entails more than was assumed. There is the need to address Scripture with the question, how do we begin to trust in Jesus. The resounding echo is "through baptism." Yet, the impact of this Wittenberg Door will take time, because people typically do not value the praise of God more than they value the security they derive from being in the midst of something large, or from relying upon the opinions of others within their socio-religious context, or from how they perceive their religious or professional peers will view a change in their understanding. Nevertheless, the challenge posed by understanding the nature of faith will eventually alter how some have taught salvation by faith. Hopefully, sooner as opposed to later, it will return to its original proclamation. (This article is the last article of a three part series) 1/ Romans 5:8; 3:25,26 2/ Romans 8:3,4; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Peter 1:18-21 3/ Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:10,12 4/ Romans 6:1-4; Luke 24:46,47; John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 10:43 5/ Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:25; Galatians 3:26,27; Titus 3:4-7; Acts 8:12,13 6/ Colossians 2:11,12; 3:1f.; Romans 6:3,4, 17,18, 22,23; Titus 3:5; Acts 2:38; 22:16 7/ Acts 2:47,41 ---- What's your reaction to this article? Tell us here: http://www.forthright.net/handson_faith/christendoms_blind_spot_the_nature_of_faith.htm ---- COLUMN: Reality Check Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer by Stan Mitchell "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). Police in Los Angeles put a robbery suspect in a lineup. When they instructed all the men to shout, "Give me your money, or I'll shoot," the suspect couldn't contain himself. "That not what I said!" he objected. Everyone's a critic. No one likes to have his hard work misrepresented. Ambrose Bierce once said of a book he reviewed, "The covers of this book are too far apart." Robert Benchley said of a play: "It was one of those plays in which the actors, unfortunately, enunciated too clearly." It's amazing how creative we can be when offering criticism. We can find a fault in the most obscure places. Spouses, churches, and our children all "benefit" from our, er, analysis. They are such easy targets, because we know them so well, and they are, well, not perfect! "The dogs were poorly supported by the rest of the cast," Don Herald once dead-panned about a play. "He isn't the kind of actor who stops a show," another reviewer commented, "he is content to merely slow it up." Monuments weren't made for critics. All that creative genius could have been put to so much better use than demolishing others. Instead of criticizing the Bible school program, why not teach? Rather than criticizing a young person, why not become his mentor and friend? When interrogating a family member does not work, why not try to inspire him instead? "Chuang Tsu was born in the fourth century before Christ," Oscar Wilde once observed, "the publication of his book in English two thousand years after his death is obviously premature." In spite of the cleverness of these reviews, it is still my contention that it takes more creativity, heart, and courage to build than to be a critic. Building takes time and patience, and the ability to work with other flawed, imperfect people. And the church is one grand exercise in getting along. "Bear one another's burdens," Paul declared, "and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). ---- What's your reaction to this article? Tell us here: http://www.forthright.net/reality_check/not_the_sharpest_knife_in_the_drawer.htm ---- You can help us get the word out. Here's how: http://www.forthright.net/editorial/lend_a_hand.htm