The nature of faith
Commentary
Object:
A single mother and her child are living with her parents. The daughter/mother has been struggling with drugs and alcoholism for some time now. She has been arrested for driving under the influence and may have her child taken away from her unless she attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at a local church. The grandmother has been allowing her daughter to use the family credit cards and to abuse the household in many ways as she was on drinking binges with her latest boyfriend. Now both of them are attending Alcoholics Anonymous (for the daughter) and Al-Anon Family Groups for the Mother or Grandmother. Both of these 12-step groups tell the women that they must be committed to a new way of living. They will now have to let go of their old ways and have faith in their "higher power" (whom both call "God"). If they are to have any semblance of peace, serenity, and new life they must realize that trusting God is the "nature of faith."
Genesis 22:1-14
Having a trust in God that is based on the past but being oriented toward the future is one of the key components of the nature of faith for Abraham. He has had to move forward and leave his comfort zone in Haran at age 75. Abraham has been in Egypt. God has finally given him and Sarah a boy named Isaac (Genesis 11-12). Now in Genesis 22, God will test Abraham once again. Part of the nature of faith is constant testing. Christians often lean on Paul's promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." Abraham's test is to bring his only son Isaac up for a ceremony of sacrifice. Will God ask for Abraham's son's life? Some commentators view this as a foreshadowing of God's offering his son as a sacrifice in the New Testament. Other commentators see this as too big of a leap, based on this text alone. But testing and sacrifice remain part of the faith journey. There are tensions in this journey.
First, there is the tension between trusting in God's testing and his providence to supply all of our needs. Second, there is the tension between being obedient toward God while trusting that God remains faithful, when we cannot see concrete evidence in a measurable manner (or what our senses can pick up). Finally, there is the tension between the word of death and word of life, which are part of the faith journey. Abraham is confronted with all three of these tensions in this text. His son Isaac's life is at stake.
This text raises the question of "What is a reasonable amount of testing?" In higher education does paying tuition, passing the coursework, and receiving the appropriate credentials insure an employment position that enables a person to live at least a middle-class lifestyle? Does higher education have its own intrinsic rewards, even if the college graduate ends up living in his or her parents' basement for a couple of years while inheriting a hefty student loan repayment plan? What is the nature of faith in higher education at this point? Was the scrimping and saving for many years worth it for a given family?
Genesis would suggest that if a person has a sincere calling, like Abraham, they will pursue it, lest they have inner emptiness. They may or may not realize their full economic dream. They may become a starving artist while paying back school loans. But this is to be preferred over the bondage in Egypt choice of working for the money to meet immediate needs and desires. The nature of faith is indeed testing.
God did provide a sacrificial ram for Abraham, so he did not have sacrifice his own son. But it was a last moment sort of event. The moral of the story is that the same God who tests our faith also provides for us. Applied to the earlier illustration, a person with addictions will be surrounded by a media culture that glamorizes, if not rewards, consumption of alcohol and even some drugs. But God has provided a fellowship of support and the higher power for the person and family to resist such temptations. [resource: Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Genesis (John Knox Press, 1982)]
Romans 6:12-23
One might wish to extend this text by one verse to discover more good news, "since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). This verse could be an interpretative lens to view much of Paul's views on sin and salvation for humanity. This is part of an exhortation passage. Though Christians have been baptized (or converted if that is one's theology), it is still possible to allow sin to reign in their lives. Martin Luther called this being "saint and sinner" at the same time. One must resist the power of sin that remains in a person's life. Similar to Abraham in the Genesis text, there are always tests. Jesus was tested in the wilderness in Matthew 4 by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
Every day Christians have a choice to present their bodies as living out a faith response, as a way of thanking or glorifying Jesus as Christ, or to fall back into the passions of original sin (Genesis 3). The invitation is to walk in a newness of life (6:4). There is a daily choice of allowing sin to control us or becoming dead to sin (6:11). If a Christians errs, there is the possibility of daily repentance and the choice to walk in the newness of life. Paul views Torah as the texts that bring accusation. This might be debated by those who suggest that Torah is a gift given by God (I believe New Testament scholar E.P. Sanders makes this case). In Romans, Paul seems to suggest that all of us need God's grace because all of have sinned and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Paul concludes that people of faith must live under God's grace while the temptation to sin remains present.
This is not an invitation to do more sinning but rather to live in the way of righteousness and sanctification (6:19). "So what if we don't?" I always ask this question in clergy pericope groups that study this text. Well, the common Hebrew Bible wisdom is that if we allow sin to be our master, we will reap the negative consequences and eventual death of living in such sin. Well, aren't we "eternally secure" in God's grace? Yes, but we still have to deal with the consequences of our choosing to live in sin. I share with my junior high catechism class that if I chose to throw a baseball through any of their windows, the chances are pretty good I am still a member of this town, and may even keep my job as their pastor. But I shall still have to pay for the broken window.
As this applies to the above illustration, many a folks do "relapse" in the AA and Al-Anon program. They are not kicked out. However, they now have to go back to Step One in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholic Anonymous. They now have to experience more withdrawal and the consequences of bad choices. Are they still in the fellowship? Yes (Grace!). But they have to live with their choices though they are forgiven (carry over from choosing to be a slave to sin).
The nature of faith is that sin tempts people and they fall. But they are still covered by God's grace. They have second chances and continue to grow on the faith journey. There are two dialectical patterns to illustrate this in the text: Christians are free from the power of sin (6:14; 22). They can become slaves of righteousness (6:18-19). Yet, sinful behavior is still a possibility (6:10). The Christian is always challenged to withstand this power of sin (6:12-13). Here again, the nature of faith continues to have a tension along the journey of life. [source: Arland J. Hultgren Paul's Letters to the Romans: A Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011)]
Matthew 10:40-42
This chapter begins with warnings of being persecuted by authorities for one's faith, but concludes with a discourse on hospitality for traveling missionaries. One could make a case that part of the nature of faith is to be a "team player" with those who have other gifts than we do to carry out the mission of the church. In this case, Christians are to welcome prophets, because they are also welcoming Jesus and the God who sent Jesus. Matthew 28:16-20 will provide the famous "Great Commission." In this text, people of faith are to welcome those with special vocations in carrying out this commission. It is a hospitality text.
One area to focus on might be to see whose "name" is being glorified. As long as Jesus, the crucified and risen Christ, is being glorified as a fulfillment of the Isaiah texts, this in harmony with most Christian fellowships or congregations. One example might be a particular denominational church that has a young person who serves a missionary organization that is not affiliated with the denomination of the church. The missionary might be part of an orphanage ministry in a third world (developing) country or work for a biblical translation ministry. Does the local congregation strive to support this person's ministry -- even if they are not affiliated with the denomination of the church? I think this text would respond affirmatively, as long as the basics of the church's confessions or creeds are in harmony with the ministry.
Another question this text raises is that of if folks in the congregation do not have a calling to pursue a certain risky ministry, are they willing to support those who do have a calling to support such a ministry? In America today, even attending a mainline (or evangelical!) seminary is a very expensive venture. Seminarian debts mount as congregations have a difficult time to support full-time clergy. How might congregations support those who feel the call to enter into full-time paid or rostered ministry of their particular fellowship or denomination?
The nature of faith in this text is to provide hospitality and support to those who have a calling to serve the Christian church with their gifts and talents that those who are regular worshipers do not feel gifted to carry out. Some churches have endowments or funds to support those who are called into the full-time ministry from their given congregation. This is another way of living out the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28. [source: David Hill, The New Century Bible Commentary: The Gospel of Matthew (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1972)]
Application
An older woman is now a grandmother. She has made her share of mistakes in life. She was in a messy divorce and then remarried another alcoholic man. She has had mixed results with her own children's success. Half of her family have jobs, careers, and can be considered successful by most American standards. The other half of her family has been in trouble with the law, made poor choices in selecting mates, so are in and out of divorce court. But this woman admires missionaries and wishes she had looked at missionary careers in her early years. She reads books about their ventures in other countries.
As a result of her own personal yearning, she has decided to financially support a missionary couple who have visited her local church and shown videos of their ministry in a developing nation. As this woman looks at her forty-something plus son still living in her home with filthy hygiene habits; she is comforted by the pictures she receives from the mission couple. Paul Tillich would suggest that this missionary couple is able to help her transcend the limits of her own life (limits or finite existence) based on the mixed bag of good and bad choices in life. But the nature of faith is a matter of choices. However, now she is part of the fellowship of believers who support mission of Christ. She knows that supporting any missionary is a leap of faith action. But it is worth it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew's gospel. It is another part of the nature of faith. [Paul Tillich, Systematic Theology, Volume Three (University of Chicago Press, 1963)]
An Alternative Application
Are there rewards in heaven (Matthew 10:42)? All of the texts seem to suggest that God rewards that which fulfills the deepest spiritual yearnings and completes (or sanctifies, if this is your theology) the believer. That which is temporary or transitory comes and goes with the winds of the changes in time. Abraham really did not see all of the promises God made in Genesis 12, but his name remains as one of the heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews. Paul reminds Christians that being a slave to sin might yield temporary rewards but long-term consequences. However living in the Spirit of Jesus Christ yields eternal life. There are rewards for supporting those who carry on missionary tasks that many Christians do not feel called to do but will support. Many hospitals, orphanages, senior citizen communities, and church campgrounds are the results of people of faith supporting such visions of the kingdom of heaven.
There is also still a sobering dimension that one relies on the justice of God. Abraham's children and people of faith have been persecuted throughout history. However, the confession is that God keeps God's promises. Walking as person of faith still means to be future-oriented based on what one has seen and experienced in the past. This ties all people of faith in both the New Testament and Hebrew Bible canons together with one another as we continue on our faith journey in this season of the church's mission.
Genesis 22:1-14
Having a trust in God that is based on the past but being oriented toward the future is one of the key components of the nature of faith for Abraham. He has had to move forward and leave his comfort zone in Haran at age 75. Abraham has been in Egypt. God has finally given him and Sarah a boy named Isaac (Genesis 11-12). Now in Genesis 22, God will test Abraham once again. Part of the nature of faith is constant testing. Christians often lean on Paul's promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." Abraham's test is to bring his only son Isaac up for a ceremony of sacrifice. Will God ask for Abraham's son's life? Some commentators view this as a foreshadowing of God's offering his son as a sacrifice in the New Testament. Other commentators see this as too big of a leap, based on this text alone. But testing and sacrifice remain part of the faith journey. There are tensions in this journey.
First, there is the tension between trusting in God's testing and his providence to supply all of our needs. Second, there is the tension between being obedient toward God while trusting that God remains faithful, when we cannot see concrete evidence in a measurable manner (or what our senses can pick up). Finally, there is the tension between the word of death and word of life, which are part of the faith journey. Abraham is confronted with all three of these tensions in this text. His son Isaac's life is at stake.
This text raises the question of "What is a reasonable amount of testing?" In higher education does paying tuition, passing the coursework, and receiving the appropriate credentials insure an employment position that enables a person to live at least a middle-class lifestyle? Does higher education have its own intrinsic rewards, even if the college graduate ends up living in his or her parents' basement for a couple of years while inheriting a hefty student loan repayment plan? What is the nature of faith in higher education at this point? Was the scrimping and saving for many years worth it for a given family?
Genesis would suggest that if a person has a sincere calling, like Abraham, they will pursue it, lest they have inner emptiness. They may or may not realize their full economic dream. They may become a starving artist while paying back school loans. But this is to be preferred over the bondage in Egypt choice of working for the money to meet immediate needs and desires. The nature of faith is indeed testing.
God did provide a sacrificial ram for Abraham, so he did not have sacrifice his own son. But it was a last moment sort of event. The moral of the story is that the same God who tests our faith also provides for us. Applied to the earlier illustration, a person with addictions will be surrounded by a media culture that glamorizes, if not rewards, consumption of alcohol and even some drugs. But God has provided a fellowship of support and the higher power for the person and family to resist such temptations. [resource: Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Genesis (John Knox Press, 1982)]
Romans 6:12-23
One might wish to extend this text by one verse to discover more good news, "since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). This verse could be an interpretative lens to view much of Paul's views on sin and salvation for humanity. This is part of an exhortation passage. Though Christians have been baptized (or converted if that is one's theology), it is still possible to allow sin to reign in their lives. Martin Luther called this being "saint and sinner" at the same time. One must resist the power of sin that remains in a person's life. Similar to Abraham in the Genesis text, there are always tests. Jesus was tested in the wilderness in Matthew 4 by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
Every day Christians have a choice to present their bodies as living out a faith response, as a way of thanking or glorifying Jesus as Christ, or to fall back into the passions of original sin (Genesis 3). The invitation is to walk in a newness of life (6:4). There is a daily choice of allowing sin to control us or becoming dead to sin (6:11). If a Christians errs, there is the possibility of daily repentance and the choice to walk in the newness of life. Paul views Torah as the texts that bring accusation. This might be debated by those who suggest that Torah is a gift given by God (I believe New Testament scholar E.P. Sanders makes this case). In Romans, Paul seems to suggest that all of us need God's grace because all of have sinned and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Paul concludes that people of faith must live under God's grace while the temptation to sin remains present.
This is not an invitation to do more sinning but rather to live in the way of righteousness and sanctification (6:19). "So what if we don't?" I always ask this question in clergy pericope groups that study this text. Well, the common Hebrew Bible wisdom is that if we allow sin to be our master, we will reap the negative consequences and eventual death of living in such sin. Well, aren't we "eternally secure" in God's grace? Yes, but we still have to deal with the consequences of our choosing to live in sin. I share with my junior high catechism class that if I chose to throw a baseball through any of their windows, the chances are pretty good I am still a member of this town, and may even keep my job as their pastor. But I shall still have to pay for the broken window.
As this applies to the above illustration, many a folks do "relapse" in the AA and Al-Anon program. They are not kicked out. However, they now have to go back to Step One in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholic Anonymous. They now have to experience more withdrawal and the consequences of bad choices. Are they still in the fellowship? Yes (Grace!). But they have to live with their choices though they are forgiven (carry over from choosing to be a slave to sin).
The nature of faith is that sin tempts people and they fall. But they are still covered by God's grace. They have second chances and continue to grow on the faith journey. There are two dialectical patterns to illustrate this in the text: Christians are free from the power of sin (6:14; 22). They can become slaves of righteousness (6:18-19). Yet, sinful behavior is still a possibility (6:10). The Christian is always challenged to withstand this power of sin (6:12-13). Here again, the nature of faith continues to have a tension along the journey of life. [source: Arland J. Hultgren Paul's Letters to the Romans: A Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011)]
Matthew 10:40-42
This chapter begins with warnings of being persecuted by authorities for one's faith, but concludes with a discourse on hospitality for traveling missionaries. One could make a case that part of the nature of faith is to be a "team player" with those who have other gifts than we do to carry out the mission of the church. In this case, Christians are to welcome prophets, because they are also welcoming Jesus and the God who sent Jesus. Matthew 28:16-20 will provide the famous "Great Commission." In this text, people of faith are to welcome those with special vocations in carrying out this commission. It is a hospitality text.
One area to focus on might be to see whose "name" is being glorified. As long as Jesus, the crucified and risen Christ, is being glorified as a fulfillment of the Isaiah texts, this in harmony with most Christian fellowships or congregations. One example might be a particular denominational church that has a young person who serves a missionary organization that is not affiliated with the denomination of the church. The missionary might be part of an orphanage ministry in a third world (developing) country or work for a biblical translation ministry. Does the local congregation strive to support this person's ministry -- even if they are not affiliated with the denomination of the church? I think this text would respond affirmatively, as long as the basics of the church's confessions or creeds are in harmony with the ministry.
Another question this text raises is that of if folks in the congregation do not have a calling to pursue a certain risky ministry, are they willing to support those who do have a calling to support such a ministry? In America today, even attending a mainline (or evangelical!) seminary is a very expensive venture. Seminarian debts mount as congregations have a difficult time to support full-time clergy. How might congregations support those who feel the call to enter into full-time paid or rostered ministry of their particular fellowship or denomination?
The nature of faith in this text is to provide hospitality and support to those who have a calling to serve the Christian church with their gifts and talents that those who are regular worshipers do not feel gifted to carry out. Some churches have endowments or funds to support those who are called into the full-time ministry from their given congregation. This is another way of living out the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28. [source: David Hill, The New Century Bible Commentary: The Gospel of Matthew (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1972)]
Application
An older woman is now a grandmother. She has made her share of mistakes in life. She was in a messy divorce and then remarried another alcoholic man. She has had mixed results with her own children's success. Half of her family have jobs, careers, and can be considered successful by most American standards. The other half of her family has been in trouble with the law, made poor choices in selecting mates, so are in and out of divorce court. But this woman admires missionaries and wishes she had looked at missionary careers in her early years. She reads books about their ventures in other countries.
As a result of her own personal yearning, she has decided to financially support a missionary couple who have visited her local church and shown videos of their ministry in a developing nation. As this woman looks at her forty-something plus son still living in her home with filthy hygiene habits; she is comforted by the pictures she receives from the mission couple. Paul Tillich would suggest that this missionary couple is able to help her transcend the limits of her own life (limits or finite existence) based on the mixed bag of good and bad choices in life. But the nature of faith is a matter of choices. However, now she is part of the fellowship of believers who support mission of Christ. She knows that supporting any missionary is a leap of faith action. But it is worth it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew's gospel. It is another part of the nature of faith. [Paul Tillich, Systematic Theology, Volume Three (University of Chicago Press, 1963)]
An Alternative Application
Are there rewards in heaven (Matthew 10:42)? All of the texts seem to suggest that God rewards that which fulfills the deepest spiritual yearnings and completes (or sanctifies, if this is your theology) the believer. That which is temporary or transitory comes and goes with the winds of the changes in time. Abraham really did not see all of the promises God made in Genesis 12, but his name remains as one of the heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews. Paul reminds Christians that being a slave to sin might yield temporary rewards but long-term consequences. However living in the Spirit of Jesus Christ yields eternal life. There are rewards for supporting those who carry on missionary tasks that many Christians do not feel called to do but will support. Many hospitals, orphanages, senior citizen communities, and church campgrounds are the results of people of faith supporting such visions of the kingdom of heaven.
There is also still a sobering dimension that one relies on the justice of God. Abraham's children and people of faith have been persecuted throughout history. However, the confession is that God keeps God's promises. Walking as person of faith still means to be future-oriented based on what one has seen and experienced in the past. This ties all people of faith in both the New Testament and Hebrew Bible canons together with one another as we continue on our faith journey in this season of the church's mission.
