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1 in Faith: A Christian Bible Study † Copyright (c) 2000 by Rev. Robert Traer
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Answers to Frequently Asked Questions - 1Resurrection is not about what happens to a body after it dies. Faith is dying to life as an everyday, material existence and being born anew in a life marked by hope and love. This is what Paul means by affirming that Christians live "in Christ." And through their faith, Christians also live "in God." Too many Christians today think the promise of salvation is life after death. The real promise of the biblical witness is life before death. Why isn't Good Friday called "Bad Friday"? There doesn't seem to be anything "good" about the death of a man on the cross. But the church affirms that Jesus wasn't just a man, who was unjustly crucified. The death of Jesus is "good" only because Jesus is the Son of God. In Jesus, God enters fully into the life of humanity. On the cross, God shares death with us. That act of love for suffering humanity means we will not be alone at our time of death. God will be with us. God is with us. Why is Easter called "Easter"? In other languages the word for "Easter" is often related to the word for Passover, the Jewish festival that Jesus was celebrating in Jerusalem at the time of his death. In English, however, the word probably comes from "Eostre," the Saxon spring goddess. The egg, a pagan symbol of rebirth, also became associated with Easter. During Lent people were not allowed to eat eggs, so they began to bring eggs to church on Easter to have them blessed. Sin is a lack of faith. Sin is not trusting in the power of God to redeem the world. Sin is celebrating Good Friday but not Easter. Sin is our problem. Sin is what keeps us from entering into the kingdom of God and from manifesting God's redeeming love for the world. But the good news of the Christian Bible is that God has forgiven our sin in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we are faithful and put our trust in the power of God to redeem our world through Jesus Christ, the witness of the church, and the work of the Holy Spirit, our sin will be forgiven. Faith is trust. Christian faith is trust in the redeeming love of God that we know in Jesus Christ. Faith is dying to our self-righteousness and being born anew in Christ through the indwelling of the Spirit of God. Faith is not the same as belief, but we use beliefs to express our faith. Faith is an act of the heart and soul as well as the mind, whereas beliefs are the way our minds seek to describe our faith. To maintain the integrity of our faith in a changing world our beliefs must also change. Church doctrines have changed over the past 1900 years in order to keep Christian faith alive. Isn't the mission of the church to have "every knee bow" to Jesus? The church follows Paul in hoping that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:10-11) But his hope should not be arrogantly proclaimed by the church, nor should Christians use the New Testament affirmation that Jesus "is the way, the truth and the life" (Jn. 14:6) to denounce other religious traditions of faith. It is the humility of Jesus and his obedience to God that "is the way." And it is only the humble use of the name of Jesus that reflects the will of God, as we know it in his Son. Christians are called to embrace the loving witness of Jesus, not to judge others in his name. What is the promise of eternal life? Eternal life with God is not something that is available to some people after they die. Eternal life with God is available now, before we die, to all those with faith in the God who loves the world beyond measure. This is the good news of the Christian Bible. Jesus is marched to the killing fields and nailed to a cross. Years ago, when my children were small, we watched this terrible scene in the movie "Jesus of Nazareth." My children were aghast and in tears, but my eldest daughter saw not only the horror of the violence but also the frightening question about God that it raises. "Why didn't God save Jesus?" she sobbed. And then, with wide eyes, she asked me: "Did God want Jesus to die?" How would you answer this question from a ten year old child? As a loving God, of course, God surely did not want Jesus to die. But Christians affirm that God's love is not sentimental. Jesus, like all human beings, would die, because that is the way life is. Yet, if he chose to die for others, with faith in the continuing love of God, then others might be inspired by his death to be more loving. To say that Jesus is our Savior is to affirm that in his death we find the answer to our own dying. The last word of creation is not death, but life. Injustice, suffering and despair will not prevail over faith, hope and love. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. |
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Home Exegesis Scripture Worship Ethics Dialogue Parables Email
1 in Faith: A Christian Bible Study † Copyright (c) 2000 by Rev. Robert Traer |