your wrestling match for Sunday
Aug 9th, 2007 by makeeshafisher
The word we use in Revolution to describe “studying”, meditation, reflection and listening regarding a particular issue or passage is “wrestling”. So your wrestling match for this coming Sunday is the issue of salvation (I thought I’d go with something very simple and narrow *smirk*). Please be sure to read my message posted below (it’s not long) including the scripture references.
I lucked out today, since I’m doped up on vicodin for tooth extractions, I just happened upon this blog post and I think it’s a good point of discussion. So here you have it. Ready. Set. Match
(an assignment a professor gives to his freshman CE classes at Wheaton).
“There are four different things Jesus tells people about what they must do to be saved:
- To Nicodemus he says “You must be born again”. (John 3:3)
- To the Rich Young Ruler he says “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.” (Luke 18:22)
- To Zacchaeus he says “Sell half of everything you have, and pay back those you’ve cheated as well.” (Luke 19:8-10)
- To the paralyzed man he says “Because of the faith of your friends your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)
The professor then tells his students: “Write a paper explaining why Jesus gave four very different answers to the question ‘What must I do to be saved?’ And why does only one of them (sort of - depending on what you think “born again” means) match up with the typical evangelical answer?”
Great question! How would you answer?
Along a similar thread, Eastern Orthodox theology would say that one is saved, being saved and will be saved. There is baptism but there is no actual “point of salvation” as we generally understand it in evangelical protestantism. Think about your understanding of salvation in light of this discussion. Formulate your own way to express your beliefs and understanding of “the story of salvation”.
And on a slightly different note, you may well notice over the next few days that the terminoloy on this site will be changing. References to “church” will be replaced with “missional community”. The reason for this is that the term “church” has expectations and baggage attached to it that Revolution cannot or chooses not to embrace or live up to. So we hope to more accurately define our purpose by calling ourselves a missional community.
this is from Ron who shared over at my blog. He blogs here
http://thewearypilgrim.typepad.com/
Who’s saved, who’s in who’s out…what do have to do to get in. Ahh, the confusion of the evangelical church’s sales pitch for evangelism. I’ve always found it interesting that in Jesus’ 3yr missional journey with his friends that he never gave them a check list as to who will get to board the bus for the mass exit to heaven at the end of time. Maybe the reason Jesus gave what seemed like different answers was beacuse the question to him wasn’t really that important. The problem with modernity, and christianity is we’ve made the ” Truth ” an answer, and once you’ve answered it right…your in, with bus pass in hand. The evangelical would tell you your saved. If it was just an answer, the disciples never really got it.
When I breathe in the gospel stories my imagination runs wild, I sense in Jesus…we see the redemptive imagination of God. We see that ” being saved ” is like you noted in the eastern orthodox tradition a process of saved and being saved. It is more about radical faith in Jesus…and a surrender and sacrifice to enter into the journey as the disciples did. In this wild missional journey we discover like the parable, ” the Kingdom, and it is so precious we’ll sell everything to keep it.” The Kingdom becomes all that matters…and we find the Kingdom among the poor, the oppressed, the homeless, the unloved.
I love in Galatians, when Paul says, ” I know longer live, I have died…it is now Jesus that lives my life.” I think in the radical pursuit of following Jesus, we arrive at that place.
There is one eye opening moment in the gospels…omn the cross in Christs dying moments, the thief beside him asks, ” Will you remember me in your Kingdom.”
And what does Jesus say?… ” I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
In Jesus we discover ” saved ” is something infinitely more gracious than our human minds can imagine.
and this is from Jonathan also over at my blog. Jonathan Brink blogs here.
http://fully-alive.blogspot.com/
Rob Bell broke down a similar conversation on the nature of salvation. It contained, I think something close to 29 references to the nature of salvation. It really tweaked a lot of people. You can find it here:
http://ryanimel.com/50/isnt-beautiful-appendix/
Click on the Isn’t She Beautiful Notes
The session begins on Page 28.