A church is fundamentally a covenantal community, founded on the belief that promises power passion, and not the other way around. This is the first in our series on the promises that we make to one another as we join the church. See others in the series here.
“Q: Do you confess that you are a sinner in the sight of God; that you deserve his punishment; that you are unable to save yourself; and that you are without hope of salvation except for God’s love and mercy?
Q: Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of sinners; and do you receive and trust in Him alone for your salvation?”
My wife and I (Soren) have philosophical differences on the nature and essence of a “good parking spot.” She is of the belief that it is always worth it to spend as much time as necessary to park as close as possible to the destination; I would just as soon park in the back and walk. Come to think of it, these are the sorts of people we are, pretty much all the time. Once, on the way to watch a sporting event with a good friend from college, we reached an intersection. But it was more than an intersection. It was a metaphysical crossroads. And at this metaphysical crossroads there was a sign: Right, towards stadium parking. Left, towards overflow parking. “Which way?” my friend asked. “Right!” she screamed maniacally. “Left,” I stated calmly. Pity the friend. But the statement is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: unless you know who you are, and where you are going, you won’t be great traveling companions. This is what our first two membership vows attempt to capture: who are we, and where are we going? Scripture teaches that all human beings are:
1. Created by God, and bearing his image (Genesis 1:27, James 3:9). Therefore, every human being, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, physical or intellectual capability, or any other qualifier at all, has dignity, value, worth, and is worthy of respect. Furthermore, every human being is called to use their giftedness to reflect God’s glory in the world He has given us to cultivate.
2. Rebels (Genesis 3, Ephesians 2:1-3). Though we, as humans, have value and worth, we have used our giftedness to serve ourselves, and not the source of our life, value and worth. Though we owe God our allegiance, we have not given it to Him. We have willingly disconnected ourselves from the source of life, and therefore cannot even find the power to fix what we have broken. By God’s grace, we are not as bad as we could be; but without his mercy we can never find life on our own.
3. Offered Hope through Jesus (Genesis 3:15, Ephesians 2:4-10). The true image of God, Jesus, God’s own Son, came into the world to save and restore those who would look to him alone for life.
A Christian community that can answer these questions in the affirmative has several concrete characteristics:
1. Given that humans are made in God’s image, and that Christians recognize the seeds of rebellion in their own hearts, they strive to maintain a gracious and patient disposition towards those who think or live contrary to Christian teachings. Christians are not those who are perfect already; they are those who look to Jesus for his grace.
2. Given that humans are rebels, we look, not to our own feelings or reason for what is right, but only to Jesus himself as the trustworthy definition of what it means to be fully human.
3. Given that Jesus has offered himself as our Savior, we strive to trust, honor, magnify, and delight in him.