God, every time the powerful meet together, you take a seat at their table.

Though unseen, you see.

Though unaddressed, you address.

And you say to them, ”Strengthen the weak.  Stand up for the orphans.  Rescue the needy.  Pursue the wicked.”

But the powerful ignore your words.  They fail to consider your call.

Therefore, God, take charge.  Take over.

Do what they will not.

Strengthen the weak.  Stand up for the orphans.  Rescue the needy.  Pursue the wicked.

[image]

When I grew up in rural New Mexico in the 1970’s and 1980’s, each football game at my public high school was preceded by a prayer led by a town leader on the P.A. system. I can’t remember playing a single game on our home field which wasn’t preceded by this prayer. (Despite our devotion, our poor football team never won more than half of their games).

Such prayers are now the subject of intense debate. Some Christians have become upset and anxious when these public prayers have been disallowed. People are wondering, are these petitions even legal? Do they violate the separation of church and state? Should non Christian religious leaders also be permitted to lead such prayers?

I believe these questions are the wrong ones for Christians to be debating. Why? First, if we Christians want to push to have a public event at which we can offer a Christian prayer, why press for this at a public high school football game? Aren’t there other issues in our culture which are far more prayer-worthy than football games? Why not advocate that a public prayer be offered at each public school at the beginning of each school year, asking God’s blessings on all the students and all the teachers/staff? Why not urge Christians to gather once a year at local hospitals, fire stations, and police stations and pray for those who serve so sacrificially in these places? If having a public prayer is so important, why not press for it to be done at something that impacts more of the community? I like football as much as the next fan. But is it really the hill we Christians want to die on?

Second, as Dorothy so eloquently put it in “The Wizard of Oz,” “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Most social and religious researchers agree that to whatever degree American culture was once Christian, it is now significantly non Christian. We are living in a post-Christian culture. Within my lifetime, we’ve witnessed a shift from a culture in which Christianity was central and influential in most spheres to a culture in which Christianity is increasingly marginal and influential in a small number of spheres. We’re not in “Christian” America anymore (if we ever were). This ought to radically impact our expectations of what happens in the public arena. In a Christian culture, I might legitimately expect that a Christian prayer at a public event like a football game would be permitted. But in a non Christian culture, this is an unrealistic expectation. And forcing this issue makes us aggressors. We should focus more on what might win people in our post-Christian culture over to the love of Christ rather than trying to hit them on the head with our prayers in the name of Christ.

Finally, this debate moves in the direction of reversing the simple way of life taught by Jesus. In his Sermon on the Mount—Christianity’s most succinct marching orders—Jesus taught the importance of private prayers and public deeds. Private prayers, he taught, connect us deeply with the Father who loves us. Public deeds, he taught, shine the love of God to others and help win them over. Too many Christians today focus more on public prayers and private deeds. Privately (within the confines of our own homes or congregations) we live out our Christian deeds (often showing love and compassion for each other while neglecting those in the culture). And publicly we press for things like prayers at athletic events. This seems a bit backwards. It is not public prayer but public deeds that turns hearts and heads to God.

So, let’s cheer like crazy for our teams. Let’s give these players our applause and encouragement. Let’s follow them all the way to the championship. But let’s not demand access to their microphones or bullhorns. Let’s leave those for the announcers.

All are penniless in death.

The CEO cannot take her golden parachute to the grave.

The dictator cannot take his blood-money to the casket.

The celebrity cannot bring her fame to the cemetery.

All people are penniless in death.

Therefore, God, I will not envy my co-worker’s estate. 

I will not covet my neighbor’s career. 

I will not long for my boss’ lake-house.

I will instead satisfy myself with you. 

You will be my wealth.

You will be my income.

You are all I need to be truly rich in this life and the next.

[image]

Some trust in their degrees. 

I trust in you.

Some trust in their skill. 

I trust in you.

Some trust in their experience. 

I trust in you.

Some trust in their wisdom. 

I trust in you.

So please answer when I call.  Send help when I ask. 

For I trust in you.

[image]

Fifty two million people in the United States watched the royal wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton.  People were captured by this modern fairy tale.  It began in 2001 when upper class William and middle class Middleton met at St Andrews University in Scotland.  In 2004, they were photographed skiing together in Switzerland, one of the first times they were publicly linked romantically.  In June 2005, the pair finished college at St Andrews and each pursued a career.  In early 2007 it appeared the fairy tale was over.  The couple split.  But later that year were seen back together again.  And then, in October 2010, nine years after they first met, the couple got engaged during a vacation in Kenya. Prince William gave her the same diamond and sapphire engagement ring that Prince Charles gave to William’s mother, Princess Diana. They married on April 29, 2011.  Fifty two million of us watched that wedding.

Why?  Because we enjoy a good love story.  We take pleasure in fairy tales.  We love to see a couple with a bright and happy future.

In Is. 5 we hear another love story.  The couple in this tale seems to have a bright and happy future ahead of them: 1Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes… (Is. 5:1-2 ESV).  As we learn elsewhere, the vineyard in this love song represents the people of God and the vineyard owner represents God.  It might strike us as odd that in a love song one person is called a vineyard and the other is called a vineyard owner.  But this love song comes in the same tradition of songs today in which a person might say that his love is deeper than the ocean or that the girl he loves has hair as red as roses.  Here, God, the vineyard owner, was so smitten with his people, the vineyard, that he dug the soil, cleared it of stones, planted it, built a watchtower to protect it, and hewed a wine vat in it so that its fruit bring joy to all.[1] God adores his people.  And the future seems so bright for this wonderful couple.  God has tenderly cared for this vineyard.  Now he’s imagining the future they will enjoy together—abundant and refreshing fruit every season.

But then something terrible happens.  Isaiah’s love song turns into a blues song: 5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.  I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.  6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. (Is. 5:5-6 ESV).  God lovingly dug the soil, cleared it of stones, planted it, built a watchtower, and hewed a wine vat in it.  These are all the deeds of devotion.  But now he’s going to just the opposite: break down its walls, make it a waste, not prune or hoe it, and command the clouds to send no rain.  These are the actions of someone whose heart is broken.  These are the words of a wounded lover.  Something’s happened between these two that has caused God unspeakable grief.  His heart is so broken that he now treats his former lover with anger and wrath.

Six times in chapter 5 God speaks a word of “woe” to his people.  And at the end of chapter 5 God promises to punish his people though a foreign enemy who will attack them and devastate them.

Why?  Why does God move from devotion to destruction?  Why does God move from passion to punishment?  What have his people done that has broken his heart?

The primary clue is found in vs. 7: 7…and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! (Is. 5:7 ESV).  This is the major clue to what’s happening in this chapter.  It’s a small clue.  It doesn’t give us as much detail as we’d like.  We have to make some educated guesses in order to fill in the blanks.  But we get enough here to see the basic picture.  God expected something of his lover.  He expected his people to live lives of justice and righteousness.  Here “justice” refers to the right treatment of others, especially the right treatment of those who are often forgotten and neglected.  It would include the poor.  God expected his people to pursue the right treatment of the poor.  But instead, he saw his people causing  bloodshed.  And he heard the outcry of those whom God’s people were mistreating.  The words “bloodshed” and “justice” sound very similar in the original Hebrew language.  Isaiah’s song uses a play on words.  It’s like saying, “God looked for compassion on the poor but all he saw was consumerism.”  “God looked for graciousness toward the poor but all he found was greed.”  What broke God’s heart was the way his people were treating the poor.

As we’ll see in a moment, the bloodshed mentioned in this verse doesn’t refer to physically hurting the poor or murdering the poor.  God does not see his people striking the poor or beating the poor.  We read nothing about that in the rest of the chapter.  Instead, God sees his people involved in something much more hidden and much less explicit.  It seems that they have adopted a lifestyle and an approach toward money that is somehow bleeding the poor to death.[2] The poor are not dying the death of one massive blow but the death of a million small blows.  And their outcry has reached God’s ears.  The rest of the chapter explains.

8Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field…9The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.” Isaiah is describing wealthy people who accumulate vast tracts of land. They live peacefully in their mansions and have the ideal life of luxury.  Isaiah does not accuse them of illegally stealing this property.[3] These aren’t people who’ve gone out and hunted down the poor and stolen their land.  They’ve merely taken advantage of good housing prices and good land deals.  But in their zeal to expand their estate and keep up with the Jones, they’ve forgotten about those who have little.[4]

11Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!  12 They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, 22Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink 23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right. The real concern here is not alcohol per se but the self-indulgence and self-absorption of those who are drinking.[5] This section refers to wealthy people who can afford leisure time and have the resources to pursue pleasurable activities. The drinking here is probably that which was associated with lavish parties where people would be entertained by wonderful music.[6] But notice what all this self-indulgence and self-absorption lead to: they acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right! In other words, they stop pursuing justice.  They enjoy the wonderful life they’ve worked for and they stop giving any thought to those who are deprived and who do not have what they have.

The picture we get is a picture that’s scarily familiar.  Isaiah doesn’t see men and women who actively and aggressively hurt the poor.  Instead, he sees people who are living the good life, people who have achieved the American dream, people who have worked hard for all they have and who like to celebrate and have a good time together.  The problem is not their possessions nor their parties.  The problem is that in their pursuit of the good life, they’ve basically forgotten those who have a bad life.  These are people who see and care only for themselves.[7] They’ve gotten so caught up in getting a raise, and expanding their business, and enlarging their house, and celebrating with their friends that they literally think nothing about the poor.

And this has broken God’s heart.  He loves his people but he can’t stand what they are doing.  It grieves him to see the way they are forgetting those who have nothing.  It devastates him to see how they focus only on themselves and forget their needy neighbor next door.

In other words, what most angers God is self-centeredness and self-indulgence that leads to the neglect of the poor. Last Sunday we looked at how Isaiah’s audience lived in their own little world and forgot about the nations.  This morning we’re getting a glimpse at how they lived in their own little world and forget about the needy.  They didn’t actively mistreat the poor.  Thus just didn’t do anything positively for the poor.  And God says that’s a kind of bloodshed.  Their neglect of the poor was killing the poor.  What most angers God is self-centeredness and self-indulgence that leads to the neglect of the poor.

In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to ascend Mount Everest.[8] Today, thousands of people have reached the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, many paying over $60,000 for the climb.  And in the rush to the top, amateurs who have paid this fortune will do anything it takes to get to there.  David Sharp became a casualty of this mentality. This 34-year-old engineer from Cleveland managed to reach Mount Everest’s summit.  But, he ran out of oxygen on the way back down.  As he lay dying, 40 climbers passed him by.  They were on their way up.  They were too eager to get to the top to stop use up their oxygen on David.  As a result, David Sharp died.  According to Ed Viestrus, who has scaled all 14 of the world’s 8,000 meter peaks, Sharp’s death is not unique. “Passing people who are dying is not uncommon. Unfortunately, there are those who say: ‘It’s not my problem. I’ve spent all this money, and I’m going to the summit.’” These climbers didn’t steal David’s oxygen.  They didn’t beat David up.  They simply did nothing.  They just walked on by.  They were too caught up in their own lofty goals and thus neglected David.  That’s the kind of self-absorption and self-indulgence Isaiah points out in chapter 5.  But in this case it’s not egotistical climbers passing a fellow climber.  It’s decent people buying a new home, expanding their business, and throwing some social events for friends and coworkers.  It’s hardworking people moving up in the world.  But as they move up they neglect those who are in distress on their way down.  They don’t beat them up.  They don’t steal what little they have.  They just ignore them.  They just walk on by.  And it breaks God’s heart.

But Isaiah’s points out that while God’s people were neglecting the poor, God was not.  God remembered those forgotten because of his people’s self-centeredness and self-absorption. 7…and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! (Is. 5:7 ESV).  God saw how the careless consumption of his people was bleeding the poor to death.  God heard the cry of those who had little.  This series is called “Tangled” because Isaiah paints a portrait of a God who is tangled up in the world, tangled up with people we often neglect.  Here, Isaiah shows that God is tangled up in the lives of the poor—the very people neglected are the very ones God hears.  The rest of chapter 5 is filled with all the actions God is taking on behalf of the poor.  His people are doing nothing.  But God is about to do everything.  If his people are on their way up walking right by the poor God is on his way down stopping to help every person in distress.

Ron Wade is with us today.  Ron believes strongly in a God who remembers the poor.  Ron believes in a God who does not walk on by, but who stoops and stops to help those whom others have forgotten.  And as a result, Ron does this as well.  Ron leads HopeWorks, an organization which provides hope and help for the unemployed.  He leads a dedicated group of people who pursue justice for the poor.  Ron is here today to share with us how God is remembering the forgotten through HopeWorks.

Sunday, May 22, is our opportunity join Ron and God in remembering the poor.  We are raising $122,000 that morning for our World and Urban missions.  Part of that contribution goes directly to HopeWorks.  All of that contribution goes toward efforts that will remember the forgotten in Memphis, the MidSouth, Papua New Guinea, Ukraine, and the Philippines.  I hope you’ll give generously and sacrificially on that day.  We’ll all need to give about four times more than what we give on a normal Sunday.  Your gift on that day is one way for you to no longer just walk on by.  It’s your way of making a big difference in the lives of people whom God loves dearly.

[2] Brueggemann, 48.

[3] Larry Walker Isaiah 1-39 The New American Commentary, Volume 15A, (Holman Reference, 2007), Kindle: 5177.

[4] Brueggemann, 51.

[5] Brueggemann, 52.

[6] Walker, Kindle: 5195.

[7] Brueggemann, 52.

[8] “The Crowd on Mount Everest,” The Week (6/30/06), 13.

Lord, some Presidents, Princes and Prophets act with no regard to what is right.

The only items on their agenda are their pursuit of prestige, possessions, and praise.

But even as I read the reports of their evil, I am comforted.  Because I know that You are in charge. 

You’ve already held a referendum, a run-off, a re-election. 

And now it’s your Son who is the real President, the real Prince, and the true Prophet.

I pledge allegiance to Him.  I trust in Him.

[image]

Possessing, Using, or Trusting

Dallas Willard writes of the difference between possessing riches, using riches, and trusting in riches.[1]

• To possess riches is to have the right to say how they will or will not be used.  Possession is a neutral matter.  Possessing riches can be good or bad.  It is simply having the right to say how something will or will not be used.
• To use riches is to cause them to be consumed or transferred to others in exchange for something we desire.  Where possession merely indicates having a right to say how something will be used, use indicates actually taking that possession and using it for something we desire.
• Finally, to trust in riches is to count upon them to obtain or secure what we treasure.  It is to think that riches will bring us happiness, well being, and security.

The problem with wealth largely has to do with the mis-use of riches and our trust in riches.  The Bible does not condemn the possession of riches outright.  There is nothing necessarily wrong or right with the possession of wealth.  The problem is that those with wealth use what is in their possession for their own gain.  And, the problem is that people, rich or poor,  trust in riches—that is, they believe riches will bring them happiness and well-being.  This explains why it is not necessarily a good idea for those of us who are wealthy to sell every possession and give it all to the poor.  We could be penniless and still find ourselves trusting in riches—longing for what we gave away and believing that only when we become wealthy again will we be happy.

This distinction between possession, use, and trust also explains the positive side of wealth in the Bible.  We are certainly not to trust in wealth.  But God does give some people possession of wealth.  And they in turn, use that wealth not for God’s purposes.  While wealthy, their identity and security are not wrapped up in wealth.  They use what God has given them for God’s purposes.  Paul says that for those willing to trust in God, God will make us rich in every way, God will grant us the possession of wealth, so that we can be generous on every occasion, so that we can use that wealth to help others.

Hospitality

Hospitality is a simple discipline which allows us to avoid misusing wealth and mistrusting possessions.  It empowers us to use material goods for the good of others and for the glory of God.

Marjorie Thompson defines hospitality in this way: “Hospitality means receiving the other, from the heart, into my own dwelling place.  It entails providing for the need, comfort, and delight of the other with all the openness, respect, freedom, tenderness, and joy that love itself embodies.”[2]  The other, she explains, can be any person but should include enemies and strangers.  The “dwelling place” can be a physical space like a room, apartment or house or it can be an emotional or mental space—inviting others into our inner world of thoughts and feelings, giving people room to be heard and understood.  Traditionally, hospitality provides food and drink, shelter and rest, protection and care, enjoyment and peace for others.

Thompson describes five forms of hospitality: hospitality at home, in the workplace, in the neighborhood, in our churches, and civic hospitality.[3] 

1. Hospitality at home means parents being genuinely present to their children and making home a place where mistakes can be and where forgiveness is granted.  Hospitality at home can also include adoption of hard to place children, sheltering a homeless couple, and taking in a foreign student.
2. Hospitality in the workplace involves listening opening to others’ ideas, concerns, and critiques.  It means creating a welcoming and inviting environment for others. 
3. Hospitality in the neighborhood can be expressed in watching a neighbor’s home or pets when they are away, listening to a lonely neighbor, watching the kids of a single parent in the neighborhood, or throwing a block party for neighbors.
4. Hospitality in our churches takes place when we welcome visitors and newcomers, honor each members’ gifts, deal appropriately with conflict, intercede for others, and treat church staff generously.
5. Finally, civic hospitality involves making schools, medical care and recreation available to all; welcoming immigrants, the poor, and the undereducated into our communities; and treating the environment with care.

Take ten minutes today and, using some material possession, engage in an act of hospitality at home, in the workplace, in your neighborhood, in your church, or in the larger civic context in which you live.

[2] Marjorie Thompson, Soul Feast (Westminster John Knox, 1995), 122.

[3] Marjorie Thompson, Soul Feast (Westminster John Knox, 1995), 129-135.

[image]

Few things shape us into the people-loving individuals Jesus dreams of in his Sermon on the Mount like intercession.  The more we intercede for others in prayer, the more our heart is shoved from its self-centered position to one focused on the needs and wants of others.  Here are three non-traditional ways to practice intercession:

Intercession as Listening

Richard Foster writes that praying for others begins by listening to God.[i]  He writes that “Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession.”  For example, he writes, instead of continuing to pray for Aunt Susie’s arthritis just as you have been for twenty years, stop and listen.  Perhaps God wishes you to pray for something else, something deeper, something of even greater need for Aunt Susie.

Think of one individual in your life right now.  In your mind, see that individual.  Now sit quietly before God with that individual in your mind and your heart.  What does he/she truly need?  What is most urgent for that person?  Now, pray about what you’ve heard.

Intercession as Flash Prayers

Richard Foster writes about the practice of “flash prayers”—praying short and silent prayers for each and every person we see and interact with during the day.[ii]  This type of on-going intercession may, in fact, be the most personally transformative type of prayer.  Dallas Willard writes that “prayer as a discipline has its greatest force in strengthening the spiritual life only as we learn to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6).  We can train ourselves to invoke God’s presence in every action we perform.”[iii]

If you have the opportunity to be among a group of people today at work, school, in a store, or in your neighborhood, prayer silently for every individual you see.  As you walk, shop, talk, or do business, pray silently for every individual.  Don’t stop until you’ve managed to intercede in some way for every person you see.

Intercession as Counter-Cultural Action

Besides the Lord’s Prayer, another place in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches explicitly about intercession is in Matt. 5:43-44-You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  The conventional wisdom says we should love our neighbor and hate those who hate us.  But Jesus is building a counter-cultural community in which we actually love our enemies and pray for those who hurt and hate us.  One radical form of intercession is to pray positively for those who have hurt us.  Think right now about someone who has hurt you: a spouse, a child, a parent, a former friend, a coworker or a classmate.  Now, pray positively for that person.  

If you can’t think of anyone who has hurt you recently, James Bryan Smith suggests this: pray for a competitor.  Specifically, pray for the success of a competitor.[iv]  Change the adversarial relationship of the marketplace to one on compassion and kindness.

Take ten minutes today to practice one of these forms of intercession.

[ii] Foster, Celebration, 44.

[iii] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (Harper San Francisco, 1978), 185-186.

[iv] James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Life (IVP, 2009).

[image]

Bounded Sets and Centered Sets

A friend and I were recently talking about the Christian faith.  Her daughter, who lives in another city, had decided to start looking around for another church.  The daughter was dissatisfied with the church she was attending.  My friend, her mother, was worried that her daughter wasn’t going to seriously investigate what other churches taught and would end up making a decision about a new church home on factors that were somewhat superficial.  The discussion raised the whole issue of what makes a church really a church, and what makes a Christian really a Christian?  Are there beliefs and practices that are essential to what it means to be a Christian and a congregation of Christians?  In addition, that same friend had recently heard a Christian speaker talking about how good it was to see so many of the walls coming down that once divided different Christian groups from one another.  This led us into a discussion about the Christian faith in general.  What are the defining beliefs of Christianity?  What makes a Christian group truly a Christian group?

Some answer this question by talking about what is called a “Bounded Set.”  [PP picture of Bounded Set] A bounded set is one in which there is a hard boundary between those who belong and those who do not belong.  The boundary can be a certain set of beliefs, or a certain set of practices, or a list of other kinds of requirements.  The focus is on the boundary.  What is of utmost importance is the boundary.  Once a person has fulfilled the boundary requirements, he/she is in, no matter what else he/she does.  What matters most is fulfilling the boundary requirements.  Once you do that, you’re in, for good.  After that, not much else really matters.

Another way of addressing this issue is through what is called a “Centered Set.”  [PP image of centered set] In a centered set, the focus is not on just fulfilling some boundary requirements.  Instead, the focus is movement towards the center of the set.  People are seen as either closer to or farther from the center of the set.  What matters most is your direction and your movement.  You can’t just fulfill some boundary requirements and then rest on your laurels the rest of your life.  What matters is movement.  The central question is not Did you meet the entry requirements?  Instead the central question is Are you moving closer to the center or farther from the center?

John Ortberg writes this:[1] “A bounded set is one where all its members are determined by focusing on the boundary. For instance, ‘apples’ is a bounded set. Whether or not an item fits depends on whether it meets the criteria for apples—having skin and seeds and so on. Membership in a bounded set is static. Whether you’re a rotten apple or a ripe apple does not affect your appleness. The focus is not on movement but position.  A centered set, on the other hand, is determined by a focus on the center. For example, ‘bald-headed people’ would be a centered set. The paradigmatic member would be Mr. Clean, at the center of the set.   Centered sets are dynamic, in motion. A baby might be born with no hair, but hair is coming, so that baby may start near the center but moves away and eventually is out of the category. On the other hand, a 20-year-old might have hair, but it’s already starting to stay on the comb, so he’s on his way into the category.  With centered sets, the key question is whether I am oriented and moving toward the center or moving away from the center. I’m defined on where I am, and where I’m moving, in relation to the center….If we treat Christianity as a bounded set, there will always be a disconnect between the gospel and discipleship. The gospel will be presented as something to get you “inside the circle.” Once you’re inside, we don’t want to say you have to do anything to stay in (that would be salvation by works). But we don’t want to say you don’t have to do anything (the triumph of entropy, or, to use a biblical word, being lukewarm, or to use a theological word, antinomianism). So we don’t know what to say.  However, if we treat Christianity as a centered set, the relationship between the gospel and discipleship becomes much clearer. The gospel is the proclamation that life with and through Jesus is now available to ordinary people. It is a free gift of forgiveness and grace that cannot be earned. If I want it, the way that I enter into it is by becoming a follower of Jesus and orienting our lives with him at the center.”

In a  bounded set, you can be a rotten apple or a ripe apple.  It doesn’t matter.  Once you fulfill the minimum requirements you are in.  But in a centered set, the focus is on continual movment.  Are you moving closer toward the center?

One way to think of the Christian faith is to think of it as a centered set.  Jesus is at the very center.  What’s most important is the direction a person or organization is moving.  Are they moving toward the center?  Are they moving away from the center?

Deeds v. Creeds

However, this still leaves one question unanswered.  How does a person or an organization move toward the center?  In the terminology of this Sunday night series, the answer is twofold: deeds and creeds.  Most today would answer that certain deeds are critical in order to move closer to the center—close to Jesus.  They would suggest that deeds like caring for the poor, helping widows, and helping children move us closer to the center.  However, something else is also critical: creeds.  What a person believes is vital part of what direction that person is headed in.  Certain beliefs propel us closer to the center.  Certain beliefs cause us to veer away from the center.

The Bible is filled with creeds, short summary statements of the most important elements of biblical faith.  After the Bible was written, Christians took these summary statements and rewrote them.  One of the most important historical creeds was called the Nicene Creed: [PP text of the Nicene Creed  below][2]

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.  With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.  He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The early Christians would say that these beliefs are the ones most critical to moving toward the center of our set.  They are not merely boundary markers—defining the Christian faith.  They are the beliefs most critical for positive movement.  If you want to get as close as you can to Jesus, you have to embrace these beliefs.  Part of the way we draw near the center is by accepting these truths about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the church, baptism, resurrection, and the world to come.

The Centrality of Jesus

And notice what’s at the center of this creed.  The longest part of the creed is devoted to Jesus.  No one and no thing gets more attention in this creed than Jesus: [PP text below]

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

Part of the reason for the centrality of Jesus in the Nicene Creed has to do with the fact that in the period in which the creed was written, there were tremendous debates raging about who Jesus was.[3] Specifically these debates focused on the nature of Jesus’ humanity and divinity.  Was Jesus truly equal to God?  What Jesus truly God incarnate?  Or was Jesus somewhat lower than and lesser than God?

What the creed does, over and over, is to affirm the unique deity of Jesus.  The creed piles on phrase after phrase to prove that Jesus is truly God.  It says the same thing in several different ways: Jesus is God.  Jesus is Lord.  Let’s explore this phrase by phrase.

One Lord, Jesus Christ

Here’s how the early Christians summarized their belief in Jesus: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father”  [PP We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father]

The name “Jesus” translates the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which in turn derives from “Yaheshua” (“Yahweh = the Lord saves”).  This is the name given to Mary’s child in Matt. 1:21.            The word Christ, meaning “anointed one,” is used in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament to translate messiach (see 1 Sam 2:10; 24:7; 26:16; 2 Sam 19:21; Ps 2:2; 17:50; 19:6; 27:8; 83:9; 88:38; 104:15; 131:10). Jesus is God’s anointed.[4]

The designation of Jesus as Lord (kyrios)—the third term in this phrase of the creed—is used in the Septuagint to translate “Yahweh” the name of God (Exod 3:2—15).  The word “Lord” is also used frequently in the New Testament to mean “God” (e.g., Matt 1:20; 3:3; 22:37; Mark 13:20; Luke 1:6; 2:9; 3:4; 4:18—19; 19:38; John 1:23; 12:13, 38; Acts 2:34; 3:22; 4:26; 7:49; Rom 4:8; 9:28—29; 1 Cor 14:21; Heb 12:5; James 5:4, 21; 1 Pet 1:25; 3:12; Rev 1:8; 19:6).  Thus, in confessing Jesus as Lord the early Christians were confessing him to be God.[5]

This language about Jesus’ sonship was included in the creed as a way of emphasizing that Jesus was uniquely God’s Son.  Jesus was the object of the heavenly voice declaring at Jesus’ baptism, “you are my beloved son” (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22).  The same voice spoke at Jesus’ Transfiguration calling him “beloved son” (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; see 2 Pet 1:17).[6] John writes about how “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the father.”(Jn. 1:14).  Later, John writes that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only [in Greek, “only-begotten”] son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn. 1:16).  The early Christians confessed Jesus as the one and only Son of God.

Nothing  communicated the early Christians’ belief in the deity of Jesus like this first phrase.  Who is Jesus?  He is the one Lord, the Christ, the only Son of God.

God From God

Further, Jesus was “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.”  [PP God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.] The first three phrases—God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God—are different ways of saying the same thing.  Each phrase highlights that Jesus is indeed God.[7]

The phrase “God from God” is self-explanatory.  God-Jesus came to earth from God-Father.  The one who came is the same as the one who sent.  Jesus is God.

The phrase “Light from Light” utilizes biblical imagery in which God is described as light.  For example, God’s presence was a light for the people of Israel during the plagues (Exod 10:3). In the Psalms, light is consistently associated with God: “The Lord is my light,” says Psalm 26:1, and “in your light we shall see light” says Psalm 35:9.  In the New Testament, light is also associated with the divine presence. John says of the Word that was with God and was God, “in him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).  Paul says that God “alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16). Peter speaks of God calling the chosen “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). James says, “every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).[8]

The phrase “true God from true God” reflects language from John.  John writes in John 5:20 of  “the true God,” speaking of the Father.  In John 17:1, Jesus describes his Father as the “true God.”  Later in Revelation, Jesus is described as “the holy, the true” (Rev 3:7; 6:10).[9]

The final phrase—“Begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made”—arose from a debate about whether Jesus was a created being or not.  Some, including an ancient scholar named Arius, argued that Jesus was among the very first of the Father’s creation and the agent through which the Father made everything else.  However, the early Christians confessed that Jesus was not made.  He is of the same substance as the Father.  Rather than using the word “homoiousios”—similar in being—to describe Jesus’ relation to God, they used the word “homoousios—one in being. God and Jesus are one.

One Lord or Many?

This part of the Nicene Creed is especially important given contemporary beliefs about Jesus and about religion in general.  The American Creed argues that Jesus is one of many lords, not a unique Lord.  It suggests that Jesus may be a way, but he is certainly not the way.  The American Creed states this: “We believe in many Lords.”  [PP American Creed: We believe in many Lords.]

In his book The Reason for God Timothy Keller illustrates.[10] Keller, who started a church in New York City, has been asking people for two decades: What is your biggest problem with Christianity?  What troubles you the most about its beliefs or how it is practiced.”  Keller says that one of the most frequent answers given is this: the biggest problem with Christianity is its exclusivism.  Keller tells of Blair, a twenty-four-year old woman living in Manhattan: “How could there be just one true faith?  It’s arrogant to say your religion is superior and try to convert everyone else to it.  Surely all the religious are equally good and valid for meeting the needs of their particular followers.”  Keller also writes of Geoff, a twentysomething living in New York City: “Religion has led to untold strife, division, and conflict.  It may be the greatest enemy of peace in the world.  If Christians continue to insist that they have ‘the truth’—and if other religious do this as well—the world will never know peace.”  Above all, the American Creed believes in many lords.  Jesus may be at the center of your faith.  But he is not the center.  He is one of many.

The Nicene Creed—and all of Christian Scripture—argue differently.  It says this: We believe in one Lord.  [PP add to previous slide: Christian Creed: We believe in one Lord.]

What Makes Jesus Special

The question is Why?  The early Christians lived in the midst of a culture which, like ours, argued that there were many gods and many lords.  Why did the Christians believe in Jesus as the God and the Lord?  Author Michael Green suggests there were three things that made Jesus special.[11] That is, there are three traits Jesus shares in common with other religious figures.  But those other religious figures do not share these traits to the same degree as Jesus.

First, Jesus’ teaching is special.  [PP One Lord Jesus Christ: His teaching is special.] Other religious leaders taught things.  Some taught some great things.  But none taught like Jesus.  Green writes, “Nobody ever taught like him.  Such was the conclusion of the soldiers sent to arrest him by priests who were jealous of his influence.  His teaching was profound, lucid, and memorable.  (Matt. 7:29).  Who else spoke with such power and attractiveness?  Who else invited all into His kingdom and likened God to a great king who offered men and women a marvelous banquet free of charge?  Read through the Sermon on the Mount and feel its power for yourself.  How do you account for the fact that there have been no moral advances on Jesus’ teaching from that day to this?  How did he get such matchless teaching without having been to college?  How is it that his teaching fits all people in every culture?”

Chris Webb is the President of Renovare, a Christian organization devoted to teaching spiritual disciplines.  He grew up in Wales in a broken home and outside any true exposure to the Christian faith.  In college he drank heavily.  One night in college he was invited to a gathering in a home.  There were several non Christians present as well as several Christians.  This weekly gathering would take up one major topic each week—suffering and evil, justice, theology, etc.  Each person had a chance to say what he/she believed about the topic for the night.  After several months Webb came to a conclusion: the only answers which made any sense to him were the answers given by the Christians.  The only teaching that really made sense was the teaching of Jesus.  Jesus’ teaching is special.

Second, Jesus’ character is special.  [PP add to previous slide: His character is special.] Michael Green writes, “Never has there been a character like his, so humble yet so strong, so prayerful yet so down to earth, so peaceful and yet so energetic, so loving without sentimentality, so dynamic without being hearty.  Jesus is the only fully balanced person who ever lived…Socrates, Moses, Confucius, Buddha, Muhammad-or in our own day Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Billy Graham—al taught wonderful things.  But never did any of them manage to carry out all they taught…His enemies could not make mud stick on him.  His closest friends knew of not failure of his.” There has never been a person of such great character as Jesus.

Richard Beck, Professor and experimental psychologist at Abilene Christian University comments on the beautiful life of Jesus:[12] Two years ago I sat down for coffee with an ACU student who had immersed himself in the books of the New Atheists: Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens. He was, unsurprisingly, strongly affected by their arguments and wanted to visit with me about my take on all this. Why, he wanted to know, did I believe in Christianity?  For the good part of an hour we talked about the criticisms of the New Atheists. But it soon became apparent to the student that Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens are not really attacking Christianity. They are, rather, attacking a particular brand of Christianity, fundamentalism. So if you aren’t a fundamentalist you don’t feel particularly critiqued by the New Atheists. True, the New Atheists do criticize “liberal” Christians for creating a culture, by broadly legitimizing religious belief, that allows fundamentalism to flourish. My counterargument is that, as a “liberal” Christian and an insider, I’m much more effective in pushing against the worst strains within the Christian faith than the New Atheists (who are largely just preaching to the choir to sell books).  When we got to this point in the conversation the student still seem frustrated with my epistemology. He wanted black and white answers, true or false. I refused those categories and tried one more time to communicate my point. This is the exchange we had: Me: “Do you want to live a beautiful life?”  Student: “Huh?”  Me: “Do you want to live a beautiful life?”  Student: “I think so. Yes, I’d like to live a beautiful life.”  Me: “Okay. So what kind of life to you think is beautiful? What is your aesthetic?”  Student: “What do you mean ‘my aesthetic’?”  Me: “Judgments of beauty require an aesthetic, some criterion which separates the ugly from the beautiful. So if you want to live a beautiful life you need some way of defining beauty. Here’s a way to find your aesthetic, ask yourself these questions. Who, living or dead, do you admire the most? What moves you to tears? What shakes your soul? When you get answers to these questions you’ll start to see the shape of your aesthetic, what you consider to be a beautiful life.”  Student: “Okay, but what does this have to do with Christianity?”  Me: “I’m a Christian because Jesus of Nazareth is my aesthetic. He’s how I define a beautiful life. I’ve noticed in my heart that every time a human action moved my soul or brought tears to my eyes that action reminded me of Jesus. And so, because I want to live a beautiful life, I follow Jesus.” Jesus’ character is special.

Third, Jesus’ influence is special.  [PP add to previous slide: Jesus’ influence is special.] Michael Green writes that “Today more than 1/3 of the world’s population professes to follow him.  No faith has as many worshippers as Jesus.  To be sure Muhammad had profound influence, but his lifestyle is not comparable to Jesus.  Muhammad’s religion was militaristic from the earliest days at Medina.  Jesus refused the way of force and embraced the way of love.  The cross is the supreme example of that self-sacrificing love even for his enemies.  Today his cause is growing at about 100,00 a day.  Lenin and Mao were influential.  But their appeal was generally to one nationality or class or people.  Jesus appealed to rich and poor, young and old.  The influence of Mao and Lenin was based on ruthlessness, hate and indifference to truth.  Jesus was a contrast.”

Others have had important teachings—none like Jesus, however.  Others have had inspiring character—none like Jesus, however.  Others have been influential—none like Jesus, however.  Though Jesus shares these traits with other religious figures, no one possesses them to the degree that Jesus does.  This is why the earliest Christians could confess Jesus as the very center of their faith and as the only true Lord in a religious landscape filled with many lords.

What Makes Jesus Unique

There are, however, some things which make Jesus absolutely unique.  There are some chapters of his story which can be found in no other story.[13]

The first unique aspect of Jesus is his incarnation.  [PP One Lord Jesus Christ: His incarnation is unique.] Michael Green writes this: “He was the only one in all history who actually chose to be born into this world.  Jesus is no witty rabbi, no wandering prophet, but God Almighty, voluntarily limiting Himself to share our humanity in order, among other things, to show human beings what He is like and how much He loves them.”[14] Green continues: “Such a claim could have never crossed the mind of the Buddha or Confucius because they offered systems of ethical behavior, not fellowship with God.  Muhammad was appalled by the idolatry around him in his early life, so the principal tenet of his creed is that Allah is one, and that principal sin is ascribing divinity to anyone else.  Muhammad would never have dreamed of claiming to share in God’s nature…Any fair appraisal of the evidence shows that alone of the great teachers, Jesus Christ claimed to share the nature of God almighty while being at the same time a loving and humble member of the human race.  This is utterly without parallel in any of the faiths of the world.”[15] There simply is no other significant world religion in which its central figure claimed to be fully human and fully divine.  The incarnation sets Jesus apart.

A second unique aspect of Jesus is his atonement.  [PP add to previous slide: His atonement is unique.] No other great teacher dealt radically with human wickedness in the way Jesus did.  Green comments: “God almighty loved us so much that He set out to win our obstinate and self-centered hearts.  So He chose a people, the Jews, on whom He lavished great pains to show them what He was like and how they should respond.  He had to work hard to prepare them for the day when He would come in person to this world…He embodied what it was to be truly human…and for those who had eyes to see, He was the man who was God.  He lived in humility and absolute obedience to His Heavenly Father and willingly shared in the sufferings of His fellows.  He was accounted illegitimate, was nearly murdered after His birth in a filthy stable, and became a refugee.  He lived in a poor working-class home, then as a teacher He had no home…He suffered unjust opposition, unfair trail and undeserved death through the most painful from of execution, crucifixion.  He drained the cup of human suffering to the dregs…And the most wonderful aspect of the death of Jesus is not only that He shared our sufferings but that He took personal responsibility for the entire filth, the trash can loads if you like, of human wickedness…The God-man willingly bore upon His shoulders all the guilt before God of a whole world that had gone wrong…No teacher, no guru in all history has been able to make an offer of complete forgiveness and an utterly new start like that.  Jesus is the only one who has dealt radically with human wickedness by taking its filth upon Himself so that we might never have to bear it…The Hindu doctrine of karma says, ‘You sin, you pay.’  The cross of Christ shows God saying, ‘You sin, I pay.’”[16]

A third unique aspect of Jesus is his resurrection.  [PP add to previous slide: His resurrection is unique.] No other great teacher broke the final barrier—death.  Michael Green writes, “Alone of the great teachers of the world’s religions, Jesus Christ rose from the icy grip of death.  The bones of Buddha have been divided up and are enshrined in several different countries.  The bones of Muhammad lie in Medina.  But the bones of Jesus Christ are nowhere to be seen and revered.” There is no other religious figure who defeated death and rose from the dead.  Jesus’ resurrection proves beyond all doubt that he is the Lord of Lords.

Finally, Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit sets him apart.  [PP add to previous slide: His indwelling spirit is uniqe.] No Other Great Teacher Offers to Live within His followers.  Michael Green writes this: “There is no point at which Christianity differs more radically from all other faiths in the globe than this.  Its founder offers to come and live in the hearts and lives of His followers!…That was and remains the heart of Christian morality.  Not keeping a rule book, but loving and pleasing a person, and in His power overcoming the base tendencies of human nature and pouring out the love of Christ to others.“[17] No other religion offers to deal with our radical internal brokenness by coming to dwell within us and fixing us from the inside out.

It is for these reasons that the earliest Christians could confess Jesus as the Lord.  They would not accept their culture’s belief that there are many lords and many gods and it doesn’t really matter which one you follow.  Their firmly believed that there was one Lord and one God and his name was Jesus.

It is crucial for us to reclaim this same confession in our time.  The American Creed says “We believe in many lords,” but the Christian Creed says, “We believe in one Lord.”  [PP American Creed: We believe in many lords.  Christian Creed: We believe in one Lord.] We cannot give in to the strong current in our culture which says that it’s intolerant to believe this and politically incorrect to confess this.  This confession is, simply, the truth.  Jesus alone stands at the very center of our faith.  He alone is the one toward whom all humanity must journey.  This is a defining belief of the Christian faith.  It is not something which can be jettisoned because it no longer fits the times.  Frankly, it has never fit the times.  This belief is fundamental to all that Christianity is.  Without this belief there is no Christianity.  Without this belief we begin to veer radically away from the center of our faith.  Jesus stands alone above all other religious figures.  In the words of Michael Green: “Christianity stands out from all other faiths.  It maintains that the living God has come to share our human situation, died an agonizing death in which He took responsibility for human wickedness and broke the last barrier, death, on the first Easter day, with incalculable consequences for His followers and the whole world.  No other faith claims anything like that.”[18]

[2] Gerald L. Bray, Editor Ancient Christian Doctrine Volume 1 (IVP, Academic, 2009), unnumbered page.

[3] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (Image, 2007)  Kindle location 1506.

[4] Johnson, 1658.

[5] Johson, 1681.

[6] Johnson, 1735.

[7] Johnson, 1801.

[8] Johnson, 1810, 1820.

[9] Johnson, 1870

[10] Timothy Keller, The Reason for God (Dutton, 2008), 3-21.

[11] Michael Green But Don’t All Religions Lead to God? Chapter 4.

[12] http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2010/04/beautiful-life.html.

[13] Green, 35-74.

[14] Green, 36.

[15] Green, 38.

[16] Green, 49-51.

[17] Green, 65,71.

[18] Green, 18.

Our Belief in God

Author and preacher A. W. Tozer wrote in the early 20^th century: “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us…Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes into your mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.”[1] Our spiritual future can be predicted by what we believe about God.  What we think about God sets the course for everything down our spiritual road.

It is critical, therefore, to have a clear understanding of what it is we believe about God.  Most Americans, indeed, believe something about God.  Despite the efforts of what has been called “the new atheism”—a wave of authors devoted to debunking belief in God—the dominant question in our culture is not “Do you believe in God?” but “What kind of God do you believe in?”  The Pew Forum’s massive study of 35,000 Americans finds that 92% of Americans still believe in God.[2] We are a people who believe in God.  But what do we believe about God?  That is perhaps the most critical spiritual question for Americans to answer.  Why? Because what we believe about God sets the course for our entire spiritual future.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

And while might assume there is great diversity when it comes to what Americans believe about God there is actually a surprising uniformity.  From 2002 to 2005 the National Study of Youth and Religion interviewed more than 3,300 American teenagers between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.[3] On the one hand, the study found that teenagers have very little knowledge of biblical teachings.[4] They don’t know much about what the Bible says about God.  On the other hand, the study found that teenagers do have a consistent spiritual belief system.  And it is not a belief system unique to teenagers.  Researchers found that this belief system was given to these teens by the churches they attend and by the religious people in their lives.  Thus, this is not just a belief system prevalent among teens.  It is the belief system most prevalent among churches and Christians in America today.

What many Americans believe today about God is called by the researchers “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” This belief system consists of 5 basic tenets:[5]

1. A god exists who created and orders the world and watches over life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

The National Study of Youth and Religion calls Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Christianity’s “misbegotten step cousin.”  The researchers claim it is “supplanting Christianity as the dominant religion in American churches.”[6] If we want to know what the dominant view of God is in churches today, this is it.  If we could survey Americans on the content of their belief about God, this is what we would find.  When it comes to God, this is the dominant creed of our day.  At least according the National Study of Youth and Religion, what most American teenagers and their Christian churches or Christian adult influences believe about God is summarized by Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

But what exactly does this belief system say about God?  The researchers describe American Christians “as restless people who come to church for the same reasons people once went to diners: for someone to serve us who knows our name, for a filling stew that reminds us of home and makes us feel loved, even while it does a number on our spiritual cholesterol.”[7] In other words, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is a belief in God which is rooted primarily in our desire to be served, comforted, and filled—even though it’s not very healthy for us.  We believe in a God who has come to serve us, wants to comfort us, and fills us.

At the heart of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is an image of God that might be summarized in two words: “on call” and “counselor.”  In Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, God is my on-call counselor. The words “on call” portray the way in which the God of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism remains in the background until needed.[8] This is a God who watches over us but makes very little demands of us.[9] Like a software program on a computer, he runs in the background until you need him.  Then you can click on him and he begins whatever operation is needed.  When completed, you exit out of the program and he returns to the desktop, awaiting your next click.

The word “counselor” describes what this God primarily does when we summon him.  He is a butler, a therapist, a cosmic lifeguard.  He listens nonjudgmentally to us and then helps us feel better about ourselves.[10] He is, above all, nice.[11] When summoned from the background, he does everything in his power to meet whatever need we have, then he returns to his post.[12]

God is an on-call counselor.  At the heart of the most prominent creed today is this image of God.

In this series we are exploring what I’m calling “The American Creed”—contemporary beliefs about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and life.  Last time we looked at the first tenet of the American Creed: “It doesn’t matter what you believe.”  In contrast to that tenet, we saw how Christians have historically argued the opposite, saying, “We believe.”  “We believe this and it makes all the difference in the world.”  Tonight we take up what the American Creed says about God.  And what it primarily says is this: “God is my on-call counselor.”

The Nicene Creed

Christians, however, have long held to a different view of God.  They’ve summarized that view in many ways.  One of the ways they’ve summarized their theology is by the use of creeds.  At first, creeds were simple ways that people being baptized confessed their beliefs.  Eventually creeds were used by early Christians to distinguish their beliefs from the beliefs of those in the culture around them.  Creeds articulated the defining beliefs of Christians which set them apart from all other groups.

One of the most important historical creeds is the Nicene Creed.  In May 381, the Christian emperor Theodosius called for a gathering in Constantinople. One hundred and fifty bishops attended. They approved a creed that became known as the Nicene—Constantinopolitan Creed. [13] Today it is commonly known as the Nicene Creed:[14]

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.  With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.  He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This creed provides a helpful way for us to think about the beliefs that define the Christian faith, especially as we consider alterative beliefs in our culture.  We are working our way phrase by phrase through the creed.  Tonight we take up the creed’s words about God:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

Let’s briefly explore this phrase, its back ground in Scripture, and what it says about God.

One God

As the earliest Christians sought a way to distinguish their beliefs from the beliefs of the world around them, they used this phrase: “one God.”  “We believe in one God.”  There is little doubt that this phrase in the Nicene Creed is a reflection of one of the earliest creeds—that found in Deut. 6:4–”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”  This was one of the ways the Jews summarized their beliefs.  Above all, the Jews believed this about God: “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”  The writers of the Nicene Creed point back to this statement with their phrase “We believe in one God.”[15]

And in so doing, the early Christians were saying “We believe in the God of this Old Testament story.”[16] “We believe in the God whose drama is told in the Old Testament.  Our beliefs are defined by what this book says about God, not by what anyone else says about God.”

Specifically, the creed from Deut. 6 and the phrase “one God” in the Nicene Creed pointed to the belief of early Christians that God was “the top God” and “the only God.”[17] When the Jews said they believed “The LORD our God, the LORD is one” and when the Christians said, “We believe in one God,” they were first of all stating that they believed in a God who was superior to all other gods.  They believed in a God who was the top God.  That’s what it meant for God to be one God.

This is reflected in places like the following:

• Ps. 86:8 “There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.”
• Ps. 89:6 “For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?”
• Ps. 95:3 “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

When the early Christians said “We believe in one God” they were saying they believed their God was the top God.

But this belief in a God who was the top God eventually grew into a belief in a God who was the only God.  When the Jews recited their Shema creed, they did so claiming belief in a God who was the only true God.  There was no other God but the LORD God.  In the same way, when Christians recited the Nicene Creed, they said it in the midst of a culture which argued there were many gods.  They claimed that there was one God who was the top God and he was the only true God.

The Father

Not only did the early Christians confess belief in a God who was one—the one and only.  They also believed in a God who was “Father”: “We believe in one God, the Father…”  Gerald Bray writes, “It is this personal character of God that distinguishes Christian belief most obviously from any philosophical equivalent.”[18] This, again, was one of the distinctives of the Christian faith—a deep rooted conviction that God was Father: tender, loving, merciful and very, very personal.

If the phrase “one God” was rooted in the Old Testament, then the phrase “Father” was rooted in the New Testament.[19] The image of God as Father is strongest in the New Testament, and especially in the ministry of Jesus.  The word “Father” is Jesus’ favorite designation for God.  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that God is “your father in heaven” (5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 14, 32; 7:11, 21) or simply “your father” (6:4, 6, 8, 15, 18, 26; 10:20, 29).  Jesus tells his followers to pray to “our father who is in heaven” (6:9).[20]

Thus the first two phrases of the creed point to the Old and New Testaments, respectively.  “One God” points to the Shema and the story of God in the Old Testament.  “The Father” points to Jesus’ ministry and the story of God in the New Testament.  In essence, these two phrases were the early Christians’ way of saying, “We believe in the God of this book.  The God whose story is in the Old Testament—that’s the one we believe in.  The God whose story continues in the New Testament—that’s the one we believe in.”

The Almighty

But the creed also confessed a belief in God as “Almighty”: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty…” The phrase “Almighty” is not as much an adjective as it is a title.  The word “Almighty” is used in English Bibles to translate the Hebrew name of God El-Shaddai.[21] Within the Old Testament “shaddai” carries idea of having the power to protect.  For example, in Ps. 91:1 we read “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”  This Almighty is a God who has the power to protect.

In the New Testament, the Greek word “all-powerful” or Almighty occurs 9 times in Revelation with an emphasis on the power of God: ^[22]

• “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8)
• And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” (Rev. 4:8)
• “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” (Rev. 11:17)
• “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!  Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” (Rev. 15:3)
• “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” (Rev. 16:7)
• For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (Rev. 16:14)
• Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” (Rev. 19:6)
• From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (Rev. 19:15)
• And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (Rev. 21:22)

This reigning and victorious God is the one proclaimed by the early Christians in the Nicene Creed.  Against a culture which told them there were greater powers and greater forces, and in the face of threats and dangers, Christians defiantly believed in a God who was all-mighty and who would reign supreme over all forces and be victorious over all powers.

Maker of Heaven and Earth

The early Christians also confessed that they believed God was the “Maker of Heaven and Earth”: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth…” With this phrase the early Christians recalled Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  This God was the one who made heaven and earth and continued to sustain heaven and earth.  As the one who first made heaven and earth, this God was also remaking and renewing heaven and earth.

For example, God points to his role as maker of heaven and earth as the basis for his role as the one who is renewing the same:[23] 5Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who  walk in it: 6″I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.  8I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (Is. 42:5-8 ESV)  Because God is the one who created the heavens and spread out the earth he is able through his people to open eyes that are blind, bring prisoners out of the dungeon, and rule on the earth.  As maker of heaven and earth he is also remaking heaven and earth.

The Bible ends with this portrait of God.[24] In Rev. 14:7 we are told to “Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”  Then in Rev. 21:1-5 we read “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more . . . and he who sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”

Luke Timothy Johnson writes, “The Christian confession of God as creator is not a theory about how things came to be, but a perception of how everything is still and is always coming into being.”[25] When they confessed God as the maker of heaven and earth they confessed that they believed in a God who brought things to be and is still and always bringing things into being.

Of All That Is, Seen and Unseen

Finally, the early Christians confessed “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.”  God is the maker of everything.  God didn’t just make the earth and heaven.  He made everything.  There’s nothing that exists which he did not make.[26]

The words also reminded them that there was more to life than was seen.  Christians were those believed in the unseen, the invisible.  And even over those things God reigned and was the source and sustenance.[27]

We Believe in One God v. God is My On-Call Counselor

It’s easy to see that there is a significant difference between the God summarized in the Nicene Creed and the God summarized in Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  The God of the American Creed is primarily “on call.” He is not involved in a daily way with heaven and earth.  He only appears when needed.  He only comes when called.  In many ways he is a distant God.  He created all things.  But his is not recreating of all things.  He started things.  But he does not sustain all things.

The God of the American Creed is primarily “counselor.”  He exists to meet my needs, resolve my problems, and fix my life.  He’s a nice guy who knows how I “tick” and wants to comfort and assist me.

But the God of Scripture is much more.  He is the top God, the only God, the one and only true God.  He is Father and thus personal.  He is Almighty and thus powerful.  He is the maker and remaker of all that is..

Kenda Dean writes, “Who we are and what we do as religious people are decisively shaped by the kind of God we worship.”[28] If we worship God as the on-call counselor, it shapes us into a certain kind of people.  But if we worship the God who is one, Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen, it turns us into a very different kind of people.  What we believe about God sets the direction of our entire spiritual future.  The early Christians strongly believed in the future created by this phrase in the Nicene Creed.

Kenda Dean finally writes, “I’ve been told that when FBI agents are learning to detect a counterfeit bill, they do not spend most of their time studying counterfeits. Instead, they memorize the original. By internalizing the weight, smell, and look of a real dollar bill, they can spot a fake almost intuitively, without having to stop and analyze it. Christian formation requires a similar familiarity with the God-story of Jesus Christ.”[29] What’s needed is this age of so many counterfeit beliefs about God is more attention to the real and original God.  We need to internalize the weight, smell, and look of the real thing.  In this way we’ll be able to spot a fake almost intuitively.  What’s needed more than ever before is a recapturing of this image of God as one, Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

[2] http://religions.pewforum.org/reports#.

[3] Kenda Creasy Dean Almost Christian (Oxford University Press, 2010), Kindle location 317.

[4] Dean, Kindle location 356.

[5] Dean, Kindle location 270.

[6] Dean, Kindle location 159.

[7] Dean, Kindle location 171.

[8] Dean, Kindle location 398.

[9] Dean, Kindle location 521.

[10] Dean, Kindle location 335.

[11] Dean, Kindle location 521.

[12] Dean, Kindle location 547.

[13] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (Image, 2007)  Kindle location 574.

[14] Gerald L. Bray, Editor Ancient Christian Doctrine Volume 1 (IVP, Academic, 2009), unnumbered page.

[15] Johnson, 1062.

[16] Johnson, 1062.

[17] Johson, 1083.

[18] Bray, 34.

[19] Bray, 60.

[20] Johnson, 1162.

[21] Bray, 87-88.

^[22] Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (25). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

[23] Johnson, 1385.

[24] Johnson, 1395.

[25] Johnson, 1405.

[26] Johnson, 1432.

[27] Johnson, 1475.

[28] Dean, 1212.

[29] Dean, 1544.