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]
[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/categoryconfusion.html
[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.
