INTRODUCTION TO AFFIRMATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
As time marches on and the aging process begins to cast a shadow on my short-term memory, my mind seems sharper now than ever regarding long-term memory. It is interesting to me that, at 85 years of age, I am still recalling interpretations of Christian beliefs that have been hallmarks of my ministry for three score and more years.
After all, I have sat under the preaching, on a right regular basis, of no fewer than a dozen inimitable pastors with whom I was associated in my role as Church Consultant, Christian Educator and Community Counselor. In my associations, and during those years of Christian service, each of my pastors involved me in the ministries of preaching and teaching the Word.
Living in the latter days of my life on this earth, with the 21st century well under way, I find myself “up against it” regarding a lot that I read today, and hear, about endeavors by more than a few Christian ministers to re-define basic Christian doctrines – beliefs that, for me, were and still are “pillars” upon which to build one’s Christian life.
In our world of instant communication, we pick up on much negativism as to the validity of our Christian Faith - for instance, the brazenness with which professing Christians embrace ways other than Jesus Christ for being saved – even by folks who know that Jesus proved what He said: “I am the way, the truth and the life . . . No one comes to the Father except by me.”
An illustration of how some folks are thinking occurred at one of my favorite places for fellowship with friends - The Waffle House: One morning while sitting at one end of the coffee shop, I and everyone else could hear a guy at the other end waxing eloquent about religious issues. Although I for the most part had tuned him out, my ears perked up when he started talking about how one goes to heaven. Don’t know how the subject came up, but what I heard this guy say was: “All people of all religions will go to heaven if they’re good.”
Now folks, I’m in favor of everyone being good; and I’m in favor of everyone going to heaven; but it doesn’t matter what I am in favor of, or what the Waffle House customer’s view was; the fact is that the Bible tells us who will and will not go to heaven; and nowhere in the Bible does it say that “all people from all religions will go to heaven if they are good.”
Later in this series, I share my understanding of a Christian view of “how to go to heaven”. The “who and how” of receiving, by grace through faith, God’s gift of eternal life ought to be a major objective of all Christian preaching and teaching.
Pursuing an evangelistic objective, however, in no way diminishes but enhances the importance of affirming and acting upon all other major Christian doctrines – the necessity of which motivated me to reaffirm my Christian beliefs.
There were basically ten tenets which I felt the need to reexamine and work through in my own mind until I could say, “This I believe.”
Yes, reflected in my statements of belief are numerous interpretations and perspectives gained from a lifetime of intensive Bible study, as well as listening with an attentive ear to good teachers and preachers, not to mention all the research done through the years in preparation for teaching teachers – probably the most rewarding aspect of my ministry. Amen.
AFFIRMATIONS – SERMON III: BELIEF IN GOD THE ALMIIGHTY
How wonderful it is to be reassured that our relationship to God is as if He were our “daddy” – intimately involved in caring for His children and meeting their daily needs.
However, as nice as it is to have a fatherly relationship to God, do not lose sight of the fact that God is not an “ordinary father” in the sense that we reduce Him to the level of being a “buddy” who is available to satisfy every whim and request that we throw at Him. For example, some folks go so far as to ask God to help them find a convenient parking place at the mall.
Truth be told, I suppose God would prefer that we park far enough away from the main entrance to get some exercise by walking.
God is not a servant standing by waiting for me to snap my finger for Him to come to my aid. We do not hold within our grasp a kind of “remote control” that accesses “blessings on demand”.
On the contrary, the Bible teaches that God is Almighty and, although He adopts you and me into the Family of God by our repentance of sin and acceptance of His Son as Lord and Savior, He expects His children to honor and reverence Him for who He really is – the Almighty God.
The Christian Church through the ages has included in her vocabulary three words which, if we understand their meaning and act accordingly, will keep us away from arrogance that makes us think we are as great as God is.
The three words which convey Christian concepts of God are:
Omnipotence - The Bible teaches that God is omnipotent, meaning He is all-powerful. God’s power is spoken of quite often in scripture; for example, Psalm 24:8 refers to God as “the Lord, strong and mighty . . . ”
The prophet Jeremiah realized that, if God made the world and all that is in it, there is obviously no constraint upon His power. So, Jeremiah wrote these words (32:17): “Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power . . . Nothing is too difficult for you.”
Oftentimes we have heard Ephesians 3:20 quoted to remind us, in the words of the apostle Paul, that “God is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think.”
Best of all, Jesus our Lord made this declaration: “With God all things are possible” – (Matthew 19:26) – a saying to remember if ever there was one!
Omnipresence - The Bible teaches that God does not have spatial dimensions like His creation has; for example, each one of us has a physical body which can only be in one place at a time; God is not limited by size or space or geographical location. No; God is Spirit and is everywhere all the time.
He is here, He is there, and He is everywhere. You cannot put God in a box and carry Him around with you; anywhere you go, He is already there.
In Jeremiah 23:23 we read, “Am I a faraway God, or at best only a God nearby? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and the earth? Nothing we think or speak or do is secret from God, so that when we place our lives in His hands we have One who goes with us through all things.”
As always, the Book of Psalms is the Bible book we go to more than any other for a poetic view on any subject about God; and I doubt that any other poem gives expression to God’s omnipresence more powerfully than does Psalm 139:7-10 ---
“Whither shall I go from your spirit? Or whither shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of your creation, even there your hand shall lead me, your right hand shall uphold me.”
Do not make the mistake of seeing God’s presence as a threat; rather see His presence as a blessing. He is always there – to “uphold” us with His “right hand” – a metaphor used in Scripture to speak of the mighty power of God to keep us safe and secure rather than let us fall into Satan’s traps.
Places of worship – whether of simple or magnificent architecture – are built not to “house” God, even though we refer to such places as the House of God; we must remember that God’s presence is not confined to a place of any kind; God is everywhere; and for that, we give Him thanks for the blessing of His presence – to comfort, strengthen, guide and uphold us.
Omniscience - The Bible teaches that God is not only everywhere, He knows everything. He knows you, He knows me, and He knows all about us; nowhere do we find this expressed better than Psalm 139:4 ---
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and rise up. You discern my thought from afar.”
God knows us so well that, according to Jesus, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 10:30)
Since God is always present, and is all-powerful, and is all-knowing, then you and I can be assured that He knows what is best for us and so we should trust Him in every situation and circumstance in life.
Folks, when I consider God’s omnipotence . . . omniscience . . . omnipresence as supported by Scriptures written over a period of hundreds of years, and by personal experiences – including mine and yours – I must tell you that, yes, I affirm my belief in God the Almighty!
There is none like Him – never has been, never will be; in God, we trust; in Almighty God we “live, and move, and have our being.” Amen.
