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 VIII: BELIEF IN GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND MINE
No account of the forgiveness of sins stands out more in my mind than that of John Newton, author of the hymn often referred to as the Baptist National Anthem – Amazing Grace.
The movie depicting Newton’s amazing transformation from “infidel” to “a prodigal come home” made an indelible impression on me. As a young man, John Newton left home and went to sea; his life was marked by wild and loose living.
Like many people who abandon God, he became highly critical of the Christian faith; he spent much of his time tearing down the faith of those he met who identified themselves as Christians. It was not until the later years of his life that he realized that he had wasted his young life, and indeed not only wasted it but had been offensive to God and abrasive to God-fearing people.
John Newton, gripped by the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God, repented of his sins and from that time forward sought to make restitution for his wasted years of infidelity by submitting himself to God to preach the gospel anywhere and anytime he had opportunity.
This man’s experience of God’s forgiving grace is not only poignantly expressed in the hymn Amazing Grace, sung more often than any other, his epitaph which he himself wrote prior to his death in 1807, describes his transformation:
“John Newton, once an infidel and libertine, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
Folks, there have been many, many people who, by the grace of God, have experienced the forgiveness of God, and gone on to live a life for God, to the glory of God.
Does the account of John Newton’s experience of forgiveness bring to mind a similar account of the life of a young man as told by Jesus in one of his parables? Yes, of course, the parable of the prodigal son.
I doubt that any teaching in the Bible is more powerful than the story Jesus told about a son who broke his father’s heart by demanding of him his share of the father’s estate so that he could cash it in and spend it now rather than later; the son squandered his inheritance on pleasurable activities and wound up with nothing.
When the young man came to his senses, he decided to go home; he no doubt expected to be damned and denigrated by his father; but the poor guy was so destitute that he had rather suffer indignation than keep on living the way he was.
The prodigal son experienced just the opposite of what he deserved and expected; rather than lashing out at him, the father heard that he was on his way home and went looking for him. The father’s forgiveness of the wayward son – evidenced by his open arms of welcome – tells us something wonderful that we need to know about God our Father.
Our Father’s unconditional love, as evidenced by His grace and mercy - in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins - convinces me that He can hardly wait to receive repentant sinners into the family of God with the same kind of celebration as that of the father in the parable of the prodigal son: “This, my son, was lost, but now is found!”
Folks, it is my opinion that forgiveness is the greatest need the world ever has had or ever will have. If “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” there has got to be a way to fix it if God is who we say He is – a God of unconditional love, not willing that any should perish but that all should have life. So, there must be an avenue of remission for sins.
Listen to what the Bible says about the only way sins can be remitted . . . pardoned . . . forgiven: “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins!”
Well, now, which one of the gospel writers am I going to go to in order to establish the fact that God has indeed provided the way for our sins to be remitted . . . pardoned . . . forgiven? None other than the beloved and elderly apostle John: “Beloved, the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses us from all sin.” For me, that settles it.
Okay, if you must check it out with the apostle Paul, I suppose just one statement he made will do: “In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with God’s grace that he lavished on us.” Folks, if what these two admired apostles said doesn’t convince you, nothing anybody says will.
Some of us really and truly understand what Paul meant by saying that God “lavished” his grace on us. Why, Mary emptied the whole bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet! She “lavished” his feet with perfume. God has “lavished” his grace on us. You would be correct to say that he treated us better than we deserve.
Now let me ask a pointed question? If God so loved us, and lavished his grace – his pardon – his forgiveness upon us, do you not suppose that he expects His children to do the same toward others? Of course, he does.
If God’s forgiveness of repentant sinners is the greatest need in our world today, would you agree with me that our forgiveness of those who have or may have done us wrong is the second greatest need we face?
When a marriage relationship, for example, goes on the rocks due to the unfaithfulness of one to the other, there is inevitably a crying need for love and forgiveness to rule the day and save the relationship. The same is true with regard to any other relationship in our lives.
We’ve often heard the saying, “forgive and forget” – but I think we need to better understand what we are talking about when we use those two words in the same phrase. Let me share with you how a friend of mine put it: To forgive is to make a promise not to hold it against the other person any longer; to forget is to keep the promise.
In that sense, we need to do a whole lot of forgiving and forgetting in all of our relationships. Who was it that drove home this point when asked how to pray? Yes, of course, Jesus admonished his followers to pray to God and ask Him to “forgive us as we forgive others.”
How far does the Bible say that God has cast our forgiven sins? “Into the depths of the deepest sea – and will remember them no more.” As one old-timer put it, “That’s a pretty ‘fur’ piece if you ask me.” Bless goodness! Our Father in heaven – whose love is real – has thrown our sins so far away that He will no longer hold them against us!
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
How wonderful it is to be forgiven by God . . . by family . . . by friends. How much more wonderful it is to forgive others!
Yet, the most wonderful forgiveness of all is when we forgive ourselves. Charles Dickens once posed a thoughtful question: “May I tell you why it seems to me a good thing for us to remember wrongs done to us?” He then made this pertinent point by answering his own question: “That we may forgive them.”
Folks, if God forgives us – and He does – we ought to forgive one another - and ourselves! Amen.
