Friends
I think it useful for all of us to examine, at regular intervals, just what we think we mean by "salvation" or "born again" or "christian".... etc label du jour.
Did Jesus the Messiah ask folks to "accept me" ? Did Paul tell the Jailer, "accept Christ and all will be well" ?
These are rhetorical questions of course.
Best I can tell, the "great equalizer" is neither faith nor grace, as persons of varying intelligence levels, origins, education, ability, not to mention gender and/or age have wildy varying conceptions of those theologically-loaded concepts. Jesus asked, nay commanded, people to follow Him. All persons can follow. All can be trained by following. Following transcends race, religion, ethnicity, ability, IQ level, Education level, talent, giftings, regionality/locality, and/or era.
One can faithfully follow Jesus without knowing hardly anything about theology [thankfully, as few of us know much about theology and about half of that is error.... ]. Conversely, it is obvious that one can be a theological giant [as such recognition is entirely worldly... grounded in the present flesh], and still steadfastly refuse, from heart to feet, to follow Jesus.
I have great admiration for brilliant people, ministers/theologues especially, who "get it". I will not mention the name as it would immediately bias 60% of you, but one such person in modern times, whose work founded a highy influential movement the fruit of which is mostly positive, displayed the kind of personal "followship" that impresses me. This person testified about being humbled, greatly humbled, that after much training, rigorous academia, ministry, professional ministry, etc etc, still could simply read the gospels and realize a profound GAP between her/his present daily experience, versus that of Jesus. So, adjustments were in order, and a determination to walk in the footsteps, act-speak-do-think-pray-act as Jesus did, to the best of human frailty-ability. As the theory became practice, abundant fruit followed, and that fruit remains.
In a more mystical sense, the great Thomas Aquinas, who had a number of visions .... charismatic phenomena, which shaped some of his theological musings.... as great as his stature was and his fame, near the end of his life he had one more profound vision of Christ or something related.... a visitation - so shaking and shocking was it that he only remarked to his scribe/helper "all that I have written is dust". He had apparently stepped into the shadow of Jesus Himself and given the ability to 'see' from the vantage point of His footsteps.
I rather think that "salvation".... so commonly used a term in modern christendom, is not easy to define. I'm not certain that we, the individual, can properly judge the "state of my salvation", for our hearts are deceptive and addicted to comfort of our own provision. But what we can discern, by a faithful study of the Gospels especially, is whether we walk as he walked, bow our knee to His Rule [he is the only King deserving of the title], whether we observe-to-keep all that He commanded. These are objective, concrete measures, and it can be plainly seen whether our footprints are in the path He trod.
z
I think it useful for all of us to examine, at regular intervals, just what we think we mean by "salvation" or "born again" or "christian".... etc label du jour.
Did Jesus the Messiah ask folks to "accept me" ? Did Paul tell the Jailer, "accept Christ and all will be well" ?
These are rhetorical questions of course.
Best I can tell, the "great equalizer" is neither faith nor grace, as persons of varying intelligence levels, origins, education, ability, not to mention gender and/or age have wildy varying conceptions of those theologically-loaded concepts. Jesus asked, nay commanded, people to follow Him. All persons can follow. All can be trained by following. Following transcends race, religion, ethnicity, ability, IQ level, Education level, talent, giftings, regionality/locality, and/or era.
One can faithfully follow Jesus without knowing hardly anything about theology [thankfully, as few of us know much about theology and about half of that is error.... ]. Conversely, it is obvious that one can be a theological giant [as such recognition is entirely worldly... grounded in the present flesh], and still steadfastly refuse, from heart to feet, to follow Jesus.
I have great admiration for brilliant people, ministers/theologues especially, who "get it". I will not mention the name as it would immediately bias 60% of you, but one such person in modern times, whose work founded a highy influential movement the fruit of which is mostly positive, displayed the kind of personal "followship" that impresses me. This person testified about being humbled, greatly humbled, that after much training, rigorous academia, ministry, professional ministry, etc etc, still could simply read the gospels and realize a profound GAP between her/his present daily experience, versus that of Jesus. So, adjustments were in order, and a determination to walk in the footsteps, act-speak-do-think-pray-act as Jesus did, to the best of human frailty-ability. As the theory became practice, abundant fruit followed, and that fruit remains.
In a more mystical sense, the great Thomas Aquinas, who had a number of visions .... charismatic phenomena, which shaped some of his theological musings.... as great as his stature was and his fame, near the end of his life he had one more profound vision of Christ or something related.... a visitation - so shaking and shocking was it that he only remarked to his scribe/helper "all that I have written is dust". He had apparently stepped into the shadow of Jesus Himself and given the ability to 'see' from the vantage point of His footsteps.
I rather think that "salvation".... so commonly used a term in modern christendom, is not easy to define. I'm not certain that we, the individual, can properly judge the "state of my salvation", for our hearts are deceptive and addicted to comfort of our own provision. But what we can discern, by a faithful study of the Gospels especially, is whether we walk as he walked, bow our knee to His Rule [he is the only King deserving of the title], whether we observe-to-keep all that He commanded. These are objective, concrete measures, and it can be plainly seen whether our footprints are in the path He trod.
z
