The only thing that counts (part 2)

It was Sunday night and my wife and I were doing what we usually do: enjoying a TV show while wearing our “comfy” clothes. Anybody else out there? And like usual, we were multi-tasking on our phones. I scrolled through Facebook and found a comment on a recent post that turned into a conversation. All of a sudden I realized we had gone into some deeper water.

If started when I posted this part from last week’s post “The only thing that counts”:

It is oh so easy to get stuck studying the words written 2000 years ago and turning them into laws to govern our behavior and religious practice.

It is oh so easy to get distracted by definitions of theological words found in the ancient writings.

It is oh so easy to make correct doctrinal beliefs the highest priority.

It is oh so easy to create to-do and don’t-do lists based on the ancient writings.

It is oh so easy to focus on creating and maintaining religious structures and systems, at great financial cost and human energy cost.

It is oh so easy to police the beliefs and behavior of those within and without the community of Jesus-followers.

But what did Paul say?

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5:6-7)

Now how did the conversation develop? A person close to me reacted in a way that she saw a “works” emphasis in what I wrote. Was I saying there was something she needed to DO to be saved? She wanted to know how the “non-negotiables” of Christian faith fit into this idea.

I responded:
For me...I'm trying to focus more on the fact that I've received so much I could never have earned (grace) and putting that same grace into motion toward others through acts of love. Not because I have to or because God demands it somehow, but because love matters more than exact/correct beliefs.

She asked:
Yes but would you agree that there are certainly non-negotiables when it comes to doctrine?

A good question! And I realized at this point my answer was not going to be what it would have been a few years ago, and definitely not what she would expect to hear from me.

I wrote:
I can’t believe that God will reject someone for eternity because they lived and died where there was no knowledge of the Bible or Jesus. So I guess I’d have to say no there are no non negotiables because God is love and God is just. I also would say God is able to love beyond any boundary we humans might think should exist.

Unsurprisingly, she was not satisfied with this answer and asked for more clarification (as I knew would happen with my incomplete answer above.

She asked:
What boundaries are you speaking of? I am only talking about the Scriptural boundaries regarding the blood of Jesus, His Lordship, His ways as put forth in Scripture. I don't mean things like: you can't speak if you're a woman, you can't be divorced and serve in the church, don't wear makeup, Don't wear jeans to church, Drums are of the devil...

I was in the middle of America’s Got Talent Finals, and I was being asked about my views on soteriology! I put my phone down because I knew my next response would take a bit more thought and energy than I had at the moment. But the following morning I wrote this:
It’s hard to put this huge topic in a Facebook post but here are a couple thoughts I have. Rob Bell’s book Love Wins does a great job of pointing out the wide variety of teachings in the New Testament that are all connected to salvation.

Some places it’s about what a person believes.

Some places it’s about what a person does.

Some places it is for a subset of humanity.

Some places it is universal.

So for me to say with certainty what it takes to be saved requires me to choose which verses, which ideas to prioritize over others. I am convinced this is something every Christian does whether they recognize it or not.

My strongest conviction is that God is love and God is just. I don’t know how God will sort things out but I believe when I follow the way of Jesus I’ll be on the right track.

This does not exclude people who live in the ways of Jesus but yet don’t know it or don’t claim to be a follower. And does not necessarily include those who believe certain things about Jesus but don’t follow His way. See the parable of the sheep and the goats.

So…us finite humans do our best to understand the ways of God, but God’s ways are beyond us knowing with complete understanding or certainty.

I’m ok with that. In fact I find joy and freedom in that.

Circling back to the original post, the Apostle Paul had been a champion of doctrinal and ceremonial purity. In his own words, he was a “Jew of Jews”, a “Pharisee of Pharisees”. But when the resurrected Jesus interrupted him on his way to enforce purity on some Jews who were spreading their beliefs about Jesus of Nazareth, everything changed. Radically. To the point he would write years later that circumcision meant…nothing. And that “nothing else matters except faith expressing itself in love”.

More love. Less arguing about doctrine. I think that’s a more beautiful story.

(PS I love this person very deeply and she has a very deep faith in Jesus that has grown deeper through life’s trials.)