What is it that I actually believe? What is it that continues to change my life? Can I put this into a concise statement? I have read so many books, and I have heard so many sermons (most of them my own). I have been reading the Bible all my life, from the moment I could understand sentences. But what is it that really works for me? No doubt I would leave out stuff that other people think is important. But I'm no longer worried about that, because I have learnt that God introduces Jesus to people in different ways that intersect with their unique situations and backgrounds. There is no singular testimony to the truth of the Gospel. In fact, it is the combined testimonies (or witness) of millions of Jesus-followers that provides the full tapestry of God's dealings with humanity. God is so extraordinary, that we can all, with our immense diversity, be made in God's image.
So here goes. God created us in the image of the 'Divine Community', both in our personhood, and in our need for relationships - both relationships with other people (like with the 'Trinity'), and with Jesus as head of the new corporate reality we can be saved into. However, God also gave us freewill, for any relationship we are going to have with Jesus needs to be voluntary if it is going to be real, trust-based and growing. Freewill within a human community, which has already chosen badly generation after generation, almost inevitably means that we will choose badly, rebel from God's censure, and, to a greater or lesser degree, go from bad to worse. We might try to fix ourselves, but we just don't have the capacity. We are human, so satisfaction will never be achieved through effort, only through forgiveness.
From the 'beginning', God was preparing the way for the greatest demonstration of love ever imaginable. Human beings would be laden with guilt, shame, brokenness, addiction, fear, darkness and evil, and would need a way to freedom. The Hebrew Scriptures point to this gift of love in so many places, especially in light of the continual failure of God's people to walk in God's way. The call to love neighbour was so often ignored, leading to so much injustice and poverty. Then, in "the fullness of time", as Paul put it, Jesus appeared as this gift of love. Jesus is the 'Son of God' or 'God Incarnate' or 'Saviour Redeemer', however you want to describe this member of the 'Divine Community'. In awesome humility, Jesus brings God to humanity and humanity to God.
Jesus taught, healed and gained disciples for three years, fully demonstrating what God was like. Jesus engaged wholly as a human, enduring temptation, rejection and disappointment. At the same time, in the company of the Holy Spirit, Jesus remained unspoiled by the sinful worldly environment. Thus, Jesus could take upon himself the sin, guilt and burdens of all humankind - if you like, a pure and perfect sacrifice. This was a voluntary act of love based on an unrelenting commitment to you and me. This is all known as God's grace, as what we are experiencing is unearnable favour and acceptance. Jesus died for us. That this was a pure and perfect sacrifice is confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Forgiven we enter the new life of Jesus the Christ. That is, if we 'repent', meaning we make the determination to change direction.
The sincerely 'repentant' receive forgiveness and salvation. Then follows receiving the Holy Spirit through whom giftedness and fruitfulness emerges. This salvation cannot be confirmed through our words only, but more assuredly through that 'fruit' that a life (through the Spirit) produces. We cannot earn salvation, but we must witness to its reality in the way that we live. This is all about being a modern day Jesus-follower, a disciple of Jesus who responds to God's commission of 'making' more disciples. We are not 'saved' just for our own sake, but also to participate in God's mission in the world - making as many new disciples as possible. This is achieved through embracing the age-old co-commandments of loving God and loving neighbour.
Eternal life has already begun, as we are deemed to be 'children of God'. The whole creation is awaiting our redemptive activity (in the Spirit). But we are not individuals any longer. We are members of a 'body' with Jesus as the head. We are interrelated and interdependent, with all those gifts of the Holy Spirit to be used for the 'common good'. This is the great vision of the Church, and is represented in various unique ways by the local church. Yet, this is all part of the biggest vision of all that Jesus calls the 'Kingdom of God'. As this is not exactly a place, some prefer the translation 'Reign of God', because this all depends on a concerted engagement with God's will and purposes. We pray "God's Kingdom come; God's will be done, on earth as it (already) is in heaven. Then we become a partial answer to this prayer.
God launched a search and rescue mission for you and for me. I can say with surety, that I was lost and now I'm found. All that needs to be forgiven, has been. There are no longer any barriers between me and God. That God-shaped void in my life has been filled. I have a new life orientation based around the life of Jesus, publically acknowledged in the waters of baptism. I am now free to grow into the image of Jesus. My home is in heaven, my citizenship is with the 'Kingdom of God', and my reason for being is embracing God's will on earth.
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