Monday, September 7, 2020
721 - Everyone Who Believes, Part 1
Spirituality Column #721
September 8, 2020
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Everyone Who Believes, Part 1
By Bob Walters
“I am obligated both to the Greeks and non-Greeks, both
to the wise and foolish. That is why I
am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is
the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes …” – Paul, Romans
1:14-16
Sin, guilt, and shame so often frame the evangelical pitch
of modern Christianity, but it is our faith, not our shame, that should be
front and center before the Lord.
That we are sinners is a fact; that we are saved is a gift. Let’s focus on that.
A couple weeks ago at lunch with minister and friend Dave
Faust – we’re both writers and our reading tastes sync up pretty well so
conversation never lags – I offered a low-toned lament about shame’s seeming
everywhere-ness in the salesmanship of Christian life. Joy, I mentioned, is the more apt and hopeful
coin of the realm. Let joy spread our
focus outward, rather than allowing shame to draw our focus inward.
“Thee” is always a more rewarding mission field than “me.”
Anyway, I then said out loud that even in the joyous setting
of recent baptisms I had witnessed, “shame” was front and center with the celebrants
wearing t-shirts adorned with what to me seemed like the reverse/negative
affirmation of Paul’s comment recorded in Romans 1:16 (above), “I am not
ashamed of the Gospel…”
Dave, you see, is an actual preacher, pastor, teacher,
retired Christian college president, and biblical scholar; I am a former
sportswriter. Hence, though I may have an occasional edge in worldly wisecracks
and sports metaphors, there is no contest when it comes to Dave’s superior hermeneutical
(Bible interpretation) depth or observations.
“You think that line is bad?” Dave asked,
incredulously. “Look at it in
context. It’s one of Paul’s three ‘I am’
statements: I am obligated, I am eager, and I am not ashamed.” Dave noted that all three “I ams” perfectly
state ideas that would resonate deeply with the Christian audience in Rome –
obedience, loyalty, perseverance … and “No, I am not ashamed” of declaring
faith in Christ in the home of Caesar, the seat of the powerful Roman empire’s
pagan culture, and its Greek-influenced intellectual life.
Game, set, and match to Dave. And the Apostle Paul. On further review, I also noticed the poignancy
of that last phrase quoted above, “salvation of everyone who believes.” If you are counting on heaven to be a
criteria-less all-skate, that line nails down the ascendancy of belief, and –
if you will – the decendancy of non-belief.
Jesus, we might add, is renowned for numerous “I am”
statements, probably led by John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.” It’s the same basic
sentiment; salvation resides solely in Christ.
It’s a great day when you learn something new. But I also have something else on my mind akin
to and following this that we’ll discuss soon, because it was a simple,
innocent but I think sincere and seeking question put to me by an old, old
friend: “Are you ever embarrassed being a Christian?” Chew on that one until next week.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com)
sees Jesus Christ as wisdom, not foolishness.
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