American Evangelicalism and the Role of the Messiah

"Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ."

Matthew 16:20 (ESV)

During my Bible reading this evening I came across Matthew 16:13-20 where Jesus asks his disciples who they believe he is.  After Peter's confession that Jesus is the Messiah the disciples are given strict orders to not tell anyone "that he was the Christ."  This command was given because the expectations of the people of Israel for the Messiah was one of military conquest instead of spiritual/soul conquest.  This, of course, makes sense.  If the disciples began to openly declare his Messiahship before the appointed time it would "have instigated a political movement that would have hampered his real mission" (ESV Reformation Bible Study Note).

After reading this passage my mind began to take a weird journey.  Trying to bring this passage into our current context of the 21st Century I began to think about the role of American Evangelicalism in our churches.  One area that I frequently have conversations with those I would a part of this ideology is the view of America as a country blessed and protected by God.  American flags are found in the front right next to the cross and books are presented that talk about the Christian history of America.  At times it seems that I have more conversations about how the country is going away from its Christian roots than about how my neighbor will be spending eternity in unimaginable suffering away from the presence of God. 

Which brings me back to the passage in Matthew.  I know how dangerous it can be to take a passage that was for a specific time and place and people and transfer it to a situation nearly two thousand years later.  But I couldn't stop myself in the comparison.  I believe that the main message of this passage was to reveal to the disciples that the call of the Messiah was not what everyone assumed.  His call was not to rule a nation but to rule the heart and soul of the elect.  His call was not to bring Israel back to political and military prominence in the world but suffer and die and be raised to life and ascend to the right hand of the Father.  His call was to reveal to the whole world his love, mercy, grace, justice, and glory.

What would happen if the Church rose up not for political gain or influence, but rose up to be used by God for the work of souls?  How would the Church look different if preached the Gospel with our lives and mouths instead of picketing at political rallies?  How would the world look different if we focused on Christ as the Savior of Souls instead of the Savior of Nations?  This is a dangerous topic, but I want your input.  Am I off base?  Am I misinterpreting the call of the Messiah? 

Don't hear me wrong.  I believe we should stand up for what is right politically, especially those things blatantly against scripture.  I hold very strong conservative political views and continue to pray for our President and leaders.  But where should our real focus be as believers: the saving of America or the glory of God through his work of salvation?

I report . . . you decide.  (Sorry!)  Let me know what you think.

Orignal Sin or Not?

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

Psalm 51:5 (ESV)

Today I read an article by Kelly M. Kapic called Simul Iustus et Peccator. Don't ask me what it means. I'm a little rusty on my Latin. In this article, though, he discusses the debate of original sin between Pelagius and Augustine. 

Here are the basics of the debate.  Pelagius was "apparently frustrated by the lackadaisical ethical attitudes he saw around him" and began to write about the importance of unbending moral behavior.  While arguing this point he went as far as to say there was no original sin found in us.  We are not born with sin.  Instead, "we sin when we show inadequate willpower and give in to the seductive situations." 

Augustine saw a major problem with this stance because scripture is saturated with passages similar to Psalm  51:5 above.  One major issue Augustine had with Pelagius' teachings was "that he had no satisfying explanation for the real continuing struggle that believers have with sin in their lives."  In other words, we sin because we are just not trying hard enough not to sin and Augustine could not stand for that.

So, I bring in a famous question by a well-known doctor: How's that been working for you?  Not well, I'm assuming.  Our sin problem is very deep and very personal.  In fact, who in their right mind wants to admit their deep sinfulness.  No one wants to be known as a "bad person" because we think we are overall "good people."  We don't just sin every once in a while, though.  We sin all the time.  Or as Kapic puts it, "our problem is that we are soaked in sin, are born into it, and are never completely free from its presence this side of glory."

We cannot forget the cross.  The cross holds more significance than our salvation.  It's significance goes far beyond a one-time usage.  The cross is a daily guide for His children.  I'll close with Kapic's final sentence.  "[W]hile we continue to struggle with sin, we also find hope and comfort as we lift our eyes to the cross and keep walking."

Spiritual Renewal Time

Once again, it has been a very long time since I've posted anything.  But tonight is the beginning of my annual Spiritual Renewal time where I get away for a significant amount of time and focus on reading the Bible, other books that I haven't gotten to, and prayer.  I will hopefully be posting every evening.  (We'll see.  You know me.)  Pray that the Spirit truly speaks to my heart and renews my energy to follow his way.

God is good.  All the time.