A few weeks ago as we were having dinner with friends, the conversation turned to questions of Christianity, and what it means to be a Christian. Funny how dinner conversations sometimes take on a life of their own. We did not get together for dinner planning to discuss the Bible, of all things, – it just happened. This conversation arose from a discussion of one of the most difficult passages in the Bible, the story of Abraham and Isaac. We had recently heard the story in church and all of us were considerably bothered by it. Eric had preached about it – how Abraham was about to murder his thirteen-year-old son Isaac at what he believed to be the command of God, when, just before the knife was to fall, God intervened, put a stop to it, and provided an alternate sacrifice in the form of a lamb.
I was glad I was not the reader when that passage was read, because I cannot comfortably read it without feeling outraged that God could require such a sacrifice of anyone. Which of us could sacrifice one of our children because we believed that’s what God wanted? I would venture to say, not one, good Christians that we are. Abraham clearly believed it. He did not know or expect that God would relent in the nick of time and save him from the heinous act he was about to commit. I understand the point – Abraham’s trust in God was being tested. If I were in Abraham’s sandals, I know that my trust in God would fail the test miserably because I could not do what was asked of me. I wonder how long it took young Isaac to get over the trauma of knowing that his father, who was supposed to love and protect him, was quite prepared to kill him and almost did.
As our dinner conversation progressed, the question came up – if we could not obey God in this situation, can we still call ourselves Christians? The writing of the Hebrew Bible, i.e. the Old Testament, spans more than two thousand years, with the most recent documents being as late as 400-500 BCE or even later, but still centuries before the New Testament was compiled. Does being a Christian depend on our total acceptance of every word, law, or story contained in this collection of ancient documents, even though Christian authorities in the fourth century included it as part of the biblical canon – the “inspired word of God.”? Jesus certainly didn’t think so, as evidenced by his frequent and public disregard of Mosaic Law, laws many of which, if followed today, would land a person in jail pretty quick.
I spent several hours one afternoon researching this very topic and reading what Christian academics and theologians have to say, and virtually all the comments I read expressed some variation of the following:
The New Testament teaches that Christians are no longer under the jurisdiction of the specific and outdated ceremonial and ritual laws from the Old Testament. Instead, Christians are called to follow the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ, which focuses on love of God and love of neighbour as the highest commandments.
Christians understand that the coming of Christ fulfilled the Old Law, and introduced a new era of grace and faith, where salvation is not achieved by strictly adhering to the ceremonial and dietary laws of the Old Testament, but through faith in Jesus Christ. The moral law (e.g., the Ten Commandments) remains, but the ceremonial and civil laws specific to the ancient Israelites do not apply to Christians.
So, fellow Christians, we need not question our Christianity if there are parts of the Old Testament that we do not like or do not agree with. We are New Testament people, governed by the new covenant established by Jesus. The question to ask ourselves is this: do we believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus? Are we passionate about the things Jesus was passionate about, such as social justice and the equality of women, and do we work to try to achieve them in our modern society where the evils of the world often overshadow them?
Jesus talked often about the “kingdom of heaven.” This phrase appears seventy-six times in the gospel of Matthew. Mark, Luke and John use the phrase “kingdom of God”. Jesus said the kingdom is “in your midst” (Luke 17:21) operating in the hearts of believers. I believe that Jesus came to change the world, that he foresaw a “kingdom” here on earth, where justice and peace prevail, where everyone shares in God’s abundance, where everyone has enough, and no one is left behind. Sadly, it is a vision that is yet to be fulfilled.
So, what does it mean to you to be a Christian?
I have heard people speak of “coming to Christ” or “finding Jesus”, implying that there was a specific moment or episode in their lives when they accepted Jesus as their Lord. This may be true for them, but that concept is totally foreign to me. I was born Christian just as I was born Canadian. I was baptized at ten days old and raised from infancy in a devout Christian household. When I was twelve I was confirmed in faith through the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thoroughly educated in Christian schools through high school, it never occurred to be that I could be anything else. I would no more give it up than I would give up my citizenship. Both are valuable privileges to be cherished.
Christianity comes in many forms and many traditions, with only minor variations in doctrine. I consider all of them to be valid. Back in the early 70’s, when Bob and I were looking for a church where we could both feel at home and where we could raise our future children, I didn’t care what denomination we eventually ended up embracing. We visited several churches of different denominations before settling on Hillview as our church home. Differences in doctrine and tradition among Christian churches did not matter to me. What mattered was the attitude of the people – were they friendly and welcoming? Did the atmosphere feel like a family? Did the minister’s message inspire me? Was the music joyful and uplifting? Hillview, and later Graceview, ticked all the boxes. When we started going to Hillview in 1973, I didn’t have a clue about the Presbyterian Church. Any preconceived notions I had were there only because I had read Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novels, where Presbyterianism was heavily featured. But my dear friend Roberta Sutherland, wife of Hillview’s long-time Clerk of Session, took me under her wing and showed me the ropes, and I quickly came to feel like I belonged.
To me, Christianity means the comfort of gathering every week with like-minded people to learn about and try to follow as best I can, the teachings of Jesus. It means commemorating the major events of Jesus’ life through the rituals we follow at Christmas and Easter. It means celebrating the legacy of communion that he left us at the last supper. It means doing what we can to make the world a little better for as many people as possible. It means sharing our unique talents for the benefit of our congregation and the community around us. It means something as simple as being a good friend to someone who needs a friend. It means a profound feeling of unity with the 2.5 billion other Christians in the world. 31% of the world’s entire population is Christian, making Christianity the world’s largest religion.
Much as we might despair about the state of the world and the human condition, much as we might pray about the “turbid ebb and flow of human misery” that we see around us in the form of fires, floods, earthquakes, drought, tornadoes, famine, homelessness, and endless senseless wars, Christianity gives us a glimmer of hope that mankind will prevail and that the kingdom of heaven on earth will one day be a reality.
My sister-in-law Karen, a confirmed non-believer who is well-read and likes to talk about such things as philosophy and religion, didn’t hesitate during one such conversation when I asked her to tell me one word that comes to mind in relation to Christianity. She simply said “Love.” That in a nutshell is what Christianity means to me. Anything else is secondary. As Jesus meant it to be.