Following Tradition II

It seemed necessary to begin with some definition and foundation on "tradition." But as long as that blog became, it really said nothing except what believing Christians have always universally affirmed, what C. S. Lewis called "mere Christianity:" that God has given us His full counsel in scripture, and we should obey Him. That is very much what I understand as "the tradition" Jesus taught: to put it in His chosen terms, the Kingdom of God.

If we recognize scripture as God's word, that's good: and not enough. The operative question for hearers of His word, even (especially) believing hearers, is what we DO to obey it.

The answer seems to be "not much."

One small "tradition" comes to mind, because we were formerly members of a congregation which practiced it. The "holy kiss" (or "kiss of peace") is repeatedly taught in the New Testament: in Romans 16, I Corinthians 16, II Corinthians 13, I Thessalonians 5, I Peter 5. I'd frankly never heard of it: those scriptures were hurried-over, if read at all, in the mid-American evangelical Bible-believing "Christian" tradition I grew up in. It was a revelation to be among believers who did attentively read those scriptures: and simply did what scripture said.

It's a very small thing, of course: and we tend to consider small things unimportant. But wisdom is that small things are often the most important.

Jesus' teachings, even to the very words He used, embodies that wisdom. Derek Prince pointed out, for one example, that Jesus rarely used multi-syllabic words. Especially in His parables, He almost always spoke about ordinary one-syllable things like salt, seeds, coins, fish. We like to think that deep understanding only comes by mastering complexities: but I doubt greater spiritual wisdom and edification is found in the 12 volumes of The Fundamentals' theologizing (for example), than in Jesus' few sentences about a lost sheep.

The holy kiss is not even on most Christians' radar. That's largely because it's a scriptural tradition that hasn't been taught to believers. (And if my experience is any indicator, even where taught, only a few do it. In that regard, the kiss of peace is very much like prayer. Both are traditions uncomfortably intimate for us.)

The "kiss of peace" is a very small thing. Our shame is that we don't do even this small thing God commands. In Jesus' terms, we want to say we follow Him without even being "faithful in a very little thing" (Luke 16).

We'd much prefer He be pleased with our smug cleverness in working out the "right" position on "immanent sanctification" (or some other arcane theological construct no one can possibly know with absolute certainty)...and defending it violently against every Christian who thinks otherwise. But Jesus instead simply commands that we "greet each other with a holy kiss." He reserves His highest praise: "Well done, good slave:" for the one who obeys Him, "because you have been faithful in a very little thing..." (Luke 19).

Worship, however, is not a small thing. It's the outpouring of the love-for-God that Jesus said is the first and greatest commandment. Jesus says the Father seeks those who will worship Him "...in spirit and in truth..." Jesus says His Own appearing signals that time "now is" that we worship the Father as pleases Him: and those who worship in spirit and in truth He calls "true worshippers." (John 4) That's a very pale and flat recap of all that Jesus says in these few sentences: but we undoubtedly speak truth when we say man's whole purpose is to worship God. It's no small thing.

Surprisingly, some (teachers of scripture among them) have told me (and I believe, sincerely) that they don't find scripture teaches how we should worship !! I'll testify whole-heartedly that I do. Indeed, I'd find it completely unbelievable that scripture NOT teach us what pleases God in His foremost desire for us !

In most basic terms, I understand that worship "in spirit and truth" is scripture's explicit teaching in I Corinthians 12-14. (And taught in other scriptures as well...for those who can see it. Of course, there are many professed Christians today who take a theological position that refuses to see it.) In most basic terms, the manifestations of God's Spirit given to each believer (charismata) all have their primary use in worshipping Him. I don't think there's any better, clearer, or simpler way to understand what constitutes "worship in spirit and in truth" pleasing to God. Amen !

But whether or not we will make that identification, Spirit-powered worship is clearly what scripture teaches. With reference to the scriptures in the first part of this blog, we can be certain that this is the worship Paul taught orally and by letter in all places. We can be certain that the "pillars" of the Church in Jerusalem unanimously approved this worship as in accord with Jesus' teaching. The worship we read about in I Corinthians 12-14, led and empowered by the Spirit, is manifestly the Church' worship tradition.

Some just don't see it. If they are sincere in saying so, I trust God will open their eyes, in His time, in His love toward them.

Some refuse to see it. But God is immeasurably loving: He may even open the eyes of some deniers. His wisdom and mercy are greater, and His power stronger, than man's nay-saying. Or in His absolute sovereignty, He may let deniers continue to tie themselves in the self-constructed theological knots they love more than Him, to await the time He treads His enemies underfoot.

Whether He wills to glorify Himself by showing mercy, or glorifies Himself by crushing His enemies...God will be glorified in His unsearchable RIGHTEOUSNESS. The only question for us is whether His Glory in our life will show in His mercy towards us, or in His judgement: and that comes down to what attitude we adapt toward Him, our operative theology.

Theologies can be believing or unbelieving: and everyone has a theology. For most of us, it's not an actual academic study: thankfully, since academic theology seems so often to embody disbelief more than belief. But disbelief is also embodied in the theology of "ordinary" Christians.

The best example I know is the comment of one older lady in our Sunday School class, when we were studying I Corinthians 14:26ff: "Well, we don't do that." (I'd hasten to add this was in response to my, I think, rather mild comment that this was one of the places scripture "let us in on" how the early Church worshipped.)

She was absolutely right, of course. That "we don't do" the traditions scripture teaches, is the exact point of unbelief in many "ordinary" Christians' theologies. It may be only my fore-shortened perspective and experience: but that unbelief seems to be the general mid-American white evangelical Bible-believing "Christian" worship-tradition.

If that perception is true to any extent: is there any regard in which we more show ourselves rebels against The King than "turning to our own way" of worship !? If that perception is to any extent true, the Church' deepest need in our time is to hear, really hear, Jesus' first teaching again: "Repent; for the Kingdom...is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)

Our Father still seeks and still delights in any who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Our confession must be that "we don't do that."

God forgive us !!