Monday, August 25, 2008

Jesus, Inclusivism and Dogmatism

For four or so lonely centuries there had been no prophetic word from the Lord to his chosen people Then, out of the desert of silence, a wild man stepped into Israel’s history. His message was as shocking as his appearance. Calling for a radical change of vision, John the Baptist proclaimed not only that the kingdom of God was at hand, but that he had been sent to prepare the way for the Lord himself.

The religious leaders of the Jews could not fathom what was happening, so they sent delegates to ask John who he was and why he had come. John’s response was simple and clear. I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. And I am not the expected prophet. I am a witness, a voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (See John 1:19ff).

“Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
“I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” “After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me… I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.” He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He is “the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (see John 1:25-2-34).

For John the Gospel writer, the incarnation of the Father’s Son himself was the most staggering event in all of history. He sees John the Baptist as the last of the great prophets, the final herald sent by the Lord to shake the world from its slumbers. Great as the Baptist was, the gospel writer sees him as a chosen witness to something far greater. “There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light (John 1:6-8). The fact that the Baptist was a mere witness is the writer’s way of letting us know that something extraordinary is happening in the coming of Jesus.

Note John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus.

• He is the Lord himself (v. 23).
• He is present, not absent, and you do not know him (v. 26).
• I am unworthy to untie his sandal (v. 27).
• He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (v. 29).
• He is a Man who has a higher rank that me, for he existed before me (v. 30).
• He is the One upon who the Holy Spirit himself descends and remains (vv.32-33).
• He is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit (v. 32).
• He is the Son of God (v. 34).

In an age of political correctness, inclusivism. and relativism many can scarcely relate to the Baptist, and certainly not to the gospel writer who is using him to wake us up to the utterly unique reality that Jesus brings into being. After all, how could one person be the Lord himself, the Lamb of God, the anointed One, the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God. So we quietly pat John the Baptist on the head and tuck him away as a fiery, but misguided simpleton. The problem is that the witness of John the Baptist is the foundation of the New Testament and the heart of the early Church. There simply would be no New Testament, no early Church, no Christianity, and no life without Jesus Christ and the utterly unique life that he brings to the human race.

These days, and indeed throughout the history of the Church, there is serious temptation to fudge on the uniqueness of Jesus. Who isn’t tired of religious bickering, dogmatism, and the ubiquitous ‘us-them’? But does the uniqueness of Jesus necessarily promote exclusivity, intoleration and dogmatism. Historically speaking, belief in the uniqueness of Jesus has lead to all manner of arrogance, division, mistreatment, and even to bloody wars. So it would seem that if we believe that Jesus is the Father’s Son, the Lord, the anointed One, and the Savior, then we are drawing a line in the sand which necessarily creates and promotes a ‘we are in, they are out,’ black and white mentality, within which a dogmatic, intolerant spirit thrives. While I am all for toleration and inclusiveness, I don’t think we have to throw out the truth of Jesus Christ to have them.

The witness of the two John’s to the utter uniqueness of Jesus Christ is not the basis of exclusiveness, but the foundation of real inclusivity and tolerance, patience and love—and dogmatism. As the unique and only Father’s Son, as the One in and through and by and for whom all things were created and are sustained, as the One anointed with the Holy Spirit himself without measure, Jesus is the One who has established a real and abiding relationship between his Father, the Holy Spirit and the whole human race. He has included us in his unique relationship with his Father. He has included us in his unique anointing in the Holy Spirit. He has included us in his unique relationship with all creation. The vision of the apostles is that Jesus’ own relationships—in which we have all been included—would come to personal and abiding expression in us and in our relationships.

Strange as it may sound, those on the right and those on the left, within the Christian community, are actually kindred spirits at a fundamental level. Both operate with the assumption that Jesus has not included the human race in his own life. On the right, this assumption takes the form of a hard and fast line between those who are in and those who are out. On the left, this assumption takes the form of promoting inclusivisim without, and even against, Jesus.

What is the basis of being inclusive, or of being exclusive? From my perspective, the two Johns are shouting to us across the centuries that the Father’s Son, the One in and through and by and for whom all things were created and are sustained, the One anointed in the Holy Spirit has come, and he has included us in his own life. So in Jesus we have a reason for being both inclusive and dogmatic. He has included the whole human race in his life. If we must be dogmatic, then let us be dogmatic about the inclusive humanity of Christ. If we must be inclusive, then let us see Jesus as the real basis for our inclusive spirit. The truth is, the very identity of Jesus commands us to both dogmatism and inclusivism. So let us stand with the truth of Jesus that he has embraced the whole human race and given us all a place in his own life, and live accordingly.

Stop and think. Jesus is the Father’s only Son. He is the one anointed in the Holy Spirit. He is the one in and through and by and for whom all things were created and are constantly sustained. He is the lamb of God who has put all things right. And he has given us all a place in his world, and indeed in his own life and relationships. The Church is called to be the place within this world of confusion where this reality is taken with the utmost seriousness. It is the uniqueness of Jesus that gives (or should give) the Christian community the freedom to embrace, to relate, to tolerate, and to love, knowing that Jesus has embraced us all, and that the Holy Spirit (sent through Jesus ) is steadily at work doing what none of us can do—give people eyes to see and ears to hear Jesus himself.

It is hard not to be haunted by the Baptist's words: "Among you stands one whom you do not know." When we finally meet Jesus I suspect that none of us wiil say, "I overestimated you and your place in the whole scheme of things."

Lord Jesus, beloved and faithful Son of the Father, have mercy on us in our darkness. Holy Spirit give us the Baptist’s eyes.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for your wonderful word of encouragement. I find my mind totally at peace with what you have written, experiencing the boldness and confidence in me that can only come from God. Recently I was told not too speak of these things within a congregational environment; needless to say I no longer attend this institution of higher mans learning. I say this tongue in cheek for I spent many years living and promoting the same illusion of rightness, and I have great compassion and a desire for them also to come to know Jesus as true reality for all. I see everyone spiritually birthed in Jesus. How else could anyone even exist? I also embrace people today knowing that there is no separation between Father, Son and Holy Spirit and all humanity. Where else would the goodness come from that people display? Here is a short Devotion that came mostly from other inspired writers.

Faith Not Sight!

Why is it so difficult to just let go and live life loved? Even though His life is spurring on incremental freedom, I still find myself at times playing in my own compost heap, from my own reservoir of stinking thinking.

I have been taught that theory leads to practice or vision to action! I did not even connect these expressions to myself until I read a book called “Proper Confidence” by Lesslie Newbigin. Walking by sight to attain certainty works so well in the world, doesn’t it? Or does it?

As one example in the realm of religion this means God is holy, (and of course He is as One Holy) the theory or vision, and that I must respond in my action or practice to become holy. This was how I was trained to behave in my value system as I tried to connect and please God.

This is so far removed from the Bible story of Jesus in which He asks that I come to participate in His faith relationship. There is no theory, vision, action or practice here, all He is asking is for me to rest in space-time in His faithfulness in what He has done and is now choosing to do through me.

So how does this relate to me? Is my hope in all the things I do for God? Or am I resting in the things not seen, the objective reality, and the only hope for me! All my life I have been jumping through hoops trying to make things happen, so when Jesus says without me you can do nothing, this seems at first glance a pretty hopeless statement. In fact I am being told that my own value system from my own thinking in which I have trained for so long is a hindrance rather than an asset! It was my own action brought on by my vision of ideas and laws. In essence it was my thought, purpose and action that made me who I was.

When I became a believer within these parameters I fitted in, not purposely, my god of the universe who then became part of my illusionary value. It was very subjective where ultimately meaning and truth came through what I sensed as relative. If it did not make any sense, it could not be true.

The problem with this thinking is that I became god without truly knowing God as true reality. All He became for me was a value statement, a sense of false assurance. Some radical action needed to affect my thinking! It was either participate living from new foundational thoughts where God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the only purposed action reality or continue to live in my own composition (compost) of self-accepted mythological wasteland. I was in a mind block and needed a paradigm shift from focus on me to who God is and how I relate to Him. It also meant I needed and continue to need to be trained in the right standing that I already have in Jesus.

It is not living from my values by sight that give life, rather having my mind renovated to live as a unique individual in the certainty of the faith story (His history) of Jesus. As I write this, the story is still unfolding for me as I learn to live from His thought, purpose and action. This is not only true for me, but for every person on the planet for we all live, move and have our being in Him whether we know or believe this or not! It is “Learning to live loved!” (1), not by sight but by faith!

Paul Young’s “The Shack” page 175
Thanks again Baxter

Anonymous said...

Baxter,
Beautiful. Thanks for this encouragement.

I loved what you said here:

"It is the uniqueness of Jesus that gives (or should give) the Christian community the freedom to embrace, to relate, to tolerate, and to love, knowing that Jesus has embraced us all, and that the Holy Spirit (sent through Jesus ) is steadily at work doing what none of us can do—give people eyes to see and ears to hear Jesus himself."

Blessings,
~Amy :)
http://amyiswalkinginthespirit.blogspot.com

Jim Clark said...

Hello Baxter,

Nice writing. Please excuse me for being unfamiliar with your thought. Before today I hadn't heard of your writing, a freind told me about you. I was wondering how or if you define the inclusiveness of your beliefs, specifically how you view Salvation, and your views on the Afterlife.

Thank you for your time.
God Bless,
Jim Clark

www.theparadigmexperiment.blogspot.com/