The Eucharist

For as the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist before the invocation of the Holy and Adorable Trinity were simple bread and wine, while after the invocation the Bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the Wine the Blood of Christ.

Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 19:7 (A.D. 350)

John Paul II "On the Mercy of God"

"God, as Christ has revealed Him, does not merely remain closely linked with the world as the Creator and the ultimate source of existence.  He is also Father: He is linked to man, who He called to existence in the visible world, by a bond still more intimate than that of creation.  It is love which not only creates the good but also grants participation in the very life of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  For he who loves desires to give himself."

– John Paul II, “Dives In Misericordia”  

What are Sacraments?

A great quote about sacraments from Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M.

Sacraments are the community’s celebration of God’s mysterious plan of saving love. Jesus of Nazareth is the primordial sacrament, the clearest sign of who God is and how God loves us. We gather to celebrate! We do not celebrate our sinfulness, we celebrate WHO GOD IS and what God has done in Christ. As St. Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. God has reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

Interpreting Scripture Requires Humility

As Christians, we are members of a great community; a great fellowship of faith encompassing the past, present, and future. We belong with all who are spoken of in the great hall of faith (cf. Hebrews 11:1 - 12:3). We share in the mind of these great figures of old; we share in their faith. And we confess the Baptismal Covenant, the Apostles' Creed, with the Church:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.

As members of the great community of faith, the communion of saints, whose interests do we have in mind?  The community and its mind; its faith and worship?  Or, do we have in mind our own interests?  If we have in mind the interests of the Church and her faith, that will take humility on our part. Edward Gordon Selwyn rightly said of humility, "It is a Christian quality of paramount importance for the Church's life."  

We should not profess "I believe in the communion of saints" and then turn around and seek to promote ourselves, "our" ministry, "our" local church. Independent thought or action has never benefited the well being of the great fellowship of faith we belong to.  Individualism did not typify our Lord, the prophets, apostles, church fathers, or doctors of the Church.  Humility clothed them; and, it should clothe us as well.       

When studying Scripture and seeking to interpret it, we promote individualism by intentionally isolating ourselves from the communion of saints and the catholic faith.  Interpreting Scripture not only requires fidelity to the Apostolic Tradition but humility as well.  We learn from our Lord that Christians must suppress any desire for individualism and self-promotion.  We are called to die to ourselves; die to self-centered living.  This applies even to the interpretation of Scripture.  Our worship of God and all that it entails should be immersed within the historical-life of the Church and supported by the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.  

Whose interests do you have in mind?  You may reply, "I have the Lord's interest in mind."  But if you neglect his Church, his people throughout history, how can you say that you are concerned about God?  As the Apostle John says, "we must love the brethren too."  And do we love the Church by forgetting her past?  Do we love the Church by failing to listen to her; by neglecting to learn from those who have gone on before us?  Shall we not sit at their feet and be instructed by them?  You might say, "No, I have the Bible and the Holy Spirit! That's all I need."  Do you not know that many heretics have said the same?  Are you willing to turn your back on the prophets, the apostles, the church fathers, the martyrs, all the faithful throughout redemptive history; even the Lord Himself?  Where is your loyalty?  Where is your love?  Where is your humility?       

"Let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be called a Christian."
- St. Athanasius, Letter to Serapion of Thmuis, 359 A.D.

"The Catholic Church is the work of Divine Providence, achieved through the prophecies of the prophets, through the Incarnation and the teaching of Christ, through the journeys of the Apostles, through the suffering, the crosses, the blood and the death of the martyrs, through the admirable lives of the saints. When, then, we see so much help on God's part, so much progress and so much fruit, shall we hesitate to bury ourselves in the bosom of that Church? For starting from the Apostolic Chair down through successions of bishops, even unto the open confession of all mankind, it has possessed the crown of teaching authority."
- St. Augustine, “The Advantage of Believing,” 391 A.D. 

In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.
– St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter III, 180 A.D.

The heretics follow neither Scripture nor tradition.
– St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter II, 180 A.D.

The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of apostolical doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles.
– St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter IV, 180 A.D.

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.
– Second Thessalonians 2:15-17 (50 or 51 A.D.) 

God’s Mercy in Calling Us to Repent

It is both sad and tragic when people die such catastrophic deaths.  Americans were reminded of this near the end of 2012.  Hurricane Sandy struck the northeastern part of the United States in late October.  The storm caused 72 direct deaths in eight states.  It was the deadliest hurricane to hit since Katrina in 2005.  Almost two weeks prior to Christmas Day, twenty six people were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Twenty of those who died were children; all were under the age of ten.  Who was not shocked and heartbroken by these two tragedies?  It seems all of us were affected in some way or another.

In the Gospel of St. Luke (13:1-5), we hear a discussion about two tragedies: a group of Galileans were massacred by Pilate in the temple and eighteen people were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them.  The Lord asks, “Do you think these people suffered in this way because they were greater sinners than other people?”  That is to say, “Were they suffering judgment from God?”  As Darrell Bock rightly notes, “Is God giving back to people what they deserved?”  The Lord provides an answer: “No, I tell you.  But unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”  At first, the Lord’s answer may sound a little harsh or stern.  But there is mercy in his warning.  Let me try to explain.

According to the Bible, death is the result of sin.  The classic example of this is the fall of man recorded in Genesis 2-3.  God commanded Adam, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall die.”  Adam broke God’s commandment and suffered judgment.  In Genesis 3:19 God tells Adam, “You are dust and to dust you will return.” 

The result of Adam’s sin extends to all.  Western Christians, who follow the Church Calendar, are reminded of this on Ash Wednesday.  They receive the ashes and remember they are dust and to dust they will return.  Life is transient.  Tragic events are proof of that.  All of us shall return to the ground from which we were taken.  It’s just a matter of time. 

But, ultimately, what is death?  Is it merely the end of physical life?  If God is the source of all life, then to be separated from him is death indeed.  And so Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus (2:1-2), “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived.”  He goes on to say (v.12), “Remember that you were at that time without Christ.”  To be without God is to be alienated from God.  The division is the result of our sin.  To exist in that state is to be dead even while you are physically alive.  For example, Scripture says, “The widow who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.”

         

Sin separates us from God.  Sin leads to death.  But God desires union with man.  The Incarnation is proof of that and Easter is the certainty of it!  Therefore, God calls us to repent.  We are called to turn away from that which causes the separation and return to him, to be restored to him!  The wonderful news is that we don’t have to perish.  We can repent and live.  This gracious opportunity stems from God who is not willing that any should perish.

“Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!  Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,” says the Lord GOD.  “Turn, then, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:31-32)   

Justin Martyr once said, “For those who think that the Deity is inflexible, are by no means moved to abandon their sins, since they suppose that they will derive no benefit from repentance.”  God is not inflexible.  God is merciful.  Scripture says, “God relents from punishing!”  This means there is great benefit to receive from our repentance.  Frederic Harton expressed it so well, “Repentance is the one essential condition upon which God opens to us the treasures of His grace.”  The prophet Jonah understood that.  That’s why he refused to go to Nineveh! 

Western, artistic representation of Nineveh

Nineveh was a wicked city; notorious for its cruelty.  It was the capital city of Assyria; the hostile enemy of Israel.  When God commissioned his prophet to go there and cry out against it, Jonah refused and ran away.  But God intervened by a great storm and a large fish and redirected his run-away-prophet. 

Jonah complied.  He went to the city and cried out against it, “40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown!”  God warned the city that his judgment was imminent!  In forty days he was going to destroy the wicked city!  At least, that was God’s intention.  So what happened?  Did God destroy Nineveh?  No.  The people turned from their sins.  And notice what Scripture says, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.”  God intended judgment but he relented.  He changed his mind because Nineveh repented. 

If there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, there must have been a party in heaven when the entire city of Nineveh repented!  But Jonah was not happy.  He became angry.  He prayed to the Lord: 

“O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?  That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” (Jonah 4:2)

Jonah feared that Nineveh could be saved because he knew God was merciful and ready to relent from punishing!  That’s why he fled to Tarshish.  By warning Nineveh, God was graciously providing that wicked city – the bitter enemy of Israel – an opportunity to repent and live!  And Jonah wanted nothing to do with that.  So when God spared the city, Jonah became angry.  But God responded to him, saying, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh?”  What a clear demonstration of the mercy of God.  He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Therefore, he warns us, “Unless you repent, you will perish.” 

It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.  He cares about us!  He wants us to live!  So he graciously provides opportunity for repentance.  And he waits patiently, giving us time to respond (cf. 2 Peter 3:15; Rev 2:21; Mt 23:37-38).  The parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9 illustrates the point. 

A fig tree

"A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.  So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"   

The Season of Lent should be to us a reminder of God’s goodness.  We are given time to turn from our sin and experience the life God intends for each one of us.  As we observe a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance, may God open up to us the treasures of his matchless grace.

Lent 2013

Learning about God and man from Irenaeus of Lyons

If...thou wilt not believe in Him, and wilt flee from His hands, the cause of imperfection shall be in thee who didst not obey, but not in Him who called [thee].  For He commissioned [messengers] to call people to the marriage, but they who did not obey Him deprived themselves of the royal supper.  The skill of God, therefore, is not defective, for He has power of the stones to raise up children to Abraham; but the man who does not obtain it is the cause to himself of his own imperfection.  Nor, [in like manner], does the light fail because of those who have blinded themselves; but while it remains the same as ever, those who are [thus] blinded are involved in darkness through their own fault. The light does never enslave any one by necessity; nor, again, does God exercise compulsion upon any one unwilling to accept the exercise of His skill.  Those persons, therefore, who have apostatized from the light given by the Father, and transgressed the law of liberty, have done so through their own fault, since they have been created free agents, and possessed of power over themselves. - Irenaeus of Lyons

Why post this quote?  I offer four reasons: (1) Irenaeus was a bishop. Bishops succeeded the Apostles and were defenders of the faith; responsible for its preservation within the Church.  (2) Irenaeus is a Church Father.  The Church Fathers were influential teachers of the early church. Many of them were bishops such as Irenaeus.  (3) The Apostles lived during the first century; Irenaeus during the second century.  This means he lived much closer to the time period of the Apostles than you, me, the Reformers, or Medieval Scholastics.  (4) When he was young, Irenaeus heard Polycarp at Smyrna.  Some even believe that he was a disciple of Polycarp.  What's significant about that?  Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John.  (5) Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies, a five-volume work defending the catholic faith against Gnosticism.  The above quote is taken from Book IV, chapter 39.  

Let's make some observations about the quote. 

First, notice what is stated about God.  

"The skill of God...is not defective, for He has power of the stones to raise up children to Abraham."  

God is powerful.  He has power of the stones.

Does he use that power to compel people to believe?  No.

"The light does never enslave any one by necessity; nor, again, does God exercise compulsion upon any one unwilling to accept the exercise of His skill."  

Secondly, notice what is stated about man.  

"Those persons, therefore, who have apostatized from the light given by the Father, and transgressed the law of liberty, have done so through their own fault, since they have been created free agents, and possessed of power over themselves."

Man is a free agent, possessed of power over himself.

Whose to blame if people do not believe in God?  

"If, however, thou wilt not believe in Him, and wilt flee from His hands, the cause of imperfection shall be in thee who didst not obey, but not in Him who call [thee]."

"those who are [thus] blinded are involved in darkness through their own fault." 

What do I learn about God and man from Irenaeus?  

(1) God is powerful, but he intentionally limits his power.  He does not force anyone to accept his invitation to the royal supper.  He invites all without compulsion.   

(2) God created man as a free agent and God continues to deal with man as such.  People who reject God, therefore, deprive themselves of the royal feast.     

Ash Wednesday Reflections (Part III)

Even the darkest moments of the liturgy are filled with joy.  And Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lent fast, is a day of happiness, a Christian feast. It cannot be otherwise, as it forms part of the great Easter cycle. – Thomas Merton 

Last Wednesday my family and I attended our first Ash Wednesday service.  My youngest son was fussy.  So I was not able to fully participate.  But I did receive ashes.  After the service I spoke with my priest, Fr. John.  I was excited to be there because earlier that day I took some time to read about Ash Wednesday.  What I learned created much anticipation for the service.       

I remember smiling as I talked with Fr. John.  As a matter of fact, earlier in the service, I was smiling too when he marked my forehead with ashes.  When I got home later that evening, I looked through the bulletin.  Guess what I found.  The last note on the last page read “All depart in prayerful silence.”  Ah, no wonder people had left the service without talking!  Well, everybody except one.  The observance of Ash Wednesday is a sobering and penitential act for the Church; hence leaving in prayerful silence.  But let me share with you what I learned about Ash Wednesday that created the excitement and anticipation for me.   

As I mentioned in my previous posts, the ashes imposed signify two things.  For one, they signify your frailty and the certainty of death.  Secondly, they signify true sorrow for sin; both personal and social sins.  When you receive the ashes, they should be to you a sign of your mortality and penitence.  In essence, you acknowledge sin and its consequences.  As a matter of fact, when the priest marks your forehead with ashes you are reminded that death is God’s judgment against sin.  The following words are spoken, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  Those words come from Genesis 3:19.  Now what’s significant about them?  For one, they are spoken by God.  And two, they are words of judgment against Adam for he broke God’s commandment.  And we learn from Romans 5:12 that death has spread to humanity because of Adam’s sin.  Therefore, when you receive the ashes you acknowledge that God’s judgment against sin extends even to you.  So yes, Ash Wednesday is meant to be a sobering and penitential act for the Church.  But please note the prayer the officiating priest prays before the imposition of ashes:

"Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen."

The ashes are meant to signify our mortality and sorrow for sin so that we may remember!!  Remember what?  That it is only by God’s gracious gift that we are given everlasting life!  The ashes signify to me that I am certain to die.  I am dust, and to dust I shall return.  God’s judgment against sin extends to me.  Do I grieve over sin and its consequences?  Who is not sorrowful when they bury a loved one?  Sin is to blame!  Why do we murder each other?  Slaughter innocent children?  Sin is to blame!  Why do we manipulate the poor and oppress the weak?  Speak harshly to our spouses and create divisions in the Church?  Sin is to blame!  Sin breaks down relationships, separates us from one another, and creates sadness and despair.  Most of all, sin separates us from God; from the One who is compassionate, merciful, gracious, and slow to anger.  Sin separates us from He who is love.  The ashes tell me all of this!  They speak to me of death and sin!  How could I ever save myself from this body of death?  How could you deliver yourself from this wretched condition?  How could anyone?  But the ashes tell me all of this so that I might remember that it’s only by God’s gracious gift that I am given everlasting life.  Therefore, Ash Wednesday should culminate with a sense of peace and joy in the grace of God.        

I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 

– Psalm 13:5 –        

Ash Wednesday Reflections (Part II)

Photo Credit: Matt Detrich, The Indianapolis Star

The Reformation did not establish everything new for Protestants.   To a certain extent Martin Luther valued his liturgical and theological inheritance from Rome.  Obviously there were disagreements.  But Luther did not throw out the baby with the bath water so to speak.  He called for reform not a renewal of the Roman Catholic Church.  As a result, he retained for Lutherans what he considered to be beneficial to their spiritual growth.  The same can be said for Richard Hooker in the Church of England.  Contrary to the extreme reform efforts of the Puritans, Hooker wanted to preserve what was good out of the liturgical and theological inheritance received from Rome.  If the liturgy and worship was not clearly prohibited by the Bible, but deemed beneficial to the spiritual growth of God’s people, then it should be kept.  This is one of the reasons why Lutherans and Anglicans follow the Church Calendar and observe Ash Wednesday.  Again, the goal was reform not renewal.        

My previous post considered how the observance of Ash Wednesday could assist God’s people in their spiritual formation.  I approached the topic from this angle because many conservative evangelical Protestants look at Ash Wednesday with suspicious, anti-Roman Catholic eyes.  I used to be one of them.  But if we look at it the way Luther and Hooker looked at it, as well as many other Reformers, then hopefully we can see how it can help our growth in Christ rather than hinder it.

During the service, before the ashes are applied, the officiating priest will pray, “Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.”  This prayer helps the church member understand the good purpose behind the odd practice of receiving ashes on the forehead in the shape of a cross.   

First, the ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality.  The priest imposes the ashes quoting Genesis 3:19 “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  In receiving the ashes we are called to remember that life is transient and death is inevitable.  By contemplating on this sobering reality, the worshiper has an opportunity to gain wisdom (cf. Ps 90:10-12).

Secondly, the ashes may be to us a sign of our penitence.  We learn from the Bible that ashes were used to symbolize repentance; true sorrow for sin (Job 2:8; 42:6; Is 58:5; Jer 6:26; 25:34; Dan 9:3; Jon 3:6; Mt 11:21; also cf. 1 Macc 3:46; 4:39).  Individuals who were genuinely grieved by sin expressed their sorrow by fasting and sitting in ashes or placing them on their head.  It must be admitted that substituting justice for ritual has always been a danger for God’s people (Is 1:10-20; 58:1-10; cf. Mt 6:1-18).  But the solution is not justice minus ritual.  God does not condemn ritual for the purpose of eliminating it altogether.  He rejects it only when it is combined with disobedience (cf. Is 1:13).  Ultimately a change of heart concerning sin should be revealed by a change of behavior (Mt 3:8).  But to express our true sorrow for sin by receiving ashes on our forehead is not contrary to the will of God.  And so we pray with the priest, “Almighty God, grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our penitence.” 

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. – Psalm 51:17

Ash Wednesday Reflections (Part 1)

For many Western Christians, yesterday was the first day of the Lenten Season.  It is commonly referred to as Ash Wednesday; also known as the Day of Ashes.  On this day Christians have their foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.  In the Anglican Church, before the imposition of ashes, the officiating priest says the following prayer: “Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.”  This prayer helps us to understand how the observance of Ash Wednesday can benefit the spiritual formation of God’s people.

First of all, as the prayer notes, the ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality. When the priest dips his thumb into the ashes and marks our forehead with them, the following words are spoken, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Serious words indeed. For one, they call us to remember that life is transient; we are dust. Secondly, they call us to remember that death is inevitable; to dust we shall return. Anyone who has attended a funeral has been reminded of these things. But afterwards, who has not hugged their spouse more affectionately, spoken to their children more lovingly, or given thought to ways they can better their life? Considering the shortness of life can be an opportunity for us to gain wisdom. As Scripture says, 

“The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away…So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” - Psalm 90:10, 12

Marking the forehead with ashes in the shape of a cross may sound like an odd practice. But the observance of Ash Wednesday can be an opportunity for God’s people to grow in wisdom as they contemplate their mortality and brevity of life.

LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. - Psalm 39:4

The Bible: The Only Source of Authority for Christians?

John Gill, an English Baptist minister, preached at a baptismal service on November 2, 1750. His text - Jeremiah 6:16; his sermon - "The Scriptures: The Only Guide in Matters of Faith." Gill warned his audience against “unwritten traditions” that would hijack the authority of the Bible. He said, “Only the word of God is the rule of our faith and practice.” By that he meant, “Only the Bible is the rule of our faith and practice.” Consider with me the phrase “the word of God” as it appears in the Bible. Every time the Bible uses that phrase does it mean the written word of God, the Old and New Testament scriptures that we evangelical Protestants recognize as being the Canon of Scripture? In other words, can we legitimately and consistently interpret that phrase to mean the Bible we read from today? Obviously we cannot from the standpoint of the Old Testament. But what about the New Testament?

Here is a list of of NT verses where I put the words "the Bible" in the place of the phrase "the word of God."

Acts 4:31 the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and “they spoke the Bible with boldness.”

Acts 6:7 “the Bible spread.”

Acts 8:14 Samaria “received the Bible.”

Acts 12:24 “the Bible increased and multiplied.”

Acts 13:5 “When they (Paul and Barnabas) arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the Bible in the synagogues of the Jews.”

Acts 13:46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the Bible be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Bible which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Bible, which also effectively works in you who believe.”

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Bible.”

2 Peter 3:5 “For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Bible.”

Some fundamentalists may agree with my translations, but the translations are not only humorous but impossible. One of the major reasons why is that no church earlier than the fourth century provided us with a list of our accepted New Testament Canon.

Consider Adam, Eve, Cain, Able, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Did they live solely by God's written word? Did they live by God's written word at all? And what about the nation of Israel? Was the people of God subject only to God's written word? Could they ignore what was spoken to them through the prophets of God? That is to say, could they ignore the oral word of God?

Jeremiah 7:22-28 “For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.' But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward."

Zechariah 7:7-12 “Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited? And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts.”

And what about Jesus? Did he write down his words and give them to the Apostles? If not, were they and others accountable to what he spoke?

In John 12:48 Jesus said, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

And what about the oral word of the Apostles? Were others accountable to what they said?

In Luke 10:16 Jesus said to his Apostles, "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Therefore, does the Bible teach that God's written word is the only source of authority for God's people? No!

What is Paleo-Orthodoxy?

Paleo-orthodoxy sounds like a strange term indeed. It is a combination of two words: (1) "paleo" which means "old" or "ancient" and (2) "orthodox" which means "correct belief." Combine "paleo" and "orthodox" and you get the short, simple definition: ancient, correct belief.

Thomas C. Oden is the prominent theologian associated with paleo-orthodoxy. According to him, the term refers to the common faith of the ancient ecumenical church; i.e. the universal faith of the Church that existed before the East-West Schism of 1054 AD.

Wikipedia describes it as "a Protestant Christian theological movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries which focuses on the consensual understanding of the faith among the Ecumenical councils and Church Fathers...Paleo-orthodoxy sees the essentials of Christian theology in the consensus of the old church before the schism between the Orthodox Church and the Roman-Catholic Church (the East-West Schism of 1054) and before the separation of Protestantism from the Catholic Church (the Protestant Reformation of 1517), described in the canon of Vincent of Lérins as "Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus" ("What [is believed] everywhere, always and by everyone").

So what is paleo-orthodoxy? It is a fairly modern theological movement among certain Protestant Christians, who seek to learn theology from the historical ecumenical consensus of the Church prior to the East-West Schism of 1054 AD.

Another term closely related to paleo-orthodoxy is classic Christianity or classical Christianity. Pocket Scroll is an informative blog that offers an excellent post that attempts to answer the question - "What is Classical Christianity?" The post is worth reading.

The Canon in the Church

"It is good to know that the church has a Bible, or put another way, that the church's Scripture guides its life. I find the deepest understanding of Holy Writ neither in a closet reading by myself, nor in public meditation with only those of my heritage, but in conversation with the saints of the church in every era and region. Listening to the theologians of the Great Church struggle with Scripture in their commentaries or hearing Aquinas wrestle with the Gospels by quoting earlier theologians provides a kind of conversation that does not appear elsewhere. Knowing the church's interpretations of Scripture in each age deepens our sense of biblical truth.

"The bright future for Christian communities is the recognition that the canon stands within the church. Yet we must remember that we do not read from within a neutral public square where all of us know the internationally accepted terms of a single logic or sense of persuasion, where we all accept the proper assumptions that every human makes. We read the New Testament from within the church - too often from only a particular denominational view - and try to live in the world so that people will ask us about our hope. Christians in my heritage have often been moved by the modern tales in which Bible translations were left behind when missionaries were killed. By reading them in their languages, the natives converted. The more common story, however, is that we must embody Scripture in the church within the world. To do that we need to critically study the resources of the Great Church: many bishops, councils, creeds, and ethical canons.

"The Bible in use is what we seek, not preliminary senses of how it must be defended to the point of making it almost impossible to decipher except within our own narrow traditions. The precious reality is the canon in the church, studied by common folk and scholars alike, but understood best by believing Christians from any country or denomination who in the Spirit attempt to live out its truth. We worship and serve Jesus. And we read the Bible from within the community of faith."

Frederick W. Norris, "The Canon of Scripture in the Church," in The Free Church & the Early Church: Bridging the Historical and Theological Divide, ed. D.H. Williams (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), pp. 3-25. Amazon

Rev. Dr. Frederick W. Norris, Professor of World Christianity, Emeritus, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, TN (Christian Church)

Servants of Reconciliation

"Reconciled in the eucharist, the members of the body of Christ are called to be servants of reconciliation among men and women and witnesses of the joy of resurrection. As Jesus went out to publicans and sinners and had table-fellowship with them during his earthly ministry, so Christians are called in the eucharist to be in solidarity with the outcast and to become signs of the love of Christ who lived and sacrificed himself for all and now gives himself in the eucharist."

Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry; World Council of Churches, Geneva, 1982

The Classic Consensual Teaching of Grace

When Thomas Oden sat down to write a book on the doctrine of grace, he was bent on resisting the temptation to quote modern writers on the subject. Rather, he was resolved to focus on early consensual assent to the teaching of grace. Therefore, his book contains more citations from earlier sources than later. But, as he says,

"Not because of an antiquarian nostalgia for that which is older, but because antiquity is a criterion of authentic memory in any historical testimony, and because the most ancient attesters have had longer to shape the ecumenical tradition of lay consent."

Oden reaches back into the history of the Church and draws upon the ecumenical consensus regarding grace. In short, he utilizes the Vincentian rule. In the introduction of his book he says,

"I seek quite simply to express the one mind of the believing church which has been ever attentive to that apostolic teaching to which consent has been given by Christian believers everywhere (ubique), always (semper), and by all (omnibus). This is what is meant by the Vincentian method, after Vincent of Lerins, who offered this rule for judging any claim to ecumenical teaching: By the threefold test of ecumenicity, antiquity, and general lay consent, the believing community may distinguish between true and false teaching."

The Transforming Power of Grace lets you hear from the communion of saints regarding grace. It focuses on the ancient Christian tradition - the faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all. That is the primary reason I bought the book. I wanted to learn about grace - not from a select few but from the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.