In this blog I write about an emerging faith. The ‘faith’ that is emerging is faith in Jesus. Some call this Christianity, but I and others like to call it “Christocentric spirituality,” a spirituality that places Jesus and His Way at the center of our journey as a spiritual being. Many followers of Jesus are in a period of “re-understanding” His teachings, Way of Life, and what it means to follow Him in 21st Century America, all the while holding to the historic, orthodox nature of that faith.
I realize I already have this listed in my page header, but I thought I would put it in a commentable post. I will probably flesh it out more over the course of the next several weeks to add some more texture and depth. In fact, I might even make some adjustments and wrestle with my own confident faith remarks!
Until then, though, this is my credo, and of what I am confident so far:
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•I believe in one God, the Abba, the Almighty, Creator of all that existed and still exists on earth and in heaven, both material and spiritual.
•I believe the universe and all that exists therein was created on purpose, with purpose by the Creator. The act of creation was a real time, space event that set the universe and all its processes in motion through the will and word of God. This purposeful time, space act of creating is reflected in the account of the Book of Genesis in the ancient Scriptures.
•I believe creation itself reflects the purpose and attributes of God, and is a means by which Man can both know of and about Him; God has purposefully revealed Himself to Man through His creation and what may be known of God can be clearly and plainly seen.
•I believe Man was the culmination of God’s purposeful act of creation. Man was created on purpose, with purpose as Eikons of God to reflect, enjoy, worship, and love Him forever.
•I believe Man was originally created to exist in an eternal relationship with God, defined by mutual love. It was God who created the God-Man relationship and invited Man to be in relationship with Him forever.
•I believe Man was intended and invited to be in an eternal relationship with God defined by mutual love, an invitation that allowed room for both acceptance and rejection.
•I believe there was a real time, space event when Man sinned by loving self rather than God. This time, space act of relational rejection first occurred through Adam and Eve and is recorded in the Book of Genesis in the ancient Scriptures.
•I believe God did not intend for sin to be a part of creation. Because sin is the result of a rejection of the Way of the Creator, it was a potential possibility, but not an intended component of God’s Reality.
•I believe the result of sin is brokeness and death, both physical and spiritual. Because of the willful choice of Man, all of creation is broken and in need of restoration, including the Eikons of God. Without restoration through the provisions of God, His Eikons earn eternal brokeness, death, and ultimately separation.
•I believe God wants nothing more than to restore the God-Man relationship and creation-society to the way in which they were originally intended to be.
•I believe God desires to be in relationship with every single person in the world, not simply a select few; God desires to include each of His Eikons in His restorative plan, not desiring that any be excluded to perish.
•I believe God provided the means by which the God-Man relationship and creation-society can be restored to the way in which they were originally intended to be: Jesus Christ.
•I believe God enfleshed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ to demonstrate the fullest extent of His love for Man and the world.
•I believe Jesus Christ’s vision for restoring the God-Man relationship was communicated through the Cross.
•I believe Jesus Christ’s vision for restoring creation-society was communicated through His teachings on the Kingdom of God.
•I believe the Kingdom of God is the society that embodies God’s will as found in the Jesus Creed, “love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.” This God-created society is the result of His promise to His people, and is marked by release, healing, freedom, favor, justice, mercy, peace, and love.
•I believe the Kingdom of God embodies the purpose for which Jesus was on earth, as outlined in His words in Luke 4:16-19. Jesus came to restore.
•I believe the Kingdom of God is the central vision of Jesus, and the cross was the culmination of and catalyst for accomplishing His vision. Because Sin destroyed both the God-Man relationship and creation-society, it is the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, in addition to the bodily resurrection of Jesus, that makes restoration possible.
•I believe the Kingdom of God is the central purpose and vision of the Ecclesia (the Church), and any vision that does not begin with Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom is a denial of Jesus’ Lordship and a misunderstanding of the New Testament. The way in which God executes Jesus’ vision and accomplishes the restoration of the God-Man relationship and creation-society is through the Church.
•I believe the Ecclesia is the community of Jesusly restored individuals and is formed through justification, atonement, and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This Kingdom community of Jesusly restored individuals is what “produces” release, healing, freedom, peace, justice, mercy, and love.
•I believe, ultimately, the Kingdom of God comes about through the Gospel and the Gospel alone. The God-Man relationship is restored to the way in which they was originally intended to be, an eternal relationship defined by mutual love, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Creation and Society is restored to the way it was originally intended to be through the restoration of individuals and the adoption of the Way of Jesus.
This credo is still in process and will come to fruition over the next few weeks…
