By Chris Seiple
Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling ... for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ ... until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
-- Ephesians 4: 1-4, 12-13.
Another year begins anew — though in some ways it feels unhappily old. A certain weariness persists, ironically sustained by that oldest of human activities: religion.
The world continues to be threatened by heretical Muslims who claim that Islam justifies their violence against innocents. Sunni and Shi’a kill each other with abandon in Iraq.
In the U.S., too many evangelicals are known for what they are against, instead of what they are for, as they suffer the public disgrace of another leader. The Episcopal Church has begun a non-amicable descent into factions, instead of seizing the opportunity to love amidst profound differences. And a Christian congressman from the legislative home of religious freedom in the U.S. — Virginia — announced over the holidays that it is wrong for America’s first Muslim congressman to be sworn in with his hand on the Koran.
Religion is undeniably part of the many problems we face. Therefore those who believe share a common challenge: how do we practice the best of our faith to overcome the worst of religion?
While each problem demands its own nuanced response, I believe that every faith community can begin to participate in the solutions we need through two basic understandings. First, a faith community is not responsible for the actions of other faith communities. Second, each faith community is responsible for its own.
As someone who is part of the Christian community, I believe that Christians first and foremost must reclaim that which unites them in the practical application of their faith, no matter their vocation or location.
Christians are called into covenant with Christ as His Church — that is, to act as His saints. Put differently, if the present-day saints are going to be relevant on the cruel edges of the world, at home and abroad, they must get back to the basics. These SAINTs understand the importance of Scripture, Adiaphora, Incarnation, Neighbor, and Today.
Scripture. The Bible is the living word of God, the supreme authority for those of us who believe Jesus Christ was the son of God, born, killed, and raised so that we might live. His disciples thirst for the scriptures. Spiritual maturity takes root, however, when scripture is read in the context of reason and experience — two elements that can only be understood in community with other saints, present and past.
Adiaphora. This wonderful phrase comes from the Anglican tradition; it literally means “things that do not make a difference.” In other words, saints do not get hung up on needless debates, theological and/or political. They appreciate and respect the need for conviction in such matters, but their true focus is the sovereignty, mystery, and majesty of God; the forgiveness Christ freely offers through His death and resurrection; and the resulting power that enables them to be salt and light in this hurting world. As my mom said to me in college: “Believing in Christ is not about what you can’t do, but what you can do.” Or, as my pop would say: “Put Christ at the center and let God draw the boundaries.” Good men and women will dispute the boundaries but these honest disputes should first and foremost be an opportunity to reveal the love of Christ.
Incarnation. The love of Christ is more than words because the Word became flesh. Love lived among us; it forgave us for our sins when we did not ask, or deserve; it conquered death and rose again. This living love is the foundation of our faith. The saints, therefore, do not regard Christianity as a philosophy to be contemplated in some safe cocoon. Christianity is a lifestyle that dares us to love. It is a call to action. “I will show you my faith by what I do!” (James 2:18). Jesus calls us to be “shrewd” and “innocent” (Matthew 10:16) as we engage this world with His indefatigable love. The incarnation is our identity and our engagement strategy.
Neighbor. An engagement strategy of love begins with our neighbor. Christ specifically tells us that the entire faith hangs on a love for Him, and a love for neighbor (Matthew 22: 37-40). The saints betray their Lord if they do not love their neighbor. Our identity as saints is authenticated by our love for our neighbor — a neighbor also made in the image of God, a neighbor that might not look or vote like us. Loving locally is the most simple and practical teaching of Christ. It is also the most difficult.
Today. Saints see every event in each day as a dare to love. For the saints, the decision to follow Christ is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a set of words that can be stored on a dusty bookshelf. The decision to love Christ is a covenant, a daily decision for which each saint is accountable before Christ. It is a decision that requires action with patient urgency. That daily action begins with glorifying and thanking Him for His unswerving love for us. “His steadfast love endures forever ... This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118: 1, 24). By adopting a posture of praise and gratitude toward God for His unspeakable love — on both good days and bad — we will be receptive to the humility and wisdom we need to extend His love to our neighbor.
We live in desperate times. Each faith community must seize anew the very best of its teachings, living out their principles in practical ways. If the saints can reclaim these teachings this day, and everyday, perhaps we can, together, start this new year with the profound knowledge that our faith will provide answers to religion’s problems. The world is desperate to see the community of saints, the body of Christ, in action.
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