Evangelicalism as Boats

From the moment the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, Christianity has been on the move. The gates of Hell cannot prevail against us! We’ve never stopped moving, and we won’t stop until Jesus returns. We’re constantly growing and changing. God is always doing something new and it is such a journey to see Him work and follow this wild, untamable Spirit. Imagine what Peter must have thought when God told him on the rooftop to eat foods he knew were forbidden in the Law. I’ve kept the law! I’ve remained Kosher and YOU commanded all my life! Yeah, well Peter, I’ve made those things clean. I’m doing something new, so stop arguing with me and go eat!

If you’ve spent any amount of time walking with the Lord, you already know that He is always on the move! Always doing something new! Always full of surprises.

Unfortunately, Conservative Evangelicalism has stopped moving. They’ve buried their feet in the sand, drawn their lines, and refuse to rethink where they’ve planted their feet or the lines they’ve drawn. I don’t believe its bad to have boundaries or refuse to go lax on the beliefs you hold dear. The problem is a refusal to rethink or reexamine presuppositions. Conservatives have presuppositions on a lot of things: The Bible, God, Morality, Politics, and Culture. Its not that nobody else has presuppositions. We all have them. The difference is that most people are willing to think through and reexamine those commonly held beliefs. Inerrancy, for example, is not a biblical argument. Its a philosophical one, based on the premise that when God speaks, it cannot be a lie. If that is true, and the Bible is God’s word, then the Bible is perfect and contains no contradictions. The only issue with that is the first page where Genesis 1 tells an entirely different creation story than Genesis 2. I do not believe that these two passages contradict themselves in purpose, but they literally do not fit together cohesively. But that doesn’t matter, because the presupposition can’t be challenged. And if you can’t challenge the presupposition without being ostracized from your community, you’re going to get stuck with nowhere to go. I’m not going to offer a solution here. I think the Bible tells us exactly what it is. I do know that the solution will never be found in refusing to ask questions or challenging tradition.

I see Evangelicalism as three boats: The Conservative Boat, The Progressive Boat, and the Liberal Boat.

The Conservative boat has thrown down its anchor and is “standing on a firm foundation” Meanwhile, its 2015 and they’re still trying to figure out if God likes guitars in worship services. If you can’t even get past something that simple, I’m not sure the anchor sunk all the way to the bottom. While the landscape is changing and the fish are moving up stream, this group threw down the boat anchor and refuse to set sail. They’re in the same old spot, offering the same old solutions.

The Liberal Boat got traded in for a speed boat. They don’t own an anchor (or lifejackets) and they are cruising through the lake without a care in the world. They’re rippling the waves without considering the other boaters out there who are trying to fish and jet ski. But if they see someone doing something old school, they don’t mind stopping their party to offer up their opinions to others who never asked for it. They’re having a good time. There really aren’t any rules at all on their boat.

Then there’s the Progressive Boat. They’ve pulled up their anchor, let the mast out, and going where the winds lead them. But when they get to a new spot, they don’t mind throwing out their anchor and hanging out for a while. They look over at the Conservative Boat and wish they’d realize how freeing it is to let the anchor up. They look over at the Liberal Boat and wish they’d invest in an anchor and a few life jackets.

I’ve been on the Conservative Boat my entire life, and unfortunately, its time to jump ship before that suckers sinks. I’m swimming over to the Progressive Boat, because at least their going somewhere. I’m ready to be apart of a community that embraces diversity, that doesn’t hide from differing opinions, that asks tough questions and doesn’t ask you to check your ability to think and reason at the door.

Even if the Bible was perfect (and I believe that it is perfect in purpose and intent), the people reading it are very much flawed. We’re never going to get everything in the Bible right. And that’s okay. Our interpretations don’t have to all be the same. We can disagree on some things without getting rid of all our boundaries. We can appreciate diverse opinions through the unity we find in the grace of the Gospel.

I’m tired of being anchored down in the same old dimly lit cove I’ve always been wading in. I’m ready to pull up the anchor, let the mast out, and set sail on the glorious adventures which the Spirit will lead me.

I appreciate the boat I was brought up on. It has taught me many valuable lessons. It has taught me who Jesus is and how to love God. But I think it’s time to follow the Spirit as He does something new. I think God is telling us something similar to what He told Peter! It’s okay to eat meat. It’s okay to pull up the anchor and journey out into the sun.

The Progressive Revelation of Christ

Progressive Revelation is a well established fact in the majority of Christian circles. God, throughout salvation history, has progressively revealed himself in different times and places, ultimately culminating is the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. For example, God reveals Himself as the Creator in Genesis. We know nothing of God’s jealousy . We don’t know that yet, because He had not yet revealed that about Himself. In Exodus 20, however, God says that He is a jealous God. We know something new, because God progressively reveals Himself. Jesus is the perfect reflection of the Father. What the Father does, the Son does. Who the Father is, the Son is. So we should expect nothing less from Jesus than He revealing Himself progressively. It helps to make a lot of sense out of some strange things being said in the New Testament.

One instance that I would like to point out today is Matthew 19:16-22. This is an absolutely beautiful example of the progressive revelation of Christ. Keep in mind that during the time of Jesus’ ministry, he preached to Jews under the Law. Yes, Jesus would eventually fulfill it, but as we read His teachings, we need to understand that at that point in time, He was still fulfilling it. He is teaching pre-crucifixion. Watch what happens in Matt. 19. The text says this:

“Then someone came to Him and said ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And He said to Him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘which ones?’ and Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery’ You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ Jesus said to Him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.’

Did you see what happened there? The Jews were always taught that to have eternal life they must obey the Law. That was nothing new. It was standard teaching handed down by God. It should come as no surprise that Jesus would teach a jewish man to obey the Law for eternal life. But what He does next is incredible. The young man says that he has obeyed the Law like he is supposed to and he wonders if he still lacks anything. And Jesus’ basic reply is: Me. Do you see how He just progressively revealed Himself here? You could obey the Law all you want, but there’s a new way approaching. God has a superior plan. The law foreshadows Christ. I am the Law incarnate. I am the living Word. If you desire life eternal, then Jesus is the way. Its not found in keeping the rules, because Jesus is the rule. Its not found in being perfect, because Jesus is perfect. And the young man walks away. We often think, phew, I’m sure glad I didn’t live in the Old Testament times when they had to obey the Law. But this young man shows the cost of following Christ. The young man kept the Law and did what he was supposed to do. Now the stakes are higher. God’s way is a way of self-denial. God’s way is uncomfortable. And as Jesus ministered, paving the way to the cross, he bit by bit revealed who He is. 

Post-resurrection, we have the sufficient view. We can see God perfectly in Jesus Christ. There’s nothing left to disclose. The law was partial. Jesus is eternal. This new way is better. It is complete and final. However, it is not easier. Jesus fully revealed who He is as He shed his blood and rose again. While the rich young man had a partial revelation, we have the full picture. Take up your cross and follow Him.