Two hundred years after Jesus’s ascension, Hippolytus wrote about the ritual of baptism as practiced by the first generations of Christians. Their “I believe”s told a story.
When the person being baptized goes down into the water, he who baptizes him, putting his hand on him, shall say: “Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty?” And the person being baptized shall say: “I believe.” Then holding his hand on his head, he shall baptize him once. And then he shall say: “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was dead and buried, and rose again the third day, alive from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sat at the right hand of the Father, and will come to judge the living and the dead?” And when he says: “I believe,” he is baptized again. And again he shall say: “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, in the holy church, and the resurrection of the body?” The person being baptized shall say: “I believe,” and then he is baptized a third time.
Then the Apostles Creed was penned. The oldest version we have is dated 542 AD. Our modern English translation reads…
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again 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 the life everlasting. AMEN.
Then, in 381 AD, the Nicene Creed was written, another variation on the Christian plot.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Something’s missing.
Something central to the life of Jesus was left out.
Justice.
Where is good news to the poor? Where is the healing of sickness, release from poverty, the unshackling of the oppressed? Where is the kingdom, God’s deliverance dawning here and now?
Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News (or gospel). 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” – Mark 1:14-15
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” – Luke 4:16-20
Jesus didn’t just speak about justice. He did justice.
Deliverance of the poor into enough.
Deliverance of the oppressed into freedom.
Deliverance of the outcasts into community.
Deliverance out of violence into equality.
Deleted.
“Go and do likewise,” he said. And before leaving the planet Jesus commanded his disciples to go make disciples of all people, baptizing them and “teaching them all that I have taught you.”
But just two hundred years after that command was given, the story had changed. His story. And our story.
Between “born of the Virgin Mary” and “suffered under Pontius Pilate” the life and teaching of Jesus went missing from the “I believe” of Christianity. And with it justice – deliverance now for the poor, exiled, oppressed and abused. For many followers of Jesus, justice has been optional, though highly praised when spotted in the lives of saints, missionaries and other radicals. Optional.
Until recently.
in America today, “justice” is a buzz word on the lips of many young Christians, authors, rockstars and mom bloggers. But is this newly popularized brand of justice the same as that taught and practiced by Jesus?
I’d like to spend some time writing about Jesus and justice here. Interested?
Yes!
I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
I think this is slightly unfair. The Creeds, indeed the earliest responses in Baptism, weren’t about the story of Jesus but the essential confession of who He is. The Creeds weren’t supposed to be the formula of Faith or the whole Story, but the moorings of the fundamentals. To say they’re deleted is misleading. They weren’t deleted, they simply weren’t the focus, the genre. Yes, justice is important, but the Creeds shouldn’t be faulted for being what they are and we’re designed to be.
I agree with you totally, Preston, when you say that the creeds were supposed to embody the “essential” aspects of our faith. Leaving out the life of Jesus (and the justice it taught and modeled) seems to me (and more reputable theologians) an omission of essentials. Is nothing between the birth of Jesus and the crucifixion of Jesus essential to Christianity?
How different would Christianity have been through the ages had the life and teaching of Jesus somehow (or at least some statement about their characteristics) been written into the creeds? Interesting to think about huh?
Point well taken, Preston. I hear you and almost agree with you ; )
I understand what you’re saying, but the councils that produced the Creeds were called to deal with heresies. The Creeds were designed principally to affirm the divinity of Jesus, the relation of the Spirit to the Father and Son, and the Trinity. There genre wasn’t about the life of Jesus. And this speaks to the question of how Christianity would have been different. What I can speak to is pre-Modern Christianity, because that’s what I study. Before Descartes and the idea of deconstructing and separating soul and body, the Creeds were the fundamentals about acknowledging God, coupled with prayer, works, and a lived faith. It was the Modern movement to make things about “faith alone” that is only an intellectual proposition that made the Creeds into inclusive, exhaustive statements. But they weren’t created to be exhaustive, they were created to be fundamental affirmations of orthodox belief. So while I would say, absolutely, totally, the life of Christ, the ensouled body must be an expression of His justice, the Creeds should not be faulted for accomplishing what they were intended for. For it was this basic structure St. Paul addresses in his first letter to the Corinthians in the fifteenth chapter, an essential outline that Christ was died, raised, seen, and would raise us up as well. That didn’t discount works, but it also didn’t include them because that was not the point he was making. My sensitivity is, as someone who says the Creed every day in some form, I am disappointed when it is faulted for not doing something when, regarding its genre, it wasn’t designed to do.
But, as someone who recites the Creed every day in some form, I cannot divorce that Creed from the consequence, which is to seek justice and to live in the manner of Christ and attempting to ever-conform body and soul to that image.
Beautifully said, Preston, Thank you for the education. Very important points about intention there. Thanks for taking the time to explain that to us.
Yes! I am looking forward to following along with this series of blog posts.
That sound you hear is me, clearing my throat, trying to remind you of when we were on a bus headed for the Amazon and you said, “What? What would I write about?”
THIS.
I want you to know I’m so angry at you right now because I love you ; )
I think that’s part of Shaun’s point, Preston. Justice IS one of the large fundamentals.
I would love to read your thoughts on the issue.
Despite the fact that I’m already “wrecked” from what you shared yesterday?
YES! I want to hear more.
Well, what you’ll read here is what I shared yesterday at church, Melinda. Only without feeling rushed by the clock. So, who knows where all this freedom will take us? ; )
It is something that is worth hearing again and again. And this time, I’ll be able to take notes.
I don’t know if I’m coming or going at this point. For quite awhile I’d thought I was a little crazy. But after hearing you speak that can’t be the case because you are obviously not insane.
Enjoy being free from the confines of the clock. I’m all ears (and eyes).
I look forward to sending my friends over to read the posts.
Only if when you get to talking about how it appears in the book of samuel, your blog post cover image is this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Dave_Justice.jpg/200px-Dave_Justice.jpg
Shaun,
Appreciate your thoughts. If you haven’t already, I imagine you’d enjoy reading N.T. Wright’s latest book, How God Became King (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QB98NC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=explorinappre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006QB98NC), as this is a major theme in the book. I reflected a good bit on this in my review of the book here: http://exploringapprenticeship.com/2012/03/14/review-how-god-became-king-by-n-t-wright/
Shaun, I think you’re missing the purpose for which the Creeds were written. They were not written for the purpose of establishing what the normal Christian life should look like (caring for those in need tops the list, Biblically, and I agree with you there). They were written to address heresy about the core Christian teachings.
The problem with much of teaching about social justice today is not the teaching that Christians should do social justice. It is the cart-before-the-horse way of going about things. Until Jesus died and rose again, we could not be made new…we could not be regenerated. The Gospel is what transforms us into people who are able to work for social justice…to care for our neighbor…to do what Jesus would want for the least of these. Until we are transformed, these are just blind works.
The Creeds were written to help us get the Gospel straight. They are the core beliefs we MUST hold onto as Christians. But they are spare writings. They are the starting place. They are much shorter than the Bible and cannot contain everything in it. We can find teaching on how Christians should act (and WILL necessarily act) when they are regenerated in the third articles of the Creeds. The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to do these good deeds and let our light so shine.
Stand corrected. Twice. See Preston’s previous comments.
I disagree with your second paragraph just a tiny bit. Itty bitty bit. The “gospel” or “Good News” was preached before Jesus died and was resurrected and encompasses more than those two events and what they accomplish in atoning for our sin and reuniting us with God forever. The Good News or gospel was first preached in Mark 1:15. And that Good News or gospel was about the big picture: the kingdom.
If I understand “the kingdom” right then I think justice is essential to getting the “Gospel straight.”
I agree with you that without Jesus justice is hollow and, well, impossible. Justice without Jesus is humanitarianism or activism or some other empty ism but definitely not biblical justice. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. He gives justice definition, power, fruit and purpose. There is no justice without Jesus. Amen to that.
Thanks for this reply, Shaun. Yes, Jesus did announce justice and the coming Kingdom of God, but didn’t He say, “The Kingdom of God is at hand”? (Could this imply: “yet to come,” meaning the cross and resurrection?) Wasn’t His work of justice a foreshadowing of the blessings that were to come through His Church, the Body of Christ? We cannot have Jesus without the Holy Spirit delivering Him to us. We cannot just imitate His life. We have to be made new. Then His life naturally flows from within.
Jesus modeled for us what the Church should be like. But without His death and resurrection, there is no Church. His death and resurrection (and the sending of the Holy Spirit) are the starting place.
Then, we can do the works of a Christian. Out of gratitude for our salvation.
You and I don’t disagree one bit on the Holy Spirit, the foundation of Jesus crucified and resurrected, the mission of the Church. But we disagree on the meaning of the kingdom and the meaning of Mark 1. And that’s OK. We’ll get there in this series and find common ground I’m sure.
Oh, yes! I’m interested! Recently, when examining my own life, I’ve become concerned that justice will be a passing fad…a phase that will end like any other. But I want it to be different. I want it to be the Spirit living in me and Christ living through me. Yes, I’d love to be involved with a discussion about Jesus & Justice. Absolutely.
Yes, Please.
From the other side of the pond some thoughts occur. Social justice as integral to the Christian life (in the UK) really began with John Wesley. He was the one who made people understand (or made many many more people understand) that a love of Christ went hand in hand with loving one another (though he was in some ways quite conservative about how he expressed this). During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, there was a social revolution alongside the industrial revolution.
Methodism played a big part. It was this that led to the great William Wilberforce’s exhaustive campaign for the abolition of slavery, which he won in 1833 when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed. A love of Christ and social justice led to William Booth and the Salvation Army (which was formed by ordinary working-class people, not saints and missionaries), the Temperance movement grew (a working-class response to the social dysfunction caused by alcohol), Dickens became famous for highlighting the plight of the poor, etc.
In 1870 it became law for all children to receive an education up to the age of 12. Over the decades, more years were added to the length of education, child labour became illegal and universal education to the age of 16 and beyond became the norm.
In 1948 the National Health Service was created, where healthcare is available to all and is free at the point of care. There is provision for the welfare of all children through social services and local housing authorities. If your family is about to be made homeless, you will be given a roof over your head. No more families on the streets. The list goes on.
All these things, although seemingly secular, grew from the Christian idea that social justice is not optional, it is a must. And despite many now not self-identifying as believers, social justice is still deeply ingrained. There are still lengthy debates in parliament about how far this should go (particularly now in a strained economic climate).
Was it all due to John Wesley? I doubt it’s as simple as that. But he is certainly an identifiable starting point. Maybe he was just in the right place at the right time. A firebrand indeed.
I’m intrigued to know where your thoughts lie
My thoughts aren’t really mine at all, Zoe. Borrowed from Wesley and many others who’ve helped me understand Jesus a little better today than I did yesterday. Still learning. Still reading Wesley ; )
Almost afraid to say anything on this one. This would be an interesting topic to discuss as there are many Christians I admire who focus on justice quite a bit, mostly in relation to helping the worlds poor. I do wonder if the word has gotten misused though in relation to the life of Christ. Wasn’t so much of the disillusionment with Jesus by Jews of his day precisely because He *didn’t* bring justice? At least, not the justice they were looking for? He didn’t throw off the Romans, He didn’t remove the daily oppression they were subject too in their day to day lives. He didn’t eradicate poverty (in fact, after the feeding of the 5,000 when people pursued him for another free lunch He pointed them to something deeper). Now…I am not saying that we shouldn’t help the poor or take the gospel to them…we should, but justice being the basis of that motivation is suspect to me. At least, how the word is being used today. I am open to the fact that I may be missing something here (uh…wouldn’t be the first time) but I do have concerns.
With you 100%, Brad.
Totally. Bring it on.
Interesting timing for me to “stumble” upon this article. Just today I started the grad school application process. Hoping to complete a degree in International Human Rights and Social Justice. I’m sincerely hoping that “justice” is more than a trend or buzzword, but a lasting commitment from the worldwide church, young and old alike. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts.
Tell it.
Yes! I would love to learn more.
Holy cow, yes.
I listen to a number of sermons every week, and I always find it interesting when they line up with each other in a number of ways. Today I listened to Bruxy Cavey’s message from yesterday. One thing he said was: “The Gospel is not just about getting us saved, but it’s about what saved people do in this world. The Gospel is not about just getting you forgiven, but it’s (about) how forgiven people are called to live, as members of this new kingdom. The Gospel is not just about getting you into Heaven, it’s about praying that the kingdom of Heaven would come to earth, that God’s will would be done here, and (it’s about) how we would all be transformed in how we live.”
Also, thank you for yesterday’s message. It was bold and courageous and my family and I GREATLY appreciated it.
Um…I want to hear yesterday’s sermon.
But I guess this will have to do. *sigh*
Me, too! Are they podcast somewhere, Shaun?
Yes, you can hear Shaun’s message here:
http://www.wellspringchristian.org/resources/sermons/?sermon_id=182
It is time to start the dialogue.
Undoubtedly the Christian is called to care for those who have less of this world’s good (I John 3:17). But Jesus came to satisfy God’s justice, we – rich or poor – aren’t owed justice by Him, we’re the guilty ones. And he satisfied God’s justice for rich and poor. The twelve disciples expected Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom here. But Jesus, “when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” It’s that kingdom that comes with the Spirit in our hearts, motivating us to do good, to preach redemption to all captives. and that kingdom that will be fully realized, with no more poverty, sickness, sorrow, when the King comes again. Thanks to Christ for serving our sentence, thereby satisfying God’s justice, bringing His favor.
There are at least two different kinds of justice in scripture. One is about what we deserve. The other is about what God desires.
Shaun, I totally agree with you and support you in asserting that we have forgotten justice.
Jesus viewed the kingdom of God as something good on Earth, like a force of good sweeping the face of the Earth, a revolution of kindness if you will. He showed us by his nature what is the true nature of God – one who rescues, one who shows compassion. And he taught us to do the same, even to our enemies. I think if we enlarge the scope of the Great Commission, we will take good news to the whole Earth, not just a message of repentance, but one that “justice has arrived!”.
Can the global Church join forces to help make justice arrive? Can we alleviate hunger, fight modern-day slavery, reduce sickness, bring equality?
Please write more on this subject!!! I look forward to seeing you live on Friday night April 20th in Roanoke.
are we really talking about justice? I’m not sure any person on earth would really want justice if they understood what it meant they truly owed…now, mercy I have a real personal stake in…
Pretty much, Shaun, if you write it, I’ll read it. I may not always like it, I may not always agree, but I will always read it. Before you go patting yourself on the back for your faithful followers, be aware that I will read cereal boxes, Toilet paper wrappers, tampon boxes… you know.
Teasing, teasing!
I enjoy reading through the comments too. Your commenters put so much thought into what they say and I learn from them too.
I’m with ya. I’m not sure my colon works at all if my eyes aren’t looking at words. Any words. This is especially difficult in foreign countries. I have no idea what their bottles of shampoo say. ; )
HA! So true.
That’s when you take their foreign words and try to combine the letters to make English words. ( You may ignore any funny dots and squiggles over their letters.)
I’ve run into people who don’t get the word “justice”, or the word “freedom”. It’s not always a common church word when applied to how Christians should treat other people, Christian and non-Christian alike. Probably we have to do some educating.
It helps to mention the injustice in the world, like modern-day slavery and sex trafficking for example, and say that Christians want to do something about this, using the power and will of Christians as a group to change things.
We can join in the work of the Messiah to bring freedom for captives, not just spiritually but also on Earth. The Lord’s prayer and the Great Commission had strong components of the here and now, not just life in the spiritual realm where we are finally rescued from suffering. The work of the Messiah expands around the globe through the work of believers. Can this work bring God’s provision, his daily bread, to the masses of starving children in third-world countries?
It’s kinda like a reality check — to care, or not to care.
This short post might shed some light on how we can learn about compassion from the example of Christ.
http://graceemerges.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-reflection.html
[...] it means to serve others. I don’t want to miss the chance to learn and further understand Justice, because I’m pretty sure my Western mind has a very skewed idea of that [...]
I’m beginning to wonder if possibly “social justice” is too much a slogan and not a lifestyle — i.e., an excuse to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to matters of *personal* justice. Go to a Black History Month program and sing “Lift Every Voice,” and you’ve punched your ticket for the year on civil rights in America. Send in $20 to get your two KONY12 bracelets, and you’re good on 3rd world issues for at least a decade. Obama should send somebody… (i.e., I can’t / won’t go myself).
But what about matters where we can be involved, not just serving meals at the homeless shelter on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas, but something we are involved in on an ongoing basis? What about things that have an impact on a personal level? There’s a reason God put His people together in the church. There’s a reason for the “one another” Scriptures. Jesus expects us to be Him in the world, that’s what the Holy Spirit was sent here to equip us to be and do. Not just social justice on a wide scale, although there are definitely still places in the world that need large-scale solutions, but personal justice with a face on it. Jesus’ face. Yours.