A Place to Stand
A Place to Stand by Rev. L. John Gable
September 15, 2019
We find ourselves rather unexpectedly in the middle of a short series of messages which might appropriately be called “About Being Presbyterian”. I say “unexpectedly” because as I mentioned last week it was Oscar who suggested a sermon, which has then become a short series of sermons, based on the materials we present in our Inquirer’s classes, which is essentially a class “about being Presbyterian.”
If you were with us last week you may recall that we looked at what are called the Preliminary Principles of Church Order, what I referred to as being the “Presbyterian Bill of Rights”, universal and inalienable principles that guide our life together. Of the eight which are listed in the opening two pages of the Book of Order, the constitution of our church, and date back to 1788, so really are foundational to our way of being, we identified three principles as being of utmost importance in understanding a distinctively Presbyterian way of living the life of faith and of our doing life together.
The first is that “God alone is Lord of the conscience” meaning that ultimately we are answerable to God and God alone, not the government, not the Session, not even the pastor or any other authority, in matters of faith and our practice of it. Genuine faith must be claimed and adhered to and practiced by each of us out of individual conviction and volition without being forced or coerced or manipulated by any other. Ultimately we are answerable to God and God alone because God alone is Lord of the Conscience.
The second principle is that “truth is in order to goodness”, or perhaps making this principle easier to understand and apply we might say, “truth leads to goodness” or “to know the truth is to do the truth.” This is the good reminder that faith and practice are inseparable, as are truth and goodness. What we do in here must be translated into what we do out there.
The third, and what I consider to be the most distinctive principle of Presbyterianism, is the affirmation that “persons of good character and principle may differ.” This is the one I think should be stenciled on the wall of any room in which discussions are held or decisions are made; I won’t go so far as to say it should also be tattooed on each of our foreheads. This principle reminds us not to judge or defame any other brother or sister in Christ with whom we disagree trusting that he or she is also seeking the truth even as we are, and that ultimately each of us are accountable to God in matters of faith and our practice of it. So, in the meantime, we need to learn to get along with one another despite our differences and disagreements.
Yet taken together these three principles may make it sound as though you can believe pretty much anything you want and still call yourself a Presbyterian, and that would be a gross misunderstanding and misapplication of these Preliminary Principles. As Presbyterians we are very clear about what we believe, yet we state those beliefs not as a checklist of “yeses and noes, does and don’ts” but rather by stating and affirming the essential tenets of our faith, the core Christian doctrines, or what we might call “basic Christianity”, such are the convictions on which we base and build our lives, since we know that “those who believe in everything essentially believe in nothing” or as we have oft heard it “those who don’t stand for something will fall for anything”.
The ancient Greek Archimedes, the inventor of both the lever and the pulley, famously said, “Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth”, so as Presbyterians we confess and affirm the essentials of our faith as our “place to stand.” And, what might those be?
Whenever we receive new members we ask them to affirm their faith by answering only three questions. The mere fact that there are only three point to their importance. As I review them with you I ask you consider, as I do myself, your confidence and commitment to these essential confessions.
The first is this: Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, and do you promise, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to be Christ’s faithful disciple to your life’s end?”
Again I’ll note that this is a question that when asked of our new members, and each of us really, invites an affirmative response, “I do”, as each of us is individually responsible for our response of faith, which then unites us a body of believers who together can say “We do!” As E. Stanley Jones put it, “A faith that does not start with the individual does not start; a faith that stops with the individual, stops.”
Also note that the question is basically one of the belief in the one, triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When asked, “Do you believe in God?” the vast majority of Americans still admit that they do. If then the question is asked, “Which God do you believe in?” this is the answer we give as Christians, “I believe in the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.” This is the one true God to whom we dedicate and commit ourselves; there is no other. As Scripture teaches, “There is no other name given by which we may be saved.”
Now one could argue, and I might be one of them, that an affirmative answer to this question alone would be evidence sufficient enough to welcome someone in to the fellowship of the Church. While others may press and say, “Where are the questions about the authority of Scripture, the Virgin Birth, the gifts of the Spirit, the proper modes of baptism?” and the like, I would suggest that as important as those may, or may not, be, they are not the essentials of the Christian faith; perhaps important for us to consider and discuss, but must we insist on absolute agreement on them for membership in the fellowship of the Church? I don’t think so and the Presbyterian Church historically would agree with me on this one, or I with them, which follows in line with the saying, “In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love”; which is also consistent with the principles that “God alone is Lord of the conscience” and “persons of good character and principle may differ”. We can even agree to differ on which are the essentials of our faith, but this core belief in the one Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is undebatable if we are going to call ourselves Christian, individually and as a Body.
The second question we ask new members is “Do you confirm the vows taken in baptism and with a humble and contrite put your whole trust in the mercy of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord?” When we talk about the importance of baptism as Presbyterians we emphasize that while it is one of only two sacraments we offer, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, it is not a condition of salvation. Baptism is for us an expression of faith and an act of discipleship; it is an initiation into the faith, a sign and seal of the forgiveness of our sins and our being welcomed in to the family of God. We baptize, both infants and adults, in response to Jesus’ Great Commission to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 25)
But the question, as we ask it, is really getting at a deeper issue than merely the symbolic act we witness as it speaks of “the vows” taken in baptism. What are those? They are the confession of what we can only call “basic Christianity”: the acknowledgement that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy, something we do not deserve and cannot earn. It is the confession that we accept that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sin in His death on the cross and that He has done something for us which we cannot do for ourselves, namely, He has saved us and restored us in to a right relationship with God, a relationship that is marked by the waters of baptism and then is lived out in the everyday of our lives as His faithful disciples until our life’s end. To confirm and confess this is indeed to confess, “Yes, I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ who is my Savior and Lord.”
The third and final question, which of course in good Presbyterian fashion is divided into four multiple parts, is, “Do you promise to make diligent use of the means of grace?” I love that phrase, so will invite you to reflect for a moment or two on it. Historically, the “means of grace” have been participation in worship and the receiving of the sacraments, the reading of Scripture, prayer and the Church’s instruction and when necessary the Church’s discipline; all good things. But I would like for you to consider some of the other ways you experience God’s grace. What do you do when you want or need a little “God time”? Worship and prayer and reading Scripture are certainly key ingredients, but there are so many other ways we can experience God’s peace and presence. When I ask this question of our new members they mention their love of music as it lifts their spirits and voices to God, and I say, “Make diligent use of that means of grace.” Others mention acts of service and fellowship with other believers and I say, “Make diligent use of that means of grace.” Still others speak of taking long walks or trips to the ocean or the mountains, if that is life-giving and spirit-filling for you, then make diligent use of that means of grace. There are many, innumerable ways that we can experience the grace of God and we need to take advantage of those.
The one caveat I’ll make is, periodically I will be asked “Does that mean I can worship God on the golf course?” And my answer is, “Yes, you can, but the problem is we don’t.” I have heard God’s name mentioned on the golf course many times, but it is rarely in terms of worship and praise.
Continuing with this final question, “Do you promise to make diligent use of the means of grace; to share faithfully in the worship and service of the Church”, (we will talk about this in more detail in a couple of weeks),“to give of your substance as the Lord may prosper you” (we will talk more about as well) “and to give your whole heart to the service of Christ and His Kingdom throughout the world?” This is the commitment we make to dedicate ourselves, not just as members of the church, but as followers of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you noticed, in these three questions there is no mention of Tab or the Presbyterian Church. These are basic questions affirming essential tenets of Christianity, the convictions that rest at the center of our faith, affirmations which the Church through the ages, despite land or language, can affirm together.
Archimedes said, “Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth.” The one necessary condition of that claim is that the fulcrum has to be firm. These affirmations are the fulcrum of our faith. These few confessions, grounded and established on the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ, give us a base on which to build our lives and a place to stand, so that we can “move the earth” for Christ and His Kingdom!