The Essence of Christianity is…Faith
‘Quid pro quo’ – latin for ‘this for that’ – is the law of the land these days. If I do something, I am owed a reward or some affirmation of favor. Or more like, give me money and I will do what I can for you.
Consider these statements:
I have worked and been a dedicated employee, so I ‘deserve’ a bonus.
My childhood was one of poverty, discrimination, and abuse, so have pity on me and support me as I can’t find work to feed my family.
I have been a moral and upright person, not broken any laws, so elevate me, prioritize my class status above my neighbor who engages in immoral acts anddoesn’t go to church.
These statements fill our hearts with a variety of emotions. The public debate can often denigrate into questions of fairness, entitlement, and scorn. However, these statements are inherently innocuous, and neutral. Albeit, self-serving, they are concise factual descriptions with a clear petition for assistance or concern.
How would you respond, as we often say in our offering prayer – in thought, word, and deed – to those making these statements?
Our responses to these statements would vary, for sure. I often ask “how does your faith in form your response?” Which faith? Faith in God (the Holy Trinity) or gods of the pagans?
Faith, mysterious and hidden as it is, has morphed into a misguided understanding about faith within key church communities today. The dominate understanding involves self-righteous Christians. In my small world, proclaiming that God’s favor is extended only to those who work out their own salvation is ‘gospel’. Often, resulting in re-baptizing, lack of sacramental practice, a prosperity gospel, and expelling individuals and whole communities for moral failure. Only males are suitable to lead, preach, and teach.
This understanding of Christianity is a prime false prophecy that serves another purpose opposed to God, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer would write: ‘it cheapens the Grace of God.’
Jesus dared to put a stone in our hands and says cast it, you without sin. What Jesus does, what faith accomplishes in us, is simply to change our thought process from one of judgement to one of love seeking understanding.
It’s time to put a halt to work-righteousness and human judgement. Eternal salvation only comes through believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17), and especially not by our good works (Galatians 4:5). Wait? What? Yes!
Francis Pieper, in his book “What is Christianity?”explores this question. His focus is to portray for us the essence of Christianity.
For brevity, the essence of Christianity is faith, not blind faith, but eyes wide open faith in Jesus, the Christ. Of all of the possibilities describing faith, the role of human works, no matter how noble and just, is fully rejected. Yet, why then is the practical and more visible Christian praxis to obtain salvation through good works? After all, as Piper points out, that there is 6,000 years of witness and testimony in sacred texts and historical writing that teaches that only faith as a means of salvation, over and against good works.
Pieper writes: “A Christian is one who desires to enter heaven not through their own goodness and works, but through the righteousness and works of Christ. “Therefore Christianity is not a religion of works, but a religion of faith. The nature of Christianity subsists solely in faith in Christ. Luther used to say, “Someone is white because of his whiteness and black because of his blackness. Someone is a Christian because of Christ, which is to say that before God he flees to the works and suffering of Christ.”
It’s hard to digest that your works, our works together do not matter and have no weight on whether we are saved and become favorable to God. It’s true.
So, why do we have a plethora of streams of Christianity holding the opposite view? Yes, it’s our responsibility to live moral lives, but it is impossible to obtain the sinless perfection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Perhaps the reason that we expect others to live to our own standards of morality is because we have not firmly understood or rooted our faith in Christ alone. We may even think that God finds favor with us and the Church by ‘enforcing’ the law and ordinances of God, like the Ten Commandments. God doesn’t, God simply begs us to believe in and follow Christ, knowing full well that we need a Savior, since works don’t work. Rather, good works that glorify God are the fruits of grace.
Pieper concludes: “In brief, Christianity and the pagan religions have the law in common; though, in the divine word of revelation, Christianity has the divine law in its original and perfect purity. But one thing is totally unknown to the pagans. It is totally unknown to them that there is someone who has kept the law for them. It is totally unknown to them that God has sent his Son into the world in order to satisfy the law in the place of us, so that we are saved without works, through faith in Christ. Paul calls this Gospel of Christ “the secret, hidden wisdom of God . . . which none of the princes of this world have known.” This Gospel of Christ he designates as something “that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither entered into our hearts” (1 Cor 2:7-9). And this Gospel of Christ the Apostle Paul calls the true essence of all Christian doctrine, as he says in the same place, “I constrain myself among you to know nothing, but Christ alone, the crucified.” The pagan world, which sits in darkness and in the shadow of death, sees the light only when the Gospel.”
My friends, rest in your good works, do then with the sacrifice of love knowing they are not necessary for salvation. For these works are an appropriate and faithful response to the love and salvation bestowed upon us through the merits of Jesus Christ. By faith, go forward, proclaim Christ as good news, unconditionally love your neighbor (even though their statements infuriate you at times), and make peace with your enemies – pray for them. Rest well, knowing that you are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus, not by works.
I think Pieper ends his book best:
“It is so important in every circumstance and against every error to maintain that Christianity subsists in faith in Christ crucified. Only by this can we save people, give them the certainty of divine grace, make them abound in good works, and make them spiritually discerning. May God graciously keep us in the truth of the Gospel for Christ’s sake.”
Francis Pieper – What is Christianity?
Published by: 1517 Publishing, PO Box 54032, Irvine, CA 92619-4032
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