December 31, 2013
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HOMESPUN THEOLOGY
I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite some time now – dealing with the personal side of theology. One thing that is very clear to us as believers is that God is interested in us and desires to have sons and daughters of the children of men (and of course, women). Another thing, though, is the concept of God’s saving a people for Himself from among sinful men and women. Obviously this cannot mean that the two realities are separate or that one excludes or nullifies the other. So, is it a people or persons that God saves?
There would be no need of differentiating between the two thoughts if we read the scriptures without a preconceived idea. When we first come to faith, we don’t necessarily have all the doctrines memorized. We receive the faith that God gives us and the light comes on. That Light, of course is Christ and the Holy Spirit causes us to find that His coming into the world was to save us (read, mankind) but we see it as what it is, God saving us and we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that that faith is saving us. Then, what a joy when we discover that others understand what has happened in our heart and also have experienced the same thing. So, there are other persons in the Body of Christ and no one person himself is the Body – only a part of His Body. But, some will say, Christ lives in me and that’s all I need – He is enough Himself and the Holy Spirit will lead me into all truth. What need have I for any others? And that is where the misunderstanding begins. Can we separate a member of the Body from the rest and still have it be a member? No. Even if we withdraw our fellowship and assay to live independent of the rest, we are still a member – albeit a disobedient one who does not consider that his independence hurts the body and grieves the Holy Spirit.
If that does not give pause to our “theory” of independence from the rest, then we are not listening to that same Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. There are other considerations such as our growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ that we are expected to allow in our lives. There was once a Puritan in the 17th century named John Livingstone who also had to deal with this same problem. His words were: “I hate independency though there be good men among them and some well-meaning people favor it, yet it will be found to the prejudice of the work of God than many are aware, for they vanish into vain opinions.” Vain opinions. Yes, they are vain because the person insisting on his independence from the rest of believers is claiming an exclusive relationship with God that He does not recognize and that He specifically commands otherwise. And those opinons are what I am referring to as being “homespun theology.” To the person expounding it, it sounds so spiritual, so philosophical, so right.
The scriptures are given for our instruction in righteousness so that we can bring God the glory that He deserves and further His kingdom by the sweet savor of Christ. We could not have known Christ or that He became sin for us that we, through Him, might become born again and have imputed to us His righteousness if we had not the scriptures to inform us and the Holy Spirit to make those words alive to us. (Obviously, not all who can read the scriptures come to faith, understanding those things.) But those same scriptures admonish us, yea command us, not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together with other believers . Not only that, but we are told in the scriptures that none of us possesses all the gifts of the Spirit and none likewise are free to do as we please as children of God. No matter how we may try to make a point of being “outside” of Christianity yet close to God, we are lying to ourselves to do so.
We miss the point entirely when we declare ourselves independent and/or autonomous as a Christian – and we need to go back to the scriptures and let the Word of God judge our thoughts and actions
Comments (2)
You wrote: “So, is it a people or persons that God saves?” Yes… a people made comprised of persons!
You wrote: “… if we read the scriptures without a preconceived idea.” ~ We all need the Holy Spirit to teach us; apart from Him, we have no true understanding.
(I think it would be helpful to the audience you’re trying to reach if you cited some specific Scriptures to support the doctrines you’re teaching here, particularly since at the end of your blog you wrote: “we need to go back to the scriptures and let the Word of God judge our thoughts and actions.”)
I’m not all that well-versed on this, but a couple notes re: John Livingstone…
First, he was a Scottish Covenanter and not a Puritan (though both shared the Reformed faith (e.g. – they joined together at the Westminster Assembly), there were differences/conflicts between the two; you can read more a little more about that and the history of the times here: http://www.reformation-scotland.org.uk/articles/john-livingstone.html ).
Second, re: your reference to Livingstone & independency: from my understanding, the independency Livingstone was talking about was those believers who wanted an independent (as opposed to a Presbyterian) church government. That’s quite different from how you’re defining independency in your blog here — believers who choose to be autonomous and not to affiliate with any church at all. I did locate the quote as you cited it, but I also found an older reference from 1796 that renders it differently:
// … when he died, some of his last words were, “Carry my commendation to Jesus Christ, till I come there myself;” after a pause, he added, “I die in the faith, that the truths of God, which he hath helped the church of Scotland to own, shall be owned by him as truths so long as fun and moon endure, and that independency, though there be good men and well-meaning professors of that way, will be found more to the prejudice of the work of God than many are aware of, for they vanish into vain opinions. I have my own faults, as well as other men, but he made me always abhor shews. I have, I know, given offence to many, through my slackness and negligence ; but I forgive, and desire to be forgiven.” // (Source: John Howie’s “Biographia Scoticana: or, A brief historical account of the lives, characters, and memorable transactions of the most eminent Scots worthies,” the third edition, published 1796, p. 324 – found here: http://books.google.com/books/reader?id=CaAHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PP7
First of all, I ran across this comment apart from the post it belongs to. Sometimes I get frustrated about these things. Even after approving it, your comment remains unaccounted for. I’m just glad that I did find it!
I did read one account of Livingstone’s life, but I think it differs from this one, but your having said that he was a Scottish Covenanter does ring a bell. So, I guess his was not the quotation that I thought would springboard my post.
While I was writing this, I reflected on how seldom I give scripture references and how helpful that would be….of course, only a few people follow links or check references; but for those few, I do owe it to them to be helpful. Thanks for that reminder!
The other point you made about our needing the Holy Spirit to illuminate and teach us is right on. That was my intention in the statement about not having a preconceived idea that we intend to support (by taking things out of context, perhaps?). I am learning! Just as in my art, I sketch my ideas and then flesh them out and check and recheck for perspective and composition, I should not publish works that I have not taken just as much care in preparing. Sometimes…(most times) I am writing from passion or feelings of an immediate need – that is something that I have to discipline myself in even in speaking or answering.
This is a postscript added after I clicked “Approve and Reply. Now the comments are attached to the post contrary to what I had just written. Will I ever learn this new system?