What is the meaning of life?
Has there ever been such a simple question that is so hard to answer? Statements like these are almost pieces of art. Childlike in innocence, yet opening the door to seemingly unlimited responses from every philosophical camp, each requiring nuanced explanation to justify their certainty.
Being a minister, these sorts of endless questions arise from time to time. And while philosophy and religion can be a fun game for the logical mind to puzzle over, you can't avoid the obvious implication that the answers being sought by questions of such depth are, even if unsearchable, pretty important. So we search.
A similarly simple/difficult question arose recently in a book I've been reading, Sticky Faith, where the author is seeking formative roots for a Christian identity during teenage years. If you're reading this, I implore you to respond, and I want you to answer it as immediately as you can, only thinking about it as long as you would think about answering me if I asked your name. So here is the question:
What would you say being a Christian is all about?
It's a simple question. In my next post, I'll tell you what it's all about ;)
What Being a Christian Means to Me
ReplyDelete(Creed for the Post Modern - M. Kildal)
I Believe –
That there is one truth and that this truth has made itself known (Ps.19:1-4).
This truth is found in the nature and character of the God of the Bible (Heb.12:29)
That this God desires relationship with mankind whom He created (Acts 17:28).
That mankind broke the trust that made this relationship complete (Gen 3:14-15).
That this violation of trust is known as Sin and it is what separates man from God (Gen. 3:23).
That God loved man, His special creation, so much that He made one way for the broken relationship to be mended (Jn 3:16).
The way is Jesus Christ, who was not simply a good teacher or prophet but was God in the flesh…He was God with Us (Mt. 1:23).
That born of a virgin, faultless in life, Jesus died as a sacrifice so that man could once again live in perfect relationship with God (Mark 10:45).
That through His death, man’s sin has been forgiven (Eph. 4:32).
That man enters this relationship based on forgiveness, by faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
That the hope for mankind is found because Jesus rose from the dead, and later ascended into heaven (Rom. 1:4-6).
That my love is focused upon this Jesus who has given me the gift of His Spirit, who empowers me, guides me, and comforts me…He is God with us (Acts 2:4).
That I can know joy by living out the expectations of my beloved friend and Savior (John 15:11).
That I can know peace because my conscience is at rest with God and with man (Rom. 5:1).
That I can communicate with God through prayer (1 Pet. 3:12).
That I can have healthy relationships on earth because of my relationship with my God (John 15:12).
Therefore –
I have chosen Christ over self; I have chosen love over hate.
This is not simply my statement of faith, but it is who I am..
@mkildal I can see you've given this some thought! Good. Creeds are a lost art of Christendom, and our departure from them has led us to our inability to answer some important questions about our beliefs. Also, I hope you just typed that out from memory :)
ReplyDeleteSorry, cut and paste!
ReplyDelete