March 26, 2015

“Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of G*d liike a child shall not enter it.” Mark 10:16

“There is no better way, in contemporary thought, of approaching the meaning of commitment than by reference to Marcel’s (20th century French philosopher) distinction between “believing that” and “believing in”. To be committed is to believe in. Commitment, which includes belief but far transcends it, is determination of the total self to act upon conviction. Always and everywhere, as Blaise Pascal and many other thinkers have taught us, it includes an element of wager. A Christian is a person who confesses that, amidst the manifold and confusing voices heard in the world, there is one Voice which supremely wins his full assent, uniting all his powers, intellectual and emotional into a single pattern of self-giving. That Voice is Jesus Christ. A Christian not only believes that (Jesus) was; he believes in Him with all his heart…” D. Elton Trueblood (1900 – 1995) “For All The Saints” volume III (p. 983-984)

D. Elton Trueblood was a noted 20th century American Quaker author and theologian, and a former chaplain both to Harvard and Stanford universities. Trueblood was “part of a renaissance of American Quaker thought and action spurred on partly by the common experiences of Quaker intellectuals as conscientious objectors during World War II, although Trueblood himself was not a pacifist. He actively sought to mentor younger Quakers into his nineties. Trueblood also founded the Yokefellow movement and supported Stephen Ministries.” (Wikipedia citation)

Our Apostle’s Creed has three petitions: they all begin with “I Believe In…” As Christians, every Sunday we profess that we “Believe In” something. In making this statement, we are professing that we believe in G*d, we believe in Jesus and we believe in the Holy Spirit. But we also believe that this requires a commitment. Did you realize that? Did you ever think that while you were rotely repeating the words of this or any Creed, that you were making a “Commitment Statement”? So, do you believe “that” Jesus died for you? Or, do you believe “In” the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? “Believing In” Jesus means commiting everything you have to your faith in Him, and trusting Him with all your heart. And yes, I believe that “Believing In” Jesus requires the work of the Holy Spirit – that works within us to build that faith that is necessary to profess with our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls our belief “IN” Jesus.

Pastor Dave