My Take on The Great Commission Debate
So, I've been pondering the implications of a friend's blog post for several days. This is partially because the bulk of its text is heavy stuff and I can't digest it amid the moment by moment interruptions of my days, and also because I just haven't been sure how to take it.
See Erik Ullestad's full blog at http://erikullestad.blogspot.com/2009/06/great-commission.html.
The impetus of Erik's blog is a new Study Bible released by Augsburg Fortress (commonly known as the publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). There is a study note regarding The Great Commission (where Christ tells the disciples to "make disciples of all nations") that has (apparently) caused some controversy.
First off, I would have no knowledge whatsoever of this controversy if it weren't for my association with Erik and his much-appreciated blog (score one for the transparency motivated by our online lives).
That being said, I am intrigued by the conversation this blog (which includes a response from Dr. Duane A. Priebe, the Knutson Professor of Systematic Theology and Senior Faculty Fellow at Wartburg Theological Seminary, regarding his contribution of The Great Commission study notes -- at least that's the way I understand it) has initiated, and the ever-developing thoughts I formulate as a result.
I'm going to pull one simple sentence from this blog (something I HATE when done with the Bible, but, oh, well.)
"Faith is participation now in salvation."
The big debate (as far as my feeble mind can tell) about the study notes is Dr. Priebe postulates that Christ does not call the disciples to make all people of all nations disciples, but to make disciples in each nation. This bucks in the face of the idea that each and every Christian who believes should transform their lives and become disciples of Christ.
I can see how this might rub people the wrong way.
What does it mean to be a Christian, if not to strive to be Christ's disciple, to immerse oneself in God's word, to pray continuously, to lose one's life that one might follow Christ?
And I get that.
But for me, this explanation resolves a question I have had for some time: If we are all to "drop our nets" (metaphorically) and give up our lives to serve Christ, who grows the food? Who hunts the beasts that sustain us? Who cares for the children? Who tends to the home fires?
We cannot all be fervent disciples of Christ, forsaking all commitment to spend hours in pious solitude or service to others. If that were the case, the human race as we know it would perish.
So, to me, Dr. Priebe's statement is not all that controversial. In many ways it helps me to understand why I fall short of my expectations of discipleship every day.
I am saved by Christ.
I am called to be his child.
I am called to worship,
To praise,
To service,
To love my fellow man.
I am forgiven.
But until he calls me to be his disciple, no amount of earthly effort on my part will bring it about.
So all that guilt is not mine to carry.
By living a life of love for my neighbor, Christ bestows me with that glimpse of salvation in which my faith allows me to participate.
I cannot will it into being.
It simply is.
Sounds like grace to me.
See Erik Ullestad's full blog at http://erikullestad.blogspot.com/2009/06/great-commission.html.
The impetus of Erik's blog is a new Study Bible released by Augsburg Fortress (commonly known as the publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). There is a study note regarding The Great Commission (where Christ tells the disciples to "make disciples of all nations") that has (apparently) caused some controversy.
First off, I would have no knowledge whatsoever of this controversy if it weren't for my association with Erik and his much-appreciated blog (score one for the transparency motivated by our online lives).
That being said, I am intrigued by the conversation this blog (which includes a response from Dr. Duane A. Priebe, the Knutson Professor of Systematic Theology and Senior Faculty Fellow at Wartburg Theological Seminary, regarding his contribution of The Great Commission study notes -- at least that's the way I understand it) has initiated, and the ever-developing thoughts I formulate as a result.
I'm going to pull one simple sentence from this blog (something I HATE when done with the Bible, but, oh, well.)
"Faith is participation now in salvation."
The big debate (as far as my feeble mind can tell) about the study notes is Dr. Priebe postulates that Christ does not call the disciples to make all people of all nations disciples, but to make disciples in each nation. This bucks in the face of the idea that each and every Christian who believes should transform their lives and become disciples of Christ.
I can see how this might rub people the wrong way.
What does it mean to be a Christian, if not to strive to be Christ's disciple, to immerse oneself in God's word, to pray continuously, to lose one's life that one might follow Christ?
And I get that.
But for me, this explanation resolves a question I have had for some time: If we are all to "drop our nets" (metaphorically) and give up our lives to serve Christ, who grows the food? Who hunts the beasts that sustain us? Who cares for the children? Who tends to the home fires?
We cannot all be fervent disciples of Christ, forsaking all commitment to spend hours in pious solitude or service to others. If that were the case, the human race as we know it would perish.
So, to me, Dr. Priebe's statement is not all that controversial. In many ways it helps me to understand why I fall short of my expectations of discipleship every day.
I am saved by Christ.
I am called to be his child.
I am called to worship,
To praise,
To service,
To love my fellow man.
I am forgiven.
But until he calls me to be his disciple, no amount of earthly effort on my part will bring it about.
So all that guilt is not mine to carry.
By living a life of love for my neighbor, Christ bestows me with that glimpse of salvation in which my faith allows me to participate.
I cannot will it into being.
It simply is.
Sounds like grace to me.
Fortunately, Augsburg-Fortress Press is removing Priebe's remarks that when Jesus says to make disciples of all nations he doesn't mean that we are to make disciples of all nations. They have indicated that they now realize his remarks do not square with the Biblical text.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to Dr. Priebe, I think we are all called to be disciples and to make disciples of all who we encounter in the world, even though we all live out our discipleship in different ways. I don't think "dropping out nets" means that we have to drop all that we do in the context of our family, friends and vocation to do nothing but pray, study and preach. As Sonya points out, the human race would perish.
ReplyDeleteI do think that in living the life of a disciple, we should "drop our nets" in the context of dropping our old way of doing things, dropping how society sometimes says we should do things, and tranform our lives to how we interpret Jesus would do things. For Sonya as a say-at-home mom, this means taking some time to pray alone (In my stay-at-home mom days, that was in shower as it was the only time I had alone!)and with her husband and children, to disciple her children as she disciplines them, to read the Bible to them, to teach them Christain values by how she lives her life.
In Table Talk, Luther says “God placed his church in the midst of the world, among countless external activities and callings, not in order that Christians should become monks but so that they may live in fellowship and that our works and the exercises of our faith may become known among men." (#3993) And we also assume among women and children.
In the past year, circumstances have caused me to move from full-time public ministry to a temp job with Iowa Workforce Development where I process unemployment claims. I am no less a disciple, and am possibly more aware of discipleship in daily life more than I ever have been. The act of processing claims is boring as hell, but if my co-workers and I didn't do it, thousands of people wouldn't get a weekly deposit in their checking accounts and wouldn't be able to feed their children, and I wouldn't get a paycheck that allows me to help feed my family. So I remind myself that it is ministry, and right now doing my job well and interacting with my co-workers, and distraught unemployed people in a Christ-like way it is part of how I live out my discipleship.
Living a life of love for my neighbor IS living a life of discipleship. St Francis of Assisi is credited with saying "Preach the gospel always. When necessary use words." Sonya, you are preaching the gospel when you change a diaper, rock your children, or preparing a meal. You don't have to drop those nets to live as a faithful disciple.
Kay Kinkel
Thank you, Kay, for your thoughtful response. I most definitely see my acts of love and care for my family, friends and neighbors (both known and unknown) as an outgrowth of my faith in Christ. My life is shaped by my faith, from how I treat those with whom I interact to how I discipline my children and what I teach them.
ReplyDeleteI continue to ponder the implications of a life of faith, versus a life of discipleship. Does a life of faith make me a disciple? I believe we are called to demonstrate God’s love in our daily interactions and to share word of God’s saving grace in the world. Is that always discipleship? Or is there a greater weight and expectation to discipleship? I think these are good questions to continue to think about.