Debts or Trespasses? The Great Debate

In our household, there is a theological debate raging.

The question at hand: When saying the Lord's Prayer, should we say "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," as Daddy's church does it...or should we say "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," like they say at the Lutheran preschool? 

This is actually a question that many people wonder about.  And the Catechism offers some help in answering.  Q&A 14 defines sin as "any want of comformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God."

Transgression is what we typically think of when we sin--actively doing something you should not do.  Trespassing a boundary.  Violating a command.  These are easy to notice (particularly in the lives of others, perhaps easy to overlook in our own lives.)

But what about this phrase "want of conformity?"  It means anytime we fail to do something we ought to do, that too is sin.  As James puts it, "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:17)  This is something the languages of "debts/debtors" captures that the language of "trespasses" doesn't: we need to confess not only the things we have done, but all the things we have failed to do.  "Debts" is a more expansive term that encompasses more: Every good act we owe to our Creator and Redeemer that we overlooked.  Every neighbor in need that we turn from.  Every trespass we should have confessed.  Every encouraging word we didn't say. 

This gets me thinking: if you were to put all your transgressions on one side of a scale, and all your "want of conformity" on the other side, which side would be heavier?  I'm pretty sure that for all the innumerable trespasses I do each day--all the ways I actively do wrongly, I probably miss just as many opportunities to do rightly, to please my Father, to glorify the Son, to heed the Spirit.  In fact, my hunch is that my debt to God is even greater than my trespasses, since each trespass also increases the debt!

All this to say, sin is a bigger deal than just the naughty things we do.  It also includes all the good things we don't do.  And for that reason, I'll keep asking God to forgive my debts, not just my trespasses.  (Take that, Lutherans!)

5 Things Prescientific Theologians Can Teach Us About Creation

You might think that Westminster's teaching on creation is something for the dustbin.  After all, in 1642, when the Westminster Assembly was being convened, Galileo died and Isaac Newton was born.  The great revolution of scientific knowledge that would soon emerge had not taken hold.  So what could these prescientific rubes know about creation?  Wouldn't their thoughts on this subject be hopelessly out of date since they didn't have any access to the great scientific discoveries of later centuries?

It turns out that precisely because this document was written in a context in which the science/religion (false) dichotomy had not yet taken hold, they had access to insights that we could completely miss.  Surely we have great scientific knowledge that is beyond the wildest imaginations of the Westminster Divines.  But they have insight that is easily to overlook in our day of overblown rhetoric about "science versus religion." 

Here are five things that  can profitably learn from the Westminster Shorter Catechism about creation:

1. Creation is not only about what happened there and then, but about what happens here and now.   Our impoverished imaginations can only think of this as a debate between science and religion, Genesis vs. Darwin.  But the Catechism reminds us in Question 8 that creation and providence are intimately linked in the decrees of God.  In other words, creation isn't just an academic debate about the past, but a vital reality in which we live and move and work.  It's not just about God's activity there and then (creation) but about his activity here and now (providence).

2.Creation calls us to value gender differences.  Following Genesis 1:27, the catechism affirms that God created both male and female "after his own image."  The implication here is that all those gender-specific, Mars and Venus characteristics that make up the stand-up routines of comedians and make spouses crazy, those are part of God's good design and intention.  Men and women aren't just different--they are supposed to be different, because men and women more fully reflect the image of God together than they do apart.  This means that a proper understanding of creation helps us to be understand, value, and seek God's wisdom in the different ways men and women operate.  Gender difference is a feature of the software, not a bug.
 
3. Creation calls us to ecological stewardship.  Sticking close to Genesis again, question 10 reminds us that human beings are given "dominion over the creatures."  Rightly understood, this is connected to Adam's charge to cultivate the garden--to help God's world flourish and thrive.  True, we have done a terrible job of this, but it's not because we have believed too much that this world is fashioned by God.  It's probably because we've forgotten that it's not ours to do with as we like.  The most robust environmentalism is that which embraces the divine affirmation of the created order.

4. Creation speaks to our daily jobs.  "Dominion" isn't just an ecological work, and it's not just related to animals.  It speaks also to whatever it is we do in the created world in which God has placed us.  What would it mean for an urban planner to remember that God created the world?  What would it mean for a lawyer or politician to operate from the conviction that men and women are image-bearers of God?  What would it mean for a parent to remember that God pursue not only the "knowledge" but also the "righteousness and holiness" of their children?  If God made the world and all that is in it, every day when we get to the office we are involved in dominion, in excercising the image of God in our lives.  Imago dei is not a static "thing" in us, we bear God's image in our work in work we do in the world as well.

5. Creation secures human rights.  If human beings bear the image of God, then each person you come in contact with is of inestimable value.  As CS Lewis has put it, "the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship."  And so the immigrant, the developmentally disabled, the elderly, the poor, the unborn, the victimized, the abused...justice and human rights are due to them simply because they have been created in the image of God.  Period.

All of this flows naturally from the doctrine of creation.  It's about a lot more than a debate between Genesis and Charles Darwin.

 

 

Who Needs the Trinity? You do! Here's why...

Understanding the Trinity is really pretty simple, it only takes a few minutes:

Get it?

Of course the Trinity is one of the great mysteries of faith, but there are several reasons why it's important to understand, and we discussed several of them in class on Sunday.  Here's a rundown:

The Trinity explains who God is in himself:
Because God is Triune, he doesn't need to create a world in order to be loving.  Because he is Triune, he is love--the love expressed from all eternity between the Father, Son and Spirit. 

The doctrine of the Trinity is a way of making sense of the statement "God is love."  If you want to say this coherently, you need to understand the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Trinity is a Jesus issue.  It was the claims of Jesus that got these theological wheels spinning.  After all, what do you do when a child of the only monotheistic faith in the world says "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30)?

The doctrine of the Trinity explains how both Jesus and his Father can be the same God, or to put another way, it is a way of making sense of the statement "Jesus is God."  If you want to say this coherently, you need to understand the doctrine of the Trinity.

Understanding the Trinity also helps us understand who God is in relation to us:

We all know that "Jesus Saves."  This is true and good, but it's truer and gooder to say that" the Trinity Saves."  Because after all, the Father chose to save and so sent the Son to accomplish salvation, which the Spirit the applies to us.  So think of it this way:

The only way we can be in relationship with the Father (who is transcendent beyond the universe) is through the  Son.  But the only way we can be in relationship with the Son, who lived on the other side of the world 2,000 years ago is by the Spirit.  So the Spirit brings us into fellowship with the Son who bring us into fellowship with the Father, who sent the Son who sent the Spirit.  The Father and Spirit are as active and essential to our salvation as Jesus is.  The Trinity saves!  (I'm gonna make me a neon sign!)

If you'd like to dig more into this topic, I highly recommend this book to you: The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything by Fred Sanders (who also has a great blog here.)

3 Suggestions for Bible Study (That Have Worked for Over 300 Years)

After describing the chief end of man as glorifying and enjoying God forever, the catechism then goes on to say: "For more, refer to the Bible."  Or it the language of the 17th century, the Bible is the "only rule to direct how we may glorify and enjoy him."

Not too surprising for people familiar with Christianity, the Bible is universally understood to be important for Christians to know.  However, I like how the catechism connects this answer to the previous question, reminding us that the Bible is not textbook of everything (there is something that the Bible can be said to "principally teach," thus implying that there are matters that are not the Bible's principal message), but rather the pathway to the life that is really life: the main point of human life--discovering our deep joy in the glory of God.

This is how we are to gauge our spiritual health--not by how we feel inside, nor by how we match up with society's expectations, but rather whether we are believing what the Bible teaches to us and living what the Bible calls us to.

But the Bible is so complicated, how can we even begin to wrap our heads around it?  I'm glad you asked, because the Westminster theologians had some good advice that they gave in their Confession of Faith (which as you may recall, is the theology that the catechism is teaching).  What do I mean?

First: don't think you can understand the Bible without God's help.  The "inward illumination of the Holy Spirit [is] necessary." (WCF 1.6)  That means that if you're reading without praying you'll almost certainly miss the point.  If you're not asking for the Spirit to help you understand, the book will remain as  confusing as it first seems.  (Remember too that the Spirit loves to use people, so this is why it's good to be in conversation with people around you--or in history--about the Bible's meaning)

Second: don't think that understanding the Bible is impossible. (1.7)   Though the Westminster Standards were written by theologians, they didn't think you had to be a genius to glorify and enjoy God forever.  "Those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation" are put forth in Scripture in such a way that everyone can get the point of the Bible if we read it in prayer, in community, and in practice.  The Bible is a complex book, but the message is understandable, if we don't make it more complicated that it is.  God's voice is there to be heard, if we are listening.

Third: let Scripture interpret Scripture. (1.9)  When you do come to part that makes no sense to you, try to understand it in the light of the parts you do understand.  This reminds us that the Bible is one book with one message, or a symphony with one primary score though it has lots of minor chords and submelodies.  But when you feel lost in the weeds, let the clear parts of the Bible interpret the murky parts.

As we seek to learn how to glorify and enjoy God through the incredible gift of his Word, the theology of Westminster offers us som helpful categories and advice as to how to do so faithfully.  So now, go and open up your Bible, because God wants to speak to you!

Why You Probably Think You (or Your Kids) Can't Learn the Catechism and Why You're Probably Wrong

Historically, the catechism was memorized.  The whole shebang.  By heart.  I would never expect anyone to try to do the same thing today, would I?

Actually, I would.  Well, okay, I'm not expecting it, but I am encouraging it--that adults and kids would both work to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  Impossible, right? Read on.

Most adults think they can't because they don't have time.  And of course, we don't have time, do we?  We don't have time because we are sending so many emails and liking Facebook pictures and clearning the house and watching HGTV or Washington's local football team disappoint once again.  We're busy, I get it.  But I bet we have five minutes at some point in the day.  Actually I'm sure of it.  Five minutes of free time on the Metro, or while we're brushing our teeth, or walking the dog.  We could use this five minutes to remind ourselves of some of the most important truths in the history of the world, couldn't we?  Would that be such a bad use of our time?  Is that so impossible?

I know guys who have memorized all the statistics and over-under for every football team and position player on their fantasy team.  I know women who can think about seventy-five things at the same time and have memorized whole lines from the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice.  (Sorry, those example are a bit sexist, but you get my point.)  As for me, I have more dumb movie quotes from dumb comedies than I care to admit.  We can memorize stuff.  We can memorize lots of complicated stuff.  We can do this.

In fact, there's an app for that!  The good folks at Reformed Theological Seminary have developed an app that helps you memorize the catechism in just 90 days.  It will quiz you, help you set goals and monitor your progress.  Just head on over on your phone of mobile device to the App Store and download the RTS WSC App.  It's free, which means it's a dang good investment.




Okay, you say, but what about my kids?  They hate memorizing stuff!  Really? Do they?  Cause most kids I know love memorizing stuff--the ABC's, songs, animal names, dinosaur names, the words to "Let It Go," the list could go on and on.  In fact, there is no better time for your kids to memorize something than when they are kids.  (You know how kids learn foreign languages really well?  How you wished you had started studying Spanish earlier?  Exactly.)

I've been working with my kids on a children's catechism and I can tell you this--they love it.  Why? Is it because they are so super-spiritual, like little missionary monks living in my house?  I assure you not.  The reason why they love learning the catechism is this: they love knowing the answer to stuff.  They love getting things right.  They love the interaction of me quizzing them and them knowing the answer.  You probably think I'm crazy to say that it is actually a lot of fun, but that's because you haven't tried it.

Here's how Starr Meade puts it (by the way, have you bought her family devotional yet?):

"Unfortunately, the practice of catechizing children has fallen out of favor, both in families and in churches.  One reason for this is...[that]...rote memorization has fallen out of favor.  Yet, the things I remember best from my childhood are the things I memorized.  The "ABC" song we all sing when he have items to alphabetize, the multiplication tables, common nursery rhymes, even lines from Shakespeare that I memorized just because they were beautiful, long before I understood what they meant--all these are indelibly fixed in my memory.  I can call them up any time I need them, confident that they will be there to serve me.

It is said that if we require our children to memorize by rote, they will only memorize meaningless sounds and words without understanding them.  Certainly we do a disservice to our children if we insist that they memorize words they do not understand, while we fail to take the time to discuss, teach, and explain the meanings to them.  The solution, however, is not to discard memorization as a teaching method, but to faithfully supply meaning by discussing and explaining."

What do you think?  What am I missing?  What questions do you have?  Can we do this?
 

Let's Start with an Easy Question...

You gotta respect anything that starts by answering the "meaning of life" question.  Whether you agree or not is something else, but there's an admirable quality to chutzpah, isn't there?

The famous first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism swings for the fences by answering The Biggest Question Of Them All: "What is the chief end of man?"  Or, put into more modern terms, "What the heck is the point?!"

Answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever."  And there's a lot packed into this answer.

First, it assumes that there is a "chief end" at all--that there is a purpose for us at all.  This idea in itself is rather bracing, since most of us walking around today assume--with or without much reflection--that the point of it all is to be happy and comfortable.  Others of us aren't sure there really is a point to life, other than what we can cobble together for ourselves.

It's important to know the purpose of something to know how to use it well, as you will discover if you think a lawnmower is designed for giving quick haircuts.  If there is indeed a purpose for human life, then our lives will flourish when we are living in line with that purpose.

The catechism boldly suggests that the purpose for human life lies outside of human life: it is to glorify and enjoy God.  What does that mean?

To glorify God is not to make him more glorious than we was before, but rather to reflect his character--his love, justice, truth, and beauty--in the world by our lives.  And isn't it wonderful that the other part of this purpose is joy?  The point of human life to be joyful in God.  As John Piper has famously argued in his book Desiring God, there are really not two different purposes but two sides of the same thing: when we glorify God we experience joy, and we experience our deepest joy in glorifying God.  After all, it's the "chief end" of man, not the "chief ends" of man.

So the catechism begins by putting the bottom line up front.  The point of our lives, and the joy in our lives, is found in living for and to the glory of God. 

What questions emerge for you?  How does this work itself out in daily life?  Feel free to continue the conversation by commenting below...
 

What is a Catechism and Why Should I Care?

Catechism: Why use a boring English word when you can use a fancy Greek word?

A catechism is simply a tool for instruction, and is something that has been used by the church in its times of greatest spiritual health to ground people in the foundations of the faith.

One catechism in particular has been of great benefit to Reformed and Presbyterian churches: the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  It emerged out of an assembly of pastor-theologians who met (wait for it...) 1,163 times from 1643-1649 in order to make some recommendations to the English Parliament with regard to official doctrine and worship in the Church of England.  They emerged with a theological confession of faith, and two catechisms: one larger and one shorter.  These are called the Westminster Standards.  These documents came over to America with the Puritans and Scottish settlers and have excercised enormous influence over virtually every American Presbyterian denomination.

But, we've forgotten about them mostly.  Or don't know what's in them.  Or have bad memories of mean stuffy religious folk shoving stuff down our throats.  But it need not be this way!  Here are 4 reasons why you should care about the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

1. It's comprehensive:  God, Scripture, Jesus, prayer, living.  It's all there.  What Christians believe with their minds, how they related to God with their hearts, and how they are to live in the world is all covered.  So far from a dry, dusty old theology, it's a vibrant explanation of how to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Someone somewhere said that was pretty important.
2. It's reliable: This is not to say that every jot and title of the catechism comes straight from the mouth of God, but it is to say that the answers given here have proven themselves trustworthy to all kinds of people in all kinds of situations for hundreds of years.  For believers living when the Middle Ages were giving way to the Enlightenment...for believers making a harrowing journey across the ocean...for those scratching out an existence in a New World...for people finding their way in contemporary America, this catechism has provided satisfying answers to many questions.
3. It's accessible:  It's written in a simple question-answer format.  So for example, if you ever wondered, "What is justification?"  Well, you can just go to question 33 and read the answer.  This makes it easy to find your way around, as well as easy to teach to children and memorize (as generations of children used to do.)  It's like a dictionary of faith.
4. It's profound: To say that it is accessible is not to say that it's simple!  The catechism is like a ocean that it both shallow enough for children to play in and deep enough for elephants to dive in.  That means it has something to teach everyone.

Come join us on Sunday mornings at 9:40 in the Fellowship Hall as we work through this time-tested tool of Christian instruction and encouragement.



Starting the Journey...Continuing the Conversation

 When’s the last time someone asked you a question about the Christian faith that you felt ill-equipped to answer?  Mine was last week: when Caleb asked me: “Daddy, how old will we be in heaven?”

Starting on August 31, a new Adult Education series will begin entitled Q&A.  This series will be a great opportunity to learn the basics and the depths of our great faith.  For beginners and experts in the faith, this class will be a great way to learn what we believe and why we believe it.  Our guiding text will be the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which was used for centuries as a training tool for children and new believers in the faith.  Princeton Seminary currently offers a $500 award to a seminarian who memorizes the whole thing.  (Such is the decline of our culture: something that at one time, every Sunday Schooler knew, we know have to pay seminarians to learn!).  Each week we will consider and discuss 2 or 3 questions and answers of the catechism, and I think you’ll be surprised---almost all of the things we wonder about…others have wondered about before us!  One of the great opportunities we have in standing in a theological tradition is to hear and learn from the wisdom of the past as we seek to apply it afresh in our contemporary context.  We’ll stick at this journey through the Spring, until we’ve tackled the whole catechism together!  (And let me assure you, though the word catechism might sound boring and dry, I will make sure it’s not!)

Parents!  Don’t miss this opportunity!  While your kids are in Sunday School, come join us so that when your children ambush you with questions you will be ready.  Questions like: “Daddy, if there is only one God, why do we say Jesus is God too?” or “Daddy, why didn’t God answer my prayer when I asked him to help me stop throwing up?”  (Actual questions posed to the Reverend Andrew Nagel by the young flock in his house). 

In fact, parents, there is a component to this course specifically for you!  We will use a book and several smartphone apps to encourage you to continue the conversation with your children during the week at home, so that you are equipped to take your rightful place as the primary discipler and spiritual leader in your home.  Order the book Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade (book or eformat of your choice) so that you and your children can be talking about eternal things between Sundays! 

So what's the blog for?  This will be a place for us to continue the conversation.  I'll post extra thoughts, notes, or details that we can't cover in the class.  I'll post interesting articles I find that are relevant to what we've been talking about.  I'll ask questions and encourage us to think through these things during the week.  If you miss a week, you can check here and stay up to speed.

Looking forward to learning and growing together!