The Church

Presbyterian Perspectives

Donald K. McKim

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781532600548
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Systematic Theology & Ethics

This book considers basics of Christian faith about the church, conveyed through the perspectives of the Reformed tradition, particularly in its Presbyterian expression from Donald McKim's own context in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).The six chapters deal with ecclesiology: understandings of the church. The book begins by considering the call to follow Jesus in the church, the beginning of the Christian journey. The Reformation slogan "the Church Reformed and Always Being Reformed according to the Word of God" orients us to the nature of the church and God's ongoing work of Word and Spirit within the community of faith.Three of the chapters discuss phrases from the Apostles' Creed. These are "I believe in the Holy Spirit, " "the holy catholic church, " and "the communion of saints." The final chapter, called "Imagine the Church!" provides theological resources for helping us recognize and experience the God of superabundance who is at work in the world, in the church, and in our own lives (Eph 3: 20).Together these essays provide theological understandings of the church while also exploring the meanings and implications of the church for Christian life and experience today.

1

The Call to Follow Jesus in the Church

Some years ago, Dr. Ernest T. Campbell, who was the senior pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City and was a friend, preached a sermon that has meant much to me. In it, Dr. Campbell focused on the call of the disciples and the simple words of Jesus: “Follow me.”1 Though it was preached over forty years ago, Campbell’s points continue to speak to us with passion and power. In considering “The Call to Follow Christ in the Church,” I would like to enlarge on Ernest Campbell’s insights.

Every journey has its starting point. The trip to the store, the visit to friends, the vacation across the country; all have to begin somewhere. So too with the journey of faith. We have all started somewhere, at some time. We have heard the words of Jesus: “Follow me” (Mark 1:17). And we have responded to that call. For some the call to follow came at a definite time and place. It is possible to know the exact instant at which the call was heard and our response was made. Perhaps this experience was very dramatic—as for the apostle Paul, who was struck blind on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–9). Or John Wesley, who said he felt his heart “strangely warmed” when he heard the gospel. Or, John Calvin, who spoke of his “sudden conversion.” The call to follow Jesus Christ has broken into our lives and changed them very powerfully.

Or, perhaps the call to follow came at a definite time, but very quietly. The voice of Jesus was unmistakable. And you said yes to that voice in the stillness and the quietness of your own heart.

But for many on the journey of faith, the beginnings have long since been forgotten. All of life, even from earliest days, has been lived with the consciousness that Jesus Christ is continually calling you. There was no one certain day or time when you first remember hearing the voice. It seems always to have been there saying, “Follow me.” And you have been following all your days. The start has been made. But when it was made or even why it was made is a mystery.

What does it mean to “follow” Jesus Christ today? We may wonder if this is any more than a slogan, a catchphrase from anyone who for some reason wishes to identify herself or himself with the man Jesus. How does the call to follow Jesus come today? There are many voices we hear all around us, crying out for any number of causes and programs. Promotions are made on behalf of everyone—from politicians to rock stars to religious leaders. In the midst of so many voices, can the voice of Jesus be heard? What does it sound like? What does Jesus ask of us in terms of lifestyle if we respond to the call to follow?

Since we are used to a complex world, we are startled by the simple responses of those first disciples. The Gospels tell us that to Matthew, a tax collector, a man engaged in a profession hated by his fellow citizens, Jesus said, “Follow me. And he got up and followed him” (Mark 2:14). Peter and Andrew were brothers in the fishing business. Jesus said to them: “Follow me and I will make you fish for people. And immediately they left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:17–18). Luke says they “left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). Similarly, Jesus called James and John—the sons of Zebedee. The record is that “immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him” (Mark 1:19–20).

Such instant and willing responses leave us shaking our heads! How could they do it? Did they know what they were getting into? Must the call to follow come to us with such a force and demand from us such a dramatic reaction? A few years ago, Professor Adam Copeland wrote in the Christian Century: “When Jesus called to Peter and Andrew on the beach, he did not say, ‘Here are my long-term objectives. Talk my proposal through with your stakeholders at your annual meeting and let me know if your analysis suggests the mission is scalable.’”2 The disciples of Jesus didn’t have to “think it through,” consider the alternatives, or develop complicated plans. It’s like Casey Stengel said about baseball: “There’s three things that can happen in baseball. Either you win or you lose or it rains.” It’s that simple. We can either follow Jesus or not follow Jesus. If we do nothing at all and just drift along aimlessly in life, we’ve chosen not to follow. But the first disciples made the positive decision. They “immediately” left their nets and followed him.

Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus seeks this type of immediate, committed response from all he calls to follow him. His words are strikingly blunt. Jesus told his disciples that “if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24); and “whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:38). He said, “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor . . . then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). His thrust is unmistakable: To respond to the call to follow is to make a commitment of one’s self to the person of Jesus. Those unwilling to commit themselves so radically need not apply to be a follower. As Jesus put it with characteristic candor, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt 8:22; cf. Luke 9:61–62). This radical commitment is the same God demanded in the Old Testament. In the showdown with the prophets of Baal, Elijah on Mount Carmel told the people: “If the Lord is God, follow [the Lord]” (1 Kgs 18:21). Followers of Jesus left families and professions behind in the interest of a new loyalty, a greater love. As theologian Karl Barth put it: “The call issued by Jesus is a call to discipleship.”3

What does it mean to “follow Jesus” today? How do we understand the call to follow in our own contexts, in the midst of our busy, pressure-packed lives?

Here are three theological perspectives on discipleship as we have them in the New Testament. These are foundations for all we do as followers of Jesus, as disciples of our Lord and Master.

We Are Joined with Jesus

The first dimension of discipleship is that in discipleship, we are joined with Jesus. Those whom Jesus called followed him; and they were joined with Jesus in the totality of their lives. Jesus called them, “elected” them, “ordained” them to be his disciples. They responded; and now their lives are forever changed. Their worlds are turned upside down because they now have a new loyalty, a greater love. They are attached or joined with Jesus.

The New Testament calls this joining, “faith.” Faith is the gift of God. It is a gift given to us so we recognize who Jesus is. The Spirit of God works faith in our hearts, just as faith became the way of life for those first disciples. In faith, we are bound to the One who calls us—Jesus Christ. In following Jesus, we are not called to adopt a program, or an ideal, or a law—all things that we might attempt to fulfill. In following Jesus, we are called to faith in the person of Jesus Christ himself. We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the Savior of the world, the One who has reconciled the world to God in his life, death, and resurrection. Jesus Christ brings the fullness of salvation. Faith is our way of being joined with Jesus. In faith we confess who Jesus is; we believe in him. We trust him. We give our whole selves to him, to be his disciples and followers. As theologian Karl Barth said, “In practice the command to follow Jesus is identical with the command to believe in Him.” To paraphrase Barth further, following Jesus means we put our trust in God as the God who is faithful to us the unfaithful; who in spite of our own forgetfulness has not forgotten us; who without any cooperation or merit on our part wills that we should live and not die. In the call of Jesus we are met by the fulfilled promise of God as valid for us.4

So discipleship is very personal. It is response to the call of God in Jesus Christ (which we Presbyterians call election) to join us with Jesus by faith. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The call to discipleship here has no other content than Jesus Christ himself, being bound to him, community with him.”5 In discipleship, we are joined with Jesus.

We Are Obedient to Jesus

The second dimension is that in discipleship, we are obedient to Jesus. Bonhoeffer pointed out that in the calling of the disciples, “the disciple’s answer [to Jesus’s call] is not a spoken c...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Chapter 1: The Call to Follow Jesus in the Church
• Chapter 2: The Church Reformed and Always Being Reformed according to the Word of God
• Chapter 3: I Believe in the Holy Ghost
• Chapter 4: I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church
• Chapter 5: I Believe in the Communion of Saints
• Chapter 6: Imagine the Church!
• Bibliography