Winter Quarter: Enduring Beliefs of the Christian Faith

February: The Church and Its Teachings

Rev Adrian Grubbs

Winter quarter, “Enduring Beliefs of the Christian Faith,” concludes in February with the title of “The Church and Its Teachings.” This unit has four lessons with the topics “The Christian Church,” “Baptism and the Lord’s Supper,” Sabbath and Work,” and “Stewardship and Mission.”

The Christian Church. “Parable” literally means “to throw alongside.” In Mark 4:26-32 Jesus gives two kingdom parables. God’s kingdom on earth is like seed scattered on the ground, and as the sower sleeps and rises the seed sprouts and grows producing many seeds. Also, God’s reign on earth is compared to a tiny mustard seed which grows mysteriously into a large shrub. Ephesians 4 describes how that happens. The text begins with seven ones – one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. Everyone in the Church, in God’s Kingdom, receives Christ’s gift. The gifts are different, but they all have the one purpose of building up the body of Christ to Christian maturity, “to the full stature of Christ.” Thus, God’s Kingdom on earth grows.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In Matthew 3 Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. The purpose for Jesus’ baptism was not for forgiveness of sin but “to fulfill all righteousness” – in other words, because it is what God expects. That was confirmed by the voice from heaven. The instructions in Matthew 28 are that all new disciples are to be baptized and taught; baptism is accompanied with teaching. Baptism is into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the teaching is all the commands of Christ. Christian baptism is a declaration to the world that one now belongs to Christ Jesus.

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper is more than a mere ritual – it is a proclamation to the world of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus until he comes. 1 Corinthians is mostly about the divisions in the church at Corinth, including chapter 11. The Corinthians’ observance of the Lord’s Supper was also indicative of the division between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Paul said that their practice was embarrassing, unacceptable, and discriminatory. That is what he meant about taking the bread and cup of communion unworthily. The needs of the poor must be respected, especially in the fellowship meals and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Sabbath and Work. The fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8-11, is about keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest. There are six days in which to work. For the descendants of Abraham the seventh day was a holy day and a day free from labor, not only for the men, but for the family, the work-animals, and for the migrants who were hired to work. It was a day of worship and rest for all.

In Romans 14 Paul addressed the issue of the Sabbath for Christians. Some of the Jewish Christians still observed seventh day as the Sabbath, while the other Christians observed the first day of the week as the Sabbath. He said that none are in the position to cast judgment on the other. Whatever day one chooses to keep, let him do it to honor the Lord. Genesis 1:5, Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, and John 20:1 all speak of “the first day”; Revelation 1:10 calls it “the Lord’s Day.”

Stewardship and Mission. In Acts 1:6 the apostles ask the risen Lord if “this is the time you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus dismissed the question by saying that it was not their place to know God’s schedule (chronos) and purpose (kairos). More importantly, he said that when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would receive power (dunamis, from which we get our word for dynamite); then, he said, “you will be my witnesses.” He did not say that they would do witnessing, but that they would be his witnesses, beginning where they were and into all the world. Christian mission is tied to who we are.

In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul challenged the Corinthian Christians to give generously to the collection for the saints in Jerusalem who suffered hunger because of the drought. He informed them that the churches of Macedonia had given substantially, even though they were quite poor, and the church in Corinth should give according to their abundance. Note that in all this Paul never used the word for money; rather, he spoke of “grace.” The Macedonians, in their poverty giving beyond their means, was an outpouring of God’s grace; so, the Corinthians were encouraged to “excel in this grace.” Our giving to Christ’s Church and Its endeavors is an act of grace and acknowledgement of God’s abundant grace.