Faith and Formulae
"By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them." Hebrews 11:28, New King James Version
"It's easy," writes R.C. Sproul, "to get faith into our heads. It's hard to get faith into our bloodstream."
Thus I find it inspiring that the author of Hebrews 11:28 finds faith in keeping. On the other side of Passover's true meaning in the Last Supper and the cross, on the other side of everyone save Jesus missing that meaning, he won't discount the role of ritual and habit in demonstrating and building faith.
The parallel, of course, isn't exact. The keeping of which Hebrews 11:28 initially speaks isn't veneration. It's risk. It's a captive people mistrusted already as a national security vulnerability marking their own doors with blood so that they stand out more to their Egyptian neighbors who are grieving and could easily be bitter and suspicious.
Yet, how are we, Christian, often called to identify with that at-risk distinctiveness but by carrying out habits, and rituals, and forms amid a world that often seek novelty as an analgesic fix against the perpetual pain of estrangement from God? Turning to God's Word is a habit handed down to us, and that's more than okay. It's blessed. It is a means of conveying and demonstrating faith.
The assembling of ourselves together, including in a reenactment of Passover, is a habit, a ritual, and, yes, a means and demonstration of faith. By the movement of our lips and our limbs in accordance with the blessed tradition handed to us by the sovereignty of God, we get faith into our bloodstream.
Of course, we can, but for that grace, uphold the traditions and go through the motions bereft of faith. Everybody keeping the Passover as a prelude to Christ's Passion who missed the ceremony's greater meaning is proof of that. So, yes, we are well advised to continually examine WHY we do what we do. Children, or attracting a new following of any kind, can help with that.
If we have to, as with Passover, explain WHY, with each explanation, we examine ourselves. With each explanation and examination, we are, perhaps, at least a little more susceptible to the conviction and softening of grace and mercy, at least a little less likely to eat and drink damnation to ourselves. We are not called to lifeless tradition, but to tradition infusing life with continuity and confession.
"It's easy," writes R.C. Sproul, "to get faith into our heads. It's hard to get faith into our bloodstream."
Thus I find it inspiring that the author of Hebrews 11:28 finds faith in keeping. On the other side of Passover's true meaning in the Last Supper and the cross, on the other side of everyone save Jesus missing that meaning, he won't discount the role of ritual and habit in demonstrating and building faith.
The parallel, of course, isn't exact. The keeping of which Hebrews 11:28 initially speaks isn't veneration. It's risk. It's a captive people mistrusted already as a national security vulnerability marking their own doors with blood so that they stand out more to their Egyptian neighbors who are grieving and could easily be bitter and suspicious.
Yet, how are we, Christian, often called to identify with that at-risk distinctiveness but by carrying out habits, and rituals, and forms amid a world that often seek novelty as an analgesic fix against the perpetual pain of estrangement from God? Turning to God's Word is a habit handed down to us, and that's more than okay. It's blessed. It is a means of conveying and demonstrating faith.
The assembling of ourselves together, including in a reenactment of Passover, is a habit, a ritual, and, yes, a means and demonstration of faith. By the movement of our lips and our limbs in accordance with the blessed tradition handed to us by the sovereignty of God, we get faith into our bloodstream.
Of course, we can, but for that grace, uphold the traditions and go through the motions bereft of faith. Everybody keeping the Passover as a prelude to Christ's Passion who missed the ceremony's greater meaning is proof of that. So, yes, we are well advised to continually examine WHY we do what we do. Children, or attracting a new following of any kind, can help with that.
If we have to, as with Passover, explain WHY, with each explanation, we examine ourselves. With each explanation and examination, we are, perhaps, at least a little more susceptible to the conviction and softening of grace and mercy, at least a little less likely to eat and drink damnation to ourselves. We are not called to lifeless tradition, but to tradition infusing life with continuity and confession.
Comments
Post a Comment