Salvation: National and Individual

It's been a while since I've written in my blog.  Between packing to move, moving, unpacking and working on the house, and trying to take things easy because I over-did it - I haven't made writing much of a priority.  I have spent time on Facebook and today I posted this quote from Richard Rohr:

"Salvation for the Jews was a social and historical notion, not this much later regression into “How can I personally go to heaven?” This gross individualism pretty much destroyed the historical influence and sweep of the Judeo-Christian religions. Individuals sought to be privately correct instead of learning how to stay connected with everything else. This has really done us in." -- Richard Rohr - Adapted from Jesus’ Plan for a New World: The Sermon on the Mount, p. 11

A friend replied with this:  "I don't know if I get what you are talking about, but each one of us are responsible for our decision to accept Jesus as our "personal" Savior. He IS the only way to heaven, and the rest is just what you said "Judeo-Christian RELIGION."

I love writing and find it a wonderful way to connect with God, myself and others.  These two quotes from two Kansans ;-)  encouraged me to delve within myself, clarify and reply.  

JoAnn is a special friend. I accepted Jesus as my Saviour on October 11, 1975,  and the summer I was home from Bible school, I'd go to JoAnn's house every morning at 6AM and we'd watch "The Jim and Tammy Show" (back when Tammy Faye didn't wear cosmetics) and we'd talk about Jesus before I went to work. She was a great encourager.  As I look back, I am amazed at the amount of love she poured into me as a baby Christian.  She was a busy mother of two young children, was actively participating in a marriage, was busy in her church, kept a spit-shined home, always had her make-up on and looked well dressed, and spent time behind her piano praising and worshiping the Lord both privately and publicly (and has cut several albums solo and with groups). I am grateful for her input into my life at that vulnerable time of transitioning from being a Sinner (yes, with a capital S) to being a Christian (the capital honors God, not me). She was God's hands extended. Through the years, we lost contact. I married, moved to another town, became a Mom and our life was cycling in different directions and we seldom contacted except for a quick hello if we ran into each other in her town which was my Mom's town, too. God brought us together for that season and I respect JoAnn's input into my life.  If you read this, thank you, JoAnn, for your loving example you gave to me that summer. 

Having given the wonderful history JoAnn and I share, I will now break-out my thoughts on Rohr's quote to better understand my current thoughts on soteriology:

ROHR:  Salvation for the Jews was a social and historical notion 

ME:  The past few years, I've done some studying about how Jewish faith would have been at the time of Christ. I've even joined some sites to talk to Jews about their faith and their faith history. I find the whole thing fascinating because I feel closer to Christ as I learn how He would have practiced his faith. I realize I'm still a beginner in understanding the Jewishness of Jesus, but I have gained a small elementary understanding of Jewishness; so hopefully my understanding is less filtered through my North American cultural biases. Removing those filters is difficult but, in my opinion, very important in properly understanding the Bible - and thus my faith.  As I read my Old Testament and the words of my Lord Jesus, I see group or national salvation.. not much about individual salvation... individual salvation is more pronounced in Paul's writings. Jews do not believe in original sin; so trying to box Christian roots into original sin doesn't give an accurate view, in my opinion, and distorts faithful comprehension.  Thus, in my understanding, in Judaism, as the nation is saved (comes to holiness and righteousness) then the individual experiences salvation (holiness and righteousness); wherein most North American Christians believe that as the individual gets saved, the nation will become holy.  A lot of Jesus' sayings were about restoring Israel, as a nation, back to God. Thus, I agree with Rohr that salvation is more then an individual response but is a corporate response.  

ROHR: not this much later regression into “How can I personally go to heaven?

ME:  Having been raised in North America, I'm just as vulnerable to seeing everything in that filter's "What about me" or "What's in it for me" context - that egocentric place that Jesus was tempted with during the 40 days in the wilderness.  All three temptations, but especially the third, are steeped in the "What about me" as an individual; yet my Lord shook off that self-honouring position to humbly become God-honouring. I'm just coming to the place where I perceive myself as part of the body of Christ, rather then as an individual cell in His body.  As I die to self, I put aside the "what about me" and more often think "what about Thee" - both God and others. No, I don't have it mastered; but at least I finally realize it is a possibility and at times I feel that attitude being active in my life. The more I realize I'm "in Him" the less important my individuality is to me. It's more an unfolding - like a beautiful rose that goes from a tiny leaf to a stem with many leaves to a bud to a full-grown rose.

ROHR: " This gross individualism pretty much destroyed the historical influence and sweep of the Judeo-Christian religions."

ME:  I have read a few articles and heard several sermons on the atonement and soteriology. I was surprised that both have had changes throughout the years. Looking back at Jewish history - most of the animal sacrifices were national and not individual. From my non-Jewish perspective, it seemed there was more focus on individual impurity - which has nothing to do with sin. Things like touching dead bodies, having a menstrual period, having sex, etc. It didn't make you sinful; it just made a person unclean and hindered their participation in religious acts. Back when I was studying this, I really struggled with the concept a person could be unclean but not be sinful; or be sinful (even the sin of murder) and still be ceremoniously clean.

Having been both a fundamentalist and a liturgist, the word religion has a very different definition in each.  As a fundamentalist, religion is a bad thing that hinders relationship. One pastor gave the definition of religion as "you tell God what you're going to do for Him and tell Him that He has to accept it."  But as a liturgical person, he word treligion carries the definition as wholeness; maybe a better way to describe it would be the sum of belief, practice, history and experience of a relationship with God.  Since the quote was from a Franciscan priest, the definition of religion, in my opinion, would be closer to the second one. 

Although not mentioned in this Rohr quote, from what I've read, Jews were more integrated nationally - the Old Testament law nurtured and controlled it; that national integration filtered down to individuals.  Jews were more holistic; they did not break physical and spiritual into two different columns. I think post-modern North Americans have tried to break their life into physical, spiritual, sexual, soulish, vocational, etc. realms. They see themselves as so many little pieces, they no longer know who they are; but don't perceive their own (my own) fragmentation from humankind. Fragmentation brings disenfranchisement.  This not recognizing our wholeness, makes it easier to not see the world as a whole and other people and creation as part of me.  When I see myself as an individual; I see every person as "other" instead of part of God's creation; but that is lonely so the individual finds a few more who have something in common so it becomes us against them:  Christians v non-Christians; Democrats v Republicans; women v men; pink-skin v brown-skin; straight v gay; Sinners v holies, This makes it easier to pick up a gun and kill another, to kill a reputation with gossip, to destroy the ecosystem we all share. My need to protect my fragmentation and my group's fragmentation makes it easier to avoid being vulnerable and authentic to sharing my/our brokenness with others, keeps individuals disenfranchised and stops me from being Christlike. Christ was often criticized by the Pharisees for having relationships with hookers, swindlers (tax collectors), oppressors (Roman soldiers & centurions), women, etc.

Several places in the book of Acts talk about family and/or household salvation.  I didn't study about it, but it seems that not all Biblical salvation was individual. From what little I have read on Christian history, the lessons Jesus taught changed when Constantine made Christianity the national religion of the Roman Empire.  The Celts "saved" Christianity.... or would it be presumptions to say the Celtic church started by St. Patrick "saved" "Salvation?"
 
When I grow in melding the various aspects of myself into one; and then I can continue growing and I pray I'll see all of God's creation as part of me and me as part of it: so I will come to cherish it because He created it for His pleasure (Rev. 4.11) and since I'm in him - vicariously for my pleasure. My university chemistry teacher quoted Col 1.17 "By Him all things are held together."  He said scientists have tried to determine why the electron doesn't go flying off the neutron/proton - and He said that was answered in the Bible.  Some scientists say it's an electromagnetic force; but I believe it is God and because of that belief - that means God is in ALL things since He chose to make all things of atoms.

As I see myself as an individual - then I self-deceive into thinking I deserve rights, privileges, honor, blah, blah and I blind myself to seeing my opinions as right.  As I see myself as part of a group; then I self-deceive into thinking my group deserves rights, privileges, honor, blah, blah and is undeniably right. But as I perceive myself as one small part of ALL that is held together by God, it does something wonderful. It helps open me to looking for God in others and in everything. I can look out my window at the forested mountains and see God and it comforts me. I can hear God in the raindrops and feel loved. I can feel God's love when the neighbor's dog slams against my window to get a treat and greet me;  I can hear God in the laughter of a friend; or a smile with eye-contact.  From receiving that love poured into me, I am compelled to pass that on to others. The more places I can perceive God, the move loved by God I feel and the more love I can pass on to others.


ROHR: Individuals sought to be privately correct instead of learning how to stay connected with everything else. 

ME: One of my favorite quotes (God gave it to me) is, "When you get to heaven, I'm not going to ask you if your doctrine was correct; I'm going to ask you if you were open to Love."  And what greater example is there of God's Love then our Saviour, Jesus Christ? None. He's the apex and example of Love.

I agree, JoAnn, we individually respond to the call of salvation and accept it or reject it - not only once but over and over and over and over every time we chose to receive and give God's love. But if we only see Christianity as an individual event for an individual human for an individual moment and not as a corporate, national, earth and galactic event - then there is, in my opinion, room for growth.

I'm only speaking about my walk with Christ. I'm sure others are at different places and shake their head wondering why I didn't arrive here decades ago; or they may wonder what am I rambling about.  That's okay. It's God who promised to both will and do His work in us.... individually and corporately. (Phil 2.13). 

I liked that quote of Rohr's because I feel sad and burdened that so many people (including myself at one time) lived with the godless attitude of "Bless us four and no more."  I'm growing so I can now pray "Bless Creation - Bless all people and all of Creation."  For me, that feels right. I'm in process so my understanding will change and that's okay, too; I don't want to stagnate.

Debbie