Back to the Beginning

Back to the Beginning

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

July 22, 2018

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 4: 1-12

Genesis 12: 1-4

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

 Hampden-Sydney Rhetoric program

Paul’s Argument  

Problem – Statement on Sin

Solution = Faith

Define and Prove

Back to the Beginning

Romans 4: 1-12

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[a]

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”^[b]

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. ¹⁰ Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Why does Paul go back to Abraham?

Remember Pharisees – job to pass on blessing

What do we mean by Abrahamic blessing?

Old Testament Lesson

Genesis 12: 1-4

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.^[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”^[b]

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him;

Original Pharisee understanding -- law

Now New Jesus understanding

So thinking rhetorically

            Object – Law is not essential

            Instead Righteousness by faith

Paul has to reach everyone

            Some take it at face value

            Jesus said it to him, so I’m in

But others might need more.

How is this new idea of faith not a huge departure from Judaism?

            What we know to be the truth?

So look at this Rhetorical strategy

            Back to the beginning, appeal to and through what they already know, within the tradition

And its not just rhetoric, it also matches his study

            Remember 11 years pass since road to Damascus

            During that time he is studying the Hebrew Bible he knew so well,

            Law / Prophets – and Jesus just jumps of the page for him

Leads him to the question, has the law always been?

What was Judaism before the Law?

This is a good plan used often. . .

Especially in times where the church was questioned

Renaissance

            Crusades, new knowledge of ancient world, science, study, Aristotle

            From Muslim Golden age

The Plague – 2/3 dead – people turned away, were not loving neighbor

Promises of the church gone bad

Separation between church and God

Allows for Reformation

How do reformers retrieve truth?

Bible – sola scriptura

            Why is the Bible so important?

                        Predates the church – therefore uncorrupted

                        Like Paul Going back to the beginning

Another time church questioned is during Enlightenment

            Science and rationalism pose new threat to Christian faith

            1^st Great Awakening

            Back to the beginning, finds the seeds of science within the Biblical narrative

            Use the language of Enlightenment to renew the message

            “Divine and Supernatural light” Jonathan Edwards

New time of freedom

Leads to American Revolution

See it’s effective

            And this is what Paul Does in going back to Abraham

            Strip away all those years of tradition and find what is essential

Abraham

            Walk of faith

            Goes astray again and again

            Work in progress

                        Morality issues but keeps walking

            His faith drives him

                        Promise of Isaac

                                    Sarah too old, he too old

                                    Ishmael and Hagar

                                    But then Mt. Moriah

                                                Sacrifice your son

                                                Act of pure faith

                                    Hear Isaac say Where is the Lamb?

                                    Abraham says “God will provide”

Obviously we hear shades of Jesus the lamb of God

But how otherwise does it relate

What do we gleen from going back to the beginning

1.      The events – Faith and Relationship

2.      The process – Paul’s process the method

Looking for essentials – Stripping away layers to get at what is important –

sometimes those layers are years. . . sometimes other things

The Foolish Rabbit

Thoreau bulletin

Take away all things find out what is missed

Science experiments – Science projects – the control

Best way To find out what is crucial – see it gone and miss it

Chapel at boarding school – always trying thing to make it relevant

            Wouldn’t try volunteer

Christchurch early service – no music

Catholic mass – Sacraments only – ritual

Reformation

What about for us?

What was this church like at the beginning?

When it was being built?

When it was thriving? When it was growing?

When it didn’t have any money? Etc.

What could we take away?

What would we miss?

What are the essentials of church?

            From Paul we learn about Faith and Relationship

This week we focus on children

Do we miss having classrooms filled, programs filled, Sunday school with age groups and grades

Vacation Bible School gets kids here for this week

Jesus says to be truly great, welcome a little child in his name

Service – Doing

Working together

These are quite essential to what church is. . .