The Statement of Faith Revision

I appreciate the depth of Tim Strand's insights.

I encourage us to not be too esoteric in crafting a statement of faith. My perception of our culture, today, is that folks want open and embracing instead of foreboding and exclusionary; to which I would add, "...while preserving our values."

Might we even consider a word other than "Gospel?" When I see that word, my mind goes immediately to the Synoptic Gospels and John. My understanding is that all Scripture is the story of this "...one God, all-knowing and all-powerful, [who] has, in love and grace, purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to restore His fallen creation for His own glory."

Perhaps, instead of "Gospel," a word like "revelation" or "truth" or even "purpose towards us?"

First, I was really hoping for a statement on God the Father. Especially in our religious climate today, we can't take an understanding of God for granted. And, I think evangelicals in general tend to be fuzzy in their understanding of God the Father.
Second, can't anyone come up with a better word than "person" to distinguish the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Today's English word is not equivalent to the old Latin word used in the creeds, and contributes to the incorrect belief that we worship three Gods.

Jerry Foote
Muscatine, Iowa

Jerry Foote:
The word "persons" is perhaps the most important word in the statement - as you mentioned, not everyone in today's culture is Biblically literate, and that word is necessary to stress the, well, person-hood of each member of the trinity.

However, we are not polytheists, nor do we want to be perceived as such. In that regard, the phrase "loving unity" could be reconsidered - it does convey a sense of fellowship, but I'm concerned that it doesn't put enough emphasis on the "one-ness" of the Trinity.

Tim Reineke
Boone, Iowa

I'm a simple kind of guy so I did a search for God's Gospel in the online Blueletter Bible. here's what I got:

Sorry! the words God's gospel don't occur together in the KJV.

There appears the "gospel of God" which I thought meant the good news about God which is for men. God's gospel sounds like a generic phrase that could mean anything revealed in Scripture; not necessarily about salvation. How does this clarify? Doesn't it rather complexify (new word)?
Broadening terms usually indicates making room for more conflicting views. Are we pitching a bigger tent just for church growth, or is it for evangelical ecumenicalism?

There are several things literally named as God's in SCripture; but no gospel:

God's occurs 26 times in 25 verses:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen 28:22 And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen 30:2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, [Am] I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen 32:2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This [is] God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Num 22:22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants [were] with him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deu 1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; [but] ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment [is] God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring [it] unto me, and I will hear it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2Ch 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neh 10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job 33:6 Behold, I [am] according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job 35:2 Thinkest thou this to be right, [that] thou saidst, My righteousness [is] more than God's?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Job 36:2 Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that [I have] yet to speak on God's behalf.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mar 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luk 18:29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luk 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jhn 8:47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Act 23:4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rom 13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1Cr 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1Cr 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ [is] God's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1Cr 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tts 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

God's blessing!

Elder Mike

The word "trinity" doesn't appear in Scripture, either.

Hi Jack...

A point well taken however, although "trinity" does not appear in the Bible, the words "God's" and "gospel" do... just not together in the form selected as the entire organizational center of the "refreshment" (whatever happened to that description of the process?) of the SOF. The term "God's gospel" is not inspired, although the "Gospel of God" is. In my opinion, "God's gospel" is not restrictive enough a nucleus to build a SOF upon, thus it becomes an ecumenical term that could be manipulated to "cover" a large surface area. I believe it is not descriptive enough of the EFCA heritage. That heritage was built upon and about the Word of God, and that fact is mentioned first in the current SOF. This "refreshment" seems to be driven by an extreme shift in emphasis. That is my point my brother. Please address this point.

God bless!

Mike

The Spiritual Heritage Committee wrote this in the commentary that accompanies the 2nd Draft of the proposed RSOF (pg.10):

"God's gospel—
This term, though not commonly used, is entirely biblical (cf. Rom. 1:1; 15:16; 2 Cor. 11:7;
1 Thess. 2:8,9; 1 Tim. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:17). It has been chosen to emphasize that the gospel is from God (cf. esp. Gal. 1:11-17) and supremely for God, before it is for us."

"God's Gospel" is a legitimate translation of at least those biblical instances, and they are in (especially Romans 1) prominent places in the New Testament. It is a God-inspired phrase.

I can see how someone wouldn't like the possessive apostrophe and think of the styling as too casual, but it seems to me to have very strong biblical support.

As I've said before, I think the evangel has been and should be the controlling center for our movement and really like how the RSOF is hung upon it.

-Matt Mitchell
Pastor, Lanse EFC, Lanse, PA

Hi Matt...
Thanks for your response my brother:

I am in complete agreement with you, as I stated in my previous post, that the "Gospel of God" is inspired. In each of the verses mentioned by you this term is used to introduce or refer to, in nearby verses, the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ. The "Gospel of God", from God and about His provision for the salvation of man, is His revelation through the ministry and the work of His Son, Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ is the subject and the provider of the evangel. So then why do we not substitute "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" for "God's Gospel"? What is the purpose of creating the never-used-in-the-Bible term "God's Gospel" and then defining it in the opening paragraph as "the gospel of Jesus Christ" instead of just using the latter to begin with?

Better yet, why aren't the opening words of this rewrite "We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ"? After all, it is belief in Christ that saves, not belief in the news of it. After all, our identity is in Christ, not in the news of it. After all, our very lives are by Christ, not by the news of it.

All the worlds' faiths believe in their Gods' gospels but only one faith believes in Christ. Where better to boldly proclaim Christ and to clearly state our foundation to be Jesus Christ, not the good news of Him, than in the first words of a SOF? And the next words should be stating our beliefs about His Word.

In Christ
Mike

Mike,

I don't think we agree completely. I am saying that "God's gospel" is inspired and does appear in the Bible in all of those instances. Some English versions render "God's Gospel" in some of those places. It is a perfectly legitimate way of describing the gospel and one that emphasizes its divine origin and purpose.

We do completely agree that "God's Gospel" is the good news of Jesus Christ, and that's in fact what the proposed RSOF says. Whether or not it should be the first words or not seems to me to be a difference in emphasis that I don't see as crucial. Our identity is found in Christ, and I think that the proposed RSOF says that very well.

I think that the opening phrases of the proposed RSOF sound a lot like Romans 1--a good place to start, I think.

Blessings,

-Matt Mitchell
Pastor, Lanse EFC, Lanse PA

P.S. Mike, Greg has asked that we include our "full name, city, and state to foster a community atmosphere."

Hi Greg,

Thanks for all your work on the statement so far. A question: In the footnotes to article 1 you mention that you have chosen the phrase "all-knowing" so as to exclude an open theist from signing the document. I'm not sure this phrase will do the job. Wouldn't any open theist agree that God is all-knowing (of everything that it is possible to know, which, they argue, does not include future free choices)? If the statement is to exclude open theists (it most certainly ought to, in my opinion) I think it needs more detailed language at that point.

Warmly,
Bryan McWhite
Pastor for Young Adults and Men's Ministries
Crystal EFC

Bryan,

In the footnotes of the second draft revision, the SHC says "This change was made to simplify the document. We were convinced that only a very long and detailed statement could completely exclude any 'open theist' from signing the statement. These words serve simply as a means of declaring our determination to exclude open theism."

I guess they figured that it wasn't possible to do it with language that wasn't too burdensome.

Matt Mitchell
Pastor, Lanse EFC, Lanse PA