Scott Freeman

Why I Worship (A Soteriological Journey, Part One)

I’m prone to questioning. That accounts for my opting to do my undergrad work in Philosophy. I am, by nature, a seeker. A questioner and a critic.

And so I’ve spent a fair amount of time trying to develop an epistemology that accounts for the presence of the Divine. But the more I delved into such things as apologetics or, better said, “Christian Evidences” the less pleased I was with its reliability and veracity.

To paraphrase my musician buddy Michael Mcdermott there is a chapter missing on proof. And all the Christian evidences in the world can’t bridge the gap between faith and knowing.

But yet I believe. With every fiber of my being I have faith that this is real and true. My faith is part intuitive, part intellectual, part idealism and part pure hope.

But I have faith. And at the end of the day that is just what it is: faith. I do believe and I will die believing.

But there is another realization that has come clear to me. That’s not enough to worship God. I need more than just an assent, intellectual or otherwise, that there is a God. I will not hitch my wagon to the worship train just because I believe He exists.

I need to know that He cares about me. I will not worship God unless I believe also that He is good. Fear alone will not induce me to fall to my knees.

And that belief is central to my faith. I worship because there is a God and that God is good.

I read a blog recently by a high-profile Christian writer. In this particular entry he made the claim that TD Jakes is not a Christian because he holds the wrong view of the Trinity.
Now, I am a Trinitarian, I think. I believe that is the correct interpretation. At least that’s what I’ve alway been taught.

But I’ll be dad-gummed if I can say that I have it nailed down and I can prove it. Because say what you want Scripture is not crystal clear on the subject. The word never even appears.
Yeah, I know that the Lord my God is One but I cannot state with definitive certainty what that truly means.

And my point is this: I no longer worship a God who will forever inflict a soul to hell because of the lack of understanding on passages of Scripture that is unclear. I don’t believe for a moment that is the character and nature of our God.

There is so much in Scripture that is not clear enough to say with certainty. Doctrines have arisen through the last two thousand years based upon our own fallible interpretations that no writer was ever inspired enough to be crystal clear on. Eschatology, the method of salvation, instrumental music, etc are just too vague for me to believe that God is going to condemn me because I don’t fully understand the right thing about the role of women. Or election. Or where Jesus went while He was in the tomb.

And I have to realize that I just ain’t smart enough to understand all of this. Paul confuses me a lot. Heck, he even confused Peter. I wouldn’t worship if I labored under the fear that God was going to strike me down based solely upon orthodoxy. It just doesn’t jibe with the God that I have come to know and love. The God that loved me so much He gave His Son for me. That level of sacrificial love cannot be so capricious to condemn me for areas that I just can’t get nailed down.

I worship God because He is good. He is patient with us. And He would not leave us a definitive Source and fail to be definitive on so much of the doctrine that we have made litmus tests.

So the question is what is truly definitive? I believe it’s Jesus, pure and simple.

And how do we develop a soteriological understanding of God and our relationship to Him? We shall see.