All those who discuss the "personal relationship" aspect of Christianity are not really arguing over these words but their meaning.
For those who want to argue that we don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, you are dead wrong. You do. Jesus died for all people, which includes you (filthy sinner you), and in that way your faith is personal. God has given you this faith in your Baptism and thus it’s relational.
But for those who want to argue that we do have a personal relationship with Jesus, here’s the thing. Personal does not mean autonomous.
If you think of your personal relationship with Jesus as only between you and Him, then you will tend to think of your faith as self-governing, you will mistake your desires and notions with that of Jesus’, you might attempt to use it as an excuse for rejecting your buddy's bride, the Church, and you run the risk of falling into an apostate religion of self.
But you don’t control this "personal relationship" nor what it means for you.
You don't decide to be a part of it. You don't determine how your relationship is going. Jesus does. Your feelings don’t validate the Gospel, your experiences do not determine what God desires of you, and God does not speak to you through your wishy-washy emotions.
“God does not want to deal with us in any other way than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. Whatever is praises as from the Spirit - without the Word and Sacraments - is the devil himself.” SA III, VIII: 10
Jesus achieved your faith. All of it. He made the decision, not you. He won it for you. He delivers it to you in Word and Sacrament. And your personal relationship with Jesus is not left up to you. Thankfully! For if it were left up to us and our obedience, then our faith would have gone to pot long ago.
Rather, your personal relationship is always led by Jesus, formed around Law and Gospel, and bound together in the corporate life of the Church, where your relationship is not dependent upon your attitude, your devotion, or how well you’re doing in your faith. You’re not required to have the perfect emotions or a stress free life.
Very simply, your relationship with Jesus is always made sure and certain as you are personally fed with the lifeblood of His Church: Word and Sacrament. For it’s in the corporate life of Christ’s Church that your personal relationship with Jesus lives and breaths and eats.
Thanks for reading.
Amen, brother. Now...where can I get me one of them sweet hats?
ReplyDeleteHa, the real question is why don't you have one already?
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that is why Jesus instructs us to pray in the plural form of The Lords Prayer. I always wondered why not pray just concerning me but I think a singular prayer misses the point that God looks at the church as a group worthy to come through Christ. Would you agree?
ReplyDeleteEric, yes, exactly, a singular prayer misses the point entirely.
ReplyDeleteWe are privileged to join by faith in prayer with, not only the whole Christian Church, but with Christ Himself. It's His prayer to the Father which Christ gives to us as our Brother, and He lets us join with Him in praying it as the body of Christ. And as members of this one body, we can no more assume an individualistic relationship with God, than we can cut off a finger and assume it will be fine on its own. Luther does a good job pointing this out as well in the Lord's Prayer section of the Large Catechism.
Thanks for the comment Eric!
We have a similar problem with marriage in our culture. We focus on the subjective relationship (how I feel about my spouse) rather than the objective reality (the ring on my finger). It matters not how I feel about my wife from day to day. I am married (have a personal relationship with my spouse) because of the vows we have taken before God and Church. Similarly, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, not because I feel strongly about Him, but because He has laid hold of me in baptism, through His Word.
ReplyDeleteJoshua, very well said! The comparison here with marriage is extremely helpful. I like how you worded it too. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post, Rev. Voltattorni. It's so unfortunate when people think they base faith inward on their corrupted sinful selves rather than recognizing that it rests outward on Word and Sacrament. And if people want to talk about the personal experience, then just look at the incredible gift of Christ coming to us in the Holy Eucharist. Thanks be to God!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see how this post can be extended to prayer. The best way to pray is to use the words that God gave us in the Bible, right? I never quite understood why we ask God for help in prayer. He has things under control. Why should we ask Him to change his plans to better serve us? It seems so self-serving. Isn't it better to keep focused on "thy will be done" in the Lord's Prayer and put our trust in God?
Erik, thanks for your comment. You bring up some good points. I’m assuming that you’re not questioning why we should pray at all but why so much of our prayer is curved in on itself. In this, you’re very right, prayer shouldn’t be self-serving. Christian prayer isn’t. Prayer does not start with our need or our words, but with God and what He has done for us in Christ. And while the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer Christ has objectively taught us to pray, is certainly to be cherished above all ex corde (from the heart) prayer, this does not mean that we should never say any prayer unless it is from the words of Scripture. There is a tension here in upholding the Lord’s Prayer and the Psalms, but not degrading ex corde prayer assuming it is Christ-Centered. Even when we don’t pray the Lord’s Prayer, this is still the template which teaches us to pray, keeping us from selfish, individualist, pagan prayer.
ReplyDeleteGood points!