There are many ways in which Christianity has been, and is being, revisioned. The Protestant reformers revisioned medieval Catholicism; and Pentecostals have revisioned rational Protestantism. Deconstructionist liberals and conservative nationalists seek to revision the Christian faith after their respective (and defective) political visions. In truth, the Christian faith has always embraced diverse cultural and theological tongues.
While I can joyfully embrace the diversity of Christianity, I must also be careful to be faithful to Jesus Christ and live in obedience to his words. The Christian church is called to guard the truth (Matthew 7:15; 1 Timothy 6:20; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Peter 3:17). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Not every re-visioning of the Faith reflects the truth.
In the re-visioning of historic Christianity, I refuse to embrace any expression of the Faith that doesn’t begin with the first words of Jesus – “…repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Jesus’ call to repent is first addressed to the Jews, those “to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises” (Romans 9:4). That Jesus called the Jews to repentance should remind us that he also has called the church to repent (Revelation 2:5, 16; 3:3, 19). The call to repentance extends beyond God’s priestly people and includes all humanity because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus’ call to repentance reminds us that “all of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). The Greek metanoéō (repent) literally means to “turn around.” Jesus is calling us to turn from our own way, and to follow him. To repent is to change the orientation of our lives. We turn to face Christ, and as we look into his face we are transformed (1 John 3:1-3).
Jesus calls us to believe in the gospel. This is more than a rejection of unbelief; it is also a call to change our beliefs. Humans are thinking creatures. As we insist on thinking in our own ways our minds grow accustomed to the darkness of life without the enlightenment of God (Genesis 6:5; Deuteronomy 12:8; Psalm 14:1-3). God has given humans the choice to eat of the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9, 15-17; Proverbs 3:13ff). The Tree of Life is the knowledge of God; the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is knowledge without God. All too often, humans prefer the fruit of knowledge of good and evil; a life without God which asserts total human autonomy. As fully autonomous beings, humans establish our own laws without God. We are convinced that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil opens our eyes. But, history demonstrates that the fruit of this tree is poisonous and ends in destruction and death.
Jesus’ call to “repent and believe in the gospel” reminds us that we must often return to the beginning of our Faith. An ancient Christian preacher exhorted “…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Too much re-visioning of the Faith is being done with defective eyes, injured by the logs and splinters that issue forth from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, if we repent and believe we will enjoy the abundant fruit of the Tree of Life, which is medicine for the human soul. With healed eyes we may revision the Faith in the light of Christ and old things will pass away; all things will be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
