Lead:

Do you use the phrase, “person of faith?” I used to. Here’s why I think we should avoid it.

Intro:

If you want to strike fear and dread into a preacher — and I know you do! <snicker> — just tell him or her that they need to deliver a sermon on money. The reason, of course, is that they know someone’s gonna be going, “Alright, reverend, now you’re gettin’ personal!” And I’m only half kidding.

Yet that’s exactly what Paul did in what we read yesterday.

A big part of this program isn’t just about what we know, but it’s about what we do with what we know. To be sure, generally speaking there’s a time for direct confrontation and also a time to gauge our words carefully. For me, I have often referred to myself as a “man of faith” or “person of faith,” but I’ve recently changed my position on that. What I do might not be right for you, but I’ll share with you why in today’s All Our Minds segment.

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Bible:

Passage: 2 Corinthians 10-11
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 51
Words: ~1115

All Our Minds:

Alright, so I used to refer to myself as a man of faith. I’m going to tell you why I chose that, why I’m unchoosing it, and what I now do instead. Maybe it works for you, maybe not. And BTW, in just a moment I’m going to refer to an older program, so if you’re newer with us and missed that, find today’s show (#937 at forthehope.org) and there’ll be a link to that.

A couple of months ago I shared with you why I almost didn’t become a Christian, and one thing I mentioned was that I hated the idea of being associated with those TV people asking for your money. The big shift for me — and for anyone — is when your relationship with the God of the universe becomes more important than worrying what other people think of you. That’s true and must remain true.

That said, there is also a time to put on our social-awareness hats. If we want to connect with people, it’s useful to genuinely serve and love them, and that includes not being off-putting.

So for me, a good part of my awareness was that people love to hate on “organized religion.” Never mind that you can’t run a community choir or homeless shelter without some organization, but that’s an objection nevertheless. So I started avoiding the word religion. At first it was because I didn’t want the label, but it grew into me wanting people to know the love of Jesus.

I started, instead, referring to myself as a man of faith. And I was comfortable just working that into conversations… “Well, you know that I’m a man of faith, so I think leadership has to begin with the inherent dignity of all people…” or something like that.

Let me tell you why this isn’t wrong before I tell you why I changed. The Bible calls faith a substance, something tangible. Faith is the assurance that is given us by the Holy Spirit of the thing we put our hope in which, BTW, happens to the Creator of the whole universe. The value of faith is in the strength of the object you put your faith in. Will the chair not break when I sit in it? is an example. So unlike the world’s pejorative, it’s not hoping you win the lottery. This is an awesome thing.

But I was recently challenged when I heard JP Moreland lay out an argument about the intersection of science and Christianity. He made the point that, philosophically, knowledge or understanding anything is always based on something you believe. It can’t happen any other way, and that contrary to cultural claims to the contrary, we can have a higher degree of certainty about the truth claims of Christianity than, say, the definition of what an electron is.

And in passing he said something that rocked me. “Everyone has faith, the question is just in what.”

In other words, every person on the planet is a person of faith. And you can see why me claiming to be a man of faith is now a completely, undistinguished thing to say.

The bottom line

Look, we try to avoid offending people. Like my pastor likes to say, “The Gospel is offensive enough, just don’t make it more so.” And what he means is that the name of Jesus is going to rub some people the wrong way. Jesus himself said so when He told the disciples that if the world hates them, it hated Him first.

So what do I say? “I’m a Jesus-follower.” It’s more specific than “Christian,” and it happens to be exactly what “Christian” means anyway…like Christ.

Maybe that works for you, maybe not. Maybe I change. But at the moment, as I sense the world around me, the most accurate thing to say that doesn’t leave philosophical wiggle room to be misinterpreted.

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 119:121-144
Translation: NCV (New Century Version)
Verses: 32
Words: ~525

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

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The new translation we’re trying this week: New Century Version

Not used today, but stuff I like:

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993). <—this, and it’s OT companion, are great commentaries if you like something more than a study Bible and less than a set of 66 books — they add a lot of interesting details. Keener’s a killer apologist, too.

The Story of Reality, Greg Koukl — Love this book. A killer intro to the Christian worldview that is philosophically and theologically sound while being accessible to all readers.

#937: 2 Corinthians 10-11 | Why I'm no longer a "person of faith" | Psalm 119:121-144