Skip to main content

America's McJesus

 McJesus, by Jani Leinonen, “Sacred Goods," Haifa, Israel 
This week, as I sat at my computer browsing through some of the art featured in the "Sacred Goods" exhibit in Haifa, Israel, I was drawn to the sculpture created by Jani Leinonen entitled, "McJesus". Recently, this sculpture has been the cause of protests by the Catholic church in Israel, as they seek a court order to have this sculpture removed from the exhibit.

As my mind began to process the image of Ronald McDonald hanging on a cross, reminiscent of Jesus' sacrifice for sin, I recalled some of the discussions of Francis Schaeffer regarding art. In "How Should We Then Live", he spoke of how art is often a window that provides a view of how society around us interprets the world. For Christians, this means that as we examine art, listen to the radio, or watch television we should be aware that we are hearing another person's commentary on life.

This exhibit was about how consumerism has become a religion of its own. That each day, countless people continue the process of searching for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment, not through religious activities, but through the pursuit of possessions. There is also another message, the statement that there are individuals who possess only a superficial interest in Christianity who ignore any philosophical or ethical implications of their "faith".

I thought back to earlier discussions that had taken place during Bible study earlier in the week regarding the second chapter of James.

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what food is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

As we discussed the relationship between faith and works, we concluded that Scripture views them as inseparable, that how we act is an expression of what we believe. Where James would say that faith without works is a dead (James 2:17), Paul would agree that our faith is revealed by our works of love (Gal 5:6). This is why he calls us to consider our actions in a similar manner to Paul, who also calls us to examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5).

As we examine ourselves in light of this faith/works relationship, we are safeguarded from two things.

We realize that faith apart from works is empty. It is a dead faith. Our salvation depends on more than a mere belief in the existence of Jesus. James goes on to say that "even the demons believe" (James 2:19), and Jesus himself said that there will be some that, in effect, know about Jesus, but did not have a relationship with him (Matt 7:21-23). So salvation is more than just knowledge about the person of Jesus.

We also realize that works in themselves are a dead end. Salvation is not earned by the completion of a checklist but is offered on the basis of Christ's perfect work for us. It is by faith that we trust in the finished work of Jesus rather than place our confidence in our own righteousness, of which we have none, our works are as lawless deeds before a Holy God (Rom 4:1-8).

It is through this lens that we see salvation. It is through this faith/works relationship that we believe (John3:16), and that this belief is manifested by our actions (John 3:21). Christianity is about belief and action, our faith (trust/confidence) is in Jesus's work as Savior, and our work is an expression and demonstration of our obedience to Jesus as Lord.

Salvation, by faith justified, by works exemplified.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why the Virgin Birth Matters

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary...  Since the era of the Enlightenment, there have been objections to the authenticity of Jesus' birth found in the gospel narratives of Matthew and Luke. Some scholars have suggested that early Christians borrowed mythical elements from ancient literature in an attempt to adapt the gospel to a Hellenistic (Greek) culture (1), while others have suggested that there has been an error in translating the word almah, leading to a conclusion that the original authors did not explicitly express. Many versions of the Bible render this word as virgin while critics argue that it should be translated young woman or maiden. William Beck, who has done extensive research of the word comments,   I have searched exhaustively for instances in which almah might mean a non-virgin or a married woman. Ther...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do Not Lose Heart

Anytime someone asks me how God speaks to us today, my first response is through the Bible. God's primary means of communicating to us about who he is and who we are is found in his own revelation to us in Scripture. In the Old Testament, he speaks to us throughout history, through poetry, through his law, and by the mouths of his prophets. In the New Testament, he speaks through his Son - Jesus, as we read the eye-witness accounts of the gospels, see the creation and confession of the early church, and are encouraged by the writings of the apostles. God primarily  speaks through his word... but he can also speak through our circumstances, through situations and other people. This morning, I was reminded of the latter. In our Sunday School class, we have decided to devote one Sunday each month to focus on prayer. Rather than have prayer be the two shorter bookends to a longer lesson or lengthy discussion, one Sunday each month we have decided to invert our "order of se...
1 comment
Read more

Judge Not

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Matthew 7:1-6 (ESV)  "Judge not" has become the mantra of our culture as it increasingly seeks to equate tolerance  with acceptance . Many people attempt to use Jesus's words here as a means to prohibit someone from evaluating the choices of another. The irony is, these same people are guilty of the very thing Jesus is warning us about. It is obvious ...
Post a Comment
Read more