Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Confirming Representations Of The Faith

Confirming Representations Of The Faith

Last updated on: October 6, 2024 at 2:35 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

Confirming Representations Of The Faith 2024-10-06T02:35:33-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lawrence OP: Paul Met With Peter To Confirm His Place In The Church And His Expression Of The Faith /flickr

The Christian faith is not faith in a book; it certainly is not a faith in mere men and women, and what they have to say. Yes, Scripture is invaluable, as it gives us a form of God’s revelation to humanity, and the Holy Spirit helped inspire the way it was written and collected together so that if it is engaged properly, it can point us to the transcendent truth. Yes, tradition is important, as it helps guide us in our engagement of revelation, both those contained in Scripture as well as private revelations of any kind (including natural revelation, that is, the way we can ascertain truths of the faith through nature). Tradition makes sure Christians can and will be able to speak with each other in regards the faith, as, through it, they will not only possess a common vocabulary, but also a common understanding of what is central to the Christian faith. But, despite the importance of Scripture and tradition, we must not confuse either as being an exhaustive representation of Christ’s Gospel. His Gospel, which is given an iconic form in Scripture, transcends Scripture and tradition, as it contains more than can ever be spoken of or known by us. Christ and his work is not limited to the letter of the written Gospel or tradition. He can and does reveal himself in a variety of ways, a variety of forms. When he does so, he gives those who are open to it, the wisdom, insight, and grace they need for their own spiritual wellbeing, which is exactly what he did with St. Paul:

For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus (Gal. 1:11-17 RSV).

We are so used to the way Christianity developed over the centuries, the way many of its teachings have been presented, both in Scripture and through tradition, we forget how Christianity existed in the first century. Initially, believers did not have any written Gospels, nor did they have the developed understanding of the faith which tradition was able to provide to subsequent generations; rather, they relied on their own experience (especially if they were alive and followed Christ during his temporal ministry), or the experience of others who had direct contact with Christ, as well as the Hebrew Scriptures and their own cultural experience. Much of what they had come to believe was new and mysterious, and they did not think they had to conform themselves to written texts, but rather, they thought they could and should provide texts for future generations which conformed to their lived experience. They did not want us to think Christianity should become a “religion of the book,” which is why those, like Paul, could explain from experience the kind of problems that kind of mindset could bring. Paul did not want us to stick to the letter of the book, but to look beyond it to its proper meaning, the spirit behind the text. Early on, he did not do so, and this is one of the things which led Paul to be hostile to Christ and the Christian faith. Yet, even those who were mistaken, like Paul, could have had good intentions, and a faith in God which allowed them to transcend themselves, to accept that they were wrong and change their ways, when they encountered the work of Christ in their lives.

Now, to be sure, we should not ignore a Scriptural text, and a proper examination of what it can mean on the simple level, and how it could and would have been understood when it was first accepted as Scripture, we must not use such an analysis to limit what we can get from it. We certainly must not limit our faith to that which has been written down, let alone, to the most literal interpretation of that text. Our faith should transcend that; it should have us interact with Christ (and the rest of the Trinity), learning that which we could not learn merely from reading texts, no matter how good the text is. Our faith should produce in us good works, works which others can see and use to discern the grace of Christ in our lives. Paul, therefore, encountered Christ and was transformed by that encounter, which was evident later when he met with Peter and James, who, upon seeing it, was not only able to confirm the truth of his conversion, but that Christ even called him to be an apostle like them: ”Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:18-19 RSV).

Scripture and tradition are important, because they often introduce us to the basics of the Christian faith, even as they serve as a common foundation for all of us to have, a way to talk with each other about our own spirituality and experiences with God. But we must not confine the Christian faith to one particular representation of it, even if it is an inspired one, such as the one found in Scripture; we must appreciate how all representations are limited in what they reveal, that there is always more which God can and does do than what is show to us in any particular representation of the faith. This is not to say that the faith is to be a free-for-all, that any way people want to present it can be and will be affirmed as valid. We can be mistaken in our understanding, either of what we have learned through study of the faith, or through our experiences of the faith. What we say, and the meaning of our words, must be shown to conform to the common ground which God rightfully has directed the church to have. This is why every teaching, and everyone who would presume to teach on some level, about the faith, needs to be examined to see if it conform to the Gospel of Christ. This why Paul had to meet with Peter and Paul so that his place and authority in the Christian community could be affirmed. We should also note, Paul did this only three years after his conversion; if he had begun his apostolic mission immediately after being converted, he would not have been able to have his faith, his conversion, confirmed (indeed, many Christians would have assumed he was setting them up with a trap). We should learn the wisdom of this, and make sure converts take time to get to know their faith, but also to have their conversion confirmed, and their understanding of the faith properly purified before any of them take up the mantle of teacher in any fashion. This is something which early Christians recognized but sadly, something which seems lost today as many converts use their status as convert to gain fame and become a teacher when they are not ready to teach, that is, when they should still accept that they are learning the faith and need to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

General Christian

Previous Post

October 3, 2024

How To Be Good

Next Post

October 8, 2024 The Challenges Of Fame

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz