May 17, 2009

Christianity’s Family Tree: Presbyterianism

Tip Toe on the Tulip

Romans 8:28-30

Opening Words: There are six billion people in the world today. Two billion profess to be Christians. What links all these believers together is the very first creed of the church. We find it in Romans 10:9. It says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” From the very beginning the early church knew the importance of the resurrection. It separates us from the rest of the world. Over two thousand years later, the only thing that still really matters is your belief in the resurrection, everything thing else is secondary.

We are in the middle of a eight part sermon series called Christianity’s Family Tree. We have been looking a various branches of Christianity. We have been going in chronological order. To date we have looked at the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church. Today, we look at the next branch of our family tree, the Presbyterian or Reformed Church. Some counts have as many as seventy-five million Calvinists in the world today. There are 2.1 million United Presbyterians in the United States. According to your 2009 AT&T phone book there are thirty congregations listed. How many people here today once proudly called themselves a Presbyterian? We are instructed today from the eighth chapter of Romans, verses twenty-eight through thirty. Let me call this message Tip Toe on the Tulip.

Romans 8:28-30 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

How many of you know the name Susan Boyle? You know her story. She became the darling of the media back on April 11, 2009. She was a contestant on Britain’s version of American Idol, Britain You Got Talent. When she walked out on the stage everyone’s expectations were a little low. She didn’t look like a star. She was the embodiment of the average person; there was nothing about her that stood out. As she prepared herself to sing everyone was ready for a good laugh but the laugh was on her. Her voice was truly outstanding. The judges, including the cynical and harsh Simon Cowell, weren’t just surprised. They were shocked! When was the last time you were shocked? You thought you knew what was going to happen but the unexpected occurred.

Every week in this sermon series I have made a little confession. This is my confession for this week. My reaction to this sermon didn’t just surprise me. It shocked me. In the back of my mind I always thought if I couldn’t be a United Methodist, I would be a Presbyterian. I based that conclusion more on experience, than knowledge. There does not seem to be a great difference between the two denominations. When you drive by a Presbyterian Church and a Methodist Church they appear to be the same. When you look at a Presbyterian congregation and a Methodist congregation, they appear to be the same. Both denominations are made up by the same age groups and hold the same political opinions. Both the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church are facing the same issues. Some of the finest people I have ever known are Presbyterian. Some of the most effective clergy I have ever known are Presbyterian. I have always had a great appreciation for the Presbyterian Church’s emphases on education. It is for these reasons I always thought I would be a Presbyterian preacher, if I wasn’t a Methodist preacher. So no one was more surprised, no one was more shocked than I when I discovered I never could be a Presbyterian. The reason is not people, the reason is theology. I know contemporary Presbyterians have softened their traditional stances on predestination but it is worth looking at their roots.

The Presbyterian Church was founded by a man named John Knox. He was a Protestant Reformer in Scotland. His story and his life are fascinating. He stood united with Martin Luther in his reforms for the church but felt Luther’s reforms did not go far enough. Knox found an ally in his teacher and friend, John Calvin. It was Calvin who wrote the most influential book of the Protestant Reformation, Institutes of the Christian Religion. He would revise that book over a twenty-five year period.

I could never be a Presbyterian because I find Calvin’s theology to be dark and depressing. Calvin had a very high view of God but he also had a very low view of man. Calvin believed there was very little hope of salvation for the average person. Traditional Presbyterian theology carries that opinion. Calvinistic theology stresses the sovereignty of God. Predestination is rooted in this idea. God is all powerful but God is also all knowing. God knows who will be saved, the elect, from the very beginning. Calvin pointed to scriptures like this morning’s scripture to support this stance. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” With his understanding of sovereignty Calvin developed the doctrine of predestination. God knew from the moment you were conceived if you were going to heaven or hell. There is no hint of free will in traditional Calvinistic theology.

Wesleyan theology stresses free will. Everyone has an opportunity of salvation. God is actually leading us to salvation but we are responsible to accept the gift of salvation for ourselves. God trusts us to make the right choice. Nothing would make God happier than everyone spending eternity in heaven with Him.

Calvin’s theology can be summarized in a one word acronym, TULIP. These are the five points.

T - Total Depravity Calvin believed everyone who has ever been born is enslaved to sin. By nature people are more concerned with their own wants than the needs of others. It is impossible for anyone to love God with all their heart, mind and soul. That sounds harsh but the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, did not completely disagree with this point.

U - Unconditional Election Calvin believed God knows who is going to be saved. It was not based on the person’s merit or faith. It was completely dependent on God’s mercy. God knows from the very beginning, who would be saved and who would perish.

L - Limited Atonement Calvin believed Jesus’ death on the cross was not for the salvation of the entire world. Jesus’ death only covered the sins of the elect, predestined by God to be saved.

I - Irresistible Grace Calvin believed it was impossible for the elect not to be saved. They would be overwhelmed by God’s grace.

P -Perseverance Calvin believed the elect would be truly faithful to God until death. Backsliding or rejecting the Gospel meant the person was not saved in the beginning.

It would have been easy to refute each one of these points but my goal is not to denounce Calvin’s theology on which the traditional Presbyterian or Reformed church is built. However, my goal is not to emphasize how we are different. My goal is to celebrate our commonalities. So today I want to talk about three emphases of the Presbyterian Church that adds quality to our family tree. So if you are ready to learn from the Presbyterian Church say, “Amen!”

The sovereignty of God

The Presbyterian Church emphasizes the sovereignty of God. In other words they recognize the supreme authority of God. May we never forget this is God’s world and someday we are going to be accountable to Him! There is nothing in our Wesleyan theology that questions God’s sovereignty.

They tell me in the frigid waters around Greenland there are countless icebergs, some little and some gigantic. If you observe them carefully, you'd notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along by deep ocean currents.

When we face trials and tragedies, it's helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces--surface winds and ocean currents. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, and distressing. But operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that's even more powerful. It is the sure movement of God's wise and sovereign purposes, the deep flow of His unchanging love. If you are thankful for God’s unconditional love and sovereignty say, “Amen!”

The significance of the laity.

The Presbyterian Church emphasizes the significance of the Laity. Several weeks ago we talked about the word “orthodox.” It means “right branch or worship.” The word catholic means “universal.” The Lutheran tradition takes their name from their founder, Martin Luther. The word Presbyterian means “democratically elected lay officials.” From the very beginning the Presbyterian Church recognized the important role of the laity.

In our tradition, clergy are appointed by other clergy to serve a congregation. In the Presbyterian tradition, laity call the clergy to come and serve. From the very beginning everyone understands the importance of the laity. This is not my church. This is your church. I just act in a advisory role. Never underestimate the power of the laity. I am simply here to help you identify and carry out God’s calling for your life. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

In four weeks I will be going to Annual Conference. It is one of the great traditions in Methodism. It is a time to reconnect with others and be revitalized for a new year. Annually at conference we remember everyone who has died in the life of the church over the past twelve months. We will salute everyone who is retiring after years of service. We will ordain new pastor’s and Bishop Hopkins will fix new appointments. I am fully expecting to be appointed back here for a sixteenth year.

Appointments only last one year so technically I have been appointed here sixteen times. In fifteen years we have seen our church change. (If you are new in the last fifteen years raise your hand.) In the past fifteen years I have seen the district change. I am the second longest tendered Elder in this district. It is easy to think this is my church but don’t make that mistake. If I am here fifteen hundred years, this will never be my church. My membership isn’t even held in this church. I am a member of the Annual Conference. This is your church! If this church has made any progress or accomplished something of significance over that period of time it is because of you, the laity. I am just an advisor who helps you do ministry by clearing the way of controlling people or groups. The Presbyterian Church has it right. Never underestimate the power of the laity! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

The development of the mind.

The Presbyterian Church emphasizes the development of the mind. Judith Swanson told Reader’s Digest the story of her Freshman year of high school. She said, “From the day we entered the ninth-grade health class, one blackboard was covered with the names and locations of the major bones and muscles of the human body. The diagram stayed on the board throughout the term, although the teacher never referred to it. The day of the final exam, we came to class to find the board wiped clean. The sole test question was: "Name and locate every major bone and muscle in the human body." The class protested in unison: "We never studied that!" "That's no excuse," said the teacher. "The information was there for months." After we struggled with the test for a while, he collected the papers and tore them up. "Always remember," he told us, "that education is more than just learning what you are told." Henry Ford once said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." That is the story of the Presbyterian Church.

They hold fast to Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Presbyterian Church was decades ahead of many denominations when it came to sponsoring or starting schools of higher education. They believe the Bok Principle is true, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. Never forget, the mind is a terrible thing to waste! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

In Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer attempts to reconcile the seemingly contradictory beliefs of God's sovereignty and man's free will: "An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of sovereignty. "On board the liner are scores of passengers. These are not in chains, neither are their activities determined for them by decree. They are completely free to move about as they will. They eat, sleep, play, lounge about on the deck, read, talk, altogether as they please; but all the while the great liner is carrying them steadily onward toward a predetermined port. "Both freedom and sovereignty are present here, and they do not contradict. So it is, I believe, with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty liner of God's sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history."

The final destination of everyone of faith is heaven! Someday everyone of us is going to die. We are just passengers on a great ocean liner, rearranging the deck furniture. We can debate free will verses predestination for the rest of our lives and it really doesn’t matter. The only thing that really matters is your belief in the resurrection. One of the many things that unite us with the Presbyterians is our belief in the resurrection. Do you remember the very first creed in the history of the church? It says, “you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The Presbyterian or Reformed tradition reminds of three important things about the faith. The first is the sovereignty of God, His ultimate authority. The second is the importance of the laity. This is your church, not mine. The third is education, the development of the mind. The mind is a horrible thing to waste. If you think you can use these things in your spiritual development say, “Amen!”