Once and Done?
I was fortunate in that I had mostly positive experiences in the church when I was growing up. So when I began college, I tried to find a faith community. One met in a building next to my dormitory, so I decided to give it a try.
I mustered the nerve to go to a weekday meeting by myself, and after I found a seat someone from the group came and welcomed me. She asked if I was a Christian and I replied that I was. Then she asked when I was saved. I told her I didn’t recall a specific instance when that took place. I’d been praying and reading the Bible and trying to follow Jesus as long as I could remember. She didn’t buy it.
“You don’t know when you were saved?,” she asked, incredulously. We didn’t speak much longer after that. She was unimpressed by my lack of a radical conversion tale. I wasn’t sure how to prove myself to that audience (and was disappointed that I was required to do so), so my search for community led me elsewhere.
Today’s scripture passage comes from what might have been a letter written to a church in Ephesus. It might also have been written to have that appearance. It is attributed to the apostle Paul, but due to the writing style and some other characteristics, many contemporary biblical scholars believe it was written by disciples of Paul. Regardless, it’s one of several letters in the New Testament, and thus it helps inform the theology of Christians, including what we believe about Jesus.
This passage is only seven verses long, but it says a lot. And it’s not unique in that sense among such writings in the New Testament. Ideas about God, sin, justice, good works, right living, custom, salvation, sanctification, justification, and eternity abound in those letters, which we sometimes refer to as epistles. We can learn a lot about what the first generations of Jesus-followers believed by reading them. You can also see the differences in thought that existed between some of those who followed Jesus. For instance, if you read the letter attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, it stresses the importance of doing good. Today’s passage, on the other hand, downplays the role of good works in achieving salvation.
You can even find seeming inconsistencies in the epistles that are widely understood to be written by Paul. The differences in what he writes could in part be due to the audience or context of his letters, and they also might reflect the evolving nature of his theology. Even what’s written in a single verse can be understood in different ways, and unless you’re fluent in ancient Greek, you’re at the mercy of those who translated the scripture.
Considering all of this, what is a Jesus-follower to take from today’s passage?
A friend of mine recently left the faith community to which he’d belonged for many years, and has been visiting local churches. He told me the other day about the one he’s considering joining. I had heard of them, but didn’t know what they were about. They’re a non-denominational church, but when I visited their web site I learned that they belong to an alliance of churches who share a collection of faith statements. Being a church dork, I took a closer look at them.
I’m going to pause at this point and admit to indulging in some sharpshooting. While I was interested in getting a feel for what they were about, I was looking at their faith statements with a critical eye. I get this honestly as a Christian, particularly one from a tradition dating to the Reformation, which resulted in so much of the denominational splintering that has occurred within Christianity. So while I’m on board when this alliance states that “believers then must rest in the wisdom, grace, and strength of God’s Spirit” (Alliance “Statement on Sanctification”), they lost me with some of their other ideas and practices.
For one, they don’t believe women should be senior pastors. (Alliance “Statement on Church Government”) Aside from the obvious absurdity of maintaining such a practice in this century, churches who are part of this alliance are also eliminating half of the potential candidates from their senior pastor positions. Thus you know that at least half of their employed senior pastors don’t deserve their jobs.
Then there’s the fact that my LGBTQ peers are not welcome there (Alliance “Statement on Sexuality”). The folks at the church would probably argue that point, saying it’s only the sin they hate and not the sinner, but that statement in itself is a red flag.
I’ve not done either of those points justice, but they are discussions worthy of their own reflections. The section of the alliance’s site that finally made me cash in my chips was the one entitled “Statement on the Destiny of Those Who Have Never Heard.” While their statement on church government is eight pages and their statement on sexuality spans two, this other statement — you know, the one dealing with the eternal fate of some billions of people across time who have not heard of Jesus — is a mere two sentences long. That being the case, I’ll share its entirety with you:
The . . . Alliance believes that natural revelation is insufficient for salvation, that Christ’s death and resurrection is the only sufficient ground for salvation, that one must personally repent of sin and turn in faith to Christ to receive the gift of salvation, and that Christ’s atonement is the necessary basis of salvation because humans do not live up to the light received from natural revelation according to Romans 1–3.
We continue to adhere to what we believe to be the clear witness of Scripture that those who do not hear the gospel are lost as surely as those who hear the gospel and reject it.
So if you were not born in a time and place in which the gospel was accessible to you . . . sorry, you are condemned to eternal torment.
Sadly, this desire to establish an in group and an out group is too common in our faith communities and our communities in general. In her writing on today’s scripture passage, Biblical scholar Jennifer Bird offers thoughts on this idea, saying “There is very little in the adult world of continuums and variety that can be so simply labeled. Dualisms are necessary for children in order to help them establish good judgment and healthy, respectful behaviors, but these dualisms are best left behind as one matures in mind, body, and faith.” (Bird, 51707)
In short, reality is more complex than a simplistic “heaven or hell” approach encourages, and the author of that reality certainly must be as well. Maybe that’s why scripture interpretation is an academic discipline unto itself.
Take today’s scripture as an example. There are some things in the passage that are stated clearly. For instance, God is rich in mercy and loves us with a great love. We were saved by grace, not by our own good deeds, though God created us to engage in good deeds. I’d hope any Jesus-follower would agree on all of those points.
It also states that we were dead through our trespasses. By that, is the author of Ephesians saying we are literally deceased because we crossed property lines without permission? Obviously not, and that’s where we need to exercise some interpretation. Does the author mean we were destined for eternal torment because we lived a sinful life? That’s one way of looking at it. Perhaps a better interpretation, though, is that we are living our best life when we are not transgressing on others, and that such is what it means to live life together with Christ.
What, then, does it mean to be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms? The author writes as if we have already reached that point, having been raised together with Jesus by God. It doesn’t sound like that is a place we will reach at some future date. No, these things have have already come to pass to demonstrate God’s kindness.
Some might ask who the author is addressing. Is it just the Jesus-followers in Ephesus? Is it all followers of Jesus at that time? Does it extend to us today? You could argue any of those points. To me, it suggests that God’s grace is intended for us all, across time and space, and that we are following God’s path together. “Not only does it take the shared power of other persons, but it also takes the power of God to break the deadly patterns of the old life.” (Perkins, 39)
I understand how some verses of scripture can be interpreted in different ways, but when an interpretation conflicts with the nature of God as proclaimed by scripture — such as that God is merciful, kind, and loving — it gives me pause. Is a theology that suggests billions of our sisters and brothers will suffer eternal torment worth embracing? Where is the love, grace, mercy, and kindness in that? Is the God of such a theology a God to whom you want to dedicate your life?
Like the young woman from my college who was disappointed by my lack of a radical conversion, many folks believe in a “once and done” conversion experience. You confess your sins, accept Jesus as your savior, and you’re good for the duration. Unless, of course, you’re a public figure and you really mess up, in which case a second and publicized “conversion” might be required.
I used to share that belief about conversion, but it became harder to reconcile over time as my understanding of God and the world expanded. When did this “once and done” rule go into effect? The moment Jesus left the tomb? Once the early Christian church began spreading the gospel? Was everyone who died in Australia and the Americas in that era — who obviously had no knowledge of Jesus — doomed to eternal torment starting in the year 33 CE? Maybe 100 CE? What about people in developing countries who don’t have access to the gospel now? What if they hear the gospel once but it doesn’t take? What about people who grow up in the Christian church, suffer abuse or other hurt at the hands of the church, and lose their faith as a result?
John 3 says that anyone who believes in Jesus will have everlasting life and those who don’t are condemned, but it also says Jesus wasn’t sent to condemn the world. The eternal suffering of most humans who have ever lived sure sounds like widespread condemnation to me. Is this really where Jesus-followers should draw the line?
Rather than concentrating efforts on deciding who is in and who is out, perhaps the focus should be on embracing what it means to live in Christ. Rather than the message being, “believe this or suffer eternal torment,” perhaps followers of Jesus should adopt the humility he demonstrated and meet people where they’re at. Jesus spent his time healing and modeling the kin-dom of God, not engaging in conquest.
Today’s scripture passage suggests that we were all made from the beginning to do good, not to engage in works of injustice. (Perkins, 38) So when we talk about conversion, I don’t think it’s a “once and done” thing; I think it’s an ongoing process in which we are liberated by the Holy Spirit from the tendency to behave selfishly and do harm to our siblings. Some days we might be more liberated than others, and thus condemned to living less in Christ than we were made to. But when we are in communion with God, recognizing the love, grace, mercy, and kindness inherent in that relationship, we can’t help but respond with love, grace, mercy, and kindness to those who bear God’s image around us.
This turning away from a life absent God’s kin-dom happens at an individual level, but it happens at a collective level as well. We often see glimpses of God’s will for the world, but we also see where it falls short due to systems that ignore injustice and promote selfishness. Recognizing and overcoming those systems requires us to act in community. Thankfully, God crafted a path of good that leads to reconciliation from the beginning — for all of us.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Works Referenced
Bird, Jennifer G. “Ephesians.” In Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha, edited by Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page, Jr., Matthew J. M. Coomber. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014. Kindle edition.
The Christian & Missionary Alliance. “Statement on Church Government.” Accessed March 1, 2023. https://cdn.cmalliance.org/wordpress/cmalliance/46-H7-Statement-on-Church-Government-3-15-22.pdf
The Christian & Missionary Alliance. “Statement on the Destiny of Those Who Have Never Heard.” Accessed March 1, 2023. https://cdn.cmalliance.org/wordpress/cmalliance/48-H9-Statement-on-Destiny-Haven_t-Heard-3-15-22.pdf.
The Christian & Missionary Alliance. “Statement on Sanctification.” Accessed March 1, 2023. https://cdn.cmalliance.org/wordpress/cmalliance/45-H6-Statement-on-Sanctification-3-15-22.pdf
The Christian & Missionary Alliance. “Statement on Sexuality.” Accessed March 1, 2023. https://cdn.cmalliance.org/wordpress/cmalliance/Statement-on-Sexuality_Jan-2023.pdf
Gafney, Wilda C. A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year W. New York City: Church Publishing, 2021.
Perkins, Pheme. “The Letter to the Ephesians.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume X. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
