4 Characteristics of a Biblical Perspective
Christians think differently. Have you noticed? A part of what it means to live in the world is that you and I may make decisions that could seem strange to those who don’t follow Christ.
You see, the perspective that the scriptures offer about the world and what it means to be human is very different from that of most of the television commentators, regardless of their political leanings. The scriptures say, “I want you to think from a different perspective.”
Let’s examine that different perspective and four characteristics that describe it. A biblical perspective is:
- Based on the Unseen
All of our news agencies talk about the things they see. They report on events verifiable with the naked eye, whether that means a shooting or the latest statement from our presidenti. They report on what exists and provide commentary on related needs.
But the key to a true biblical perspective has to do with the role of God in the world and our place in the flow he has established there. Hebrews challenges us by describing a God who existed before creation: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible” (Heb. 11:3).
In other words, God existed in his own realm prior to creation and out of that realm called creation into being. Our heroes and heroines of the faith were and are men and women who choose to base their lives not on the things they see, but on the things they cannot see but by faith believe to be true. That biblical perspective has very personal and practical implications.
- Shared with the Company of Heaven
And we aren’t alone in this perspective. In Luke 12, Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock. For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
What does that kingdom look like? What does it mean to be, as we say in baptism, “a child of God and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven”? Does that mean I have a destination when I die? Yes, that’s a part of it. I’m planted within a realm called the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of heaven) right now. We allude to it when we gather at Communion and use the phrase “Therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. . .”
That’s what I mean by ordering one’s life around that which you cannot see. We affirm that in incredible ways. The Eucharist, for example, is not presented as a solitary event confined to one particular church, time, or table. According to scripture, when we enter into the act of breaking bread and drinking wine, we’re surrounded by a huge heavenly company that comes into our midst.
And although we lift up our hearts, it’s not so much that we are lifted up into heaven, in fact, as that heaven just shows up.
- Founded on God’s Promises
More often than not, we do not see this invisible kingdom. But scripture assumes that not only is it present, but it is meant to have a direct bearing on how we order our lives.
When I was baptized, I saw the water, but something supernatural happened inside me that I couldn’t see. God broke in and said, “You belong to me. I’m yours. You’re mine. I’ll never let you go.”
And that understanding changed everything. I am not alone. I am upheld by the hand of God. I know his companionship day in and day out. And I can count on it even if I don’t feel it.
In other words, a part of my life is ordered based on what I cannot see but what Jesus promises is true. And because he demonstrated his identity by a sinless life, by extraordinary wisdom, by powerful miracles, and, most of all, by his resurrection from the dead, then I count his word as reliable. Jesus is, in fact, who he says he is: God in the flesh and the Savior of the world.
In other words, the way you organize your time, how you order your relationships, all are meant to speak about the fact that you have banked your life on that which you cannot see: the promises and reliability of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Marked by Self-Sacrifice
The call to give away only makes sense if I believe that God owns the world, and he loves everybody equally. Someone else’s plight may thus have claim on what I call mine.
And therefore, I give. How can I not? As Jesus said, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it onto me” (Matt. 25:40b).
Charity has everything to do with me feeling good about myself because I’m giving something away. But we’re not talking charity. We’re talking sacrifice.
And so if I live in the kingdom, and I’ve been given the talent, the wisdom, the opportunity, and perhaps the privilege to earn more than some, then I have a responsibility to think about how God wants me to spend that money.
I wrestle with these things, too. But in the end, I want to live a life committed to the service of God. Because He won’t care about what I own or give away. He won’t care about the places I’ve served where I got nothing back, where there was no lovely thank-you note or memorial in my name.
Those things are nice. But God cares about something much more profound: a let-him life that’s available for him and for his service.
And the only way we can have that life is to see from a perspective that both considers him and surrenders to his lordship, allowing him to have control.
Do you have a “different perspective,” too? Share this blog and your comments on Twitter and include my username, @revgregbrewer.
(This post is an adaption of Bishop Brewer’s sermon on August 7, 2016, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Fruitland Park, Fla.)
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.