Philosopher George Santayana is famously quoted as saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This can be true of nations and individuals, and it is certainly true within the Christian faith.
For a while now, I have been watching posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, which are filled with pop theology, and they certainly are popular. Apparently, the more emotional and sentimental the theological idea seems, the more popular it is. Here, the connections to Scripture are vague, and usually expressed in some ambiguous reference to being like Jesus, but this is typically based upon the author’s claim that their belief must be what Jesus believes. I even read one post recently that suggested that having convictions about your faith is actually in opposition to being like Jesus. Instead of being sure of what you believe, you should apparently just try to feel and act like Jesus felt and acted. That would, of course, require having some convictions on the way Jesus would feel and act, but pay no attention to the poor reasoning behind the curtain. One of the happy respondents to this post was even quick to support the author’s position because, “Christ had a different outlook than his father from the Old Testament.”
The truly, sad reality, is that these sentiments are nothing new. Despite the fact that the church faced, and overcame, such heresies in the past, it seems that they are quickly forgotten, and we are condemned to repeat them once again. Sometimes, this tendency is simply due to a lack of knowledge, while other examples are the result of an intentional effort to resurrect the heresy once again. It can even be trendy in some circles to do so. It is in the face of these attempts that we, as Christians, must continue to hold to the truth, while sharing it in love. For, as Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)
Jesus is not a historical figure, isolated from the rest of Scripture. In his teachings he referred to the divine authority of the Old Testament. He quoted from it 78 times, including quotes from 27 Old Testament books. He stood on the convictions of his faith, even when that made him unpopular. He overcame the devil in the wilderness temptations by standing solidly on the word of God, and declaring it as truth. He challenged the faulty ideas of the religious leaders, by pointing to the authority of the Scriptures. His approach was never, “Do it because I said so!” instead, he said, “As it is written.” Thus, to act like and think like Jesus, is to value the authority of Scripture and stand upon its truths.
The writers of the New Testament were inspired by a personal relationship with the resurrected Jesus, and empowered by the presence of his Holy Spirit within them, who anointed them to put Jesus’ ideals into words that continue to teach us his way. Jesus, then, stands as the apex of the whole story. It all finds its meaning in him, and he is connected to it all.
The beauty, in the midst of all of this philosophical and theological reflection, is that we have the inspired word of God, given as the means to know where we stand, to know the truth so we can walk in it, and to be able to test all things so we can hold on to what is true. Within my faith tradition, we hold the methodology of John Wesley as a powerful standard for discerning our way. For him, there were four primary steps, and resources for discerning God’s truth: Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. Wesley knew it was important to include our experience and the reasoning skills God gave us in the process, but he also wisely put them after the authority of Scripture and the powerful resource of tradition. This was to keep all of our beliefs and actions rooted in the full witness of the whole Bible, and to keep us from falling away from the truth we already discerned. When we use these tools rightly, we can avoid many of the pitfalls of the past, and we can remain rooted in God’s abiding truth.
Santayana’s words may be true, but it is then, also true that those who remember the past will be blessed, and avoid repeating its foolishness. We all like things that feel good, but it is much more important to embrace the truth, for when we walk in its light, we do not stumble. May we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth so that we may walk rightly in its way.
