The Faithfulness of Christ (Week 45)
Readings
Isaiah 53:7–12
Philippians 3:7–14
Hebrews 2:9–18
Silent Reflection
Remarks
What does “faith in Christ” mean?
Easy question, right? Considering the most common appeal Christians make is to put your faith in Christ, we ought to have a simple, straightforward answer for it… Right? While the words we use vary quite a bit, many of us circle around the same basic idea: to have faith in Christ is to put our trust in the work of Christ and in the person of Christ Jesus. What does that mean? It gets a little murky here, but in response to that question, many of us would probably start talking about atonement theory, the work of Jesus on the cross, and the reality of the resurrection.
And we’d be right to talk about those things. They’re beautiful; we bless God for them.
But is that what Paul meant when he wrote “faith in Christ” (pistis Christou in the Greek)? From a literary or academic perspective, this gets trickier, and it may be that, while not necessarily untrue, the things we’ve assigned to the meaning of “faith in Christ” aren’t actually what Paul intended to communicate. First, we assume a lot of answers are firsthand biblical responses, but they are actually the result of centuries of theology—things Paul certainly would not have been leaning on when he wrote those words. Often, we default to an understanding of the phrase that’s actually credal and wouldn’t be defined in that way for another few centuries after the New Testament was written. Paul couldn’t be referring to that.
So what does the Greek mean? Well, it’s complicated (as Greek often is). The phrase can mean “faith in Christ” or “faith of Christ” or “the faithfulness of Christ” (and a few options in between). In some usages, the grammar forces a particular translation. There are times when “faith in Christ” is pretty much the only option. But what about the others? What about today’s reading from Philippians? What about the lively theological debate surrounding this same issue in Galatians?
We’ll leave the details of the debate to the scholars, but it does lead to a wider reflection of what the New Testament, at least in some places, might be calling us to—not to have only a theological “faith in Christ,” and to agree with certain things about him, but to have the faith of Jesus and to live our lives with the same trust with which Jesus lived. Because Jesus trusted the story, because he trusted God completely and perfectly with his life, he lived a life that wasn’t just sinless—it was an example without blemish.
Jesus’s faith was seen in his faithfulness. The Hebrew concept of “faith” is tightly connected to “trust.” Faith is an action word; it’s trust in action. Because he trusted, he was able to see others rather than himself. Because he trusted, he was able to embrace the interruptions. Because he trusted, he was able to pull away from the demands and find a quiet place. Because he trusted, he was able to stay silent when being provoked. Because he trusted, he was able to speak up when such a confrontation would create conflict. Because he trusted, he touched lepers and ate with sinners. Because he trusted, he was able to do miracles. Because he trusted, he was able to be patient as he shaped and taught his disciples. Because he trusted, he was able to suffer. Because he trusted, he was able to confront imperial power and religious corruption. Because he trusted, he was able to lay his life down on behalf of others daily—and ultimately.
This is “the faithfulness of Christ.”
So, when we read the phrase pistis Christou in our New Testament, we should reflect on what the apostolic author is calling us to beyond an intellectual affirmation of who Jesus was and what he accomplished on the cross. Sometimes pistis Christou is an invitation beyond thinking something about who Jesus was to actually living like Jesus lived. Sometimes it’s the observation that God actually does things with our faith, and does things with us through our faith. When we live like Jesus, God is able to move in us and through us.
So, again we’ll consider, what does pistis Christou mean?
Silent Reflection
Response
What does it mean to be justified by faith IN Christ? Reflect on what you hear and understand with that reading.
What does it mean to be justified by the faith OF Christ? Reflect on what you hear and understand with that reading.
What are the implications of this in how you understand your daily walk and apply what it means to follow Jesus?
Reflect on today’s reading from Hebrews (and maybe have someone read it again). What is the relationship between this passage of Hebrews and the discussion surrounding the faithfulness of Christ?