And Finally: November 2015
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” -Hebrews 12:2
One of our members Curtis Gruenler recently passed along an article written by one of his friends and colleagues which touched on an important image of faith I’d like to share. It’s actually two contrasting images of how we might approach faith.
Picture for the first image a circle in the middle of the page. Inside and outside of this circle all over the page are small dots representing people. This is “bounded set” faith. It is defined by who is in or who is out, and the focus is on the line–not crossing the line, getting other people to cross the line, watching to see if others cross the line. Faith in this image is making sure we are inside the circle, and seeing if we can get others to come in with us.
The second image is a dot in the center of page. The smaller dots around it are the same as in the first image, but this time there is no circle in or out, but rather arrows showing which direction these dots are facing and moving. This is a “centered set.” In this image the center is Jesus, and the smaller dots represent people in motion. As Curtis’s friend Dave says, “There is no ‘in’ or ‘out’ because there is no circle.”
These images challenge us to consider where we are fixing our eyes. Are we fixing our eyes on dividing lines, hedges, and moral regulations to discover who belongs? Or are we fixing our eyes on a most beautiful center, a Savior, irresistibly attractive who might even be captivating someone else’s gaze who knows him by a different name?
Depending on where we are fixing our gaze, our “important” questions might be vastly different. As Dave notes, “The stakes of centered-set faith…are pragmatic (are we finding actual life and encouragement in Jesus? Are our lives getting better?) rather than moral (are we succeeding in keeping a list of religious rules? Do we hold the right religious opinions?)”1
Concerning ourselves with who is in or who is out, or whether we are in or out is not life-giving, and sounds like the Pharisees Jesus criticized. My hope for faith echoes that of the writer of Hebrews: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
Peace,
Andrew
1. (“Centered Set Faith is the Absolute Greatest,” theblueoceanblog.org).