Matthew 10:7 Jesus said:
"As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’"
When you have accepted the rule of the King of kings, when you have obeyed the call, bent the knee, to the Lord of lords, you are set free from the evil bondage of the kingdom of darkness.
In the previous chapters in which Jesus was preaching the so called "beatitudes" the people were schooled on heavenly values, and ethics, and putting these things into practice in our daily lives. Now, these kingdom principles are to be sent out into the world, which is the kingdom of death, to make disciples of those who will join in the kingdom of light. We are all given a choice between two kingdoms, but only those who have eyes to see the light, to see the truth, will see the kingdom of heaven.
"...has come near"
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming. They wanted to know what signs they should be looking for. John the Baptist did likewise. Pretty much all the followers of Jesus asked about these things at one point or another. And it's only natural that they should. They, like us, are human beings. And it's in our nature to question the things of God. In fact we're so hung up on these questions that even when we all can agree that Jesus is the Christ, we then set out to question each other's interpretations of what the kingdom of God looks like. And that's just too bad, because the barebones truth of what truly hangs in the balance of our faith is that the kingdom has come near. That's the message Jesus has sent. That's the faith Jesus has sent. That's the discipleship Jesus is looking for.
Today there is a notion among spiritual people that your faith, whatever it is grounded upon, is genuine for you as long as your belief is sincere. And this is true to a certain degree. It's true in the sense that this measure of faith qualifies you for having the same faith as do the demons. It cannot however qualify as saving faith, as citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, if it is not first grounded in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Rock on which He built his church. It must come from God, not from men. It is light shining into the darkness of men's hearts, and a decision is necessary, but an intellectual decision alone cannot convince us unto justification. God declares us justified because of the works of Jesus Christ, not because we sincerely approve. To approach that truth as the kingdom comes near, believing that our sincerity achieves this goal is justification by merit. It is a works salvation.
What is this faith Jesus is looking for?
Justification is by faith alone but is not a faith that is alone. This faith is grounded in the works of Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the law of God perfectly. Therefore we, who are unworthy, are justified by him alone. There is no other means for finding justification. The kingdom has come near, justification has come near. Salvation has come near. Faith has come near. And many have tried to synthesize it with their own sincerity.
What is sincerity?
It is an authentic belief in something, absent of hypocrisy.
What is a synthetic faith?
It is a declaration of justification that is produced by a combination of religious elements combined with the persons own merits.
And so, we can have a synthesized version of sincerity in many folks who approach the kingdom of heaven by their own means. By virtue of their virtues. By virtue of their holiness and life of piety. Their virtues are synthesized forms of righteousness, and their sincerity in and of those virtues makes it possible for them to imagine God's justification is beholden to that sincerity.
Over time, after many come together as a congregation of these sincere synthetic believers, and a community is established. Soon it grows into a doctrine. And before long it is catechism that informs the generations. And finally, the justification of that synthetic sincerity is now only grounded in that communal tradition.
This is a faith that rests upon a synthetic human institution. Faith made in the image of God but grounded in the works of men. It's a graven image, an idol. And it shouldn't surprise us when we see it that, this community is fixated on graven images. And it's only natural that they would do these things, because they are human, flawed, unworthy humans.
For many people, icons provide a window of the spiritual world coming into this world, they stand as a help on the path of salvation. Since we are physical beings for whom the spiritual world is a mystery, it is natural that some, many really, will look to a physical object for answers to these mysteries. And yet God is Spirit, Jesus told us so, and God the Son has taken human nature, including a visible body. Jesus said if you've seen him, you've seen The Father.
And so, many have and do argue that images depicting the human form of Jesus are windows into his glory, a pathway into his presence. Like the cherubim depicted on the Ark of the Covenant, these images represent the kingdom of heaven that has come near. Some believe that the incarnation of God in the human person of Jesus not only justifies icons but mandates them.
Friends,
There are a lot of nuanced questions and answers surrounding the icons. Many wars have been fought over these religious images. Throughout the history of the church, iconography has been a contentious topic. And now we've got the benefit of all that orthodoxy and reformation to learn from. Most often we had to learn the hard way. People were brutally cruel towards each other over these questions of expressions of faith. As for me, like most "Reformed Christians", I have a problem with icons, but mainly in the context of their placement in worship. I have a problem with the ambiguous meaning attributed to these symbols by many who have elevated them as the most prominent visual element in their worship. I don't however have a problem with artistic expression that helps explain one's love for God's kingdom that has come near to them. I see worship as worship, and expression as expression. So I have no need or desire at all to include religious iconography in a worship service. In fact, I'm most impressed by the simplicity of the reformed Puritan churches. But I do carry a cross with me everywhere I go. It's special for me. It's a remembrance. It's a hand-crafted cross made by a brother in Christ, made from parachute cord while he was deployed in the Middle East. I keep it with my keys, and I've had it for almost two decades now.
I received my keychain cross while serving on my first Emmaus Walk weekend, E 151. It was an amazing weekend experience; I served as Agape feast Cha and gave the life of piety talk. I served on many weekends after that first, but 151 stands still as the most memorable. So many great brothers, and one sister, in Christ served and walked on that weekend. It was an absolute pleasure to serve on the weekend and share in the kingdom experiences that is the Walk To Emmaus with these good men and woman. And so, that icon in my pocket reminds me about God's kingdom come near to me on that weekend.
Yeah...it's an icon.
I don't worship it. If I lost it, my faith would stand unchanged. And so for me, I can appreciate religious art as a reminder of God having drawn near to me. For me, Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. And his cross represents his work of salvation. For me, it's a witness to God in the world rather than the focus of worship in the church. I don't worship the cross, I worship the man who is God who was crucified on that cross for our justification. For instance, I appreciate all creation as evidence of God in the Universe. I cannot say that the earth is an iconic idol, however. It's an appreciation of God's work. It's an appreciation of his kingdom come. If however, I elevate the earth or the entire universe in worship...NOW it's idolatry!
Do with this what you will. No man-made image can diminish God's kingdom in my faith. No war, no inquisition, no catechism can change my heart for God's kingdom. I just pray and hope that we can focus on common ground and avoid the controversies as best we can. That common ground is the Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless you all and keep you, now and forever.
Amen.
#iconography