What’s In A Word?
January 16th, 2007 by Sonja

True confessions time.

Here is something I have struggled with for my whole Christian walk. I do not like to refer to myself as “born again” or “saved.” I’ll wear evangelical, I’ll wear Christian, I’ll wear many other labels; but those two make me uncomfortable. They conjur up images of polyester suits and too much makeup; people with an artificial veneer who want to sell something that is worth less than the asking price. People who are charlatans after a fashion. I do not want to associate myself with those labels and those mental pictures. I don’t want to associate Jesus with people who are artificial charlatans.

I’ve been reading a couple of other blogs with interest. First, Kievas mused on the labels herself the other day. She doesn’t have the hangups about them that I do. But she’s a little wary of them nonetheless. I like her notion that perhaps they are too finite and one’s faith is better described more in terms of a journey than in stop-motion. Then, Patrick was wrestling with the terminology surrounding salvation. He’s not much enamoured with the word “saved” and would like a broader term such as “liberate.” I happen to agree with him and concur with his reasoning (he’s got more training than I). But I also think that perhaps we in the 21st century might just be using the word “saved” in a different context than it was originally used by Jesus and his disciples in the first century. I don’t know enough Aramaic (euphemism for … none) to guess. But when I did a word search in the New Testament on ‘saved’ and read through the passages, I think it’s just possible that we made the answers too easy.

For myself, now, I still don’t know what to call myself. Or how to refer to my moments (and they are several) of faith choices. Biblically speaking, it is pretty clear that Jesus spoke of having a spiritual re-birth. This was and is not unusual. He spoke of salvation coming through Him. But He wasn’t really that clear-cut on how it would happen. It seems to me that people who would like to make a system of it are diminishing the power, majesty and mystery of God (or maybe I have a superiority complex). Sixteen years or so ago I began the process of turning my face to the Son. Some days are not as blinding as others. And I think that’s about the clearest thing I can say about it now.


4 Responses  
  • jamie writes:
    January 16th, 200712:40 pmat

    Wow. Great post. I do not like referring to myself with those 2 terms either. I went through a phase of calling myself (and others) “believers”, but that only works when having a conversation with someone that understands what I’m talking about. So many labels, at least here in the States, that can be used, automatically associate themselves with the religious right and I’m uncomfortable with that as well. If you come up with something, let me know :)

           
  • More Than Stone :: Evango-Meter :: January :: 2007 writes:
    January 16th, 20072:13 pmat

    […] Interesting post at Calacirian, regarding labels. It really got me thinking about the term “evangelical”–the good, the bad and the ugly–so I’ve decided to post a “Top Ten” of why I like the term evangelical…and why I don’t. […]

           
  • John Smulo writes:
    January 16th, 20075:40 pmat

    Hmm, interesting thoughts. I don’t like those terms either. But I do kinda like “liberate”. It’s a really freeing word :-) There’s something powerful about it.

           
  • Patrick writes:
    January 18th, 20075:15 pmat

    As I’m thinking about it more, and have been challenged a bit in other conversations, I realize some of the worry is that it might discount the really valid need for atonement. Sinners need salvation, to be sure, and we are told that the sacrifice on the cross was just that. One so huge there doesn’t need to be another one. But, that’s not the end of the story. For atonement we needed the cross. But does atonement by itself necessarily need the resurrection. Jesus could have died for our sins, and that would give us freedom But he came back. He walked out of the tomb. He did liberate us from death, so that we may face it but we’re not slaves to it.

    Liberate also, to me, implies a process, one which I think Paul really gets at in Romans. In his “therefore” verses especially. We are saved but there’s always a “therefore, since Jesus worked…” and with that we’re called to really embrace our new freedom. Liberate makes less of an us vs. them, and more of a comment about whether we are moving toward God or away from God.

    Maybe though we just need a few words.

           


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