Wrong Text! Wrong Message!
I AM writing in response to Reverend Hanse’s letter ‘Christianity vs Tradition’ (The Namibian, 30 November 2012). In particular, I want to take issue with Rev Hanse’s use of the Bible.
In his letter he refers to the phrase ‘the unknown God’ from the New Testament book of Hebrews that he uses in support of the idea that ‘our forefathers already had faith in a higher authority’ and that in pre-Christian days ‘people had already possessed religious faith although not by Christian faith standards’.
The phrase ‘the unknown god’ is not found anywhere in the book of Hebrews. In fact, it is only found in Acts 17:23 where the Apostle Paul is addressing idol worshippers in Athens, who in their superstition have also erected an altar to ‘an unknown god’ – just in case they should incur this god’s wrath because they had neglected to worship.
The Apostle does not congratulate the Athenians for worshipping the God of the Bible by accident and possessing a pre-Christian religious faith (as Rev Hanse seems to suggest in his letter). He tells them that the real God does not live in human-built temples. The real God does not need anything from human beings because he is the one who has given life to all human beings. The real God is not made of stone or silver of gold by our design; rather we are made by his design. In short, he tells them that their worship of these gods was done in ignorance – an ignorance that God will no longer overlook in the coming of Jesus - the Judge of all people (Acts 17:30-31).
He therefore calls them to turn from their idolatry to the Living God. The Apostle Paul tells them that now they know the truth about the real God there is no turning back to these false gods. Clearly, this phrase from the Bible ‘the unknown God’ does not support Rev. Hanse’s argument of the forefathers worshipping the true God just ‘not by Christian faith standards.’
That brings me to my second point. The Bible nowhere suggests that religion saves people – pre-Christian traditional practices or otherwise. It is not simply that Christianity gives us a better ‘standard’ of religion. The difference between Christianity and every other religion is that true biblical Christianity is not about us reaching God through our religion; it is about God reaching us through his Son. That is what we remember this Christmas time –that God became man to rescue us. True Christianity is about God dealing with our sin once and for all time through the work of the cross. The focus of biblical Christianity is not what we do for God, but rather what God has done for us. Rev. Hanse rightly points to the fact that salvation is not earned, that it is by the grace of God, and that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. But, the only way he knows this message is because God has revealed the truth about Jesus through the message of the New Testament. A New Testament that none of the forefathers had access to. There is no continuity between the practices of the forefathers and Christianity in the way that there is between the believers during Old Testament times and Christian believers now. Rev. Hanse is right to point us to the New Testament book of Hebrews for that idea (Hebrews 1:1-3) but not to suggest that the forefathers were worshipping the God of the Bible by a different name. The Bible is clear that explicit faith in Jesus is the only way we can be saved from sin (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Finally, I want to agree with Rev. Hanse that Christians and church leaders should get involved with issues that are affecting our communities and not just criticise from the side-lines, but it is the Bible (rightly taught) that must be our guide. The leading question for Christians over the issue of tradition surely must be: ‘Are these practices consistent with the teaching of the Bible?’ Those that are we can embrace; those that are not we must reject.
Reverend Josh Hooker
Windhoek