The more I read the Old Testament the more I see I have come from a tradition that tends to look down on the physical. This tradition is consistent with a Platonic view that the material universe is a bad thing, a thing to be escaped. But a true biblical faith seems to present God as intimately involved in the physical, working in and through physical means.
So here's my question. Just how much has God, who set aside priests by sprinkling them with blood from an offering and dressing them with holy garments, who purified sinners through very real dead animals and through washing with water, how much has this God of the Old Testament changed? What does this say about Jesus' work in his perfect life, death, and resurrection? What does this say about baptism and communion? Are these symbols of something larger but less concrete? Are they actual physical elements by which God in Christ conveys life and hope? How are we going to explain our faith in these terms?
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com
1 comment:
Hmm... I think the thing that people will often forget is how humans are both spiritual and physical beings. Our world is physical, yes, but many times (especially in the increasingly secular Western world) people will underestimate the spiritual elements that go into things.
I would say their is a spiritual aspect to each of the sacraments, but that is to be expected, in my opinion. We are spiritual beings and we serve a God who, for most of his existence is purely spiritual, yes? Therefore one should expect a certain amount of spirituality in our sacraments.
Having said that, I would probably also say that many of the sacraments do have a special spiritual effect. What effect that is, how big they are, and any other specifics I can't really my finger on, but there is a definite spiritual aspect to them.
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