"Knight of Faith?" NOT!

Jarvis Streeter, author of newly published Human Nature, Human Evil and Religion: Ernest Becker and Christian Theology, extols Becker's choice of the heroic as Kierkegaard's "Knight of Faith." To my mind, though, there are significant problems with such a "hero." Even though Kierkegaard sees the KofF operating "outside" of the moral continuum (good), the KofF still expresses an obedience to the Absolute by virtue of which the KofF's actions don't fall under any judgment. Secondly, Kierkegaard (and Becker) acknowledge the rarity of any Knights of Faith but what Becker and Streeter don't acknowledge in their admiration of such heroics is this:

Only God is in a position to judge whether a person's actions are divinely inspired or demoniacal; to the rest of us, they may appear identical.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_faith

Thirdly, as I read it the Knight of Faith is still trapped by the in curvatus in se. So convinced of the "rightness" of his/her own actions by virtue of their own faith, the KofF can act without regard to the consequences which befall the neighbor.

Fourth, Kirkegaard's reading of the Abraham story is not from a "faith in Christ" perspective. Instead it flows from the generic religious pretention of "obedience and submission to the law." The postulate that Abraham was a "Knight of Faith" preserves the illusion of Abraham's "obedience" by his submission to a "higher law" than that which is expressed as service to the neighbor. From a "faith in Christ" perspective Abraham would have considered Isaac as a most intimate and innocent neighbor and refused to act on the tyrannical command of an absolute authority (God), being willing to take the consequences of such refusal upon himself rather than visit the consequences of obedience upon Isaac. The "Knight of Faith" then would not have resulted in perfect obedience to a command but in perfect confidence that God does indeed forgive sins (disobedience). Thus, God's "rescue" of Isaac is not a reward for Abraham's submission but a rescue of Abraham from his folly of thinking according to the law and not according to faith.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: 2nd Sunday of Easter

Second Reading: I John 1:1-2:2
April 19, 2009
by Dick Smith

Kris Baudler, a valued friend of mine, in a recent discussion on a theological list serve, pointed out some issues in reference to verse 9 which are included in this Thought for the Day. I wish to express my deep appreciation for his offering.

Of the four verses (1:6, 7, 8, and 9) that begin with a misleading “if” I suspect the most familiar is verse 9. It is the one which is used in the Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness in the Lutheran Book of Worship. Apparently they lifted it out of the Revised Standard Version and dropped it down into the LBW. Not only is the “if” misleading but the future tense of the sentence is incorrect. It should read “is,” not “will.”

Martin Luther, who was a student of Greek, correctly understood the original and used the word “whenever’ instead of “if.”

The passage correctly reads, “WHENEVER we confess our sins he IS faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In Christ we are always in a forgiven state. We are always 100 percent sinner and at the same time we are always 100 percent holy, perfect, and righteous in the eyes of God because of Jesus Christ.

The manner in which the verse is misquoted both in the RSV and the LBW suggests a “quid pro quo” arrangement between man and God. That is, we confess, God will take that into consideration and then forgive us. We do for God and then He does for us. This suggests a nice bargaining relationship between God and man.

But Man has no such bargaining relationship with God. We are sinners, enemies of God, crucifiers of the Lord of Glory. Rebellious to the core we are, and the wonder of it all is that, while this is the case, God in Christ captures us and places us in a place of redemption, new life, and salvation. Against our will God makes us new creatures in CHRIST. This is what our baptism a about.

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses…” we are praying with the confidence that we are already forgiven because of Christ.

I John 1:6 speaks that confidence of forgiveness that is implied in the Lord’s Prayer. “WHENEVER we confess our sins, God IS faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Not a word of “if,” then possibly. Rather it is a word of CERTAINITY. “Whenever” means the forgiveness is already there.

And where there is forgiveness there is already before the forgiveness the real presence of Christ in you as a redeeming reality. This is so because He is the one who brings the forgiveness into you. For where Christ is there is ALWAYS forgiveness.

Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection and His LIFE IS the LIFE that is in you.

He died and so WE ALL DIED (II Cor. 5:14). He lives and LIVES IN US because we have all died (Col. 3:3-4). His resurrected life IS the life in you!

SOLA DEO GLORIA!

© Richard J. Smith