There can scarcely be any regular churchgoer who hasn’t heard a sermon comparing Christian faith to sitting in a chair. On such occasions, faith is defined as belief or trust in Jesus. But how can we know that our faith is truly authentic? According to the chair analogy, faith is like throwing all your weight upon the chair. If you’re holding back, using your own power to support all or part of your weight, that’s not real faith. Genuine faith fully trusts that the chair can support you. Simple, right?
Well, not so much. When it comes to describing Christian faith, the chair analogy in some ways has merit, but in others ways leaves a lot to be desired.
Yes, it is quite true that faith really does involve believing certain things about Jesus. The scriptures describe for us how the Jewish leadership, along with the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, crucified Jesus as a false Messiah, one who claimed to be the King of the Jews. Yet in an astonishing reversal, God raised Jesus from the dead. This dramatic act of unprecedented power proved to all the world that Jesus really was God’s anointed king – the Messiah – and therefore the true Lord of the world. Moreover, Jesus’ death upon the cross could now be seen in a new light. No longer was it a shameful, miserable end to a promising career. No longer was it a victory for the dark powers who seek to corrupt God’s world. Rather, it was God’s shocking triumph over sin and death. Upon the cross, Jesus took upon himself the sin and condemnation of his people, so that they might receive forgiveness and new life.
Additionally, Christians have always believed that somehow the human being Jesus of Nazareth represents the embodiment of the one true God. As the apostle Paul puts it, “In [Jesus], all the full measure of divinity has taken up bodily residence.”
Yes, believing these things is a crucial and necessary part of becoming a Christian. Necessary…but not sufficient. Christian faith does involve believing that certain things are true. We might call these the more passive elements of faith. However, true Biblical faith goes far beyond mere belief to involve active elements such as faithfulness, loyalty and allegiance. Simply agreeing that Jesus is Lord does not exhaust the meaning of faith. Rather, Christian faith involves actually implementing Jesus’ authority over every aspect of our lives.
This is where the chair analogy breaks down. It does not at all help folks grasp the critical, active aspect of faith. In fact, the chair is liable to mislead them in ways which leave people spiritually stuck. Surely there must be a better way of helping people comprehend the nature of faith?
Thankfully, the scriptures give us a better way forward. Let’s begin by simply reflecting on how the writers of the Bible refer to Jesus. Over and over again, they talk about “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Christians use this language so often that the meaning can unfortunately get lost. We must always remember that the term Christ is not just a part of Jesus’ name. Rather, the Greek word Christ (or the Hebrew equivalent Messiah) is a title designating Jesus as God’s anointed king.
Addressing Jesus as king is not a metaphor or some kind of figure of speech. Nor is this language a way of designating Jesus as merely a king in some spiritual sense only tangentially related to the actual world we inhabit. It’s a straightforward reality! By raising him from the dead, God marked out Jesus as the world’s rightful sovereign. Following his resurrection, Jesus himself quite clearly claims that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Many other New Testament passages openly declare or allude to the fact that Jesus has been enthroned at God’s right hand. On some glorious day in the future, the reign and rule of King Jesus will be fully established over the whole created order. The apostle Paul puts it this way, “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow…and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
The reality that Jesus is God’s anointed king over all creation should greatly help us understand the true nature of faith. If someone is a king, they would of course expect that their subjects believe in them, acknowledging them as the rightful ruler. But the king would be far, far more interesting in their subjects behavior. The king is above all else concerned that his subjects show him proper loyalty and allegiance. The king bears the responsibility for ruling wisely over his kingdom, for defending his subjects from attack, for ensuring that there is justice and peace, for creating the conditions whereby the whole kingdom can flourish. The subjects of the king have the responsibility – not just of believing that the king exists – but of living in obedience to his authority.
Too many church goers have gotten stuck in the chair. Sure, they fully believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. But they haven’t grasped the vital notion that faith is an active, comprehensive, whole-person response to the gospel declaration that ‘Jesus is Lord’. It involves making every effort in order to align every sphere of our lives with the will of Jesus the king. Yet the flawed image of someone passively seated in a chair prevents people from grasping this reality. The chair can become a BarcaLounger, preventing folks from springing to their feet and committing themselves to the loyal service of the king.
The full reality of faith is beautifully described in the books of Acts following Peter’s Pentecost sermon. Peter recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus, concluding with this powerful announcement: “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” This is a dramatic moment for sure. But what follows is equally important. The crowd asks “Brothers, what shall we do?” In other words, the crowd has been convinced by Peter’s words. He has persuaded them to believe that Jesus is indeed God’s chosen King. Yet these beliefs, even if fully and sincerely embraced, do not encompass the whole biblical meaning of faith.
Peter responds, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Repentance is a word seldom heard outside of the church. Like faith, it’s a word which is not always well understood. By calling the people to repentance, Peter is exhorting them to bring their behavior into line with the wisdom of King Jesus. Please note that repentance is not merely feeling sorry – nor even saying you’re sorry – for the wrong things you’ve done, although contrition is certainly a helpful step in the right direction. No: repentance involves dramatic action, turning away from your former way of life, and bringing all of your thoughts, words, and deeds into alignment with the will of Jesus. Thus, Peter has here very compactly told us what true faith involves: giving our full loyalty and allegiance to Jesus, the one true King.
Sadly, many Christians have been unable to understand or embrace the fullness of faith because they’ve been taught that their behavior, their actions and their effort can play no role in God’s scheme of salvation. The illustration of faith as a person passively reclining in a chair has done much to fuel this misperception. So too has the oft- repeated claim that Christianity is ‘not about what you do, but about what Christ has done.’ Some pastors are puzzled as to why Christians get stuck in their faith and fail to mature into fully devoted followers of King Jesus. But is it any wonder that folks suffer spiritual stagnation when they’ve been taught that faith is like passively sitting in a chair or that their behavior is irrelevant?
We can get things right by heeding the admonition of Peter. Faith in Jesus involves repentance – a radical transformation in our behavior bringing us into alignment with the loving and wise authority our king. The simple truth is that human behavior is essential for salvation. Not only is this Biblical, but logical. If humans are to experience freedom from sin, how else can this come about unless they are somehow given the power not to sin? But Peter doesn’t neglect to give us a vital clue. The change in our behavior which faith entails comes not simply from our own unaided efforts, but from the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Yet even with the Holy Spirit working within us, it takes serious, strenuous effort in order to grow in holiness and obedience. Thus, when the apostle Paul writes about the life of faith, he often uses another comparison, far different from sitting in a chair. Paul speaks of faith like running in a race. “This is my one aim,” he writes, “to forget everything that’s behind, and to strain after what’s ahead. I mean to push on towards the finish line, where the prize waiting for me is the upward call of God in King Jesus.”
So please don’t get stuck. Get out of the chair and into the race.
