You are talking with your co-worker from the next cubicle over coffee. She knows you are active in a church. She is in a season of searching.
What is Christianity actually all about?” she asks. “I mean, what do you believe?”
She really wants to know. You really want to tell her. Three problems:
- You have about fifteen seconds before your break is over — the big stuff always happens at the door, right?
- She does not want an in depth dissertation — she’ll listen for about fifteen seconds.
- You have been a Christian surrounded by Christians your whole life — if you’ve never been asked, maybe you don’t know what to say.
This is exactly when you need to have already studied something like the “Heidelberg Catechism.” (Download the new translation now in use by three denominations here for free.) You might shy away from a sixteenth-century theological text, but this one was designed for you: it tries to summarize the basics of Christianity, to synthesize the whole of biblical teaching, in 129 questions and answers.
One of its most helpful features is the clear outline it hangs those teachings on. Just knowing the outline you have an easy helpful way to summarize what Christians believe.
I’ll give it a shot:
Please start the timer.
- On our own, apart from God, our lives are broken and miserable.
- God sent Jesus Christ to deliver us from our misery, bringing us forgiveness and making us new.
- All the rest of our lives we live in gratitude for that great gift, loving God and neighbor.
That’s it. That’s a clear summary of the Christian message.
Here’s the same outline in the actual words of the Catechism:
2 Q. What must you know to
live and die in the joy of this comfort?A. Three things:
first, how great my sin and misery are;
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
Many people use “Guilt, grace, and gratitude” as a catchy way to remember this outline.
One thing I love about it is that it keeps the Good News good. I’ve heard more than a few presentations of the Gospel that sound more like the Bad News, or the Complicated Indecipherable News, or the Outdated Pile of Old Newspapers.
Heidelberg’s outline does not include every detail — the Catechism as a whole is just an introduction, intended to lead you to a lifetime of exploration in Scripture and its teachings. And it is four and a half centuries old, after all, so it can take some effort to transpose it into terms understandable to day. If you want a short study guide for yourself or a group to explore the Heidelberg Catechism click here to order one I wrote for the PC(USA)’s “Being Reformed” series.
But this simple three-point outline gives us useful handles to talk about our faith. And in a culture where fewer and fewer people really know the Bible or the basics of Christianity, we absolutely need some tools to get the message out there.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments:
How would you summarize your faith if someone asked?
If you’ve had the chance to try to summarize your faith, how did your listener respond?
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Disclosure: There is an affiliate link in this post.
In 15 seconds:
1. We were created to be in relational harmony with God and everything created.
2. The Creator became a human being in Jesus Christ.
3. Jesus never became a Christian
4. Even though he was crucified, he resurrected and lives with us now.
5. Following Jesus is the way to restore the relational harmony among all creatures.
Hey, thanks for kicking off the conversation rwoodley! You got 5 points in under 15 — well done.
Do you get the chance to share this often? How do people respond?
first time I’ve ever had to think this concisely about the subject…
Kind of a fun challenge though I think. And a difficult one in a culture that thinks it is very Christian but where there is a lot of historical baggage — “Jesus never became a Christian” seems to help find a way around that. Thanks!
(1) I’ve learned to trust in God’s love more than in my abilities.
I still have ten seconds to sip my coffee.
-mra
Thanks Martin! (Is that straight drip or an espresso drink?)
I’m wondering though — did you give her enough specific info to distinguish Christian faith from a general theism?
That’s why you’re the prof. And I’m the student! Thanks
We couldn’t follow the rules of God, so he had to come in human form to show us what true relationship and sacrifice is about.
This relational love for us was so strong that he sent his Son to die for us on the cross, what stronger love can one show?
Christ paid the price for our sin and through his sacrifice our redemption with God was sealed.
Through these actions we are witnesses to the true relational love of God, and we as God’s people are expected to be God’s witnesses to the world around us.
Thanks Tim! 15 seconds is a challenge, isn’t it? Yours took me 30 to read out loud, but it does communicate clearly about how God’s compassion is expressed in Christ’s sacrifice.
Believing in, and acting on, the Good News of God revealed in Jesus Christ. The wonderful mystery of God becoming flesh who shows us the Way, the Truth and the Life. The God who removes hearts of stone and replaces them with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). The God who pardons sins and forgives transgressions; who delights to show mercy, and who hurls our iniquities into the sea (Micah 7:18-19). The God who removes the yoke of slavery and gives freedom (Galatians 5:1). Jesus, the One who took the punishment we deserve, giving us new life, and calling us into community to be His hands and feet.
That may not make the 15 second cut!
Good to have you in the conversation Matt!
You are right: 35 seconds on my watch.
I think the challenge is also finding language that someone who really knows nothing about the Bible can make sense of quickly and hear as clearly good news. Lots of biblical metaphors here that mean a ton to me — but I wonder if a complete newbie would grasp it all.
What do you think?
Agreed! I appreciate the simplicity of the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude summary. I definitely feel the tension of communicating such a grand narrative in 15 seconds! And the biblical language is so beautiful and compelling, but could definitely be lost in translation for a first time encounter.
@martin – Learning to “trust in God’s love rather than in my abilities.” Very true. After all, what do we have that has not been given to us?
Gary, since I’m a down-to-earth gal, I keep it basic and simple (especially for those who really have very little understanding about Jesus.)
Here’s the simple version of what I tell folks/non-believers:
You, too, can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s son. Here’s what I did…
Admitted I was lost in sin without Jesus.
Believed that Jesus was God’s only son, sent to earth to lead a sinless life, and who took my place on the cross at Calvary.
Confessed my sin and Committed my life to Him.
As a deacon’s wife, I have a longer version I share with people when they want to know more:
http://authorcynthiaherron.com/happy-easter-blessings
Hey, Cynthia, glad to see you over here on my blog! Thanks for the contribution. Core issues, succinctly stated.
What I wonder about (not just with yours, but maybe with many or all possibilities) is whether in our current culture people can immediately grasp the traditional terms in which we express the faith. They can be true and biblical, but so often they can be a “tip of the iceberg” and without knowing what is underneath the things we think are clear might not be:
“God’s son” is the tip of the iceberg on a God who is mysteriously one God and at the same time “God the Father” “God the Son” and “God the Holy Spirit.”
The cross on Calvary is crucial — but needs expansion if someone comes from outside the church.
I may be extra sensitive to this coming originally from the Northwest where it is more common to be “unchurched” and people often bring a clean slate about the basics of the story of salvation.
And all of that is probably a great reason to plan another coffee break with the one who asked the question!
Great points, Gary! I believe I was considering that many folks have some sense of “who” God is, but that they may not understand the holiness of the Trinity or the interworkings of the three. All the more reason to fine-tune our approach…thus, the 15 seconds, right? And I can most definitely see your point about the “unchurched.”
Wow, wishing I could be a fly on the wall in your class just now…
~Blessings
Nice post, Gary! Your catchy headline grabbed me.
Thanks so much, Chad! Chalk it up to “Things I learned from http://www.chadrallen.com“.
Love this. Great use of the Heidelberg Catechism. I wrote this down in the little notebook I carry around with me just in case I get 15 seconds of someone’s undivided attention sometime. I also intend to present this idea at a Thursday morning Bible study I attend. I will be sure to give you credit. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks so much Bill! I’m very glad you found it helpful.