. Faith begins with God, but by his grace, God’s people come to the point of being able to give an account of the faith that is in them to the unbelieving world, an account in simple words that can be heard and understood.
We must be able to explain not only what we believe but also give the reasons why we believe. What would we say to a Hindu or a Muslim, or someone without any faith, who asked us to give an account of our faith?
To reflect deeply on the question may lead many of us to realize how far we have moved from the bedrock of faith, which is the basis for our life together and our mission to the world.
To articulate the faith, to confess the faith, to witness to the faith to those whom we encounter on life’s way, is the basic call of each Christian; and such a witness requires some basic knowledge of Scripture, of the faith of the church through the ages, along with a basic ability to apply the faith to life in a variety of situations.
The Presbyterian Church has confessions: Presbyterians must immerse themselves in the faith set forth in the confessions of the church, alongside the reading and study of Scripture, if they are to be equipped to fulfill the most important mission Christ has entrusted to us in the Great Commission: to win people to the cause of Jesus Christ through our witness of word and deed.
If we lack this capacity, individually and, therefore, corporately, if we do not pray for it constantly, if we do not hope with all our hearts that it will be given, that with the gift will come the work of the Spirit which will make the witness fruitful for many — all whom God would call to Jesus Christ and his church — then we really have no other mission worth undertaking. For this witness, as the late Reformed theologian John H. Leith reminded us in his book, The Reformed Imperative, is the unique witness of the Christian church, which no other human organization will provide, if the church fails to provide it.
Presbyterians renewing the covenant in our time means the prayers of the faithful for faith abounding, including the knowledge of God, ourselves and the world set forth in Scripture, which enables each of us willingly and winsomely to function as a forward outpost of Jesus Christ in the world — that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
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