2006. 5. 14 김영봉 목사

Third of Four Series Sermon: 'A Proper Perspective on Da Vinci Code' (4)
"A Trumpet Call to Awaken Us"

--Philippians 2:6-11

1.

In the novel “Da Vinci Code” Leigh Teabing, a historian in the plot, speaks, “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.” He continues:
The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.

What are our feelings about the saying, “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven”? Anyone intrigued by the suggestion? In the novel, Sophie was thrown back by Leigh Teabing’s suggestion. Were you thrown off guard too? Has this been our conception of the Bible too? Has the Word descended upon us from the heaven? Or do some of us conceive of the Bible as having been mysteriously written by the one by the holy spirit in him?

If this is our conception of the Bible, then perhaps we should have been thrown aback by Leigh Teabing’s suggestion. The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven. In today’s lingo, the Bible is not a down-loaded document from heaven. This truth is undeniable as witnessed in the book of Luke. Luke, chapter 1, verses 1-4 read:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The author of the book of Luke, upon careful investigation of all materials with the power of reason available to him, writes an orderly account of Jesus, to attest to a truthful account of the life of Jesus with accuracy. Likewise, Apostle Paul, as recorded in the New Testament, opens his epistles as follows “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother SosthenesTo the church of God in Corinth….” (1 Corinthian 1:1). What do these testaments attest to? The Bible was not created in the vacuum by an anonymous hand, the Bible was written by the faithful individuals.

2.

However, it is not to say that the Bible was the work of man and not of God. The words of Leigh Teabing, “The Bible is a product of man, my dear, not God,” was to provoke those very contrary thoughts. While it is true that faithful ones have attested the words of the Bible, it is far fetched to assert that ergo, the Bible is not of God. These very thoughts of Leigh Teabing misinterpret the ways of the Lord through mankind’s history.

Reflecting on these thoughts, I can recall an elder who is now deceased. When I was teaching in a seminary, I became well acquainted with the elder in our daily devotionals. The elder used to say to me, “Pastor, I detest sermons that are scripted. Scripted sermons are by man. Shouldn’t a sermon before a pulpit be by the Lord’s grace? By supplicating for the Lord’s grace before approaching the pulpit, only then would the pastor deliver the Lord’s message.” These words of conviction were spoken by the elder, a retired career soldier. Whenever I heard those words spoken with such conviction, I could not dare to contradict him, but only replied back with a polite smile. One day, I had to speak. I said to the elder “sir, doesn’t the Lord’s grace move upon us not only before the pulpit, but also in the prayerful preparation? Can one supplicate for the guiding hand of the holy spirit with all his thoughts and talent?” However, the elder replied to me “Perhaps, but it is much better that the Word is passed down at the pulpit as it is received from the holy spirit.” Then I realized, my words were wasted.

Amongst Christians, there are prevalent but precarious beliefs. For example, there are those who want to hear the voice of God. When I meet up with these believers, they truly want to hear in person the voice of God. The realization of the Word while contemplating the Bible doesn’t count toward their wish. The grace of God during a fellowship with other Christians also doesn’t count towards their fulfillment. The experience of spiritual reflection upon God’s creations also doesn’t count toward their need to witness God’s grace. Take for example a common misconception in the healing experience: Only a miraculous cure counts as God’s reply to supplication. But, a hospital recovery due to medical intervention doesn’t count as God’s answer to one’s supplication. To summarize a common misconception, those who are misguided separate God’s domain from man’s domain, where spirituality belongs exclusively to God, and God doesn’t interfere with worldly affairs.

To those who thinks this way, Leigh Teabing’s words “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God,” would have thrown them off guard. To those who subscribe to this thinking, indeed, what is written by man must not have been written by the holy spirit. For those who believe that the Bible arrives by fax from heaven, the Bible written otherwise is not the work of the Lord, ergo, it merely becomes the work of man.

Among us believers, there are quite a few of us who believe along that lines. The Bible is recorded through ages by many witnesses, accurately witnessing the Lord in the context of man’s history. However, there are those who ignore these real aspects of the Bible and declare that all things of the Bible are dictated by God. There are those who’s faith is founded upon this strict interpretation of the Bible. There are those who view strict interpretationalism as being proper. However, faith not based on fundamental Truth is not proper. While strict interpretationalism may be viewed as firm faith, truth is, there is vulnerability in this view. Strict interpretationalism forces a believer to choose either of the two choices: blind faith, or rebuke all things with open eyes. Faith tempered with open eyes is not within the realm of strict interpretationalism.

3.

Christianity is about faith with open eyes. Christianity is not about forsaking the everyday realities. With open eyes, faith perceives the everyday reality, but is not destroyed by the perception. With eyes wide open, the immediate realism circumspected, there is still faith in the Lord at yonder. This is what I believe Jesus taught us. Without faith tempered by open eyes, one falls prey to contrivances. Open faith gains strength in the Truth.

The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven, however, the Bible is not a contrivance by a political or ecclesiastic authority of yesteryears. The novel “Da Vinci Code” recounts that emperor Constantine called a gathering of Council (of bishops) at about 325 AD in Nicaea to declare the man of Jesus as Son of Man, and to canonize known testaments as the Christian Scripture. However, history differs from the novel.

Around 325 AD the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were in prevalent use in early Christian churches. Even 100 AD the four books were already bound into a scripture for worship. The four books were readily trusted as being of inspiration of God by Christians. Only the Gnostics were contrary. Apostle Paul’s epistles were also widely used as scriptures for worship. No one contrived this faith in the believers. In churches everywhere all believers drew on the inspirations found in the Gospel and the epistles. The disparate churches came to agree on one observation, that there is inspiration of God in the Gospel and the epistles. However, the Book of Jude and the book of Revelation continued to be controversial. Perhaps the Book of Jude and the book of Revelation may have enjoyed an ecclesiastic decision to include in the Bible, but the four books of Gospel and Apostle Paul’s epistles were not chosen by ecclesiastic design, but were already in use by diverse ecumenical churches.

The novel Da Vinci Code attempts to undermine the divinity of Jesus. The novel theorizes that emperor Constantine gathered a Council of bishops at Nicaea to creed that Jesus was divine, not mortal. The discussion is as follows:

Indeed, during this fusion of religions, Constantine needed to strengthen the new Christian tradition, and held a famous ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicaea. At this gathering, many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon?the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and, of course, the divinity of Jesus. …Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea. [And the decision was made by] a relatively close vote. (p. 234)

According to the novel, before the Nicaea Council, the Christians were thought to believe that Jesus was a great prophet or a rabbi, but by the Creed arising from emperor Constantine’s intervention, Jesus was raised in status to Son of Man having divine nature. But one only needs to turn to the Gospel to dispel this notion. The Gospel is replete with attestation to the divine nature of the Son of Man. The epistles of Apostle Paul makes this more certain. We know the epistles were written by Apostle Paul 40 to 50 years AD, and firmly attests to the divine nature of Jesus. In the epistle there are recitations of earlier hymns of earlier sources which praise Jesus in his divine nature. Before the Council of Nicaea, believers everywhere confessed to the divinity of Jesus. Let’s turn our reading to Philippians chapter 2, verses 6-11.

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death?
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 6-11)

Theologians say that this reading was of Apostle Paul, but the reading was in use in early Christians churches for worship. Even before the writing of the epistle to Philippians, these very words were likely used by believers perhaps as hymns during worship. The divinity of Jesus was not dictated by design, but arose out of faith and conviction in witness to the resurrection of the Son of Man.

4.

Christian faith did not arrive by fax from heaven, but developed from human experience, and is confessed and witnessed to others. The Gospel and the New Testament are a testament to the Christian faith. The New Testament is meant for believers, for “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Gospel was not an isolated phenomenon, but for 200 years prior to the Council of Nicaeas, the ecumenical Christian churches widely read, reflected upon and applied the Gospel. Because the Bible withstood the test of time and passed the test of countless believers, I believe in the Bible with conviction. I believe in the works of the Lord who works through us to shape our history and reveal His will.

I hold with endearment the Christian confession in the person of Jesus as the Son of Man. The Christian confession of the divinity of Jesus was not by the creed of the Council of Nicaea. While it is true that the Council gathered to address the divinity of Jesus. The issue at the time related to Arianism lead by Bishop Arius of Alexandria. The issue of divinity of Jesus was addressed to root out Arianism which brought confusion upon the divine nature of Jesus. The novel Da Vinci Code characterizes the creed relating to the divinity of Jesus as having been narrowly adopted, but history tells us that among the 318 bishops present, there were five dissent votes.

The important point is that the divinity of Jesus is not due to political maneuvering. The divinity of Jesus arose from the witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus upon persecution, and the attestations thereto. The testaments give proof that the resurrection was not an isolated observation. The experience is not personal to one individual. Since then, timelessly, believers have come to confess, as doubting Thomas has confessed on his knees before Jesus, “my lord, my God” (John 20:28). With the flow of time, the known actions of the ecclesiastic authorities were to compile the numerous testaments, mindful of the countless witnesses before them. Theology does not arise out of vacuum. Faith through witnessing and confession precedes all else. The role of theology is not to reevaluate the witnessed testaments. Accordingly, there is always danger when theology is divorced from the experience of faith.

I hold with endearment the Nicaea confession of faith that Jesus Christ is of the divine and human nature. The Nicaea confession of faith is the culmination of the ecumenical confession of faith that developed over 300 years preceding the Nicaea Creed. The endearment is not due to an ecclesiastic endorsement. The endearment is due to countless confessions of believers in one who preceded the Council. The endearment is also not because the confession arose out of a Creed from heaven. It is through the human experience verfied through the recorded history that the confession of faith was affirmed, and therefore becomes a source of endearment. Because my faith and all other faithful agree in our experiences, we are a witness to the Nicaea confession of faith, all around.

5.

We are coming to a close of the four part series of sermon. To those believers who have traveled with me, and to those out there listening and those connecting by internet, I thank you with deep gratitude for having accompanied us in this four part journey. To some, it must have been rather enduring, and with some I have shared valuable thoughts, but with everyone who shared in this experience, I thank each one of you.

One elder asked me, “are you recommending that we read the novel and see the movie?” My reply is that it is not that simple. If the novel or the movie lends value in your reflection and debate with others, I recommend the novel and the movie. Of course, the four part series of my sermon is essential. With that in mind, there should yield fruitful results from any debate that might arise. However, do not debate for sake of debating, 1 Peter 3:16 cautions to “keep a clear conscience.”

If however, the purpose is for amusement, I recommend other books or movies. Do not be captivated by vulgar and deceptive tales. There are those books that cater to our faith and that are of interest. There are movies that instill faith in us or cause us to reflect on life. Faith can be instilled from many sources of entertainment, whether they may be ethnic or popular movies.

Lastly, let us reflect on the lessons learned from the Da Vinci Code syndrome (phenomenon). The intent of my sermons wasn’t to unilaterally attack the novel. The intent was to reflect upon what lessons we can learn from the phenomenon.

First, the Da Vinci Code syndrome causes us to reflect upon the priorities in our faith. The novel is an exposition of how religion can be built on hollow foundation, and how the believers can be lead to the depths of hollow faith. I am grateful that the modern Christianity is not of a hollow foundation as pictured in the novel. I am also glad that the Bible and our Christian faith is not the result of crafted fabrication. Rather, our church, our Bible and our faith are built on a firm foundation of Truth, for which I am grateful.

However, our Christian foundation was from time to time shaken by issues of ascendancy. As individuals, we have at times transgressed for hollow gains. We cannot deny our transgressions. The misguided believers as characterized in the novel are real amongst us. None of us are immune from transgressions. Beloved brethrens, I ask that you receive these words with humility. Despite all sacrifices and loss propositions you may face, I beseech you to seek the Lord’s Truth as righteous Christians. Let us pray that we are emboldened to set our church as an exemplary church of righteousness.

6.

Second, the Da Vinci Code syndrome awakens us to be mindful of the roots and the nature of Christian faith. For those whose faith is shaken by the novel, the novel lends proof to how fragile the conventional faith can be among believers. I have wrestled with this issue while preparing for the series sermon. While the purpose of the series sermon was to reflect on the roots of our faith in the Truth, I have been mindful of those who may have expected the usual inspirational message. Out of those concerns, the series was shortened to four.

Amongst our Korean churches, our sermons have tended to deliver inspiring messages, but the fundamentals in faith have at times been neglected. It is this very neglect that our faith can waiver by baseless stories. Apostle Paul once wrote to Corinthians:

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. (1 Corinthians 3:2)

How about us? Is our faith fed by milk? However, we as a church must be ready for weaning. Without a firm founding in faith, our faith is not of solid health. While one needs inspiration from a sermon, it is also vital that we reflect on the essentials of Christian faith. As a congregation, the sermons must reflect this strengthening and we must digest the essential fundamentals.

Third, the syndrome challenges us not only to reflect on the roots and the nature of Christian faith, but the novel challenges us to reveal the values of Christian faith through Christian living. Does Christian faith compare favorably against the fabled Hieros Gamos culture? Our Christian faith is incomparably more profound, endearing and healthy than the cult practices that are prevalent in our societies. However, to the non-believers, it appears that Christian faith is met with indifference. In Europe, the established Christian churches are already losing ground to indifference. Even in Korea, to the non-believers feel least attracted to the protestant churches. Even in the internet we are cautioned that the most popular anti-web site relates to Christianity. It is rather unfortunate that the church that holds most precious treasures is perceived as the least attractive. While earlier referenced, the Da Vinci Code syndrome seems to gain strength from the wave. It also appears that we Christians have been the greatest source of promotion for the movie and the novel.

7.

How did it come to be this way? Is it because we have forsaken the spirit of Jesus Christ and have chosen our ways in our lives? By faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven by the blood of the Christ, we supplicate for the grace of the Lord in our lives, we believe in heaven after death. But have we transformed Christianity into a personal religion of modern convenience? Do we seek to secure personal blessing and a highway to heaven, yet forsake those around us? Have we failed to follow Jesus, looking toward the kingdom of heaven, fulfilling His will on earth? Have we failed to be a mark of the existence of Lord’s revelation in our lives? Have we failed to reflect the divinity of Jesus in our daily lives? Have our daily lives been captivated by spirituality in our minds and body; and at home, work, and place of worship? Does our love of God retain a form of godliness but deny its power? (2 Timothy 3:5)

If Christians reflect these values in Christian lives, how would our faith look to others then? Who would align with the mockery of the Christian faith? If our faith reflected these Christian values, the novel Da Vinci Code would already have been a history in the annals of readerships. However, the Da Vinci Code syndrome has become a wakeup call to Christians. The syndrome calls to us Christians and Christian churches to wake up to the challenge of true Christianity. Let us rise up to the challenge and affirm our resolve in the Christian faith and resolve to reflect the Christian life. Through the machination of one author today’s church and Christians have been awakened by God’s calling.

Beloved brethrens, you are the hope. Your sharing of Christian concerns and prayers is the hope. Without you, there is no one other. Would a bishop makeup for your absence? Would a theologian makeup for your absence? Would a popular pastor makeup for your absence? The power lies in our concerns and prayers. We must resolve towards reflecting true Christianity in person and in our place of worship. When true faith is reflected through our concerted efforts, then according to the Lord’s will, the Lord will deliver to us righteousness in all things. The Lord works his will through us. We are the Lord’s hope.

Lord ,
Thank you for
Awakening our faith.
Awaken our souls.
Captivate us in Christ’s spirit
Bring forth Thy Spirit in our lives.
In Thee we put our faith and follow
Thy path to eternal life
Through our daily lives,
Our words,
Our expressions,
Our Daily walks
Reveal unto us.