What is a Believer?
A theological view of what defines a believer, particularly in the context of being united with Christ in death, is indeed nuanced, and we acknowledge varying levels or degrees of belief. However, there are key theological elements that shape an understanding of belief and unification with Christ for believers.
1. Belief as Trust and Relationship with God
The essential characteristic of a believer is trust in God and the living relationship with God through Christ. This relationship is dynamic and involves a personal and communal response to God’s call to follow Christ. It is not about achieving a perfect or complete understanding of doctrine, but about living in trust and hope in God’s promises.
• Faith as Trust: Belief is primarily an act of trusting God’s promise of salvation, life, and resurrection. It is a relationship of reliance on God’s faithfulness, and it is characterized by hope in the ultimate victory over death, seen in the resurrection of Christ.
• Not Intellectual Assent: We can not reduce belief to an intellectual assent to theological propositions. While doctrine is important, belief is not defined merely by holding specific ideas or beliefs but by living out that relationship with God in the world, shaped by trust in Christ’s redemption.
2. Belief as Participation in Christ’s Death and Resurrection
The central theological claim is that believers are united with Christ in both His death and resurrection. This union is a defining aspect of being a believer. However, it is acknowledged that belief and participation in Christ’s death and resurrection can take various forms, depending on the depth and maturity of the individual’s faith.
• Union with Christ: A believer is someone who, through faith, participates in the saving work of Christ—both His death (which includes suffering, solidarity with the oppressed, and the triumph over sin and death) and His resurrection (which offers the hope of new life and the renewal of creation). This participation is not just a future event but has present implications for how believers live.
• Degrees of Union: We recognize that not all believers experience or understand this union with Christ in the same way or to the same degree. Some may have a more conscious and mature relationship with Christ, while others may still be growing in their understanding and experience of Christ’s presence. Thus, there are varying levels of awareness and maturity in this union with Christ, but the essential defining characteristic remains the participation in Christ’s death and resurrection.
3. Belief as Hope in the Resurrection
The hope of resurrection is central to an understanding of belief. A believer is someone who trusts in the promise of resurrection and the renewal of creation. This hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is not just an event in the past, but an ongoing source of hope for the future, especially in the face of suffering and death.
• Resurrection Hope: A believer is someone who is oriented toward the future hope of resurrection, where death will be overcome. Even though a believer may experience suffering and death in this life, the belief in the resurrection gives them the confidence that death is not the end and that God will eventually make all things new.
• Hope and Solidarity with the Dead: This hope in resurrection extends beyond the believer’s personal life to encompass solidarity with all the dead. The afterlife suggests that the dead are already united with Christ in Aeonic Time, and believers, even in death, are not separated from Christ but are united with Him in a timeless relationship.
4. Belief as Participation in the Body of Christ
Belief is about being part of the Church, the Body of Christ, which is a community of believers living out the work of God in the world. Believers are not isolated individuals, but they live in relationship with other members of the body.
• Communal Aspect: To be a believer is to be part of a community that bears witness to God’s redemption in the world. The believer’s union with Christ is not just individual but is also shared with others in the Body of Christ. This is a key aspect of ecclesiology, where the church as community plays a critical role in the life of a believer.
• Active Participation: A believer participates in the life of the church by engaging in worship, service, suffering, and mission in the world. They are living witnesses to Christ’s redemptive work, both in their personal lives and in their communal life with others.
5. Non-Belief as Part of the Redemptive Process
While faith in Christ is central to theology, we do not view non-belief as the final state of any individual. Even those who do not consciously believe in Christ in this life are still part of the universal redemptive plan of God. Non-belief, is seen as something that can change in God’s time, especially because of the universality of Christ’s work of salvation. Thus all people, even those who do not currently believe, are ultimately included in God’s universal restoration.
1. Belief as Trust and Relationship with God
The essential characteristic of a believer is trust in God and the living relationship with God through Christ. This relationship is dynamic and involves a personal and communal response to God’s call to follow Christ. It is not about achieving a perfect or complete understanding of doctrine, but about living in trust and hope in God’s promises.
• Faith as Trust: Belief is primarily an act of trusting God’s promise of salvation, life, and resurrection. It is a relationship of reliance on God’s faithfulness, and it is characterized by hope in the ultimate victory over death, seen in the resurrection of Christ.
• Not Intellectual Assent: We can not reduce belief to an intellectual assent to theological propositions. While doctrine is important, belief is not defined merely by holding specific ideas or beliefs but by living out that relationship with God in the world, shaped by trust in Christ’s redemption.
2. Belief as Participation in Christ’s Death and Resurrection
The central theological claim is that believers are united with Christ in both His death and resurrection. This union is a defining aspect of being a believer. However, it is acknowledged that belief and participation in Christ’s death and resurrection can take various forms, depending on the depth and maturity of the individual’s faith.
• Union with Christ: A believer is someone who, through faith, participates in the saving work of Christ—both His death (which includes suffering, solidarity with the oppressed, and the triumph over sin and death) and His resurrection (which offers the hope of new life and the renewal of creation). This participation is not just a future event but has present implications for how believers live.
• Degrees of Union: We recognize that not all believers experience or understand this union with Christ in the same way or to the same degree. Some may have a more conscious and mature relationship with Christ, while others may still be growing in their understanding and experience of Christ’s presence. Thus, there are varying levels of awareness and maturity in this union with Christ, but the essential defining characteristic remains the participation in Christ’s death and resurrection.
3. Belief as Hope in the Resurrection
The hope of resurrection is central to an understanding of belief. A believer is someone who trusts in the promise of resurrection and the renewal of creation. This hope is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is not just an event in the past, but an ongoing source of hope for the future, especially in the face of suffering and death.
• Resurrection Hope: A believer is someone who is oriented toward the future hope of resurrection, where death will be overcome. Even though a believer may experience suffering and death in this life, the belief in the resurrection gives them the confidence that death is not the end and that God will eventually make all things new.
• Hope and Solidarity with the Dead: This hope in resurrection extends beyond the believer’s personal life to encompass solidarity with all the dead. The afterlife suggests that the dead are already united with Christ in Aeonic Time, and believers, even in death, are not separated from Christ but are united with Him in a timeless relationship.
4. Belief as Participation in the Body of Christ
Belief is about being part of the Church, the Body of Christ, which is a community of believers living out the work of God in the world. Believers are not isolated individuals, but they live in relationship with other members of the body.
• Communal Aspect: To be a believer is to be part of a community that bears witness to God’s redemption in the world. The believer’s union with Christ is not just individual but is also shared with others in the Body of Christ. This is a key aspect of ecclesiology, where the church as community plays a critical role in the life of a believer.
• Active Participation: A believer participates in the life of the church by engaging in worship, service, suffering, and mission in the world. They are living witnesses to Christ’s redemptive work, both in their personal lives and in their communal life with others.
5. Non-Belief as Part of the Redemptive Process
While faith in Christ is central to theology, we do not view non-belief as the final state of any individual. Even those who do not consciously believe in Christ in this life are still part of the universal redemptive plan of God. Non-belief, is seen as something that can change in God’s time, especially because of the universality of Christ’s work of salvation. Thus all people, even those who do not currently believe, are ultimately included in God’s universal restoration.
