Faith Confirmed

Preparing For Confirmation

Peter Jackson

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780281064236
• eBook ISBN: 9780281069774
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

'Faith Confirmed' is the bestselling resource for guiding spiritual wanderers into the Anglican faith. Now updated and redesigned to fit into the 21st century, the confirmation participants guide covers every aspect of Christian living, preparing the heart and minds of individuals and groups.

Since it was first published, 'Faith Confirmed' has sold over 50,000 copies and been used all across the nation. This tired and tested resource has helped many people to explore the Anglican faith, encouraged participants to decide whether they wish to be confirmed and help them smoothly engage with church life and continue their journey into a real and genuine faith.

The resource confronts the big questions people have when thinking about confirmation:

- What is the purpose of life?
- How can we know God?
- Why is Jesus' death so important?
- How should I pray?
- Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?

Each section contains a clear explanation of what Anglicans believe, stories that further explore the subjects, questions for personal reflection or group discussion, Bible studies and encouragement to reflect and prayer. Also, the helpful resource encourages the participant to apply what they have learnt to their everyday life.

Suitable for group or personal use, this highly engaging and informative book, now given a make-over, will help to instigate and invigorate church growth, spiritually renewal and refreshing new life in your church.

Chapter 3

JESUS: LIFE and MINISTRY

‘Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ?’

‘I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord …’¹

Today more people follow Jesus Christ than anyone else on earth. Jesus’ influence can be seen in the images in this chapter. Throughout the centuries artists and illustrators have depicted Jesus in ways that make sense to them. Today, in Brazil Jesus is depicted as a Brazilian, in Korea as a Korean, and among the Maoris in New Zealand as a Maori. All cultures throughout the centuries have been influenced by Jesus Christ. But who is Jesus?

Who was Jesus?

A human being like us

Jesus was a man who walked the dusty streets, was tempted, as all people are, and died as a criminal on a cross. But in his teaching people recognized that he spoke with an authority unlike anyone else. In his miracles they saw a supernatural power at work in him. Jesus was not an ‘ordinary’ man, but he was still fully a human being. He shows the true potential of our human nature when it is perfectly united with God.

The Son of God

During his life Jesus would often go away to a quiet place to be alone with God. These times of quietness were the source of his inner strength. Jesus spoke of the special relationship he had with God, whom he called ‘Father’. According to John’s Gospel, he identified himself with God the Father, telling his disciples that ‘The Father and I are one’ (John 10.30) and that ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also’ (John 8.19).

As the early disciples thought about the life of Jesus they came to believe that he was more than a human being. He was God’s Son who came and lived as a man on earth. Matthew gave Jesus the name ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘God is with us’. The early Church came to refer to this belief as the Incarnation. The word means ‘in the flesh’, and refers to the belief that God became a human being in Jesus.

John’s Gospel begins with a poem describing the Incarnation (John 1.1–5, 14–18). In describing Jesus as the Word of God, St John is telling us that he is God’s ultimate self-expression in human terms:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it …

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Christian beliefs about Jesus

• Jesus was a historical person who lived in the first century AD. In addition to the four Gospel accounts of his life (written between 30 and 60 years after Jesus’ crucifixion), both Jewish (Josephus) and Roman historians (Tacitus, Pliny and Suetonius) record his existence.

• Jesus was Jewish. His parents were Jewish and he was circumcised on the eighth day in accordance with Jewish law (Luke 2.21).

• Jesus was sent by God to save and rescue people. The word ‘Jesus’ (Hebrew ‘Joshua’) means ‘God saves’ or ‘God rescues’. The Gospel writers show that Jesus was special in a number of ways. They tell us his birth was heralded by angels: ‘The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”’ (Luke 1.30–31); God spoke to Joseph about the birth in dreams: ‘an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”’ (Matthew 1.20).

• Jesus’ birth was a virgin birth: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’ (Matthew 1.23).

• Jesus was the Messiah whom the Jews had been eagerly awaiting. At the time of Jesus the Jews were eagerly waiting for God to send the Messiah who would rescue them from their Roman oppressors. Jesus’ closest disciples, led by Peter, came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah: ‘He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God”’ (Luke 9.20). Jesus intimated that he was the Christ: ‘Jesus said, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’, and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’”’ (Mark 14.62). But Jesus taught that he had not come to save the Jews from Roman rule but to save them from their sinful ways and to bring people back to God. He also taught that he had come not only for the Jews but for all people. Christians today call Jesus ‘Christ’, which is the Greek word for Messiah.

• Jesus came to bring in the kingdom of God. Jesus summed up his message with the words: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’ (Mark 1.15). Jews understood the phrase ‘kingdom of God’ to mean a state of accepting God as king of your life. In his teaching Jesus showed that the kingdom was already present in the lives of those people who had accepted God as ruler. But the kingdom was like a small mustard seed which had to grow into a large plant (Mark 4.30–32). God’s kingdom was being established through Jesus’ ministry of casting out evil spirits, healing ill people, raising people from the dead and showing God’s authority over nature.

• Jesus was fully human. One of Jesus’ favourite titles for himself was the ‘Son of Man’. This Hebrew expression means ‘human being’. He saw himself as a Jewish man who was called to be obedient to God: ‘I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the Father has instructed me to say’ (John 8.28, GNB).

• Jesus was fully divine. For Christians Jesus is more than a good man. They believe he is the Son of God. This belief is called ‘incarnation’ – God ‘became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us’ (John 1.14, GNB). At his baptism he heard a voice saying: ‘You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you’ (Mark 1.11, GNB). Towards the end of his life God spoke again through a cloud at Jesus’ transfiguration: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ (Mark 9.7). And Jesus often spoke of the special relationship h...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Author information
• Praise for the book
• Title page
• Imprint
• Table of contents
• What this book is for
• Introduction
• 01. God
• 02. Human nature and sin
• 03. Jesus: life and ministry
• 04. Jesus: death and resurrection
• 05. The Holy Spirit
• 06. The Church
• 07. The creeds
• 08. The Bible
• 09. Living as a Christian
• 10. Prayer and worship
• 11. The sacraments
• 12. Baptism
• 13. Confirmation
• 14. The Eucharist
• 15. Marriage
• 16. Confession
• 17. Ordination
• 18. Anointing the sick
• 19. Life after death
• Notes and acknowledgements