Mixed Multitude in the Church
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:17 pm
I've been trying to square the seemingly blatant mixed multitude of "professing believers" and "true Disciples" in the Church today, which would appear to go back as far as I can tell. I need to take it back to Scripture, of course, but I've been toying with a thought and would like your impressions and scriptural proofs or corrections.
I don't buy into the whole "New Covenant" infant baptism replacing circumcision as means into the "family" of faith with a later salvation experience "clinching the deal" or not. But there does seem to be some merit to the larger point of having a biblical distinction between the larger body of the church identified as "God's people" and that of the smaller group of people who are "saved" for God's purposes receiving the Holy Spirit (perhaps both but possibly on the later having an eternal reward). Considering the similarities with the mixed multitude of Israel (all circumcised into the family and receiving some of the "promises/rewards," but always only a remnant who were truly faithful to God and who's faith was counted as righteousness. This squares in some respects too with the notions by NT Wright of "Justification" as not primarily about salvation/eternal fate, but as identification as "God's people." There seems to be some distinct concept in the biblical stories here that has been blurred by tradition, but I can't quite peel away the cruft.
I'm also troubled by the fact that the Holy Spirit/regeneration, etc. doesn't always seem to accompany a faith (even a seemingly real one). This has been discussed on the radio lately, and I'm thinking this all fits together somehow, but I can't quite make it coalesce. I wish I could pause life every time one of these paradigm thoughts come to me and read the whole scripture through with that in mind, but alas the clock keeps on turning. Meanwhile, if you think of something that supports or rebukes this theory, let me know.
I don't buy into the whole "New Covenant" infant baptism replacing circumcision as means into the "family" of faith with a later salvation experience "clinching the deal" or not. But there does seem to be some merit to the larger point of having a biblical distinction between the larger body of the church identified as "God's people" and that of the smaller group of people who are "saved" for God's purposes receiving the Holy Spirit (perhaps both but possibly on the later having an eternal reward). Considering the similarities with the mixed multitude of Israel (all circumcised into the family and receiving some of the "promises/rewards," but always only a remnant who were truly faithful to God and who's faith was counted as righteousness. This squares in some respects too with the notions by NT Wright of "Justification" as not primarily about salvation/eternal fate, but as identification as "God's people." There seems to be some distinct concept in the biblical stories here that has been blurred by tradition, but I can't quite peel away the cruft.
I'm also troubled by the fact that the Holy Spirit/regeneration, etc. doesn't always seem to accompany a faith (even a seemingly real one). This has been discussed on the radio lately, and I'm thinking this all fits together somehow, but I can't quite make it coalesce. I wish I could pause life every time one of these paradigm thoughts come to me and read the whole scripture through with that in mind, but alas the clock keeps on turning. Meanwhile, if you think of something that supports or rebukes this theory, let me know.