Have you ever experienced being so blessed by the life and witness of a person from your past that you just wish you could have that person present? I mean present, not only for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of your family and friends. This is the way I feel about E. Stanley Jones.

It makes me feel awkward to be saying this, because I never knew E. Stanley Jones as a personal friend.  However, I have been greatly influenced by his life and ministry. Back in the 1960’s I heard him preach at Asbury Theological Seminary where I studied for my first year of theology in preparing for the ordained Christian ministry through the United Methodist Church. Several other times I had the privilege of being in his presence in local churches where he led groups of lay and clergy in Ashram faith growth experiences. His many books designed for daily devotionals have been very helpful to me. Therefore, I miss not being able to experience his presence, his prayer life, his theological mind, and his spirit. Therefore, recently I have been reading his book, “In Christ” which was published by Abingdon Press in 1961, the year after I heard him at Asbury Seminary. Spending time with his book has been refreshing for me. Reading this book as a guide for devotional life, not only has helped me to experience God more personally, but I also find that E. Stanley Jones’ practical Biblical theology just renews my excitement about living daily as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, recently I started paraphrasing some of E. Stanley Jones’ daily devotionals to share by email with some of my friends. I have attempted to create contemporary questions related to selective “answers” that E. Stanley Jones has addressed by some of his daily devotionals with his book, “In Christ.”  Because some of my friends and I exchange faith experiences and ideas by way of emails,  I have sent out some of my “Ask E. Stanley Jones’s” responses. I find that most people are hungry for practical Biblical insights about the meaning of life. I am confident that insights from E. Stanley Jones “In Christ” in response to contemporary questions will be helpful for building a practical faith experience for many.

I pray that you will find them as helpful to you as they have been to me.

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Ask E. Stanley Jones  #1

The Question: Where can I find guidance to evaluate a religion?

Biblical Response: An historic letter to a young man (I Timothy 3:16)

“Great indeed… is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

Witness: E. Stanley Jones, a missionary to India

Note that the writer follows “our religion” with the word “He”. One would have thought the letter would have said, “our religion: It…”  Why does the writer, Paul, call “our religion: He…”?  Our religion is not an “it” –a system of thought, worship, ritual, institutions-these are built up around the Person of Christ.  Many may be more or less Christian. Our religion is “He.” We may get caught in the system of thought, worship, ritual, institutions and never get to a saving contact with the personal Christ.  If so, we are this side of salvation. For salvation is in Christ, and not in the system built up around Him. (See “In Christ”, 1961, p. 18, Abingdon Press, New York) –Paraphrased by Curtis R Schofield.

A contemporary response: Anne Fryga

When I was in college, the professor teaching Comparative Religions said that the way to check out a religion is to ask, “What place do you give Jesus?”

Prayer O Christ, we seek to get beyond forms to you, the Form, to go from the good to the Good. We who are personal cannot rest this side of the Personal. So take us by the hand and lead us to Thyself.  Amen.

An affirmation by E. Stanley Jones: The words of Scripture take me beyond the words to the Word-the Word made Flesh. ( see John 1:14 )

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Ask E. Stanley Jones # 2

The Question: Does the Bible give us words of assurance about eternal life?

Scriptural Insights:

-John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He, the Word, was with God in the beginning.

-John 1:14 The Word became a member of humanity and lived among us.

-John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 5:39-40 Jesus said to those who were not listening to him, only to find fault, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

E. Stanley Jones’ Response:

The business of the Scriptures is to take us by the hand and lead us beyond the words to the Word.  The Scriptures are not the revelation of God-that would be the Word become printer’s ink.  The Scriptures are the inspired record of the Revelation-the Revelation is seen in the face of Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh.  Every day I go to these words and say to them: “Have you seen Him Whom my soul  loves?”  These words take me by the hand and lead me beyond the words to Him Who is the Word.

John tells us that Jesus was the Word become flesh and lived among us (John 1:4). John records that the Word, who became a human being as Jesus of Nazareth, said, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life (John 3:16).

The opening sentence of the book of Revelation says: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him.”  I find this interesting and important. For in the rest of the Scriptures Jesus is revealing God, showing us in concrete, human terms what God is like: “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”  What a revelation of God we find in Jesus!  When we read it we think there can be nothing higher, and there can be nothing other.  We want to say, “This is it!”  In the Book of Revelation we find the roles of Jesus and God have been reversed: God reveals Jesus!  We ask, “How is this possible?”   The answer is, “This reversal is a fulfillment the law laid down by Jesus:  “Whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life … he will save it” (Matthew 16:25).  Jesus lost His life in revealing God, the Father. We see the record in the Book of Revelation that God, the Father, is revealing Jesus-He is growing upon us, amazingly. (E. Stanley Jones, “In Christ”, p. 19 ) Paraphrased by Curtis R Schofield

Prayer: O Father, thank You for revealing your Son to us. He is growing upon us so amazingly that we can scarcely keep up with your revelations.  He, the Word become flesh, and now is with us as the resurrected Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We find He is making You known to us by breaking out everywhere-from every bush, every star, every happening-everywhere.  Amen.

E. Stanley Jones’ Affirmation: To see Jesus is to see what God and man and life are like.

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Ask E. Stanley Jones  # 3

The Question: Does the New Testament give any clues to the source of creation?

Scriptural Insights:

-John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

-John 1:14-15 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”

-Hebrews 1:2 In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

-Colossians 1:15-16 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

E. Stanley Jones’ Response:

What do these passages, which proclaim that God created the world through Christ, mean?  The understanding  most of us grew up with is that God created the world. Then Jesus, as the Son of God, appeared around two thousand years ago to more fully reveal who God is, and to do a special personal sacrifice to redeem us from our sins. But the above Scriptures seem to indicate that the Son of God has been active in the whole process of creation as long as God, the Father, has been. These Scripture verses indicate that God created the world through Christ-without Him there was nothing made that was made. If this is true,  the touch of Christ is upon all creation. Does this mean that everything is made to work in harmony with His way? Does this mean that when everything works in harmony with Christ that it works well? If so, does it also mean that when we humans try to operate any part of creation contrary to Christ’s way, it works to our ruin? Is everything, even what we call the secular world, destined by its very nature to be in Him?

Prayer: O Christ, we are beginning to see the revelation that God, the Father, is working every day in every activity, through You, the Son. The more we realize that You are involved in the whole creation, the more we realize that your foot and hand prints are on everything. Forgive us for thinking we can operate everything on our own that is not considered a religious activity. No wonder we have trouble praying the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  It is exciting to realize that You are involved in everything, as your servant, Paul, proclaimed, “In Him we live and more and have our being.” Please reveal more of how You are involved in every aspect of our lives. The more we see, the more we are transformed. Amen.

Affirmation for the day: If I am destined to be in Christ, then I shall accept that destiny as the working pattern of my life.