The Four GATEWAYS
The Portals to the Mysteries of Faith- The Portals to the Mysteries of FaithScripture, Symbols, Story, and Song Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith: Understanding the Christian Journey Through Scripture, Symbol, Story, and Song
In its rich complexity and transformative power, the Christian faith reveals itself through multiple gateways that invite understanding and participation. Four primary gateways—Scripture, Symbol, Story, and Song— serve as foundational pathways through which believers encounter and engage with the divine mysteries. These gateways are not merely theoretical constructs but living portals through which we experience and express our faith, shaping our personal spiritualities and communal practices.
These elements, as central as they are to experience the wonder and breadth of Christian revelation, are entirely dependent on the working and leading of the Holy Spirit. As He who inspired the writers of the Holy Scriptures, he and he alone enables the believing heart and community to understand the Scriptures, comprehend the deeper meaning of the symbols within them, draft the stories with inspired testimony of the meaning of historical revelatory events, and move composers to capture the signi cance of it all in song and the arts. Through his leading and anointing, we can engage Scripture, interpret symbols, understand the biblical narrative, and express our gratitude and wonder in song.
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith-Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
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The Four Gateways:
Scripture: The Written Word as Living Voice
The rst and foremost portal to understand the mysteries of God in Christ are the Spirit-inspired Scriptures. As the revelatory content of the prophets and apostles, as the Spirit bore them along, the Scriptures serve as the authoritative repository of God's events through his people, his Son, and the Church. Providing both historical testimony and a contemporary guide, Scripture's authority stems from its delity to the prophetic and apostolic testimony and its continuing ability to apply God's word to current situations. As Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Scripture is not merely an ancient text but, through the Spirit, they become the living voice of God's present day and time action and working. God is ever and always our contemporary.
Considering this, the fundamental nature of the Scriptures supplies the church with essential knowledge of its identity, purpose, and mission. Through its confession and understanding of the Scriptures, the Church a rms its inspired witness to God's action in history, primarily and nally in Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. In the Church's study and re ection upon Scripture, the Church encounters the living Word of God through the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures, interprets their meaning, and continues to speak to the church through his Scriptures. Also, the Scriptures serve for the believing as the testimony of the preeminence and supremacy of Christ Jesus, who himself serves as the Foundation for the Church's faith and practice.
Key scriptural themes provide frameworks for understanding both personal faith and communal mission. The Kingdom of God, central to Jesus's teaching, challenges believers to envision and work toward a transformed world. Jesus's proclamation that "The Kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:21) calls for present action and future hope.
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith-Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
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The Four Gateways: Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
LectioDivina
Modern engagement with scripture occurs through various methods. , an ancient practice of contemplative reading, invites readers to move beyond mere information gathering to transformative encounters. Contemporary Bible study methods incorporate historical-critical scholarship while focusing on personal and communal application.
Lectio Divina
From apostolic times, the Church has always a rmed the truth that Paul gave to Timothy regarding the character of the holy Scriptures: "And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and bene cial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:15-17 NASB). As a main portal of faith, disciples engage the Scriptures regularly through study and re ection, and contemplative reading, and dialogue and wrestling with its Christ-centered themes as they apply to contemporary challenges. Above all, we encounter the Scriptures as the primary means by which we can know God's will and purpose in Christ Jesus, the theme of the Scriptures themselves (John 5:39-40).
Symbol: The Visual Language and Analogy of Faith
One of the rst things we encounter in our engagement with Scripture is the plethora of rich metaphors, pictures, analogies, and symbols that are given in conjunction with God, his people, spiritual objects, and depictions of various realities. Understanding and presenting one thing through the image and picture of another thing (the very de nition of metaphor and symbol) highlights a signi cant dimension of religious consciousness and communication, or, as Joseph Campbell's engaging title on religion is called, "This Is That."
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The Four Gateways: Scripture, Symbols,
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Comprehending the unknown through the image of the known, and determining the boundaries of the correlation is requisite skill of using symbols and metaphors in activities of meaning generation. The well-heeled theological axiom of goes to the very heart of understanding who God is and who we are in Christ. This rule recognizes and interprets the types, images, and symbols as essential in comprehending God's person and purpose provided in the Scriptures.
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Christian symbols, then, are neither arbitrary nor unnecessary. Rather, they bridge the visible and invisible realms of religious experience. They serve as windows through which divine reality becomes accessible to human understanding. The power of Christian symbols lies in their ability to communicate complex theological truths through simple yet profound visual elements. The Christian tradition employs symbols as bridges between the visible and invisible realms, making the intangible mysteries of faith tangible Symbols serve as vessels of meaning that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries, connecting to the deeper realities of our faith journey. Symbols provide open display and tangible expression of the mysteries of spiritual realities and the invisible graces God grants us through Christ.
Here are only four examples of the power of symbols that serve as gateways into the mysterious and glorious workings of the Father. First, consider the symbol of the Cross, Christianity's central symbol. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The Cross embodies the paradox of Christian faith— death leading to life, suffering transformed into glory, defeat becoming victory. In daily practice, the Cross appears not only in church architecture and personal jewelry but in the very gesture of blessing that marks Christian prayer and worship.
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith-Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
The Four Gateways: Scripture, Symbols,
Water, another fundamental symbol, carries multiple layers of meaning. Baptism represents both cleansing from sin and a new life in Christ. Jesus's words to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" John 3:5 (ESV), connect this symbol to spiritual rebirth. Communities of faith often use water in its worship, engaging with this symbol through baptismal fonts and dedication ceremonies. Jesus promised the one who believes in him out of his or her innermost being would ow rivers of living water, the Holy Spirit, who would refresh and transform every dimension of their lives (John 7:37-39).
Third, the images of the Bread and Wine re ect the picture of the body and blood of Christ, foreshadowing and displaying the paschal sacri ce of Christ for the sins of the world. Jesus is our Passover, the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sins. The bread and the wine in the Eucharist speak directly to the physical death and sacri cial love of our Lord on the Cross. From the offering of bread and wine in the encounter between Melchizedek and Abraham to the pronouncement of our Lord in the Upper Room that the bread and cup they partook of was his body and blood, bread and wine speak to the presence of God in the sacri cial offering of his Son for the world.
Finally, the symbol of light is commonly in Scripture referred to with deeper spiritual and theological meaning. Also, light symbolizes God manifesting his divine presence, our spiritual identity, and illumination in the world. We are no longer of the night, shadow, or darkness. We are light in the Lord and are encouraged to walk as children of the light, walking in the light as God is in the light, exposing through our actions the deeds of the world and providing direction and illumination to those who see our God works. Light is a powerful symbol of the meaning of spiritual reality in a fallen world and enriches our understanding of who we are in Christ and our mission to those who do not know him.
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The Four Gateways: Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
Understanding how these symbols enrich and shape our spiritual vision and identity can revolutionize our daily spiritual practice and thought. Through symbols we can reawaken in powerful images and objects the powerful meanings connected with the sacramental practices of our faith. We can rediscover and recognize their ongoing in uence on our daily experience of Christ. Using them in meditation, prayer, reading, study, memorization, and meditation, we can become more aware of the profound truths they embody in every aspect of our lives, relationships, and endeavors. Indeed, to comprehend the symbols and the picture presented on the screen of the biblical text is to recognize the deeper meanings of the truths covered within it.
Story: The Narrative Content and Shape of Our Faith Journey
Christianity is fundamentally a story-shaped religion. Most sacred Scripture comprises historical narratives with accompanying commentary, which provide the foundation for theological re ection and a rmation of the Bible's content. Theology is, by its very nature, a second or third-order activity; rst, there is the historical event; second (if available) is the author's included interpretation of the meaning of the event; and lastly, is the church's latest and varied theological re ection on both the text and its interpretation. Stories produce theologies, and they both precede and condition all theological re ection and activity. Theology is simply commentary on the story of what God has done, as testi ed in the Scriptures.
The grand narrative of God's interaction with humanity (i.e., the overall story of God's salvation promise given to the patriarchs, a rmed in his people and their worship, and ful lled in Jesus of Nazareth) provides the framework through which we as Jesus' present-day disciples may understand their spiritual formation, challenges, and journeys. This narrative approach nds its foundation in Jesus's teaching method—his frequent use of parables demonstrates the essential power of stories to express and convey spiritual truth.
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Indeed, in personal ministry, stories are the primary vehicle for transmitting our faith to others, testifying how our identities were formed, our communities were shaped, and our mission was delivered to us. We are narrative creatures, living out the tales of our lives as we see them and making sense of our personal and corporate worlds through our stories of our origins, growth, detours, and fashioning. We create meaning and purpose through our personal and corporate stories, build our personal and communal identities, and connect our individual and group narratives to God's more remarkable story of salvation where we live and work.
Look for a moment at the great story of the Creation narrative in Genesis. This tale of origins establishes fundamental truths about God's nature, human identity, and our relationship with creation. This story continues to inform Christian responses to contemporary issues such as environmental stewardship and human dignity. The Exodus narrative, with its themes of liberation and covenant, has inspired countless thousands of individuals and scores of movements dedicated to missions, social justice, and human rights. This story and its related subplots are applied to the grand story of redemption in Christ. "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacri ced," 1 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV).
The central Christian story—Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return—provides the pattern for Christian discipleship. As Jesus told his followers, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24, ESV). This pattern of Jesus' main storyline of his death and resurrection becomes a template for understanding what it means to be his disciple, and outlines the cost of true personal transformation.
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The Four Gateways: Scripture, Symbols,
To be shaped by the Christian Story is to recognize its preeminence above all other narratives that might hope to compete with it to explain, express, and understand our world. When we embrace the biblical Story and its narrative theology as our chief means to understand and experience life, we grow through our testimony and witness, integrating our personal stories with the Story of God in Christ. Furthermore, we enhance our community's telling of itself and its identity, showing in testimony how we were formed from our faithful acceptance and engagement with the Christ story. And perhaps, most importantly, we come to recognize our unique contribution and place in God's ongoing story, which continues to be embodied and told today through us and countless others who hold to the Story as factual and nal.
Song: The Melodic Expression and Release of Faith's Passion/Perspective
Song is that divine gift expressing and a rming the Faith's most profound truths and hopes through art and music. Music in Christian tradition serves as the articulation of both its theological confessions and heartfelt prayers and longings. As Augustine is as oft quoted to have said, "He who sings prays twice." The Psalms, Christianity's earliest hymnal, demonstrate how songs may deeply embody and express the wider range of spiritual experience, from individual lament to communal praise. Paul's instruction to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19) suggests the variety of musical expression in early Christian gatherings.
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The Four Gateways:
From its earliest times, the Church has embraced the role of song as a chief expression of its faith, hope, and life. Through its music and songs, the Church has joyfully expressed its emotions, longings, and thoughts in ways that words alone could never fully express or convey. Our songs re ect our faith and give rise to our deepest longings and re ections. We build identity and community through our songs, shared worship, and personal and corporate expressions of songs written about and in honor of our God. Through them, we embody our most cherished theological truths in memorable forms, which can be danced, shouted, sung, hummed, shared, and played everywhere with and to anyone.
Indeed, our hymns and songs can catapult an anemic faith to heights of recognition, a rmation, and transformation. Traditional hymns often serve as theological education through melody. Charles Wesley's hymn "And Can It Be" provides a complete course in soteriology within its verses. While usually more straightforward in theological content, contemporary praise and worship songs can create powerful emotional connections to faith truths and clothe these memories and rhythms in styles, genres, and beats that re ect present-day cultures and norms. Whether in the form of the Psalms and ancient hymns, traditional hymns, contemporary praise and worship songs, or global church music, songs represent a signi cant gateway to the Church's view of God and its role in the world.
For instance, global praise and worship songs increasingly enrich the prayers, liturgies, theologies, and worship of God's people around the world. African rhythms, Asian harmonies, and Latin American styles and melodies enrich the worship of the Church, and powerfully remind us that faith transcends cultural national, and musical boundaries. Song nds unique expression within each culture. This universal appropriation of song in faith reveals how song is formative to our shared spirituality and discipleship. As we compose, sing, and play old and new songs of praise to God, regularly participating in singing with other believers in times of worship and praise, we edify one another and glorify the God who is so utterly worthy of our continual and unboken sacri ces of praise to his name (Psa. 34:1-3).
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The Four Gateways:
Integrating and Applying the Portals to Our Faith
Without question, these four gateways--Scripture, Symbol, Story, and Song--work together to form a comprehensive approach to faith formation. Consider how Holy Communion integrates all four elements: the symbolic elements of bread and wine, the story of the Last Supper, the scriptural words of the actual ceremony of the Super, and the songs that accompany and have the communion observance. In this marvelous and solemn gathering, the four gateways enrich and de ne the experience, accompanied by the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit. Understanding how these four gateways work together can give us real insight into how we can transform our walks with God, our Christian community practice, and our mission and service. This integration creates a powerful experience of faith that engages our entire selves, i.e., multiple senses, artistic and logical expressions, and all levels of understanding and practice.
We can easily see how these gateways might be useful in addressing speci c issues of concern and change in the body of Christ. For instance, look a two possible contemporary applications of these gateways to address and engage some di cult social topics:
Environmental Stewardship:
- Scripture: Biblical teachings about care for creation
- Symbol: The elements of creation as signs of God's presence
- Story: The creation narrative and humanity's role as stewards
- Song: Hymns celebrating creation and calling for its protection
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith-Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
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Social Justice:
- Scripture: Amos, Micah, Jesus's teachings on justice
- Symbol: The scales of justice, the prophetic staff
- Story: Exodus, prophetic narratives of social reform
- Song: Spirituals, freedom songs, protest hymns
Conclusion: Rediscovering Wonder and Mystery in Our Faith Today
I am convinced that these four gateways can provide direction and strength to us as we journey in our faith to maturity in Christ and effectiveness in ministry. Together they provide both structure and exibility for contemporary faith, helping us re ect on the meaning of the truth and aiding us as we put it into practice. They offer multiple entry points for spiritual formation while maintaining a connection to historic Christian tradition. Through intentional engagement with these gateways, believers can develop a faith that is both deeply rooted and actively engaged with contemporary challenges, while, at the same time, inviting all who enter the Story through these portals to discover the power of wonder and mystery in the outworking of God's grand story of salvation and life.
The journey of faith continues to unfold through these ancient yet ever-new pathways. As we engage with symbols, stories, scripture, and songs, we participate in the ongoing story of God's relationship with humanity, nding our place in this grand narrative and contributing our chapter to its unfolding. Let's enter through the portals and see what lies ahead for creation and God's people.
The Four Gateways to the Mysteries of Faith-Scripture, Symbols, Story, and Song
Dr. Davis, Page 11
The portals of Scripture, Symbol, Story, and Song
"In its rich complexity and transformative power, the Christian faith reveals itself through multiple gateways that invite understanding and participation. Four primary gateways—Scripture, Symbol, Story, and Song—serve as foundational pathways through which believers encounter and engage with the divine mysteries. These gateways are not merely theoretical constructs but living portals through which we experience and express our faith, shaping our personal spiritualities and communal practices." -- from Page 1.