Written by: CampUs4
7/18/2011 3:05 PM

Passing on the Faith: Lessons from Deuteronomy 6:4-9

By Phillip Camp

Of all places in the Bible, I have found Deuteronomy especially helpful for considering how we nurture and pass on the faith to the next generation. Indeed, that is what this book is about. Moses is re-teaching for a new generation, the generation that will enter the Promised Land, what it means to be and live as the people of God. Part of what he calls them to do is to pass on that faith to subsequent generations, as we see in Deuteronomy 6:4-9...

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Verses 4-5, known as the Shema (the Hebrew for "hear"), remind us that where we begin as God's people is with centering our entire being (heart, soul, and strength) on loving God. And in Deuteronomy, loving God means not only affection but also obedience.

In verses 6-7, we are then reminded that the Word of God, his guidance for living in relationship with him and with others, is to be within us and impressed upon the next generation. How is this done? It is done by immersing the community in the Word of God to his people. And if my experience with students both in campus ministry and as a college Bible teacher is any indication, many of our young people have little or no knowledge of the Bible as a whole. They love God and claim to know him, but their knowledge of God is often built on only snippets of Scripture and a lot of popular understandings of what the Bible says, whether they are accurate or not. Many have been raised on topical studies and proof-text approaches that leave them with little real understanding of the God who reveals himself in Scripture. Thus, the immersion requires real time in reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture, all of it, Genesis – Revelation. It is in this engagement with Scripture that they will come to know the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. The place to begin is making the will and call of God a regular part of our conversation, wherever (at home or on the road) and whenever (sunrise to sunset). This does not mean that every conversation has to be about Jesus or the Bible. It does indicate that we need to be intentional about speaking of God's intentions for us, not simply in formal settings but as a regular part of daily life with our students.

Verses 8-9 then point us to three concentric circles in which we pass on the faith. Though these verses speak of wearing and writing the commandments, more is indicated here than simply sporting Jesus t-shirts and jewelry, religious tattoos, and putting up Christian posters. First, there is the personal level (on your hands and foreheads). As campus ministers we immerse ourselves in the Word, both prayerfully studying it and living it out. And we encourage our students to do the same. That we live out the Word, not merely study it, is essential for passing on the faith. It cannot simply remain head knowledge; it must be lived before our students so that we become walking testimonies to the life of discipleship.

Second, there is the family level (on the door frames of your houses). Since college students are typically away from their biological families, I think either the campus ministry or smaller groups within the ministry fill that void. Our students need to be encouraged to live with and spend a great deal of time with their sisters and brothers in Christ on campus. In addition to campus prayer times and Bible studies, regular meals together on campus also become an important place for mutual encouragement. I would suggest even encouraging them to house with fellow Christians. The point is not to isolate them from the larger campus or the world but to provide a space where they can freely and fully nurture faith. They are then strengthened to faithfully live out their faith in the larger campus culture.

Third, there is the congregational level (on your gates). The college students and the campus ministry should not remain a separate entity apart from, or even within, a local congregation. From my own experience, a mistake often made by churches and campus ministries is that the students are isolated within the congregation, or the students are not encouraged to become active members of the local church. Often, little effort is made to integrate students fully into the life and ministry of the church. Thus, they miss out on the spiritual wisdom of those who are older and more experienced in the life of discipleship. And they miss out on the spiritual growth generated by interaction with those of differing life situations. Practically, this integration into the life of the church might mean having the students go into the "adult" Bible classes rather than always having their own class, participation in the ministries of the church rather than creating separate ministry activities, and creating times for social interaction with the whole congregation.

In some ways, college students mirror the situation of Israel in Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy, a new generation stands on the border of the Promised Land, ready to live as the people of God in a new situation. College students likewise are preparing to move into a new situation, away from home and into adult life. Our role as campus ministers and the church is to help equip them by passing the faith on to them so that they love and serve God with all their hearts, minds, and souls.

Phillip Camp is an associate professor of Bible at Lipscomb University. He has served as the campus minister or campus ministry leader for churches in Ithaca, NY, Nashville, TN, and Princeton, NJ. He currently serves an associate minister at the Natchez Trace Church of Christ in Nashville and continues his work with college students and other young adults. He is the author of Finding Your Way: A Guide to Seminary Life and Beyond (Cascade, 2009). He and his wife, Amy, have three sons, Jim, Davis, and Tim.
 

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