Faith Fact- "I will, with God's help" vs. "I will"

 


In the Baptism service, as part of the Baptismal Covenant, we are all asked questions regarding the practice of our Faith. The answer to these questions is "I will, with God's help."

It is a recognition of our need for God's grace in our lives. We cannot accomplish what we need to in this world on our own. We need God's help.

When it comes to the Examination of a Priest and a Deacon, however, the response to the questions is simply "I will."

This is a recognition of the great responsibility laid on clergy to serve not only the Lord, but God's people as well. That doesn't mean the clergy are better as people or special. It means that there is a great deal of discernment by the church and the individual, marked by the response in the ordination service of the presenters at the start of the service and the ordinand's first response in the examination: "I believe I am so called." In that discernment, the clergy must come through knowing they can do the work God has give them to do. Their answer needs to be a firm "I will."

At the same time, one of the first questions clergy get asked in ordination is whether they will continue in their reading of Holy Scripture, which they declare at the start of the service "to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation." Clergy are to always have their ear to what God is saying in order to do the Lord's Will, not their own.

There are two more things to note. In the Examination for a Bishop, the response "I will" is always accompanied by other words pertaining to the Bishop's role in the church. The second of these responses, to the question on being faithful in prayer and studying Scripture, is "I will, for he is my help."

Also, in the Baptism service, shortly before the Baptismal Covenant, the entire congregation is asked if they will support the soon-to-be baptized in "their life in Christ." The answer is an emphatic "We will." As a group, we take on the responsibility to build each other up in our life of Faith so that we can all do our work with God's help and so that those who are called to additional service to our Lord and community have the strength to give a firm and sure "I will" to the role taken on for God and God alone.