“Of” is a pretty small word for all of its uses. I’m reminded of when I learned that “Of David” above many of the Psalms (e.g. Psalm 4, 23, 31) can mean different things. Some of the “of David” psalms mean that they are written by him, others mean that they are written according to his character, others mean that they were written about him. Whichever the case, the “of” means that it is something is being related to.
When we say that we are a “Jesus Centered Community OF Scripture, Faith, and Grace,” we are saying that our community is related to these things. If you’re slightly Lutheran, you may also notice the “three Reformation Sola Statements” in those three: Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and Sola Gratia.
When we say that we are a community of these three things, we define what we believe to be authoritative. We believe that Scripture is the only place that can assure us of our theological convictions, we believe that our life in Christ is one of acknowledging risk and choosing to have trust and faith in Him, and we believe that everything we have is given as a life-generating gift of grace.
“Authoritative” above doesn’t necessarily mean “right,” it means “relating to the author or source.” When we say that we are “Of Scripture, Faith, and Grace,” we are reminding ourselves and others where we find the source of our hope in Christ. May you renew your grip on these authoritative sources today and throughout this week.