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Question 6

Dean highlighted Schiemer’s preferred phrasing “the Word became flesh and dwelt in us” and the line “we believe in God, not on God”; how does that push against “faith as agreeing to a creed,” and what would change in your daily obedience if you truly treated Christianity as Christ’s indwelling life rather than a new set of correct commands?

Another way to ask: Schiemer stressed Christ living in us, not just believing the right ideas about God. How does that challenge “faith = agreeing with a creed,” and what would change in your daily choices if you saw Christianity as Christ living through you?

Direct Answer It pushes faith from mere external belief or mental agreement into an internal, lived reality: Christ dwelling “in us,” shaping obedience from the inside. Dean’s point is that Christianity cannot be reduced to correct rules—even Jesus’ words—without the indwelling presence of Christ.

Support from Transcript:

Dean says Schiemer stressed “the inner life and what he called…to be born again.”
Schiemer preferred “the Word became flesh and dwelt in us” rather than “dwelt among us,” emphasizing internal indwelling.
He adds: “We believe in God…not on God,” which Dean calls “profound points.”
Dean explicitly rejects creed-only faith: “Faith is not a mental thing. Faith is not an agreeing to a creed. It is the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ.”
He warns against outwardism even in Anabaptism: “We cannot…have an outward obedience to…theology. It must be the indwelling Christ.”
Dean connects this to transformation: “conformed into the image of Jesus Christ” and “the same Spirit that raised up Jesus…if it dwells in us, it will quicken our mortal bodies.”

Discussion Follow-ups Where do you most tend to treat obedience like checking boxes? What daily habits would look different if you expected Christ “within” to be the source of your obedience?

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