Formed for Relationships

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ... The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:7, 18)

"It's not a religion, it's a relationship." This was a slogan that Christian hippies used to use, and I heard it frequently when I lived in California. Those hippies were onto something. Few words summarize the beginning-to-end concern of the Bible as well as the word relationships.

You could say the Bible is about God, but that cuts us out; and clearly, God occupies himself with humanity. You could say the Bible is about spirituality, but that ignores the concrete applications of Scripture which are primarily concerned with how we live together as families, churches, and within society. Ultimately, God's word guides us concerning a privileged, joyful relationship to our creator and, likewise, to loving and joyful relationships with one another. Jesus' summary of the law, for example, is love to God and love to others.

Think of the ways we get this wrong:

Those outside the Christian faith will sometimes define morality in individualistic terms. "I should be able to swing my arm in any direction as long as I don't hit anyone else" - in other words, do what you want but don't harm others. That's ultimately individualistic coexistence and not much more.

Likewise, the philosophy of Ayn Rand (objectivism) - embodied in books such as The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged - urges a kind of "high brow individualism" that is indirectly (rather than directly) beneficial to society. You may have never heard of her, but this philosophy is popular on Wall Street and among cultural elites.

And then there's us. Are Christians free from thinking in overly individualistic terms?

I think that often, as Christians, we disconnect major aspects of our faith from our relationships to God and others. We view holiness as something abstract, and thus Christian growth as something entirely cerebral. Or, we think that God expects us to grow in faith "on our own," so to speak, apart from ongoing communion with Him, grace from him, and the encouragement of others.

Some people are more relational than others. To see the primacy of relationships in God's word does not mean that we all become social - or party - animals. But even the most thoughtful among us, those who speak up less often (but often with greater wisdom), ultimately are called by God into meaningful relationships. With Him, with others, and within the church, the body of Christ.