Passage: 1 Corinthians 10:1-22
A number of sci-fi programs and novels explore alien civilizations that are extraordinarily collectivist. Two that come immediately to mind are the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Formics from Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game series. Within these fictional cultures the idea of the individual is foreign. Every representative of the alien race thinks and acts with the goals and interests of the entire race in mind. It is as though individuals exist as expressions of a single entity.
The thing that defines these beings as alien – utterly other than human – is that unity of will and purpose. In the stories, human beings recoil at the thought of a culture in which the individual is lost. When one of these alien societies threatens humanity, the ensuing struggle is seen as a “fight for freedom.” A fight to preserve the individual in the face of forces that will subsume it.
At its heart, the Christian faith is an invitation to the individual to submit one’s identity and will. To find one’s identity as a member of the Body of Christ; and to submit one’s will to the will of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul points to episodes in the history of God’s people during which they chose their own way. Turned their backs on God’s overtures and instructions; abandoned the community of believers and their way of life, and charted their own course. Chose the appetites and desires of the individual over the way of the people and the will of God. The Old Testament includes instance after instance in which this course of action leads to disaster. The message repeated over and over is that true humanity is found in reconciliation with the Creator. That people live best when they allow God’s will to restrain and guide them.
The Lord’s Supper is emblematic of our commitment to God and God’s people. It’s not primarily something we take to guarantee ourselves a better life. It’s not a product we consume to enrich ourselves as individuals. It’s an act of submission – to our Lord and to his Body, the church. Submitting to Christ means committing to a way of life. A life of self-giving and self-sacrifice. A life of choosing the interests of others over self-interest. When we partake of the body and the blood we take in the life of Christ and are taken in to his Body. We become one with him and his people.
The paradox is that we don’t lose ourselves in the process. If anything it is in our union with Christ that we truly find ourselves. Our purpose and our worth as human beings become clearer. We become more aware of who we were created to be. This is what we were created for: union with the Creator; union with each other. We find this in our communion at the Lord’s table.
How do, "people live best when they allow god's will to restrain and guide them?"
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteThe assumption underlying that statement is that God designed and created us and the world we live in. Central to the Genesis Creation account is that God created the world with a plan in mind (in contrast to a. the creation myths of other ancient cultures who argue that the world and humanity were byproducts of cosmic struggle or afterthoughts of deities with other agendas or b. a secular evolutionary stance on biological origins that asserts that the world came to be out of a random confluence of events). God also, according to the Bible, created according to a good order - in the beginning perfect harmony existed among people, between people and each other, and between people and God. This harmony was interrupted when people opted to act primarily out of self-interest and self-preservation, failing to trust that God had their best interests in mind. As the Creator God provides rules and guidelines based on his good order for creation. He says, "If you live this way, life will work the way it was meant to be." On the flip side, he says, "If you don't live this way, your society will fray and your life won't work well." (Moses explains this to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6)
One of the reasons we resist the rules God lays out in the Old Testament (e.g., the Ten Commandments) and the New Testament (e.g., Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount - Matt. 5-7) is that the rules seem strict and confining. Historically, Bible-based religions have also elevated God's rules to such an extent that they've become the content or focus of the whole religion; alternately, religious people have also used God's rules as a means of punishing people. God intended them to be a gift - a guideline for living in better harmony with God and each other. The purpose of the Bible, and any biblical faith, should be to lead us into an intimate relationship with God. The apostle Paul points out in Romans 7 that if God's Law is isolated from the grace of Jesus Christ, then the Law serves only to condemn us. In other words, it does the opposite of what it was meant to do, that is, bring us closer to God.
The reason I say God's will "restrains" as well as guides us is because God's law (like our civil and criminal laws) holds in check our baser instincts. It encourages us to do the right; but it also inhibits us from acts that hurt us and other people.
I hope that clarifies to some extent, but please feel free to follow up. Thanks for your question!
Ben, thank you. This does clear my question.
ReplyDelete