Renewing your mind (Part 3)
The individual and the community - a meditation on the nature of God
Here is one of the most obvious and keenly felt differences in the worldviews of the modern western and traditional African.
For a modern western mind, the story is about me as an individual. I am independent of all others, carrying responsibility solely for myself. Each person must be able to look after themselves, provide for themselves, make decisions for the benefit of themselves and be allowed to live as authentically themselves. The family unit, which may consist of a mother and father, and perhaps some siblings, provides protection and resources which enable the individual to grow and become fully independent. The goal therefore, is the individual who can look after themself, and doesn’t have any concerns for any others, as these others are also individuals who can fully look after themselves.
The traditional African has a story about the family and clan that they belong to. This clan is the most important thing, and all behaviour is judged as to whether it is harmful or beneficial to the clan the person belongs to. The needs and desires of the individual is not considered to be important, as long as the clan is being served and strengthened.
The bible tells a different story where both of these views are valued but a bigger and better story is being told. It starts in the biblical view of God. The biblical view of God is as an individual and as a community.
As an individual, God has a character. His character is perfect, and flawless in every way. He is completely unified in his character, of what he loves and what he hates. He has a purpose and a plan. He is at work to bring about his purpose, which has stayed constant from the beginning. He will achieve his purposes and stay faithful to his plans. ‘The Lord our God is one’ (Deut 6:4).
However, God is also a community of Father, Son and Spirit. The opening chapter of Genesis gives us something of an insight into this threefold picture of God, as his Spirit is hovering over the waters and his word is the agent of his creative power. What the Old Testament gives us in veiled hints is gloriously unveiled in the New Testament. The ‘Word’ became ‘flesh’ and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus would send the ‘Comforter’, one like himself, to be with the disciples and lead them into all truth, the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). So we find that God is by nature three persons in one. This is why John can use the definition that ‘God is love’. How could God be love unless he has always existed in community, forever delighting in himself, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This is the grounding for how God views and deals with humanity in the biblical story. Adam is the first human, initially created on his own, without a partner. God sees that it is not good for Adam to be alone, and so makes a suitable partner for him from his side. Adam is delighted with his team mate, made to be his ‘ezer kenegdo’, (this Hebrew phrase is debated, but its literal meaning is something like ‘helper, one opposite from’). The climax of the story is the commentary that the two become one flesh. The individual and the community have somehow become the same thing in the eyes of God.
Later we see that God is constantly choosing the individual on behalf of the community. Think about Abraham. He was an individual, and not a very impressive individual at that. Yet God chose this one man, a childless wanderer, to bless all the nations of the world (Genesis 12:3). The biblical story is full of God’s plan to bless the world, but he is always working that out through individuals. Ultimately we see this in the person of Jesus, the one individual who carried all the promises and hopes of the people of Israel and the entire world. Indeed, his life, death and resurrection became representative for every individual who believes in him, and so they are joined in to his new community.
In God’s wisdom, each individual is of utmost importance, and each is given a dignity and calling to fulfil, as a blessing to the great community that God is building. This worldwide community is called to represent and demonstrate God to the rest of his creation. At a local level, these are known as churches. Here God’s value for the individual and the community can be drawn together in one visible group. The bible calls this group ‘the body of Christ’, a whole being that is made up of many different and vitally important members.
This unity and diversity on show, this individual and community reflect something of the nature of God himself, the three in one.
Questions for reflection
• Do you find yourself more naturally holding a traditional African or a modern western worldview of the individual and community?
• How has this impacted your life?
• How does the biblical story of the individual inspire you to become everything that God has called you to be?
• How does the biblical story of community inspire you to build friendships and engage in mission together?
Case Study
John (from our previous case study) has become a Christian and joined your congregation. However, he has not made any friends in your church, and seems content to come along for a Sunday morning service. Does this concern you? If so, how do you go about helping him to really connect with your church?