Salvation is commonly seen as a individual matter. Our Baptist friends may anxiously ask if you've been saved, for example. Even Presbyterians with their Calvinist-Reformed doctrine of election frame the question on a personal basis. However, if we scratch the surface, we discover that the individualistic dimension is far less important, and may even be somewhat irrelevant, when seen through the Lord's eyes.
Certainly our culture informs our individualistic perspective. Today, the aspect of community and shared anything seems quaint to some, and even a dire threat to the American way by extreme others. In biblical times, communities and relationships defined identities. Jesus came along busting through those boundaries, seeking to unite a broken and divided people of the world into the family of God.
Acts 1, following Jesus' ascension, leaves the disciples waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. With no Jesus and no Holy Spirit, what to do? Peter takes the lead, knowing that the Twelve have been reduced to the Eleven. It was an admission that they were incomplete, broken and lacking. They set about restoring their leadership number to Twelve.
Peter sets out the qualification; a person (okay, male) who was with Jesus and his ministry from beginning to end. What mattered was not the personal resume, skills, values, education, resources, or the like, but whether the person had shared the journey and the experience with the group.
In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples prior to his arrest. He notes that they are not of the world, but of the word, the promise of new life. He prays for the unity of this people as the seeds of the kingdom. They are to be witnesses to the new people of God, not only themselves but all others, too. Note how much individual salvation matters here; not at all. Rather, it is about bringing together the whole people of creation and seeing them as the family of God.
There's a whole lot more about this, so check out the sermon video below, and note the downloads available below the video panel.
Certainly our culture informs our individualistic perspective. Today, the aspect of community and shared anything seems quaint to some, and even a dire threat to the American way by extreme others. In biblical times, communities and relationships defined identities. Jesus came along busting through those boundaries, seeking to unite a broken and divided people of the world into the family of God.
Acts 1, following Jesus' ascension, leaves the disciples waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. With no Jesus and no Holy Spirit, what to do? Peter takes the lead, knowing that the Twelve have been reduced to the Eleven. It was an admission that they were incomplete, broken and lacking. They set about restoring their leadership number to Twelve.
Peter sets out the qualification; a person (okay, male) who was with Jesus and his ministry from beginning to end. What mattered was not the personal resume, skills, values, education, resources, or the like, but whether the person had shared the journey and the experience with the group.
In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples prior to his arrest. He notes that they are not of the world, but of the word, the promise of new life. He prays for the unity of this people as the seeds of the kingdom. They are to be witnesses to the new people of God, not only themselves but all others, too. Note how much individual salvation matters here; not at all. Rather, it is about bringing together the whole people of creation and seeing them as the family of God.
There's a whole lot more about this, so check out the sermon video below, and note the downloads available below the video panel.
| 05-17-15-ff-answers.pdf |
| 05-17-15-unity_in_a_broken_world.pdf |