Our goal: staying together in a world intent on segmentation
By Dean Collins
One of the good things that came from the pandemic was the reality that we do better in community than in isolation. In the early months of the pandemic, we lived in so much fear because we knew so little about Covid. For safety reasons we stayed apart for days, weeks, and months. As time passed, the longing to be with family and friends increased.
Now that we have moved beyond the pandemic, we have reverted to our preferences of segmenting into various groups. There is nothing particularly wrong with wanting to group together because of some affinity with a sport, a hobby, or an interest. But it seems that the more we segment, the less we seem to understand about God’s kingdom and how he sent Jesus to bring us into the family of God.
True identity
In 1 John the apostle wrote to bring hope to believers who had suffered from a serious breach in the community. The church split over important issues. Some no longer believed that Jesus was the incarnate son of God. But even denying the incarnation, they considered themselves to be followers of Jesus. John writes to clear up what is essential to Christian faith. We do not get to pick and choose the Jesus we will follow.
John reminded the believers of their true identity as children of God:
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
In the opening verses of John’s Gospel and his epistle, he documented the foundational truth that Jesus came as God in the flesh, and to all who received him and believed in his name, both then and now, he gave the right to become his sons and daughters ( John 1:12-13).
Rich community
What good news we have is that our identity with Christ translates into community with God and each other. John reminds us that even as we are a community of faith now, what we will be when Jesus comes again is even better. When we see him face-to-face at his second coming or when we transition through the thin line of life on earth into eternity, we will experience the purity and perfection that is ours because of what Christ did for us on the cross.
As we wait in this season of Advent, we must remember that Jesus came to break the power of sin in our lives. First John 3:7-10 reminds us that only our abiding in Christ keeps us from sinning. As we deepen our relationship with Christ, the temptations of the enemy become weakened. And the more we experience the love and grace of God in our lives, the more we can love others the way Jesus does. John is clear that we cannot say we love God and hate another person.
Father, in this season of waiting we desire to pursue you with all of our heart. Forgive us for the ways we have separated ourselves from each other. Forgive us for how we have neglected to love others who are not like us. Fill us with your Spirit that we might truly love others and demonstrate that love by our actions as we await your second coming. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
1 John 3:1-3; John 1:12-14; 1 John 3:7-10 ESV
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
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