My previous blog addressed the fourth biblical principle of unity,
The Model of Unity: The Mind of Christ, based on Philippians 2:4, “…in humility regard
others as better than yourselves…” In retrospect it occurred to me that,
while there are loving, edifying ways to debate and resolve conflict, in the
humility that typifies the Mind of Christ, a first consideration always will be, “What
if I’m wrong?”
I understand that some people just can’t comprehend that concept.
In an overwhelming majority of times when I confront someone with the question,
“What if you’re wrong?” the response is, “But I’m not.” Without the humility to
consider—honestly—the possibility that he or she may be wrong, no person can
participate effectively in the satisfactory resolution of any conflict.
But, on to the fifth principle:
I Corinthians 1:8-9 (NLT) (God) will keep you strong
to the end, …for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into
partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
I’m flirting with the edge of meaning when I choose the New Living
Translation, which says, along with four other English translations, “…he has
invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” In the
original language the word is koinonia, which usually is translated,
“fellowship.” Forty-two of the English versions available to me say, “…he has invited you into fellowship with his Son…”
The word literally means, “common”—as in common property. It is
the basis of English words, like “community” and “communion.” The Amplified New
Testament uses two words: “companionship and participation;” while the Easy to
Read Version says, “(God) has chosen you to share life with His Son…”
I think the word, “partnership”, is totally appropriate.
Another word captures my attention: “…he has invited you
into partnership.” It is the same word used in…
* Galatians 5:13: “…you were called
into liberty…”
* Ephesians 4:1: “I … urge you to live a life worthy of
your calling.”
* Colossians 3:15: “And may the peace of
Christ reign in your hearts, be-cause it is for this that you were called together
as parts of one body.”
The noun form means “those who are called,” and is most often translated,
“church.” It is within Scriptural integrity to say we are called into
partnership with Christ, and that constitutes a valid definition of “church.”
Again, like humility in the previous blog, this is a “hard sell” in a
consumer cul-ture whose mantra is “the customer is always right.” The world
defines “membership” as “paying your dues and getting your benefits.” The New
Testament defines membership in the Body as “being called into partnership with
Christ.”
From the greatest figures in the history of Israel and the church,
to the most anonymous person on the back pew of some tiny congregation in the
remotest part of Appalachia, all of God’s servants are called to personal roles
and functions in the Body of Christ.
The calling of God is unique for each person. Some are dramatic:
Peter Mar-shall, Saul of Tarsus, Convicted Watergate felon, Chuck Coalson. We
can get so distracted by wide-screen, Technicolor celebrity calls that we completely
miss the “still small voice” God may use to call us.
Jeremiah, Isaiah and St. Paul (among others) say God called them
“from their mothers’ wombs.” In a sense God’s call is embedded in our DNA—not
so much “event” as part of our identity as persons created in the image of God.
It’s a kind of “Calling by Self-Discovery”; and some of us just kind of “grow
into it” as we pay attention to the things we love to do and the things that
bring us a sense of fulfillment and the things that other people affirm in us.
Some of us are less self-aware, so it takes something a bit more
theatrical to get our attention. For some of us it takes a 2 x 4 upside the
head; and some of us actually go through life blissfully oblivious to our
calling. But all of us are called—every life has divine meaning and purpose,
and those who discover it rarely demonstrate symptoms of depression or
aimlessness or emptiness.
So, the callings of God’s servants vary greatly, but the calling
is never to a merely private faith or piety. Isaiah’s call was not simply to
restore Israel, but to extend God’s salvation to the “end of the earth.” In the
opening lines of the Corinthian letter, when Paul says “you are called,” the
“you” is plural—it’s “y’all are
called!” It is not enough for us believers to cherish only a private faith; our
fellowship with one another and our witness to the world, if faithful, will
reflect the partnership with Christ into which God has called us.
Partnership. Here’s the IRS definition: “the relationship existing
between two or more persons who join to carry on a trade or business. Each
person contributes money, property, labor or skill, and expects to share in the
profits and losses of the business.” And Wikipedia defines it as “an
arrangement in which parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.”
Let’s consider one more New Testament image of partnership: the
church as the bride of Christ. The traditional marriage vow is a promise to
love and to cherish… “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for
better or for worse.” Remaining faithful only as long as we agree with each
other does not fit any definition of partnership—or unity.
The good news is
that our partnership is not dependent upon any of us being right, nor upon any
of us being in agreement on any specific issue. It is God alone who "will keep us strong to the
end, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has called us into partnership
with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
And that’s how I see it through the flawed glass that is my world
view.
Together in the Walk,
Jim
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