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od is community. He’s Three. A perfect circle of sufficiency (Dallas Willard). Each member of the Godhead considering the other more important than self, constantly esteeming the other ahead of self, etc. The Father always gushes over the Son, the Son always deflects to the Father, and Jesus said it was good that He go away so that the disciples could enjoy the presence of the Spirit. That is the bedrock of all reality. Loving, selfless community. Where some religions consider balance (dualism–ying/yang) to be ultimate reality, or monism (unity without diversity) to be the ultimate reality, we know that all reality gets its energy from Three, the Trinity, God–unity with diversity.
So what? We are made in that image, and when we are pulled into Christ by the power of the Spirit, we step into that circle of sufficiency. Paul’s teaching in Ph. 2.1f on this subject isn’t just good doctrine we might or might not follow–it’s a metaphysical statement, the likes of which no philosophy can begin to touch. And all sin is a violation of that selfless, universal circle of unbridled love.
Community, then, isn’t a program, nor can it be nurtured by some program. Community is a way of being, not doing. We are communal “beings.” Much of what morality/doctrine deals with has to do with “doing” but it flows out of authentic being. And the summation of that “being” is love. God is love and we are His. So, we need love from the Spirit (love is a gift of the Spirit, btw). We need to be reminded who we are dealing with here. Humans made in God’s image, full of innate dignity, made just a little lower than God (not a little lower than angels, as our poor translations state). I fear we too often attempt the “doing” without affecting the “being.” And I think that sort of superficiality is what sends people running from institutional church. We program some “service.” We all go “do” it. But we don’t love any better because of it. I think we need a lot of prayer and fasting in community focused on reminding ourselves about the ultimate reality–the eternal Community and their offspring. We need to watch Them love each other and pray with all our might for much grace and the Spirit’s influence. Until then, I think that maybe all we’re really doing is putting an expensive paint job on a car that has no engine. When we start “being” the community, the things we do will reflect it. For now, the things we do reflect competition, religiosity, smack of manipulation, are self-centered, and glorify the program, not the Programmer.
