Community is important to God. His church was meant to be like a unified family, not an estranged one. Christians were not meant to face their walk of faith alone. Yet there are some Christians who claim to please to God even though they purposefully neglect being with his people. Looking at the New Testament, this belief is nothing short of a farce. At Camp ’15, Dave Stewart shared with us a list of 63 “one another” passages in the New Testament.
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
-Galatians 5:13-14
Paul tells the Galatians they had been freed through the blood of Christ. This freedom should bring Christians great joy. Instead of being forced to love and serve each other, we are blessed to be able to do so. This realized blessing should prompt us to love our neighbor as ourselves. The word used for love here is agape or unconditional love. God commands His people to love each other without restriction. How do fallible people do this? Focus on Jesus.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. -Hebrews 10:23-25
Most of the time this passage is used to badger/shame Christians into coming to worship, but it contains so much more power. Christians have the power to stir up one another to love and serve better. The blood of Jesus has freed us to have confidence in our relationship with God. As we hold tightly to this confidence ourselves and help others to do the same, we encourage each other to keep serving the One who cleansed us. Thus, holding on to one another, we all stay faithful.
Freedom can be dangerous, however. People, even Christians, can be self-centered and self-absorbed. Paul warns the Galatians to be careful not to use their freedom to abuse each other.
But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may to do the things that you please. -Galatians 5:15-17
As we focus on allowing the Spirit to guide us through the Word as well as daily life, we seek to carry out God’s will unconditionally. Our focus begins to shift from “let me nitpick your sin” to “let us help one another be more faithful to God.” As a result, we use the freedom God gave us in Christ to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” Let us seek to use our freedom for God’s glory, constantly seeking to build one another up to “love and good works.” Remember, the church is a family. Community matters to God.