Discussion Thread - Individual_in_Community
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Jan 9, 2024
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Uploaded by richert01
Discussion Thread: Individual-in-Community
“Americans and others from the Global West have difficulty conceiving of individuals forming a
single whole persona”.
1
Truth of the matter is that American individualism, that uniquely
American philosophy, allows us to see each other as unique individuals instead of members of a
group, is deeply ingrained in the American psyche. It stresses the importance of uniqueness be it
in independence, individuality, or autonomy.
This, in itself, is not a bad trait to possess.
It has
allowed the United States to flourish throughout its history.
It does, however, tend to
individualize the Christian faith which can fly in the face of how God designed His Church to
grow which was in unity.
We are called to be syn Christo – togetherness with Christ and
togetherness with others in Christ.
We are called upon to not just interact with Him but with our
brethren in the faith – a connection which is both vertical and horizontal.
It is no coincidence
that the use of the Greek prefix
SYN
is used as frequently as it is by Paul to best describe this
‘togetherness’ with Christ.
“Murray Harris points out that “there are more New Testament
compounds formed with syn than with any other preposition.” The abundant number of them that
appear in Paul’s epistles—85 distinct compounds—appear 158 times. We distinguish between
those syn-compounds that direct our attention to the Christian’s connection to Christ in salvation
(vertical) and those that focus on the connections among Christians (horizontal), which unite
them in “fellowship of the Spirit” (Phil 2:1).
2
With regards to how Paul’s concept of the body of Christ aligns “with virtual, digital, and online
gatherings of Christians,” It aligns perfectly well.
He is convinced that nothing at all can
separate us from God, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
1 Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through
Online Education (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 160.
2
Ibid, 142.
principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord. (
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update
Ro 8:38–39).
Paul believes that being Syn
Christo, we not only experience togetherness with Christ but we are expected to experience that
togetherness with one another in Christ.
“These reciprocal interactions can occur in any
environment where Christians gather together (synerchomai), whether in a sanctuary for
preaching and worship, in a coffee shop for prayer and fellowship, or in an online classroom to
study theology”.
3
3 Ibid, 148-149.
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